8 Actionable Content Audit Examples and Frameworks for 2025

Every organisation with a digital presence eventually reaches a critical point: a sprawling library of blog posts, landing pages, and resources that becomes impossible to manage. Some pieces are star performers, driving traffic and leads, while others gather digital dust. Without a systematic review, you're flying blind, wasting resources on underperforming assets and missing opportunities to double down on what truly works.

A content audit is the strategic process of systematically evaluating all your content assets to determine what should be kept, updated, repurposed, or deleted. It’s not just a spring clean; it's a deep-dive analysis that realigns your content with your business goals, improves SEO, and enhances user experience. This process is essential for turning a bloated content library into an efficient, lead-generating machine. It provides the data needed to justify marketing spend and prove ROI to key stakeholders.

This guide moves beyond theory. We will dissect eight proven content audit examples and frameworks used by leading companies and agencies. You won't find generic descriptions here. Instead, you'll get:

• Detailed breakdowns of each audit methodology.
• Strategic applications showing when and why to use each framework.
• Actionable takeaways you can apply immediately to your own content strategy.

By understanding these frameworks, you'll gain the clarity needed to make data-driven decisions, optimise your marketing funnel, and transform your existing content from a potential liability into a high-performing asset.

1. HubSpot Content Audit Framework

The HubSpot Content Audit Framework is a systematic methodology for evaluating existing content to improve its performance and align it with strategic business goals. This approach is highly regarded because it merges quantitative data (like traffic, conversions, and engagement) with qualitative assessments (such as relevance, accuracy, and alignment with the buyer's journey). It provides a structured process for deciding whether to update, combine, remove, or repurpose content.

This framework is one of the most popular content audit examples because it is scalable for both small businesses and large enterprises. Its core strength lies in its data-driven decision-making process, helping marketing teams move beyond guesswork and justify their content strategy with tangible ROI metrics.

Strategic Breakdown and Implementation

The HubSpot model typically involves creating a comprehensive spreadsheet that catalogues all content assets. Each piece of content is then scored against key performance indicators (KPIs) and qualitative factors.

• Quantitative Analysis: This includes pulling metrics like page views, time on page, bounce rate, conversion rates, and backlinks. Tools like Google Analytics, Search Console, and HubSpot’s own analytics platform are essential here.
• Qualitative Analysis: Here, content is evaluated for its relevance to target personas, its stage in the buyer's journey (Awareness, Consideration, Decision), content accuracy, and brand voice consistency.
• Action Plan: Based on the combined scores, each content piece is assigned an action: Keep (if it performs well), Update (if it's outdated but has potential), Consolidate (if multiple pieces cover the same topic), or Delete (if it's low-performing and irrelevant).

A B2B SaaS company, for instance, might use this framework to discover that a small percentage of its blog posts are generating the majority of its leads. The audit would guide them to update the high-performing posts and consolidate the overlapping, lower-performing ones into a single, authoritative pillar page.

Actionable Takeaways and Best Practices

To effectively implement the HubSpot framework, consider these tips:

• Prioritise High-Traffic Content: Begin your audit with your most visited pages to identify quick wins and make an immediate impact on performance.
• Define Clear Goals: Before starting, establish what you want to achieve. Are you aiming to increase organic traffic, improve lead generation, or boost user engagement?
• Use a Scoring System: Develop a simple scoring system (e.g., 1-5) for qualitative aspects like relevance and quality. This helps standardise the evaluation process.
• Assign Ownership: Make sure every piece of content has a clear owner responsible for executing the recommended action (update, delete, etc.). This ensures accountability and follow-through.

2. SEMrush Content Audit Template

The SEMrush Content Audit Template is an SEO-centric framework designed to evaluate and improve content performance through the lens of search engine visibility. This approach is powerful because it integrates directly with SEMrush's vast data sets, allowing marketers to analyse their content against critical SEO metrics. It offers a clear pathway to identify underperforming pages, discover keyword opportunities, and fix technical issues impacting rankings.

