Whether you are redesigning your website, working on your content strategy, or simply managing web content, it is important to take the time to review and catalog existing content by putting together a Content Inventory. Here are five reasons why:
1. Discover. It is very common for different people to publish content on a site and to not have a plan in place to review it, making it harder to get a big picture of the existing content. A Content Inventory allows you to dedicate the time to go through every page and click on every link, and discover content, blank pages, and broken links.
2. Understand. Meanwhile going through the tedious process of cataloging everything, you will start getting a better understanding of the types content, and you will likely notice differences in tone, user experience, look and feel, etc. (always have a “Notes” column to capture all of this.)
3. Evaluate.
- If there is a Content Strategy (CS) in place, does the existing content follow that strategy? How can the content or strategy be updated to align with the company’s objectives and provide the best user experience for the target audience?
- If there is no Content Strategy in place, take advantage of the understanding you now have to establish a structured plan to guide future content creators, curators and managers.
4. Organize. Once you have accounted for the existing content and you are aware of the content strategy, you will be able to answer the following questions and make decisions:
- What content will be reused?
- What content is missing?
- What content needs to be repurposed or rewritten?
- What content will be deleted?
5. Manage. After organizing and taking action, update the content inventory. It is important to schedule time to periodically update the inventory, audit the content, and train any new content creators, curators or publishers, to avoid losing control and to make sure everyone is on the same page regarding the overall content strategy.
