In 2023, my staff and I started running on in all probability one of the vital bold content material audits ever performed at the HubSpot Weblog. We’ve run content material audits up to now — however now not like this.
We ran the audit in 3 stages:
- Segment 1 addressed our oldest content material.
- Segment 2 evaluated our lowest-performing content material.
- Segment 3 assessed the price of our matter clusters.
When it was once all stated and performed, we audited over 10,000 weblog put up URLs and over 450 matter clusters.
On this put up, I’m going to concentrate on section one among our audit. I’ll stroll you via how we audited our oldest content material and the way we took motion. Plus, I’ll proportion the consequences we discovered.
However first, let me provide you with some background on why we determined to run an audit of this magnitude.
Why We Audited
It began in early 2023. On the time, my staff was once known as the Historic Optimization staff and we sat on the intersection of HubSpot’s Search engine optimization and Weblog groups.
We had been accountable for updating and optimizing our current weblog posts and discovering enlargement alternatives inside of our library. (We’ve since developed into what’s now the EN Weblog Technique staff.)
For those who’re new right here, the HubSpot Weblog is HUGE.
For context, the weblog was once house to 13,822 pages in February of 2023, the month we started our audit. Ahrefs’ Mateusz Makosiewicz even declared it because the “largest company weblog … ever” in an Search engine optimization case find out about previous this yr.
Whilst we’re lucky to have a top area authority and power tens of millions of visits per thirty days, having a weblog of this measurement does now not come with out demanding situations.
As our library ages, the quantity of alternative for brand spanking new content material throughout our weblog houses and clusters shrinks.
So, we determined to audit our library to search out alternatives for optimization.
We hypothesized that lets discover “greenspace” and “quasi-greenspace” — subjects that we’ve got lined however haven’t capitalized on that neatly — by means of auditing the oldest 4,000 URLs in our library.
Despite the fact that this was once simplest a few 3rd of our content material library, we believed we’d be capable to unearth some site visitors alternatives and provides our weblog a spice up.
Round the similar time, we began to really feel the results of Google’s March 2023 Core Replace that emphasised enjoy, which our Technical Search engine optimization staff instantly began addressing.
On the other hand, any other a part of that set of rules replace emphasised content material freshness and helpfulness. In different phrases, how state of the art and helpful our content material is to our readers.
That is the place we in reality felt a way of urgency.
As a result of we had 4,000 URLs with printed dates starting from 2006 to 2015, we already knew that this chew of content material was once now not contemporary or useful.
So, we set to work and audited the ones weblog posts over the process ten weeks.
In the end, we added stages two and 3 to our plan so lets additional cope with unhelpful content material and clusters.
How We Audited Our Oldest Content material
1. Outline our targets.
Earlier than we began auditing the content material, it was once vital for us to decide the targets.
For some publishers, the purpose of a content material audit would possibly come with bettering on-page Search engine optimization, bettering consumer engagement, aligning content material with advertising targets, or figuring out content material gaps.
For this actual audit, it intended uncovering “greenspace” and “quasi-greenspace” in our weblog library, and bettering our general content material freshness.
We additionally needed to decide the scope of our audit.
There’s no proper or mistaken solution to way this. Relying in your targets and the scale of your web page, it is advisable audit the entire thing in a single cross.
That you must additionally get started with a small portion of your website online (akin to product pages or explicit matter clusters) and construct out from there.
Since HubSpot has this kind of huge content material library, we opted to restrict this audit to our oldest 4,000 URLs. No longer simplest was once this extra manageable than reviewing all of our content material in a single audit, however this additionally centered URLs that had been much more likely to take pleasure in an replace or prune.
We additionally did this figuring out that we might later cope with the remainder of our library all through stages two and 3.
2. Acquire our content material stock.
After we established our targets and scope, we needed to accumulate the oldest 4,000 weblog posts and put them right into a spreadsheet.