This method is one of the most effective content audit examples for teams prioritising organic traffic growth. Its core advantage is the ability to connect content performance directly to search engine data, such as keyword rankings, backlinks, and user engagement signals, providing a robust, data-backed foundation for strategic decisions.

Strategic Breakdown and Implementation

The SEMrush model is executed using the platform's 'Content Audit' tool, which automatically pulls data from Google Analytics and Search Console for a given sitemap URL. This creates a dynamic inventory where each piece of content is assessed against key SEO performance indicators.

• Quantitative Analysis: The audit automatically gathers metrics like sessions, pageviews, bounce rate, search queries, and backlinks. It focuses heavily on how content performs in organic search results.
• Content Grouping: A unique feature is the ability to group content into logical clusters or categories. This allows for a more strategic analysis, revealing which topic areas are performing well and which need improvement.
• Action Plan: Based on the data, the tool suggests workflows. For instance, content with high impressions but low clicks might be flagged for a Rewrite or Update to improve its title tag and meta description. Low-traffic, irrelevant content might be flagged for Removal.

An e-commerce site, for example, could use this template to discover that product category pages with outdated content are losing rankings. The audit would highlight these pages, guiding the team to update them with fresh information and optimise them for target keywords, thereby recovering lost traffic.

Actionable Takeaways and Best Practices

To maximise the value of the SEMrush Content Audit Template, apply these best practices:

• Group by Topic Cluster: Organise your content into topic clusters before running the audit. This provides more meaningful insights than analysing individual pages in isolation.
• Prioritise "Quick Win" Content: Focus first on content that already has high search volume potential but ranks on page two or three. Improving these pieces often yields the fastest results.
• Integrate Competitor Data: Use other SEMrush tools to compare your content’s performance against your top three competitors. Identify content gaps where they are ranking, but you are not.
• Establish a Regular Cadence: SEO is not a one-time fix. Export and review your content audit reports monthly or quarterly to track progress and adapt your strategy to algorithm changes.

3. Content Audit by Relevance Matrix (Ansoff Framework Adaptation)

The Relevance Matrix is a qualitative content audit framework adapted from the classic Ansoff Matrix for market growth. Instead of products and markets, this model categorises content into four quadrants based on its relevance to the current audience and its alignment with future strategic goals. This approach helps marketers make strategic decisions about whether to update, repurpose, consolidate, or remove content based on its value and strategic fit, rather than just raw performance metrics.

This framework is one of the most insightful content audit examples for teams needing to pivot their strategy or ensure their content library truly supports the business's evolving direction. Its strength is its focus on strategic alignment, forcing a critical evaluation of why a piece of content exists and who it truly serves.

Strategic Breakdown and Implementation

The model uses a four-quadrant grid to plot each content asset. The horizontal axis measures relevance to the current target audience, while the vertical axis measures alignment with key business objectives. This creates four distinct categories for action.

• Keep/Optimise (High Relevance, High Alignment): These are your star performers. The content resonates with your core audience and directly supports your business goals. The action here is to keep them updated and optimise them for maximum impact.
• Repurpose/Update (Low Relevance, High Alignment): The content is strategically valuable but isn't connecting with the current audience. This content should be updated or repurposed for a different format or channel to improve its relevance.
• Consolidate/Deprioritise (High Relevance, Low Alignment): This content is popular with your audience but no longer aligns with your strategic focus. The best action is often to consolidate these pieces into a broader, more aligned asset or simply deprioritise them.
• Delete/Archive (Low Relevance, Low Alignment): These assets serve neither your audience nor your business goals. They are candidates for deletion to clean up your site and improve your overall content quality.

For example, a nonprofit organisation could use this matrix to evaluate its blog. A post with high traffic but focused on a mission they no longer prioritise would fall into the "Consolidate/Deprioritise" quadrant, guiding them to archive it.

