#freelance-talk
Thread
What does everyone charge for a content audit? And what does a content audit mean to you/what does that deliverable look like? I know it means a little something different to everyone so would love your perspectives.
I personally think of an audit as an activity that only has value inasmuch as it helps the commissioning party make decisions or take action (as opposed to, say, existing to give something a grade). So when I've delivered or presided over a deliverable that you might call a content audit, it's generally been things like:
• Here's a plan to clean up the keyword cannibalization on your site (spreadsheet, maybe executive deck)
• Here's an inventory of URLs and what we'd recommend you do with them (deindex, unpublish, refresh, etc, delivered as a spreadsheet)
• Here's a staffing plan to scale up output similar to what you've been doing (write-up doc, maybe a deck)
• Here's where and why you're losing traffic (write-up / spreadsheet)
As for what I'd charge, it'd depend on the work and legible value to the client in having the question(s) answered.
BTW, if the person asking for the audit hasn't clarified their next steps, it's an easy one to get clarity on. "What actions do you plan to take based on the findings?" That'll probably either spur a good value conversation or else possibly an intro to the sponsor's boss.