This procedure can range relying at the equipment and CMS you employ. Right here’s how we did it the usage of Content material Hub:
1. Log into HubSpot and navigate to the Weblog web page in Content material Hub.
2. Navigate to the Movements drop-down and click on Export weblog posts.
3. Choose Document structure and click on Export. This may ship your entire weblog put up knowledge for your e mail. You are going to additionally get a notification in HubSpot as soon as your export is able.
4. Obtain your export and open it on your most popular spreadsheet tool (I’m typically a Google Sheets girlie, however I had to make use of Microsoft Excel because the document was once so huge).
5. Evaluate each and every column within the spreadsheet and delete those that don’t seem to be related for your audit. We instantly deleted the next:
- Put up Search engine optimization name
- Meta description
- Ultimate changed date
- Put up frame
- Featured symbol URL
- Head HTML
- Archived
6. As soon as the beside the point columns had been got rid of, the next remained:
- Weblog title
- Put up name
- Tags
- Put up language
- Put up URL
- Creator
- Put up date
- Standing
7. Clear out the Put up language column for EN posts simplest. Delete the column as soon as the sheet is filtered.
8. Clear out the Standing column for PUBLISHED simplest. Delete the column as soon as the sheet is filtered.
9. Clear out the sheet by means of Put up date from oldest to latest.
10. Spotlight and duplicate the primary 4,000 rows and paste them right into a separate spreadsheet.
11. Identify the brand new spreadsheet
Content material Audit Grasp.
For those who’re feeling fancy, you’ll additionally create a customized document in Content material Hub and make a selection simplest the fields you need incorporated within the audit so that you don’t must filter out as a lot when putting in place your spreadsheet.
3. Retrieve the information.
After compiling the entire content material wanted for our audit, we needed to acquire related information for each and every weblog put up.
For this audit, we stored it beautiful easy, simplest examining overall natural site visitors from the former calendar yr, overall back links, and overall key phrases.
We did this as a result of our advisable movements for each and every URL had been made up our minds all through post-evaluation. (We’ll quilt this in your next step.)
We got natural site visitors information from Google Seek Console and used a VLOOKUP to compare each and every URL with its corresponding choice of Clicks.
Then, we were given one-way link and key phrase information by means of copying and pasting our audit URLs into Ahrefs’ Batch Research software and exporting the information into our spreadsheet.
On the time of our audit, the Batch Research software may just simplest analyze as much as 200 URLs directly, so we needed to repeat this step 20 occasions till we had information for each and every URL.
Thankfully, Ahrefs has rolled out a Batch Research 2.0 software since then, which is able to analyze as much as 1,000 URLs directly. So, if we had been to do a identical audit someday, it will take a lot much less time to retrieve this knowledge.
4. Review the content material.
Subsequent, we assessed each and every piece of content material by means of the usage of the gathered information. Then, we evaluated the put up itself to decide the next:
- Form of Content material
- Freshness Stage
- Natural Possible
Form of Content material
The HubSpot Weblog is house to many various kinds of weblog posts, each and every serving a novel goal. Labeling each and every put up helped us decide its relevance and changed into a key consider our choice to replace or prune.
Whilst this isn’t an exhaustive record of all of the content material sorts you can find at the HubSpot Weblog, we narrowed it right down to the next for the needs of this audit:
- Tutorial: An issue that may teach the consumer on a ache level or downside they know they’ve.
- Concept Management: An issue that may teach the consumer on a ache level or downside they didn’t know they’d till a professional drew it to their consideration.
- Industry Replace: A HubSpot-related piece of stories or a press free up this is most probably now not evergreen.
- Newsjacking: An industry-related piece of stories or a press free up this is most probably now not evergreen.
- Analysis: A choice of information or the result of an experiment this is used to coach the reader. This matter would possibly or is probably not evergreen, however the content material isn’t and wishes updates to stick contemporary.