Actionable Takeaways and Best Practices

To effectively implement the Relevance Matrix, consider these tips:

• Define Your Axes Clearly: Before starting, create clear, documented definitions of what "audience relevance" and "strategic alignment" mean for your organisation to ensure consistent evaluation.
• Involve Cross-Functional Teams: Bring in stakeholders from sales, product, and leadership to get diverse perspectives on strategic alignment and audience needs.
• Use Colour Coding: Assign a colour to each quadrant (e.g., green for Keep, yellow for Update, orange for Consolidate, red for Delete) for at-a-glance visual analysis in your spreadsheet.
• Review Quarterly: Business strategies and audience needs change. Re-evaluate your content against the matrix quarterly to ensure your library remains aligned and effective.

4. Google Analytics Content Performance Audit

The Google Analytics Content Performance Audit is a user-behaviour focused methodology for evaluating how your content directly contributes to business objectives. This approach centres on quantitative data, examining metrics like pageviews, average time on page, bounce rates, conversions, and user flow patterns to understand actual content performance and audience engagement. It moves beyond simple traffic numbers to reveal how users interact with your assets.

This method is one of the most fundamental content audit examples because it uses readily available data to make objective decisions. Its strength lies in its ability to connect content directly to user actions and conversions, providing clear evidence of what is working and what is not. This is crucial for justifying marketing spend and optimising for better ROI.

Strategic Breakdown and Implementation

A Google Analytics audit involves creating custom reports and segments to analyse content performance against specific goals. The process is less about qualitative judgement and more about interpreting user data to guide your content strategy.

• Data Collection: This involves pulling key metrics from Google Analytics (GA4). Focus on metrics found in the Pages and Screens report, such as Views, Users, Average Engagement Time, and Conversions.
• User Flow Analysis: The Path Exploration report is vital for understanding how users navigate to and from your key content pieces. It can highlight pages that are effective at moving users deeper into your site or identify where they drop off.
• Conversion Tracking: Set up events in GA4 to track micro-conversions (e.g., PDF downloads, video plays) and macro-conversions (e.g., demo requests, form submissions). This allows you to attribute specific business outcomes to individual content assets.

For instance, a publisher might use this audit to discover that articles with high pageviews but low engagement time are failing to capture reader interest. They could then prioritise these articles for updates, adding more compelling visuals or breaking up text to improve readability and keep users on the page longer.

Actionable Takeaways and Best Practices

To effectively conduct a Google Analytics performance audit, consider these tips:

• Create Custom Dashboards: Build a dedicated dashboard in GA4 or a tool like Looker Studio to monitor your most important content metrics in one place.
• Segment by Audience: Analyse content performance across different audience segments (e.g., new vs. returning users, geographic location) to uncover insights about how different groups engage with your content.
• Track by Content Group: Use GA4's content grouping feature to analyse performance by topic cluster or content type (e.g., blog posts, case studies, product pages). This helps identify high-performing categories.
• Compare Similar Content: Pit similar articles against each other to identify what makes one perform better. Look for differences in format, headline, or calls-to-action that you can replicate.

5. Ahrefs Content Audit and Optimization Strategy

The Ahrefs Content Audit and Optimization Strategy is a powerful, SEO-centric approach for assessing content performance. It is renowned for its deep integration of backlink data, search traffic metrics, and competitive analysis, providing a clear roadmap for boosting organic visibility. This method focuses on identifying underperforming pages with high SEO potential and aligning content with user search intent.

This framework is one of the most respected content audit examples because it equips marketers with precise, data-backed reasons to update, consolidate, or remove content. Its strength lies in using Ahrefs’ proprietary metrics, like Domain Rating and URL Rating, to prioritise actions that will have the most significant impact on search engine rankings and referral traffic.

Strategic Breakdown and Implementation

The Ahrefs model centres on creating a detailed inventory of your website's content and enriching it with SEO data directly from its toolset. The goal is to systematically find and fix content decay and uncover hidden growth opportunities.

