On November 9, 2022 Emily Bainter from the State Library shared their experience with completing a content audit before moving to their new website.
The Lessons Learned from a Site Migration presentation highlights the significant work of reducing content and the amazing results they were able to measure with Google Analytics.
| Topic | Before Migration | After Migration |
|---|---|---|
| Pages | 1,199 | 337 |
| Documents | 499 | 138 |
| Links | 2,298 | 437 |
| Visit Time | 1:07 | 2:23 |
| Bounce Rate | 79 | 47 |
Emily also shared the staff training for content editors before they started their audit and cleanup. The presentation begins with accessibility best practices including the important guidance: Use descriptive link text - never use the URL (https://xxx) or click here!
Training also included a Content Flow Chart to make it clear that if you can't say yes to these three questions about the content (webpage, pdf, word, excel, image, etc.) the content should be unpublished and not migrated to the new site:
- Is the content intended to be used by the public?
- Is the content's purpose to be an archive?
- Is the content up to date with current information?
Lullabot has prepared a Content Audit Spreadsheet Template and How to Do a Content Audit instructions along with the Content Quality Checklist for Web Authors.
These three resources will help you and your team get started with an audit to successfully improve your website experience for Iowans.