Freshness Stage
Since the posts on this audit hadn’t been up to date in a very long time, none of them might be thought to be 100% “contemporary.” On the other hand, we took various kinds of freshness into consideration when figuring out what motion had to be taken at the URLs.
As an example, some subjects, akin to Google+, are so old-fashioned that an replace can be foolish. On the other hand, a lot of subjects had been nonetheless evergreen, despite the fact that our content material was once now not.
The next scale helped us make selections on whether or not the URL had worth with reference to freshness:
- Out of date: The subject is old-fashioned, and an replace is probably not imaginable.
- Stale: The subject is evergreen, however it will want an intensive replace to make the content material extra aggressive.
- Rather Recent: The subject is evergreen, and it will simplest want a average replace to make the content material aggressive.
Natural Possible
To decide the natural doable of each and every URL, we needed to ask ourselves the next query: Will any person seek for the content material on Google?
- Sure: Any person would for sure seek for this, so we’ll want to optimize/recycle the content material.
- No: Any person would now not seek for this. There’s no level in optimizing/recycling the content material since there’s no imaginable focal point key phrase.
For the entire posts marked “Sure” for natural doable, we advisable a focal point key phrase for the re-optimized content material to compete for. We did this by means of comparing the present name, slug, and content material. Then, we did some key phrase analysis on Ahrefs and reviewed the Google SERP for that question.
We additionally incorporated the point of interest key phrase’s per thirty days seek quantity (MSV) to assist prioritize which updates to accomplish first. We did this by means of plugging the advisable key phrase into Ahrefs’ Key phrases Explorer and including the MSV to our grasp sheet.
For an additional layer of warning, we additionally checked for cannibalization on all posts marked “Sure” for natural doable. There are a couple of techniques to try this:
- Do a website online seek and notice if any URLs arise for the point of interest key phrase.
- Plug the point of interest key phrase into Google Seek Console to look if any URLs arise.
- Plug the point of interest key phrase into Ahrefs’ Key phrase Explorer, scroll right down to Place Historical past, seek your area title, and filter out for Most sensible 20 and your required period of time (I typically test the remaining six months). If a couple of URLs are discovered, that can point out cannibalization.
If the point of interest key phrase was once flagged for cannibalization, we both discovered a unique focal point key phrase or famous that the URL must be redirected to the more energizing put up.
If no cannibalization was once discovered, then we had the golf green mild to transport ahead with updating the put up.
5. Suggest an motion.
As soon as a put up was once totally evaluated, we became the insights into motion pieces.
Every URL was once positioned into one of the most following classes:
- Stay: No motion is wanted as a result of each the content material and the URL are excellent.
- Optimize: The content material is excellent however old-fashioned when it comes to freshness or Search engine optimization practices. Stay the spirit of the thing, however refresh and re-optimize to give a boost to efficiency.
- Recycle: The content material isn’t salvageable, however the URL nonetheless has worth (when it comes to back links or key phrase alternative). Create new content material from scratch, however retain the URL.
- Prune: Neither the content material nor the URL has worth from an natural perspective.
Audit Insights
Out of the 4,000 URLs we audited, 951 (23.78%) had been classified as posts with natural doable and advisable for optimization or recycling. Moreover, 2,888 URLs had been advisable to be pruned. That’s about 72.2% of the audit.
Those posts both didn’t have natural doable, posed a cannibalization chance, or had been so old-fashioned that there was once no level in updating them.
The rest 161 URLs both didn’t require any motion or had already been redirected.
How We Took Motion
The motion taken for a URL was once made up our minds by means of its doable for natural site visitors.
The URLs with natural doable had been dropped at our Weblog staff and advisable to be optimized or recycled.
In the meantime, the URLs without a natural doable had been dropped at our Search engine optimization staff and advisable to be archived or redirected.
First, let’s stroll via how we took motion at the posts advisable to be optimized or recycled.