• Quantitative Analysis: This involves exporting all website URLs and pulling key metrics such as organic traffic, referring domains, organic keywords, and traffic value. Ahrefs’ Site Explorer is the primary tool used for this data collection.
• Qualitative Analysis: Content is then manually reviewed for search intent mismatch, thinness, and outdated information. The 'Content Gap' tool is used to compare your content against top competitors, revealing keywords they rank for that you don't.
• Action Plan: Each piece of content is assigned an action based on the data: Update (for pages with high backlink counts but low traffic), Consolidate (for multiple pages targeting similar keywords), Rewrite (for pages with poor search intent alignment), or Delete (for zero-traffic, zero-backlink pages with no value).

A digital agency, for instance, might use this framework to audit a client's blog. They could discover pages with many backlinks but declining traffic, indicating the content is outdated. By updating these pages with fresh information and optimising for new keyword variations, they can quickly reclaim lost rankings and traffic.

Actionable Takeaways and Best Practices

To successfully implement the Ahrefs strategy, consider these best practices:

• Prioritise by Backlinks: Start by filtering your content list to find pages with the most referring domains but low traffic. These are your top candidates for a quick-win update.
• Leverage the 'Content Gap' Tool: Systematically analyse your top three competitors to find valuable keyword opportunities you are missing and plan new content or updates accordingly. You can learn more about how to refine this process with an advanced SEO audit tool.
• Group by Topic Clusters: Organise your content into topic clusters to identify opportunities for consolidation. This helps strengthen your topical authority and improve internal linking.
• Focus on Search Intent: Don’t just update keywords. Analyse the top-ranking results to understand what searchers are looking for and restructure your content to better match that intent.

6. Content Audit Spreadsheet Template (Universal DIY Approach)

The Content Audit Spreadsheet Template is a universal, do-it-yourself (DIY) method for evaluating content performance using accessible tools like Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel. This grassroots approach is highly valued for its flexibility and customisation, allowing any organisation, regardless of size or budget, to systematically catalogue and analyse their content assets. It empowers teams to define their own metrics, track progress, and make data-informed decisions without investing in specialised software.

This method is one of the most practical content audit examples because it democratises the process, making it accessible to startup marketing teams, non-profit organisations, and solo entrepreneurs. Its core strength is its adaptability; teams can start with a simple inventory and gradually build a more sophisticated analysis tool that perfectly matches their strategic objectives and resources.

Strategic Breakdown and Implementation

The DIY spreadsheet model involves creating a comprehensive inventory of all content URLs, which are then evaluated against a set of custom-defined criteria. Each row represents a single piece of content, while columns track various quantitative and qualitative data points, along with next steps.

• Quantitative Analysis: This step involves manually pulling or using add-ons to import key metrics. Common data points include organic traffic, session duration, conversions, social shares, and the number of backlinks.
• Qualitative Analysis: Here, the team assesses each piece of content against strategic goals. Columns might include target persona, funnel stage, content format, keyword relevance, accuracy, and overall quality score.
• Action Plan: A dedicated column is used to assign a clear action for each asset. Common actions include Keep As-Is, Update & Republish, Consolidate, Repurpose, or Delete. Ownership and deadlines can also be tracked here.

For example, a small business owner could use this template to identify that five of their blog posts about a specific service are underperforming. By consolidating them into a single, comprehensive guide and redirecting the old URLs, they can create a more authoritative asset that is more likely to rank well in search results.

Actionable Takeaways and Best Practices

To effectively implement a DIY spreadsheet audit, consider these tips:

• Start Simple: Begin with 5-7 core metrics that are most relevant to your goals, such as traffic, conversion rate, and primary keyword. You can always add more complexity later.
• Use Data Validation: For columns like "Status" or "Action," use dropdown menus to ensure consistent data entry (e.g., "To Update," "Completed"). This makes filtering and analysis much easier.
• Create Separate Tabs: Organise your audit by content type. Use separate sheets (tabs) for blog posts, landing pages, and product descriptions to keep the master file manageable.
• Apply Conditional Formatting: Use colour-coding to visually highlight priorities. For instance, you could automatically colour-code rows red for pages with high traffic but zero conversions, flagging them for immediate review.

