Content Audit Checklist

Use this for: The selected draft or published page being reviewed.

In an audit worksheet, name the content area, goal and review period. Include the page types needed to answer the goal. A blog refresh audit may cover articles; a website content audit may include service, product and help pages. If you sample a large site, state the sample and review important exceptions rather than presenting it as a complete inventory.

1. Choose the audit goal.
2. Define included page types and exclusions.
3. Identify retention or approval constraints.

Use this for: The selected draft or published page being reviewed.

Export published pages from the CMS and compare them with the XML sitemap and a site crawl when available. Add important URLs seen in Search Console or analytics that are absent from those lists. Keep the original URL and final destination so redirects remain visible. A sitemap and a crawl can each miss content; do not assume either is the whole library.

1. Collect CMS, sitemap and crawl URL lists.
2. Compare missing entries across sources.
3. Keep a distinct row for each page and investigate variants.

Use this for: The selected draft or published page being reviewed.

Add columns for URL, page type, reader task, owner, last substantive update, intended search status, performance period, observed issue, decision and next action. Add business or support value where relevant. Keep unknown values separate from zero. Use one consistent definition per field so two reviewers do not mean different things by “outdated” or “low value.”

1. Add purpose and ownership fields.
2. Define the measured fields and time period.
3. Reserve decision and action columns for the review.

Use this for: The selected draft or published page being reviewed.

In Search Console’s Performance report, choose a period suited to the site and compare it with a comparable earlier period. Use Pages to find material changes, then filter to a page and read its Queries. Check country, device and search-type scope when relevant. Seasonal content needs seasonal context, and a recent page may not yet have enough data for a strong conclusion.

1. Choose comparable periods and filters.
2. Identify affected pages.
3. Review the associated query changes.

Use this for: The selected draft or published page being reviewed.

In GA4, open Reports → Engagement → Landing page, or find the Landing page report in your property’s available navigation. Filter or compare by Session default channel group = Organic Search when evaluating SEO, then inspect the page’s entrances and configured outcomes. If the report is missing, ask an editor to restore it. Check other traffic sources and ask the page owner about support, sales, legal or navigation uses. Do not equate a low engagement metric with useless content. Tracking may be incomplete, and a page can answer a question quickly without a tracked conversion.

1. Review relevant landing-page and outcome data.
2. Check other known uses with the owner.
3. Mark missing tracking and retention requirements.

Use this for: The selected draft or published page being reviewed.

For an intended search page with unexpectedly little visibility, inspect the exact URL in Search Console. Review the indexed record and use the live test for current accessibility. Check redirects, indexing permission and canonical selection in the appropriate result. If a template or access problem explains the issue, route it to the technical owner before treating the page as a content failure.

1. Inspect the affected URL.
2. Compare intended state with indexed and live findings.
3. Assign any confirmed technical blocker before editorial work.

Use this for: The selected draft or published page being reviewed.

Open the page and attempt the task its title promises. Check the answer, necessary steps, examples, factual accuracy and next action. Highlight exactly where a reader would become stuck or misled. Compare with current relevant results only to find useful omissions, not to copy competitors or match their length. Preserve a concise answer when it is already complete.

1. State the page’s promised task.
2. Try to complete it using the page.
3. Identify missing, obsolete or misleading passages.

Use this for: The selected draft or published page being reviewed.

Group pages by the task they answer, then compare titles, body content and page-filtered queries. Multiple URLs appearing for a query are not automatically a problem. Keep pages with distinct formats, audiences or purposes. Consider consolidation when two pages are substantially interchangeable and one maintained answer would serve readers better.

1. Group potentially overlapping pages.
2. Compare actual answers and useful distinctions.
3. Choose retain distinct roles or investigate a merge.

Use this for: The selected draft or published page being reviewed.

Mark a page “keep” when its purpose remains valid, important facts are accurate and the reader can complete the task. Note a future trigger if a change in the offering or season would justify another look. Keeping a page is an active decision; it does not mean a high traffic number exempts inaccurate content from correction.

1. Confirm purpose and accuracy.
2. Choose keep for content that needs no material change.
3. Set a meaningful future review trigger when useful.

Use this for: The selected draft or published page being reviewed.

In the action column, name the passage to change, the missing answer or incorrect fact and the evidence needed. Preserve useful material and the established URL where possible. Assign a writer and reviewer. Do not use “refresh content” as the whole brief or change the date without a substantive revision.

1. Identify exact additions, corrections and removals.
2. Supply the relevant evidence or evidence owner.
3. Assign writing, review and publishing responsibility.

Use this for: Pages approved for consolidation after overlap review.

Choose the destination that best serves the shared task, considering its content, history and existing links. Move any unique useful material into that page before redirecting a genuinely superseded URL. Ask the technical owner for an appropriate permanent redirect, then update internal links and sitemap entries. Do not redirect unrelated retired pages to a generic destination.

1. Choose a relevant destination and preserve useful material.
2. Approve the old-to-new URL mapping.
3. Implement the redirect and update internal references.

Use this for: Pages approved for retirement.

Before retirement, confirm the page has no required legal, support or other retained use and obtain the owner’s approval. Preserve records when required. If a genuine replacement exists, plan a relevant redirect. If content is permanently gone with no replacement, return an appropriate not-found response rather than redirecting everything to the homepage. Private records require access control; noindex is not privacy protection.

1. Confirm retirement and retention with the owner.
2. Choose replacement redirect or a genuine not-found response.
3. Update links and remove obsolete sitemap entries.

Use this for: The selected draft or published page being reviewed.

Sort the action list by consequence and usefulness. Put harmful inaccuracies and broken essential pages ahead of cosmetic improvements. Account for dependencies, available reviewers and the effort of redirects or template changes. Give every active item an owner and an acceptance check. Leave low-confidence decisions in an investigation queue instead of forcing a destructive choice.

1. Separate urgent correction from improvement and investigation.
2. Order work around value and dependencies.
3. Assign a realistic first batch with owners.

Use this for: The selected draft or published page being reviewed.

After changes publish, reopen the affected pages and test the specific correction. For merged or retired pages, verify old URLs, destinations, links and sitemap treatment. Later, compare relevant search and outcome data using the same scope as the baseline. Record uncertainty around attribution; a content update can coincide with demand or search-result changes.

1. Retest the original problem on the live page.
2. Verify URL and link changes where applicable.
3. Review later scoped performance without assuming causation.