The document discusses the importance of conducting a content audit for websites, particularly in educational institutions, to evaluate the effectiveness and appropriateness of the content. It highlights common scenarios where organizations might overlook the need for audits, resulting in aesthetic improvements without substantive content changes. The author provides a structured approach to performing a content audit and outlines the benefits, including improved SEO and content usability.

1. Please…Stop
Putting Lipstick
on a Pig
Making a case for a
Content Audit
Justin Gatewood, M.Ed.
Web, SharePoint & Cloud Systems Admin.
Victor Valley Community College District
#heweb18 | @lightjump

2. •Born: 1971 (Monterey, CA)
•PC: Commodore 64 Online: 1986
1st F/T Web Job: 1996 Higher Ed: 2006
•Email: Justin.Gatewood@vvc.edu
•US Navy (90-95) – Cryptologic Tech
•B.S., Business – I.T. Management
•M.Ed., Learning & Technology
•Ed.D., Organizational Change & Leadership
(in progress)

3. Why should I audit my
content?
What could go wrong?

8. Actual Quote…
“A dependency on audits of current website content is a
dependency that should not exist.”

9. Content Audit

10. Content Audit

11. Content
substantive information or creative material
viewed in contrast to its actual or potential manner of presentation:
a flashy website
but without much content.
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/content

12. Content
information
in contrast to its presentation?

14. Markup language that
provides semantic
meaning to content based
upon its structure.

15. Content
is
the SUBSTANCE
of your website

16. “Style without Substance is
awful.”
Chris Anderson
Head of TED
TED Talks

17. Content Audit

18. Audit
…inspection or examination…
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/audit
…to evaluate…
appropriateness
efficiency
…or the like.

19. Cool.
Definitions.

20. Content Audit
Evaluating the substance of your website
for appropriateness, effectiveness and
efficiency.

21. Simon Sinek, 2009 TED Talk, “Start with Why”

22. 5 Whys process
(Root Cause Analysis)

23. 1. Why does your institution
exist?
(purpose)

24. To educate students.

25. 2. Why is ‘educating students’
important?

26. “The foundation of every state is
the education of its youth.”
- Diogenes

27. “The highest result of education
is tolerance.”
- Helen Keller

28. “Intelligence plus character – that
is the goal of true education.”
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

29. “Education is the most powerful
weapon you can use to change
the world.”
- Nelson Mandela

31. Unemployment
nearly cut in
half
Annual income
nearly doubled

32. Recap: Why educating students
is important…

33. Education increases tolerance

34. Education promotes intelligence
and character

35. Education reduces
unemployment and increases
income

36. Education creates greater
capacity for world change

37. Sounds important.

38. Why does your institution have a
website?

39. To communicate the purpose of
your institution to potential
students.

40. What is your reason why?

41. Scenario
• Aging site
• Disorganized content
• Something needs to be done
• Leadership wants “a new student
experience”

42. Scenario
• Website Survey
• Assemble a small team
• Present findings from survey
• (data showed redesign not necessary)

43. Scenario
• Created Content Inventory Spreadsheet
• Assigned groups of sub-sites to team
members on tabs
• Three of 4 stopped attending…

44. Scenario
• Recommended content inventory and audit
• Leadership said, “I don’t think any
dependency between content audit and
redesign exists” and pushed for a redesign
without an audit.

45. Scenario
• Result (so far)…a nice-looking site with
old information.
• No real improvements aside from the
visuals

46. What you can do to make your case
------------

47. Identify an academic department that is having
issues
------------
(odds are, you already know of one)

48. Pull a content inventory of their department site
------------
(create a spreadsheet with the following columns:
URL, Page Title, Dept. Name, File type, Content Score and
Comments)

50. Content Scoring column will have several values
------------
(start simple – score 1-5, 5 being best)

51. Perform an initial audit yourself of the content
------------
(start simple – score 1-5, 5 being best)

52. Setup a meeting with the department
------------
(send them your initial audit document, ask for them to run
through the content as well before your meeting)

53. Receive the department’s input & make changes
------------

54. Measure the results
------------
(increased enrollments, engagement, etc.)

55. Report your findings & ask for more resources
------------
(to expand the effort)

56. What are the Benefits of
a Content Audit?

57. Benefits of an Audit
• Find Content Problems
• ID Content for Reuse
• Locate gaps in Content
• Evaluate Content Quality
• Improve Content Structure (IA)

58. Benefits of an Audit
• Improve SEO
• Improve organic search
• Content is stronger
• Enhanced Usability
• Max. Conversion Rates

59. Perform the Audit
• Content Inventory
• ID Content Categories/Sites
• Map Content to Themes/Personas
• Analyze Content Performance
• Present Findings and Meaning

60. Questions?
Justin Gatewood
Justin.gatewood2@gmail.com
Slides: slideshare.net/lightjump