inventory to insight: understanding content inventories, audits, and analysis

Inventory to Insight

Understanding Content Inventories, Audits, and Analysis

Paula LandContent Insight

2

Founder and Principal Consultant at Strategic Content, a content strategy consultancy based in Seattle WA

Author of the forthcoming book The Content Inventory and Audit Handbook (XML Press, September 2014)

Co-founder and CEO of Content Insight, developer of the Content Analysis Tool (CAT)

3

Inventory

An introduction to the content inventory – what it is, why we do them, how to

create

1

Audit

How to transform an inventory into an audit and

plan and conduct audits

2

Analysis

How to use all the information you’ve gathered

3

5

Quality Effectiveness Breadth and depth

Structure Content types Design implications

Quantity Templates Authoring implications

Changes Performance Lifecycle management

6

PLAN

DOCUMENT VISION AND GOALS

INVOLVE THE RIGHT PEOPLE

COMMUNICATE

SHOW ROI

DELIVER ACTIONABLE INSIGHTS

7

What do you need to learn?

Who is your audience?

What is the project

timeframe?

How much time do you have?

8

Content Strategist

Content Owner(s)

Site ManagerInformation Architect

Data gathering

Collaboration

Documentation and presentation

11

The process and result of creating an organized listing of content assets (test, files, audio, video, images) for a body of content. An inventory includes as much information about each piece of content as possible.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

Creates a current-state baseline, which helps to define scope and identify issues for further analysis.

12

Assess as-is landscape of a site or content setPrepare for a content audit Scope a project for resource estimation Identify patterns in content structure Set a baseline to measure to-be site against Establish a basis for migration tracking

13

URLs/location ImagesVideosAudio filesDocuments

Content ownersStatus Content typeTemplateEtc.

Metadata (title, description, keywords, H1)Analytics (pageviews, etc.)Date updatedFile sizeLinks in and out

Manual

Automated

15

Set up a spreadsheet Start with a list of pages or click through the site Gather information about each page, image, document Copy/paste, copy/paste, copy/paste…

16

URL Type Size Level Metatitle, description, keywords Word count H1 text Google Analytics Links in and links out Screenshot Custom columns, notes, and tags for your own data

Set up a crawl, get:

17

18

ScopeSite structure Content distribution by type and audience Content performance Cross-linking strategy Metadata for SEO

20

Qualitative assessment of content against business and user goals

21

What you want What you have

22

Assess whether content supports business and user goals

Inform strategy for improvement

See if content consistently follows brand, editorial, style and metadata guidelines

Establish a basis for gap analysis between content you have and content you need

Prepare content for revision, removal and migration

Uncover patterns in content to support structured content plans

23

Start with your

inventory

1

Assemble resources

2

Start auditing

3

24

Business requirementsAnalytics dataEditorial guidelinesBrand guidelinesPersonasCustomer journey mapsCustomer feedback

25

Editorial quality

Business goals

Brand voice

Performance metrics

The competition

26

Timely and relevantCompleteCurrentAccurateConsistentEngagingEasy-to-read/scanAudience-appropriateCommunicates key messagesMeets user goals and interests

27

TerminologyTone and voiceImagery

28

Analytics dataSite metricsSearch dataCustomer feedback

29

Audience (s)Key user task flowsType and quantity of content FormatsLanguage (tone and voice)Contributors (numbers, names)Community features Frequency of publicationOverall impressionDifferentiating features

30

Language supportBreadth of translationCultural relevanceNavigational modelImageryDesign consistencyRegional and local contentLocalized metadata

32

What?

So What?

Now What?

33

Review your goals

Look for patterns Prioritize what will be most effective

Document your findings

34

35

What decisions need to be made?

What change are you trying to drive?

36

What are the most compelling data points?

What is the call to action?

37

Who are they?

How much background do they have?

What will be most persuasive?

38

39

Audit

Revise

Document

Create

40

Start with an inventoryUnderstand the business contextSet goals and scope Assess content against user and business goals, requirements, and standardsFeed actionable insights back to stakeholders and content creatorsCreate a feedback loopInstitute the ongoing audit

41

Free Trial Available

Sign up at www.content-insight.com

pland@content-insight.com @content_insightwww.content-insight.com Content Analysis Tool (CAT)