7. Content Quality and Freshness Audit Framework

The Content Quality and Freshness Audit Framework is a qualitative-focused methodology that prioritises the intrinsic value of content over pure performance metrics. It evaluates assets based on accuracy, timeliness, comprehensiveness, and authoritativeness, aligning with Google's E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) guidelines. This approach is critical for industries where misinformation can have serious consequences, such as healthcare, finance, and legal services.

This framework is one of the most important content audit examples for building long-term trust and credibility. Instead of just asking "Is this content getting traffic?", it asks "Is this content accurate, helpful, and up-to-date?". This focus on quality helps protect brand reputation and ensures the content serves the user’s best interests.

Strategic Breakdown and Implementation

This audit moves beyond typical analytics to implement a rigorous review process, often involving subject matter experts (SMEs). The goal is to create a living content library that is consistently reliable and current.

• Scoring Rubric Creation: Develop a detailed rubric to score content on qualitative factors. Criteria might include factual accuracy, citation of credible sources, readability scores (e.g., Flesch-Kincaid), and comprehensiveness of the topic.
• SME and Peer Review: Content is reviewed by internal or external experts to verify technical accuracy and relevance. A peer review process can then be used to check for consistency in brand voice, style, and overall quality.
• Freshness Scheduling: Based on the audit, each piece of content is assigned a "review by" date in the editorial calendar. For example, a medical blog post on treatment options might require a six-month review cycle, while an article on financial regulations would need updates whenever legislation changes.

For instance, a financial services firm would use this framework to audit its investment advice articles. The audit would ensure all content complies with current regulations, reflects the latest market data, and is authored or reviewed by a certified financial planner, thereby strengthening user trust.

Actionable Takeaways and Best Practices

To effectively implement a quality and freshness audit, focus on creating a sustainable system:

• Prioritise by Impact: Start your audit with high-traffic, customer-facing content, or "Your Money or Your Life" (YMYL) topics where accuracy is paramount.
• Document Everything: Create clear guidelines for what constitutes a "freshness update" for different content types. This could range from updating statistics to rewriting entire sections.
• Involve Subject Matter Experts: Collaborate with SMEs early in the process. Their expertise is invaluable for verifying accuracy and adding the necessary depth and authority to your content.
• Establish a Review Cadence: Integrate content reviews directly into your editorial calendar. This transforms the audit from a one-off project into an ongoing quality assurance process.

8. Content Audit with User Feedback Integration

A Content Audit with User Feedback Integration is a mixed-methods approach that enhances quantitative data with direct qualitative insights from your audience. This framework acknowledges that metrics like traffic and conversions only tell part of the story. By systematically collecting and analysing user feedback through surveys, interviews, and on-page comments, you can understand the why behind the numbers and uncover content gaps that analytics alone cannot reveal.

This model is one of the most insightful content audit examples because it creates a direct line of communication with the people your content is meant to serve. It bridges the gap between what data suggests is performing well and what users actually find valuable, helpful, or engaging, leading to a more customer-centric content strategy. Its strength lies in humanising the audit process, ensuring content not only ranks well but also resonates deeply.

Strategic Breakdown and Implementation

This audit combines performance metrics with structured user feedback to create a holistic view. The goal is to align content performance with user satisfaction and needs, creating a powerful feedback loop for continuous improvement.

• Quantitative Analysis: Begin by gathering standard metrics such as page views, time on page, bounce rate, and conversion rates. This data provides the initial performance baseline for each content asset.
• Qualitative Analysis: This is the core of the framework. Collect direct feedback on specific content pieces. Use on-page surveys asking "Was this article helpful?", analyse support tickets that reference knowledge base articles, or conduct interviews with key customer segments to discuss their experience with your educational resources. When conducting a content audit, incorporating direct user feedback is invaluable; consider exploring tools that offer robust user feedback features to gather qualitative insights.
• Action Plan: Synthesise both data sets. A blog post with high traffic but negative feedback might require an Update for clarity or accuracy. Content that users frequently request but doesn't exist identifies a Creation opportunity. A knowledge base article that analytics show is rarely visited but highly praised by users who find it might need better internal linking or promotion (Optimise).

