Content Audit Template & Checklist

If you've been publishing content for six months or more, you almost certainly have pieces that are quietly draining your SEO authority, confusing your audience, or competing against your own better content. A content audit finds the dead weight — and more importantly, it finds the hidden gems that just need a little work to start performing.

The average website wastes 40-60% of its content investment on pieces that never rank, never convert, and never get shared. A systematic audit can turn that around, often delivering more results than creating new content.

What a Content Audit Actually Is (and Isn't)

A content audit is a systematic review of every piece of published content against specific performance criteria. It's not:

• A list of everything you've ever published
• A grammar and style review
• An excuse to delete content you don't like anymore

It is a data-driven process that results in clear decisions: keep, update, consolidate, redirect, or remove.

When to run a content audit:

• Before you start a new content strategy (understand what you're working with)
• When organic traffic is declining despite consistent publishing
• After a website redesign or domain migration
• When you have more than 50 published pieces and haven't reviewed them systematically
• Annually as a standard maintenance practice

Phase 1: Inventory Your Content

Before you can evaluate content, you need to know what you have.

Content Inventory Spreadsheet

Create a spreadsheet with these columns:

Column	How to Populate
URL	Every unique page/post URL
Page Title	As it appears in the <title> tag
Content Type	Blog / Guide / Case Study / Landing Page / etc.
Content Pillar	Which pillar it maps to
Word Count	Use Screaming Frog or similar
Published Date	When it first went live
Last Updated	Most recent significant edit
Author	Who wrote it

Tools to build your inventory quickly:

• Screaming Frog (free up to 500 URLs): Crawls your site and exports all URLs with metadata
• Google Search Console: Export all pages with impressions
• Sitemap: Your XML sitemap should list every published URL
• CMS export: Most CMS platforms (WordPress, Webflow) let you export a post list

Starting point: Download your sitemap at yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml, then cross-reference with Search Console data.

Phase 2: Pull Performance Data

For each URL in your inventory, add performance data from the past 12 months.

Data Sources and Fields

From Google Analytics:

• Sessions
• Unique pageviews
• Average time on page
• Bounce rate
• Goal completions / conversions

From Google Search Console:

• Total impressions
• Total clicks
• Average position
• Top queries (for this page)

From your CRM/Marketing Platform:

• Leads generated
• Content-influenced deals

Data Thresholds for Decision-Making

Use these benchmarks to categorize content. Note that these are starting points — adjust based on your site's overall traffic levels.

Performance Level	Organic Sessions (12 months)	Avg. Position
High Performer	1,000+	1-10
Moderate Performer	200-999	11-20
Low Performer	50-199	21-50
Non-Performer	Under 50	51+

Phase 3: Qualitative Assessment

Traffic data tells you what's performing. Qualitative review tells you why and what to do about it.

For each piece of content, assess the following. Score each on 1-3 (1 = poor, 2 = adequate, 3 = strong).

Qualitative Scoring Rubric

Criteria	Score (1-3)	Notes
Accuracy — Is the information still correct and current?
Depth — Does it fully address the topic for the target reader?
Unique Value — Does it say something that isn't in the top 3 search results?
Brand Alignment — Does it match current brand voice and positioning?
CTA Quality — Does it have a clear, relevant next step for the reader?
Internal Links — Does it link to and from other relevant content?
SEO Basics — Title tag, meta description, H1, image alt text present?
UX/Readability — Is it formatted for easy scanning? Headers, bullets, short paragraphs?

Total Qualitative Score: ___ / 24

Phase 4: Identify Duplicate and Cannibalization Issues

Keyword cannibalization happens when multiple pages on your site compete for the same query. It splits your ranking power and confuses Google about which page to show.

Cannibalization Check Process

1. Export all target keywords from your content inventory
2. For each keyword, identify any pages targeting the same or overlapping terms
3. Check Search Console: if 2+ pages are getting impressions for the same query, you have cannibalization
4. Decide which page should "win" that keyword and plan consolidation or redirects accordingly

Signs of cannibalization:

• Two posts with nearly identical titles
• Multiple pieces covering the same topic from slightly different angles
• Traffic dropping on a high-performing page after you published a similar one

Phase 5: Audit Decision Framework

Every piece of content gets one of five verdicts:

Decision 1: Keep As-Is ✅

Criteria: High performer, content is accurate and complete, no immediate updates needed. Action: Add to "Content to Amplify" list. Consider building links to it or promoting via newsletter.

Decision 2: Update 🔄

Criteria: Good keyword targeting or some traffic, but content is outdated, thin, or could be significantly improved. Action: Schedule a content refresh. Prioritize by traffic potential.