Taking Motion on Content material with Natural Possible
Earlier than addressing any of the 951 posts with natural doable, we wanted to determine the next:
- Our capability for strategic research and temporary writing
- The capability of our in-house writing personnel and to be had freelancers
- Our capability to edit the updates
We coordinated with stakeholders and made up our minds we simplest had the bandwidth to replace 240 posts in 2024 (along with the handfuls of weblog posts we replace each and every month). This initiative was once internally referred to as the “De-Age the Weblog Venture” and was once led by means of my EN Weblog Technique teammate Kimberly Turner.
After we knew what number of posts lets tackle, we needed to slender down which of them to prioritize. We did this by means of comparing the complexity of the raise required for each and every put up replace:
- Easy Replace: The content material updates wanted are slightly mild, making them appropriate for freelancers.
- Advanced Replace: The content material updates wanted are heavy, making them higher fitted to in-house writers.
- Recycle: Content material isn’t salvageable, however the URL is. Rewrite the put up from scratch, however retain the URL.
- No Alternative: Move on updating.
We at first prioritized updating the most simple URLs first, however later pivoted our solution to take on the URLs with the very best MSV doable, irrespective of replace complexity.
We did this as a result of we needed to get essentially the most lets out of our updates.
De-Age the Weblog Effects
To start with, we projected that those updates can be whole by means of the tip of H1 2024, however we needed to shift our technique … once more.
Like many different publishers, we felt the results of Google’s March 2024 Core Replace in addition to the creation of AI Overviews.
After having positioned the De-Age the Weblog Venture on grasp whilst we addressed the problems, we deprioritized the mission totally in want of higher-impact workstreams.
Search engine optimization, am I proper? It all the time assists in keeping you in your feet.
In spite of sunsetting the mission sooner than it was once whole, we had been nonetheless ready to accomplish 76 put up updates. Six months after the updates had been carried out, the cumulative per thirty days site visitors for those posts had larger by means of 458%.
This is going to turn that even updating a small portion of URLs could make a large distinction.
Taking Motion on Content material with No Natural Possible
Whilst the De-Age the Weblog Venture was once going down, we additionally took motion at the 2,888 URLs that had been advisable to be pruned.
Because the preliminary audit didn’t come with tips about tips on how to prune, we had to return and re-review each and every URL to decide how we might prune.
Right here’s how we evaluated the posts:
- Archive (404): The URL has lower than 10 back links and the one-way link profile does now not have worth.
- Redirect (301): The URL has greater than 10 back links and/or the one-way link profile has worth.
How precisely did we decide the one-way link profile worth? Rory Hope, HubSpot’s head of Search engine optimization, advisable we apply those steps:
1. Login into Ahrefs and publish the URL into Ahrefs’ Web site Explorer seek bar.
2. Choose Review from the left-hand sidebar.
3. Scroll down and click on Back-link Profile.
4. Scroll down additional and make a selection Through DR below Referring Domain names.
5. Analyze and examine any referring domain names which can be > 50.
6. Navigate to the Referring Area you’re investigating > 50 by means of clicking the quantity.
7. Analyze the Referring web page.
Choose Redirect (301) if:
- The Referring web page hyperlink is from a website that also receives Area site visitors.
Choose Archive (404) if:
- The Referring web page hyperlink seems to be “spammy.” You’ll be able to decide this by means of asking the next questions:
- Does this web page simplest put up low high quality visitor put up (Search engine optimization-led) content material from quite a lot of other subjects?
- Does this web page nonetheless put up content material? If now not, forget about it.
- The Referring web page is from a web page that you simply see linking to a large number of EN Weblog posts, via a RSS taste automatic linking device.
Moreover, all URLs categorised “Redirect (301)” required a brand new URL to be redirected to.
When opting for a brand new URL, we did our absolute best to select essentially the most related and identical web page. If we couldn’t in finding one, we redirected to the pillar web page of the cluster that the put up belonged to.
If for some explanation why, the URL didn’t belong to a cluster or there wasn’t a pillar web page, we redirected it to the HubSpot Weblog homepage.
