Conduct competitive and content audits to inform the content strategy for your brand.

Creating Your Content Audit + Competitive Analysis

Your final project will include a competitive audit and content audit. Specifically, you will select
Your final project will include a competitive audit and content audit. Specifically, you will select one class of content to audit on a site of your choosing, and to review on competitor sites. This might be calls to action, or navigation, or body copy, or or product detail pages, or all web forms. Or something else—you will select a content type, and assess it across multiple pages.

Before you assess it on the site, you will select from 3 to 5 competitor sites, and analyze the content type across each of those sites. This will provide a framework for auditing the content on the site you've selected. Ask yourself the following questions: Would this content be clear to a user? Does the content achieve what it is designed to achieve? Why or why not? Is the language or visuals consistent across the content type? Is the language or visuals meaningful across the content type? Will a user get the information they need to complete a task or understand the topic? How might the content be improved? After you audit the competitor sites, and audit the content on the site you're looking at, create recommendations for improving the content on the site you selected. What will make that content more useful and user friendly to users? What should change? You may draw on your competitive analysis to help inform your thinking. The final project should be in Keynote, Powerpoint, or another presentation format (I recommend you use Google Docs or Dropbox to upload your files, then share the link in the Projects tab). Set the presentation up by defining the problem you are trying to solve, and think about your presentation of the audit and competitive review as a story you're telling. Use screen shots to illustrate the points you are making. Try to help your imagined audience (such as your boss or a content mangar) understanding what your site does well, what other sites do well, what the standards are for this type of content, and how the overall experience can be improved. Watch the lecture for this unit to guide you through all of the above! Here are your specific project steps:

1. Pick a brand or organization that will be the subject of your audits.

2. Define a problem. What do you want to improve? What business or organizational objective are you trying to achieve?

3. Identify the user. What do you know about this user? What are their needs?

4. Competitive audit. Look at other organizations or brands that are in the category. You can also simply look for other examples at non-competiive organizations. You want to idetnify how others solve the problem. Take screen grabs and make notes of what is effective in meeting the objective and improving the experience for the user.

5. Content audit. Look at your content. Identify what works. Identify what can work better. Take screen grabs and make notes of what is effective in meeting the objective and improving the experience for the user.

6. Identify takeaways. These should be actionable recommendations for your organization or client. Articulate the things that can be done that is supported by the audits that will meet the objective and improve the situation for the user.

7. Revise. Craft your presentation so that you identify the problem and user. Identify what the user needs to be successful. Create a flow with the competitive and content audit that communicates what works with others, and what can improve the experience with the site/experience you're working with.
Share your content audit and a competitive analysis for feedback!
Share your progress in your project section to get feedback from other students

Sara Lin

Product Designer

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