Is it time for an Autumn Content Audit?

The nights are drawing in.  The festive season is looming large. But it’s fair to say Santa may have a job on his hands to cheer us all up this year.  It is not all doom and gloom though.  With e-commerce more in demand than ever before, has there ever been a more important time to show your business some online attention?  Looking at the performance of your website through the lens of a content audit – to give it its fancy name – is a great way to reinvigorate sales, brand awareness and conversion rates going in to the Christmas/ New Year period.

But what are the key questions we should be asking ourselves about our online content and what tools are out there to help us improve performance?

Has my SEO Strategy gone stale?

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.”

Albert Einstein….perhaps.

Debate still rages as to whether those words originally came from Einstein himself but there are few people who would disagree with the sentiment. 

The goal of Search Engine Optimisation is, in essence, to increase traffic to your site.  If that’s not happening with your current SEO strategy, then perhaps it is time to change.

One of the first questions you should ask is how your website is ranking on the Google search index.  You can find this data by using the Google Search Console which helps you check the health and performance of your site as Google sees it for both desktop and mobile.  Make sure your site is indexable and fix any errors that Google reports.

Keywords are your litmus test

Use your chosen keywords to assess how well your site is ranking and whether you are doing enough to target these keywords.

There is a plethora of useful tools to help you perform a site audit. They will scan your site and report back on each page to show you where you can improve/optimize. These include Link-Assistant  or Screaming Frog which offers a free version.

Pay special attention to key elements of your SEO such as proper use of H1, H2, keyword density and meta descriptions.

What about your backlinks? Are you missing out on opportunities to gain more backlinks to your site from well respected sources?  Again, plenty of tools such as ahrefs.com will help you keep on top of those tasks.

At a time when the whole world seems to be shifting on its axis, it may just be worth checking if your audience has changed/ evolved in any way?  There is a good chance that – at the very least – their priorities and challenges will have shifted, and your content must reflect this.   

Remember, as service or product providers our key role is to solve the problems faced by others and make life that little bit simpler.  This message must remain at the heart of your content marketing strategy.

What is Google Analytics anyway?

Google Analytics is a powerful beast when used correctly and there are many highly skilled experts available to help you navigate and use it to your advantage.

“Understanding what Google Analytics is telling you is 90% of the battle,” explains James Birchmore from Frozen Web Advanced Hosting Solutions.

“That’s why using something like Google Data Studio and their first and third party templates makes this much simpler,” he adds.  

 It may also be worth re-considering your customer journey.  What are your conversion rates?  Where are your drop out points?  Admittedly we are spending more time online than ever before BUT there is also more competition for our attention.  It’s essential not to lose your potential customers with clumsy navigation.

And finally, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.  Content Marketing thrives on the winning adage of give to receive.  The more quality, accessible and shareable content you provide your online audience, the more chance of making an impact or conversion. 

Whether it’s through frequent blog posting, a robust social media content schedule or some meaty webinars and industry thought leadership, now is the time to make your website work harder than ever before.