As a beginner, how to conduct a content inventory?

Analyzing and revising the information architecture of a website is an exciting task, but one that can quickly become overwhelming as more content is added. That’s where conducting a content inventory is key. A content inventory is a list of every piece of digital content you currently have, captured at either the page or asset level. It includes specific characteristics about each piece. If you’re new to information architecture, don’t worry! In this blog, I’ll walk you through a step-by-step guide to conducting a content inventory.

Content Inventory Process

Step 1: Have a Clear Goal for your project!

Before diving into your content, it’s essential to have clear goals for your inventory. Ask yourself questions like:

• What do I want to achieve with this content inventory?
• Am I looking to identify outdated content or enhance the user experience?
• Do I want to assess the quality and relevance of my content?

Defining your objectives will give your inventory a clear direction and purpose.

Step 2: Decide Your Tools

Next, gather the necessary tools for the inventory process. You’ll need:

• Spreadsheet software like Microsoft Excel
• A web crawler tool (Scraming Frog)
• Plenty of time and patience

A web crawler tool can help automate the process of collecting data about your website’s pages, making the inventory process much more efficient.

Screaming Frog

Step 3: Start Content Inventory

Start by creating a spreadsheet where you’ll record information about each piece of content on your website. Your spreadsheet should include columns for the following:

• Name or title of the piece
• URL
• Author, owner or Source
• Subject or Topic
• Format
• Creation or last modified date
• Metadata (page title, meta description, alt text)
• Where raw files reside

Content Inventory Spreadsheet

Step 4: Collect Data

Now it’s time to complete your spreadsheet. Depending on the size of your website, this can be a time-consuming task. Using a web crawler tool, like Screaming Frog, will save a lot of time and energy for you.

Step 5: Evaluate Quality of the content

With your spreadsheet filled out, it’s time to assess the quality of your content. This involves analyzing each piece to determine whether it’s still relevant, accurate, and aligned with your website’s goals.

• Look for outdated information or broken links.
• Check if the content matches your brand voice and style.
• Evaluate whether the content addresses your target audience’s needs and pain points.

Step 6: Prioritize content

Based on the results of the evaluation and categorization of the content, reprioritization of the content based on previous studies of the web pages leads to a new information architecture that ensures systematic improvement of the web pages.

Step 7: Implement Changes

Start making the necessary updates and improvements to your content as outlined in your action plan. This may involve rewriting, reformatting, or archiving outdated content.

Conducting a content inventory as a beginner might seem daunting at first, but with the right approach and tools, it becomes a manageable and highly beneficial process. By organizing and optimizing your content, you’ll enhance the user experience, improve your website’s IA, and ultimately achieve your digital goals. Happy inventorying!