# Content audit

Category: [On-Page & Content](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/category/on-page-content/) › [Content strategy & maintenance](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/category/on-page-content/content-strategy-maintenance/) · Also known as: website content audit

A **content audit** is a systematic review of the content on a website to decide which pages to keep, update, consolidate or remove. The Nielsen Norman Group describes it as examining, assessing and evaluating the quality of content, and separates it from a content inventory, which is the catalog of what exists. In SEO, an audit usually adds search performance data.

## How does a content audit work?

1. **Set goals and scope.** For example more organic traffic, fewer outdated pages, or readiness for a redesign.
2. **Build an inventory.** List every URL with attributes such as owner, type, topic and publication date. Sources can be the sitemap or a crawl.
3. **Add data.** Bring in metrics such as clicks and impressions from Google Search Console, plus conversions from analytics.
4. **Evaluate.** Combine numbers with qualitative checks such as accuracy, fit to search intent and quality standards.
5. **Decide per URL.** Keep, update, consolidate or remove, and assign owners.

Semrush and Kontent.ai suggest repeating the audit yearly or quarterly. That frequency is common advice, not a rule from Google.

A content audit differs from a technical SEO audit, which examines crawling, indexing and site technology.

## Example

A blog with 300 articles is listed in a spreadsheet. 40 posts have had no clicks or links in two years and are removed or redirected. 25 sit on page two of the results and get revised. Three articles target the same query and are merged into one.

## Checklist

- Goal and scope are defined (whole site or a section).
- The inventory lists title, URL, owner, format and last-modified date for each item (Nielsen Norman Group).
- Each URL has metrics from analytics and Search Console (practical experience).
- Evaluation follows criteria set in advance, such as user needs, content standards and goals.
- Each URL has a decision: keep, update, consolidate, or remove and redirect.
- A removed or merged page has its redirect in place (practical experience).
- Every task has an owner and a date.
- The interval for the next review is set. Google gives none; yearly is common advice according to reports.

## FAQ

**What are the typical outcomes?**
Keep, update, merge, or delete and redirect.

**How often should a content audit be done?**
Sources mostly suggest once or twice a year, more often for sites that publish heavily. No official guideline exists.

## Related terms

- [Content](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/content/index.md)
- [Unique content](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/unique-content/index.md)
- [Thin content](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/thin-content/index.md)
- [Content pruning](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/content-pruning/index.md)
- [Content refresh](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/content-refresh/index.md)
- [Content decay](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/content-decay/index.md)
- [SEO audit](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/seo-audit/index.md)
- [Google Search Console](https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/google-search-console/index.md)

## Sources

- [Content Inventory and Auditing – Nielsen Norman Group](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/content-audits/)
- [Content Audit guide – Semrush (secondary)](https://www.semrush.com/blog/content-audit/)
- [Content audit guide – Kontent.ai (secondary)](https://kontent.ai/blog/a-practical-guide-on-conducting-a-successful-content-audit/)

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Last updated: October 8, 2026
URL: https://seo-geo-glossary.com/en/glossary/content-audit/