Investing in a Website Content Audit

An eager prospect has done their research and decided to learn more about your business. The client hops onto the business website and notices a minor flaw – a simple misspelling. Don’t get me wrong - we all make mistakes, especially typos.

Now let’s say further along, this prospect expects the fundamentals of a business website to be in place such as intuitive navigation, consistency, storytelling, rich content and imagery. Whether your business is fumigation services, hardware and products, realtor or mental health therapy, prospects are expecting these website fundamentals to be in place even if they may not realize it. 

Next thing you know is the prospect notices five different fonts on the website – yikes 😱! And maybe there’s a clash or an overabundance of website colors – and none of them match the branded logo you spent tons of money to represent your company. Or perhaps the prospect stumbles on the ever-dreadful page on your site that states, “Coming Soon” which has been parked like that on your website for more than three months 🫢🫢🫢.

Or worst yet, they stumble on a “404 Page Not Found” message. In that case, typically, the user’s last action on your website is…to leave it and find a competitor’s website.

To avoid such scenarios, it’s a wise move for website owner to conduct a website content audit on a regular basis in whatever cadence works best for the owner which largely depends on the nature of the business. A business that sells products such as clothing or even a restaurant – well, it probably warrants review every three months or sooner. Meanwhile, a website design services site may end up adding new content, such as client reviews or new services, on a monthly or quarterly or basis. At Matilti, I’m constantly tweaking updates to the website – what better website than mine to review content or add functionality to. At minimum, a thorough content audit should be reviewed twice a year.

What is a website content audit?

A website content audit is basically a deep dive into your site’s content to see what’s working, what’s outdated, and what needs improvement. The goal? Making sure everything aligns with your business goals, delivers value to your audience, and follows SEO best practices.

Why it matters

Picture this: A potential client lands on your site, ready to be impressed. Then—ouch !—they’re hit with content that’s outdated, inconsistent, or just plain ugly and unsecured.

Maybe your best-performing blog post is buried under layers of forgettable fluff. Perhaps your service page is so vague it leaves visitors wondering what you actually do. Or worse—your pricing page is a ghost town, with “Coming Soon” still sitting there collecting digital dust for months.

That’s where a website content audit comes in. It’s the clean-up your site desperately needs by offering these general results.

🚨 SEO Lifesaver – Search engines aren’t fans of duplicate or irrelevant content. Cleaning up your site can help boost rankings and visibility.

🚨 User Experience Upgrade – When your content is clear, engaging, and relevant, people stick around. No more clicking away in frustration.

🚨 Conversion Power Move – Strong, optimized content gets visitors to act—whether that’s booking a call, signing up, or making a purchase.

🚨 Content Strategy Cheat Code – A thorough audit helps you see what’s resonating, so you can create content that is actually relevant to your audience.

Bottom line? A website content audit isn’t just “nice to have.” It’s essential if you want a site that works for you—not against you. Time to ditch the digital clutter and get your content working in your favor!

A Recent Real-World Example

Place yourself in the consumer or prospect shoes. Next time you do a search for a purchase and hop onto its website consider the subtle elements that are present. For example, I was recently doing my homework in search of a hi-end desktop PC for video editing purposes. I knew what I was in search of because my tech-savvy background makes me a bit of a hi-maintenance shopper. I had very specific hardware components in mind and had little room for compromise on those specifications since video editing requires a ton of processor and memory power.

The first places I researched for the big purchase were Best Buy and NewEgg. Of course, these are reputable companies known for technology and gadgetry with a top-notch set of marketing standards reflected on their websites; after all, these consumer websites provide first impressions for consumers doing virtual window-shopping. The key is to be consistent across all pages which, in turn, exudes a cohesive and professional style of the business website.

Here are a few examples of how essential website fundamentals are on display:

Brand: Both companies have a distinct logo and typography that a consumer immediately recognizes. In the case of Best Buy, the website color palette also matches the blue and yellow prevalent in its logo.

Typography & fonts: As previously mentioned, it’s the little things that matter and that starts with fonts. Font, or letter style, is the first thing most folks think about when it comes to typography, though its much broader than that. From a website content audit perspective, NewEgg uses a single font style, Open Sans, across all its pages giving it a consistent and professional presence. For years, I’ve used a web extension called, “WhatFont,” to help with this task. A website designer’s job is to make sure the fundamentals of typography and font are consistent across your website which is typically handled by setting a default type across the business website.

