Content Audit Checklist

Use this checklist when running a full content audit on your website. Do this at least once per quarter for sites with 50+ pages, or twice per year for smaller sites. A content audit tells you what to keep, update, consolidate, or delete — and prevents the slow decay that happens when old content drags down your domain performance.

Pre-Audit Setup

• Export full URL list from your CMS (WordPress, Webflow, Contentful, etc.)
• Pull organic traffic data from Google Analytics (last 12 months, by page)
• Export keyword ranking data from Google Search Console or Ahrefs
• Export backlink data per page from Ahrefs or Moz
• Create a master spreadsheet with all URLs as rows

Phase 1: Content Inventory

For every URL on your site, fill in this data:

URL	Title	Content Type	Word Count	Publish Date	Last Updated	Author
{{url}}	{{title}}	Blog / Landing / Template / Case Study	{{count}}	{{date}}	{{date}}	{{name}}

• Categorize every page by content type (blog post, landing page, case study, template, documentation, etc.)
• Flag pages with no clear content type — these are usually orphaned or duplicate
• Note any pages with redirect chains, 404 errors, or canonical issues
• Identify pages not linked from any other page on the site (orphan pages)

Tool suggestions: Screaming Frog for URL crawl + metadata, Ahrefs for traffic and backlinks, Google Search Console for impressions and clicks.

Phase 2: Performance Scoring

Score each page on 5 metrics. Use a 1-3 scale for simplicity.

URL	Organic Traffic (1-3)	Keyword Rankings (1-3)	Backlinks (1-3)	Conversion Rate (1-3)	Content Quality (1-3)	Total (/15)

Scoring guide:

Organic Traffic:

• 3 = Top 20% of pages by sessions
• 2 = Middle 60%
• 1 = Bottom 20% or zero traffic

Keyword Rankings:

• 3 = Ranks on Page 1 for target keyword
• 2 = Ranks on Pages 2-3
• 1 = Does not rank or no target keyword

Backlinks:

• 3 = 10+ referring domains
• 2 = 2-9 referring domains
• 1 = 0-1 referring domains

Conversion Rate:

• 3 = Above site average for its content type
• 2 = At site average
• 1 = Below average or no CTA present

Content Quality (manual review):

• 3 = Accurate, comprehensive, well-structured, matches current messaging
• 2 = Mostly accurate but needs updates (old screenshots, outdated data, missing sections)
• 1 = Outdated, thin, or off-brand

Phase 3: Action Assignment

Based on scores, assign one of five actions to each page:

Total Score	Action	Definition
12-15	Keep	High performer. No changes needed. Monitor quarterly.
9-11	Update	Solid foundation, needs refresh. Update stats, add sections, improve CTAs.
6-8	Consolidate	Merge with a stronger page on the same topic. Redirect the old URL.
3-5	Rewrite	Topic is worth targeting but the content is too weak. Start over.
Below 3	Delete	No traffic, no backlinks, no strategic value. 301 redirect to relevant page or remove.

Action Tracking Table

URL	Current Score	Action	New Target Keyword	Assigned To	Due Date	Status
		Keep / Update / Consolidate / Rewrite / Delete

Phase 4: Audit Execution Checklist

For “Update” pages:

• Refresh any statistics older than 12 months
• Update screenshots and product references to current version
• Add internal links to content published since the original post date
• Improve meta title and description based on current keyword research
• Add new sections to cover subtopics that competitors now rank for
• Verify all external links still work (no 404s)
• Update the publish date in CMS after substantial updates
• Resubmit URL in Google Search Console for re-indexing

For “Consolidate” pages:

• Identify the “winner” page that will absorb the content
• Merge the best elements from the weaker page into the winner
• Set up 301 redirect from old URL to the winner
• Update any internal links that pointed to the old URL
• Check for backlinks to the old URL — the redirect preserves this equity

For “Rewrite” pages:

• Create a full SEO content brief as if it were new content
• Keep the same URL slug to preserve any existing link equity
• Treat it as a new piece in your content calendar

For “Delete” pages:

• Verify the page has zero backlinks (check Ahrefs)
• Verify the page has zero organic traffic (check GSC, last 6 months)
• Set up 301 redirect to the most relevant remaining page
• Remove from XML sitemap
• Remove internal links to the deleted page

Phase 5: Post-Audit Tracking

Set up a tracking system to measure the impact of your audit over the next 90 days:

Metric	Pre-Audit Baseline	30 Days Post	60 Days Post	90 Days Post
Total indexed pages
Total organic sessions
Pages with zero traffic (last 30 days)
Average time on page (all content)
Content-sourced MQLs
Page 1 keywords

Common Audit Findings & Fixes

Finding	Typical Fix	Priority
30% of blog posts have zero traffic	Consolidate or delete underperformers	High
Multiple pages targeting the same keyword	Merge into one definitive page	High
Case studies older than 2 years	Update with current metrics or retire	Medium
No internal links on 40%+ of pages	Add 2-3 contextual internal links per page	Medium
Meta descriptions missing on 20%+ of pages	Write descriptions using keyword data	Medium
Images without alt text	Add descriptive alt text with keywords	Low

How to Customize

• For large sites (500+ pages), batch the audit by content type rather than doing everything at once. Audit blog posts in Month 1, landing pages in Month 2, case studies and templates in Month 3. This prevents audit fatigue and ensures each section gets proper attention.
• For sites with heavy technical content, add a “Technical Accuracy” score to the performance matrix and involve engineering or product team members in the review. Outdated technical content damages credibility faster than outdated marketing content.
• Automate recurring checks. Set up monthly reports in your analytics platform that flag pages with declining traffic (>30% drop month-over-month) so you can catch decay early instead of waiting for the next quarterly audit.