Update checklist:

• Update statistics and data points
• Add new sections based on current best practices
• Improve internal linking
• Optimize title tag and meta description
• Add or update images
• Expand thin sections
• Update publish date to today's date after changes

Decision 3: Consolidate 🔀

Criteria: Two or more pieces covering the same topic. Neither is performing well enough to keep separately. Action: Merge content into one comprehensive piece. 301 redirect the weaker URL(s) to the winner.

Consolidation process:

1. Identify the URL with the most authority (backlinks, traffic)
2. Pull the best content from each piece
3. Write a new, better combined piece
4. Publish at the winner URL
5. 301 redirect the loser URL(s)
6. Update all internal links

Decision 4: Redirect 🔃

Criteria: Page has some backlinks or traffic but the content is too outdated or off-brand to salvage. Action: 301 redirect to the most relevant existing page. Don't redirect to your homepage as a catch-all.

Decision 5: Remove and Noindex 🗑️

Criteria: Zero traffic for 12+ months, no backlinks, no strategic value, not worth redirecting. Action: Either delete the page entirely (and set up a 404) or noindex it to keep it off the site but preserve any internal links.

Be conservative with removal. When in doubt, redirect rather than delete.

Phase 6: Prioritization Matrix

Not all audit actions are equal. Prioritize by effort vs. impact.

Action	Effort	Impact	Priority
Update high-traffic, outdated content	Medium	High	Do first
Consolidate cannibalizing pairs	Medium	High	Do first
Add CTAs to converting content	Low	High	Do first
Update medium-traffic thin content	Medium	Medium	Schedule
Remove zero-traffic, no-link pages	Low	Low-Medium	Batch monthly
Create content for gaps identified	High	High	Plan next quarter

Content Audit Completion Checklist

Use this checklist to confirm you've completed each phase:

Inventory:

• All published URLs catalogued
• Content type and pillar mapped for each
• Published and last-updated dates recorded

Performance Data:

• 12 months of GA data pulled for each URL
• Search Console data added (impressions, clicks, position)
• Conversion data added where available

Qualitative Review:

• Each piece scored on the qualitative rubric
• Cannibalization issues identified
• Brand/voice issues flagged

Decisions Made:

• Every URL has a verdict (Keep / Update / Consolidate / Redirect / Remove)
• Decisions prioritized by impact
• Redirects mapped (for Consolidate and Redirect decisions)
• Update schedule created

Implementation:

• High-priority updates scheduled with deadlines and owners
• Redirect map sent to developer or implemented directly
• Content removal list confirmed and actioned
• Content gaps documented for future planning

How Often to Run a Content Audit

Audit Type	Frequency	Scope
Full audit	Annually	All published content
Pillar audit	Quarterly	One pillar at a time
Quick wins audit	Monthly	Pages ranking on page 2
New content review	At 90 days	Recently published pieces

How Averi Supports Ongoing Content Auditing

Rather than running an annual audit as a one-time fire drill, Averi builds performance tracking into your regular content workflow. Every piece you publish is tracked in the Library with performance metrics, so you can see at a glance which content is winning, which needs attention, and which can be repurposed. This ongoing visibility means your content stays fresh without the quarterly scramble.

Start tracking your content performance in Averi →

Further Reading

• run a free content audit with Averi
• content marketing ROI benchmarks for startups
• content strategy software built for B2B SaaS
• Averi's Strategy Map to align your audit findings with strategic priorities

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a content audit take?

For a site with 50-100 pieces, expect 2-3 days of work: one day to build the inventory and pull data, one day for qualitative review, and one day to make and document decisions. For larger sites (200+ pieces), consider running pillar-by-pillar audits quarterly instead of one massive annual audit.

Should I noindex or delete low-quality content?

Delete if: zero backlinks, zero traffic, no strategic value, and the content is truly worthless. Noindex if: the content might have some value but isn't worth the effort to update right now. Redirect if: there's any meaningful traffic or backlinks, even if the content itself needs work.

How do I know if two pages are cannibalizing each other?

Check Google Search Console's Performance report, filter by URL, and look at which queries trigger each page. If the same 3-5 keywords show impressions on two different URLs, you likely have cannibalization. Also check if both pages rank on the same SERP for a core keyword.

What's the ROI of a content audit?

High. Sites consistently report 20-50% traffic increases after refreshing and consolidating underperforming content. The key insight is that Google is evaluating your site holistically — thin or outdated content drags down your overall authority even if you're publishing great new content.

Do I need to audit content that's not on my blog?

Yes. Include all content in your audit: landing pages, pillar pages, resource hubs, product pages with content components, and help center articles. Non-blog content often has the most authority and the most to gain from optimization.