Pieter Vereertbrugghen
Methods for assessing content quality
The previous post listed a number of content quality criteria. Today, we’re looking at some methods to verify whether quality criteria have been met.
Content audits
Content audits provide you with a deep understanding of your content assets and will help you to improve your content planning and content strategy. They’re a great way to assess:
- the range of topics you cover
- the location and types of your content
- interrelations between pieces of content
- metadata
- the structure of your links and titles
- and more
The main drawback of a content audit is that it cannot be automated entirely. It also has to be performed by someone with an understanding of content strategy.
Web Analytics
Web analytics give a general impression about what pieces of content are appreciated, and how your audience is accessing and using your content. Web analytics unfortunately do not explain why some of your content is working and some isn’t. To understand this, you’ll probably need to talk to your audience. Basic web analytics, such as unique visitors per page, should be part of any content audit.
Interviews, focus groups and surveys
These traditional methods remain important for content quality assessment. But each method has its own disadvantages. One common problem with surveys, for instance, is that respondents regularly misunderstand the questions. By combining different methods you cancel out the specific disadvantages of each individual method, as it were, and the overall reliability of your research will increase.
Mental mapping
To understand content from the point of view of your users, there’s probably no better way than to work with them on your content. One useful technique from Information Architecture (IA) is card sorting during a workshop. Card sorting will help you establish your audience’s mental model. This model can then be compared to the way you organise content. Find out more about card sorting at Usability Net.
Automated verifications
If you have a large volume of content, you can automate quality control up to a certain level. There are tools to quickly scan and review readability, clarity, consistency, spelling, grammar and broken links. Unfortunately, many tools are for English only. With some content management systems you can check link integrity, versioning, access privileges, etc. There is also software to verify the bit rate of videos, the size of images, the quality of audio clips, and so on.
When you combine the methods listed above, you get a fairly accurate picture of the quality level of your content. You’ll be able to identify problems and can prioritise actions to solve them.
