Previously we’ve talked about what blog content audits are and how you can create a simple blog content audit spreadsheet to make the process easier. But why would you want to take on this potentially huge project in the first place?
Let’s look at three good reasons you might choose to conduct your own blog content audit. A content audit lets you:
1. Fix problems that turn readers away.
One of the biggest perks of a blog content audit is that it requires you to physically look at every post on your site in some way. That means you’ll see what your readers are seeing, and you can fix problems that might drive them away from your site. For example, you might find and fix:
- Serious spelling and grammatical errors from your earlier blogging days;
- Formatting problems that resulted from previous design changes;
- Broken links that leave readers lost.
2. Plan future content.
There is no better way to plan your future content strategy than to know what you already have. Once you have your blog content inventory, you can identify holes and fill them.
Do some keyword research to see what your readers are looking for, and use your blog content audit to figure out if you’re filling those needs. If you aren’t yet, then you immediately know what content you should focus on creating.
3. Increase traffic and engagement.
A blog content audit also gives you an opportunity to grow your blog readership. For example, you might use it as an opportunity to better optimize your old posts for search engines, so you can drive more targeted traffic to your blog.
Another option is to focus on reader engagement (how often people share and comment on your content). A blog content audit also lets you review this type of success or failure of older posts.
What do your most shared or most commented posts have in common? An audit helps you figure that out so you can do the same with posts you write in the future.
Why else might you or other bloggers choose to conduct a blog content audit? If you made that decision for other reasons, tell us about them in the comments.
This post was written by...
Jennifer Mattern – who has written 15 posts on Writing for Bloggers.
Jennifer Mattern is a professional blogger and the owner of 3 Beat Media. In addition to blogging for clients, she runs All Freelance Writing, All Indie Publishing, BizAmmo, and more.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I need to do it for those reasons and because I no longer even know what I have…
lol An excellent reason Anne!
I’m amazed at some of the old posts I come across that I’d completely forgotten about. I’ve been meaning to add some of our best posts to our About page at All Freelance Writing, and when I’m finished with this process I’ll finally know what those are. 
Love this idea, Jenn. I’ve seen such fluctuation in my blog traffic, and I’d love to be able to measure what’s working and what isn’t.
Just don’t discount some of your older posts because they’re not your biggest traffic bringers. Some of my best were hidden deep in the archives. The problem wasn’t the content so much as the optimization and lack of promotion on my part.