Determination-making for some content material sorts was once more uncomplicated than others. As an example, we had been ready to routinely assign 301 redirects to URLs that had been flagged for cannibalization all through the preliminary audit. We additionally routinely assigned 404s to URLs with lower than 10 back links categorised as Newsjacking and Industry Updates.
The whole thing else was once manually reviewed to verify accuracy. To make the analysis procedure more uncomplicated, we adopted this choice tree:
It took my staff about two and a part weeks to make sure that each and every URL had the right kind label. In spite of everything, we had 1,675 URLs assigned to be redirected and 1,210 URLs assigned to be unpublished and archived.
As soon as each and every URL was once evaluated, we had been in spite of everything able to do so.
After coordinating with Rory and Concept Technical Search engine optimization Strategist, Sylvain Charbit, we determined to prune the URLs in batches as a substitute of suddenly. That means, lets higher observe the affect of redirecting and archiving a big amount of content material.
At the beginning, we deliberate to put in force our prune in 5 batches over 5 weeks, permitting us time to watch efficiency all through the weeks in between.
Batches one and two contained URLs intended to be archived and unpublished, and batches 3 via 5 contained URLs designated for 301 redirects.
As a result of there have been such a lot of URLs to unpublish and archive, we labored with builders on HubSpot’s Virtual Enjoy staff to create a script that will routinely unpublish and archive URLs and redirect them to our 404 web page.
Then, we had been ready to put in force the 301 redirects with the Bulk URL Redirect software in Content material Hub.
Notice: Despite the fact that we had been ready to paintings via this procedure internally and end sooner than our time limit, I wish to recognize that manually comparing over 2,000 URLs may also be tedious and time-consuming.
Relying in your assets and the scope of your audit, it’s possible you’ll wish to believe hiring a freelancer to assist your staff paintings via a role this massive.
Content material Pruning Effects
Whilst we effectively carried out each and every batch, this procedure didn’t come with out a couple of highway bumps.
Halfway via our pruning agenda, Google rolled out the March 2024 Core Set of rules Replace. We ended up putting our pruning agenda on grasp so lets higher observe efficiency all through the replace.
As soon as the replace was once whole, we resumed the remainder of our prune till it was once whole.
On account of the risky seek panorama in 2024, we didn’t see the site visitors positive factors we’d was hoping to look as soon as the prune was once whole. On the other hand, we did rejoice a large win for general content material freshness at the weblog.
Firstly of our audit in 2023, we calculated the freshness of our content material library by means of having a look at each and every URL’s put up date and quantifying the choice of days since they had been up to date.
As an example, say the present date is November 12, 2024, and you have got a put up that was once remaining up to date on February 19, 2008. In accordance with the 2024 date, the put up from 2008 is 16.7 years previous or 6,110 days.
After we had the entire ages for each and every put up at the HubSpot Weblog, we averaged the ones numbers to decide the common age of our content material library, which was once 2,088 days (5.7 years).
Since pruning 2,888 URLs (and updating loads of URLs from the audit and past), the HubSpot Weblog’s reasonable age has dropped to one,747 days — that’s 341 days more youthful than after we began.
As content material freshness and helpfulness play a good larger function in seek algorithms, being just about a yr more youthful could make a large distinction.
What’s Subsequent?
Previous on this put up, I discussed that this audit is just one of 3 that my staff has labored on in 2024.
Our section two audit specializes in the lowest-performing posts that weren’t incorporated in section one, totaling over 6000 URLs. Then, section 3 assesses the price of our Weblog’s matter clusters.
We’re nonetheless taking motion at the effects from those audits, however I’m so excited to proportion the method and insights after they’re whole.
In the end, content material auditing is a role this is by no means actually performed — particularly when running with huge libraries. You end one audit, then it’s directly to the following.
Despite the fact that the paintings may also be tedious, the rewards of bettering content material high quality, consumer enjoy, and function make it well worth the effort.