For example, a B2B SaaS company could analyse support tickets and discover that customers are consistently confused about a specific feature. Even if their existing documentation for it gets low traffic, this feedback signals a critical need to update and prominently feature that content to improve user onboarding and reduce support load.

Actionable Takeaways and Best Practices

To effectively integrate user feedback into your content audit, follow these practices:

• Combine NPS with Content Questions: Supplement general Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys with specific questions about the usefulness of your help guides, blog posts, or tutorials.
• Analyse Support Tickets for Gaps: Your customer support channels are a goldmine of information. Look for recurring questions that indicate your existing content is unclear, incomplete, or hard to find.
• Add Feedback Mechanisms: Embed simple rating systems (e.g., thumbs up/down) or short surveys directly on your content pages. Explore different Google Forms alternatives to find the best fit for collecting this data.
• Close the Feedback Loop: When you update content based on user suggestions, communicate those changes. This shows users you value their input and encourages future engagement.

8-Method Content Audit Comparison

From Analysis to Action: Building Your Content Engine

We've journeyed through a comprehensive collection of content audit examples, each offering a unique lens through which to evaluate your digital assets. From the quantitative rigour of SEMrush and Ahrefs templates to the strategic clarity of the Relevance Matrix and the invaluable qualitative insights from user feedback, the path to content excellence is not a single road but a network of interconnected strategies. The true power lies not in picking just one framework, but in skilfully weaving them together to create a holistic view of your content ecosystem.

Your Google Analytics data might flag a page with a high bounce rate, but an Ahrefs audit is needed to diagnose the underlying SEO weakness. Similarly, a content quality audit might reveal outdated information, which user feedback can then confirm is a major point of friction for your audience. This synergy is where transformative insights are born.

Turning Audit Insights into a Growth Strategy

The ultimate goal of any audit is to spark meaningful action. A detailed spreadsheet filled with data is useless if it doesn't lead to a clear, prioritised roadmap for improvement. The examples we’ve explored demonstrate that a successful audit is a catalyst for change, transforming a static content library into a dynamic, performance-driven engine.

Here’s how to bridge the gap from analysis to tangible results:

• Synthesise Findings: Combine the quantitative (traffic, backlinks, conversions) with the qualitative (user feedback, brand alignment, content quality scores). Create a unified dashboard or summary that tells a complete story about what’s working and what isn’t.
• Prioritise Ruthlessly: Use a scoring system, like the one in our DIY spreadsheet example, to rank your content assets. Focus first on high-impact, low-effort tasks, such as updating high-traffic posts with new CTAs or optimising pages that rank just off the first page of Google.
• Create an Action Plan: For each piece of content, assign a specific action: Keep, Update, Consolidate, or Delete. Document the required steps, assign ownership to team members, and set clear deadlines. This structured approach prevents insights from being lost.

Making Audits a Core Business Practice

A content audit should not be a panicked, once-a-year scramble. To build a truly resilient content engine, it must become a regular, scheduled practice, a fundamental part of your operational rhythm. By committing to a quarterly or semi-annual review cadence, you ensure your content strategy remains agile, responsive, and consistently aligned with your business objectives.

Implementing your content audit findings is crucial for building a high-performing content strategy, which includes integrating essential content marketing best practices to drive meaningful business results. This consistent process of refinement and optimisation is what separates good content from great content that delivers a measurable return on investment.

To kickstart this process, especially at the most crucial conversion points of your marketing funnel, automated tools can provide a valuable baseline. For instance, the free lead magnet audit tool from Magnethive can generate a comprehensive report on your current lead generation assets, complete with AI-powered ideas for improvement. Using such a tool can be a powerful first step in a broader audit, helping you quickly identify opportunities to enhance your interactive content and qualify leads more effectively.

Ultimately, mastering the art of the content audit is about taking control. It’s about moving beyond simply creating content and stepping into the role of a strategic architect, ensuring every article, product page, and interactive tool serves a distinct purpose. By embracing the principles and examples outlined here, you are empowered to not just manage your content, but to engineer its success.