Content Audit | Contensis User Groups 2015

We look at the important parts of running a content audit – starting with the end, and working backwards.

Transcript

2. content auditing Zach Beauvais
3. definitions • Content is a bit… meh. But it’s all we’ve got, for now. • Content carries meaning. • You have an intent, a goal, a thing to get done – content is the meaning-stuff that makes that happen. photo by Zach Beauvais, CC BY-SA: flic.kr/p/y6E8es
4. τέλος photo by Zach Beauvais, CC BY-SA: flic.kr/p/ykXEBA Thus, to give an explanation of something is to determine what about it is good. Its goodness is its actual cause - its purpose, telos or "reason for which" (Timaeus 27d8-29a). [Wikipedia: Teleology]
5. purpose photo by Zach Beauvais, CC BY-SA: flic.kr/p/y6F9S3 • Every piece of content exists for a purpose. • Sometimes, those purposes aren’t very good. • To best understand our content, we work backward. • Start at the end – the purpose – and ask questions
6. kinds of purpose photo by Zach Beauvais, CC BY-SA: flic.kr/p/xrfJpY • Messages • Audiences • Tasks • Tone
7. messages • Messages – discrete, meaningful concepts which your website conveys. • We want you to know what we do. • We have something for you. • We exist in the real world – here is where you can find us. photo by Zach Beauvais, CC BY-SA: flic.kr/p/xrfJpY
8. audiences • Audiences – the people you're looking to engage with. • We are part of your community. • We support people like you in specific ways. • We want to engage you in conversation. photo by Zach Beauvais, CC BY-SA: flic.kr/p/xrfJpY
9. tasks • Tasks – things your audiences want to get done. • I want to find an answer to my specific question. • I want to buy something – or complete a task like registering to vote. • I want to tell you something. photo by Zach Beauvais, CC BY-SA: flic.kr/p/xrfJpY
10. tone • Tone – the impressions beyond meaning that your message imparts. • We want you to feel like we know what we're doing. • We want you to feel like we are not remote, snobbish, or boring. • We want you to feel like we care about your own purposes. photo by Zach Beauvais, CC BY-SA: flic.kr/p/xrfJpY
11. research questions • How much content have we got? • Where does the content live? (IA) • Who is the content for? • Who put it there? • Is this content up-to-date? • Is this content well-written (clear, meaningful, useful)? photo by Zach Beauvais, CC BY-SA: flic.kr/p/dVgSLx
12. audit mechanics • Identify the scope • Do you need a full audit? • Are you after a section? • Get you some export • Reports • Search (with great filters) • Add columns to the spreadsheet photo by Zach Beauvais, CC BY-SA: flic.kr/p/8Z7UKu