Navigation: Both websites face a big challenge in navigating consumers to the products or solutions they need to find quickly and efficiently. They have tons of retail items for sale so they both offer navigational options, primary, secondary and quick links via drop-down menus, that are appropriate for the goliath task of intuitive layout and navigation. Of course, most small business websites won’t require this type of navigation, but it does spark ideas on how navigation can be architected for an intuitive design that makes sense to the site visitor.

Mobility & Responsiveness: We live in a fast-moving multi-device environment where daily users depend more and more on various devices to get tasks done, find a perfect pair of shoes, or arrange pizza for dinner on the way home. Making sure that your website business can adapt to these different devices is important and sets your business apart from the DIY websites. 🖥️A website designer is responsible for ensuring the website is tailored to adapt for these various display scenarios.🖥️

️Page load optimization: Have you ever visited a website expecting to find imagery that will give you an idea of the products or services a company offers on its website but then, you find yourself waiting endlessly for the page to load?

If you’ve come across such a site, it usually means the assets, like images, are sucking up a ton of processing power to efficiently render the website. Most websites load within a couple of seconds; any web content that takes longer than three seconds is considered a slow page load and will likely see a prospect moving onto another site.

Page load optimization

Any web content that takes longer than three seconds is considered a slow page load. Consider rendering images to a smaller file size.

Of course, both Best Buy and NewEgg have a cadre of professionals to review and ensure their websites are rapidly loading the page for the user. Small business owners – not so much. Which is why it’s important to choose a website designer who understands these tiny yet vital details that affect your user’s experience.

Call-to-action (CTA): One of the core purposes of a business website is to provide information that will drive a prospect to take further interest in your products or services, engage with the pages, and, ultimately, act on the website. Best practice suggests placing a CTA button near the top of the website menu and sprinkling it throughout the website on other pages.

The standard CTA buttons include, “Buy Now,” “Join the newsletter,” and “Learn more.” Examples that break the mold include, “Book a free consultation,” “Find your store,” “Peruse the palette,” and much more. In the case of Best Buy and NewEgg, the CTAs were custom designed and sophisticated.

With NewEgg, a customized button was created that stands out from the usual wolf-pack of CTA prompts and with Best Buy, the CTA is driven by a limited time or availability – clever!

Another smart CTA is the promotional banner that sits atop a website displaying a similar time or product availability. For this CTA to work, many site owners hyperlink the banner to the “Contact Me” page of the website where an owner can collect a prospect’s information for both the immediate need but also to build an email database for future marketing outreach.

Call-to-Action

Add a CTA as a home page banner to invite a prospect to contact your business.

Search engine optimization (SEO): Essentially, this is geek talk for helping people to discover your business in Google. If you want your website to get seen instead of being buried in the catacombs of the internet, then, at minimum, make sure to ping your website designer to ensure your content and images are being formatted with keywords or phrases.

SEO

Nearly 90% of search queries are done in Google.

 You can’t be an expert in everything, like SEO, but it is wise to be knowledgeable in how the website design affects your discoverability on the internet. Here are the key outcomes for SEO:

🚀 Boosts Visibility – If your site isn’t ranking on Google, potential clients may never find you. SEO helps push your website higher in search results, making it easier for the right people to discover you.

🎯 Targets the Right Audience – SEO isn’t just about getting traffic—it’s about getting the right traffic. When done well, it attracts people already searching for what you offer.

💰 Increases Revenue – More visibility + more targeted traffic = more conversions. Whether it’s sales, sign-ups, or leads, SEO helps turn visitors into paying clients.

📈 Builds Credibility – When your site ranks well, it tells users (and Google) that you’re legit. High rankings signal trust and authority in your niche.

⚡ Works Long-Term – Unlike ads that disappear when your budget runs out, strong SEO keeps working for you over time, delivering consistent traffic without ongoing ad costs.

Last thing: A periodic website content audit is vital to keeping your website performing well and giving it credibility and discoverability in search engines. Your website is your 24 / 7 employee and is always displaying the best representation of your business.

If your website is your digital storefront, a content audit is the upkeep that keeps the doors open and inviting.

Hasta la próxima!