How to Do a Content Audit to Identify Underperforming Content

Why I Do Content Audits (and You Should Too)

Most people think SEO is all about publishing new content. And yeah, fresh posts help — but here’s the truth:

If your site has been around for a few years, chances are you’ve got a lot of content that’s doing absolutely nothing for you.

I’ve seen this on client sites, agency sites, and even my own.

Pages that used to rank have dropped off. Old posts that never performed are still live, quietly dragging down the site.

And content that could be solid just sits there because it’s not optimized for what Google (or users) care about anymore.

That’s why I started running content audits — and why I now do them regularly. A good audit helps you:

• Spot which pages are worth updating
• Find content that’s overlapping or outdated
• Identify low-value pages that are cluttering your site

The results? Cleaner site structure, better rankings, more traffic from content you already invested in. I’ve seen rankings rebound after pruning 50+ pages.

I’ve also seen “dead” blog posts come back to life just by expanding them and fixing targeting.

This guide walks you through the exact process I use — including how I use Ahrefs to find underperforming pages and what I look for when deciding whether to update, merge, or delete a piece of content.

Let’s dig in.

What “Underperforming Content” Really Means

When I talk about underperforming content, I don’t just mean pages with zero traffic. That’s part of it, but not the whole story.

Some content technically gets traffic but still misses the mark. Other pages used to perform well but have slowly dropped off. And then there are pieces that never had a chance because they were thin, misaligned with search intent, or targeting keywords that were way too competitive.

Here’s how I actually define underperformance when I run a content audit:

• Low organic traffic: If a page hasn’t brought in meaningful search traffic over the last 3 to 6 months, it gets flagged.
• Poor engagement: High bounce rate, low time on page, or no conversions are all red flags. Even if people are landing on the page, they’re not sticking around or taking action.
• Ranking drop: A page that used to rank well but has slipped to page 2 or beyond is underperforming compared to its potential.
• Outdated info: If the content is clearly old, uses dated stats, or covers a product or feature that no longer exists, it’s probably not helping your site.
• Content decay: This one’s subtle. The page used to do fine, but over time it stopped pulling its weight. Maybe competitors published stronger content. Maybe search intent shifted.
• Thin content: A 300-word blog post competing against full guides is almost always going to struggle.
• No backlinks or internal links: A good piece of content with zero links is often invisible to Google. It’s not just about on-page SEO. If a page has no authority or internal support, it won’t get far.

One thing I always remind people: underperforming doesn’t always mean low quality.

Some posts are well-written but targeting unwinnable keywords. Others just need a refresh or better optimization.

The real question I ask is this: Is this piece of content earning its place on the site?‍

If it’s not contributing in some way — traffic, conversions, authority, or relevance — it needs to be improved, merged, or removed.

How I Decide Whether to Prune or Improve Content

One of the biggest mistakes I see people make during a content audit is thinking every weak page needs to be deleted. That’s not how I approach it.

When I audit a site, I always ask one question first: Can this content be made useful again?‍

If the answer is yes, I’ll try to improve it. If not, then it might be time to cut it.

Here's how I break it down.

When I choose to improve a page:

• The topic is still relevant and being searched
• The content has some structure or value that I can build on
• It has a few backlinks or internal links that I don’t want to lose
• It ranks on page 2 or 3 and just needs a boost

In these cases, I’ll update the content, optimize it for the right keywords, and usually expand it to match what’s ranking today.

Sometimes all it takes is refreshing the data, adding missing subtopics, and improving the formatting.

When I decide to prune:

• The content is completely outdated and not worth updating
• It’s getting no traffic and has zero backlinks
• It’s duplicate or near-duplicate of something else on the site
• It doesn’t align with the site’s goals anymore

If I prune a page, I don’t just delete it and walk away.

I either 301 redirect it to a related page or set it to noindex if it still serves a niche purpose but doesn’t need to be indexed. That way, I protect any SEO value it might have had.

The key is to look at each page in context. Sometimes a post is underperforming because it’s poorly optimized.

Other times, it’s because no one is looking for that topic anymore. I don’t use a blanket rule. I make the call based on data and strategy.

This part of the audit is where most of the impact happens. Improving or removing the right pages can shift your whole site's performance. I’ve seen it first-hand.

My Step-by-Step Audit Process (with Ahrefs as My Go-To Tool)

When I run a content audit, I follow a repeatable process that’s worked across dozens of websites. I don’t overcomplicate it.

The goal is simple: figure out which pages are helping the site, which ones are holding it back, and take action.

Here’s exactly how I do it.

Step 1: Set clear goals

Before I touch a spreadsheet, I define what I’m trying to fix. Sometimes the goal is to recover from a drop in traffic.

Other times, I want to clean up outdated blog content or lift pages that are stuck on page 2. Your goal determines how strict you should be when judging content performance.

Step 2: Build a full content inventory

I pull a list of all the URLs I want to audit. This usually starts with a crawl using Screaming Frog or Sitebulb. I’ll also export data from Google Search Console to catch what’s indexed and receiving traffic.

If I’m only auditing part of a site, like the blog or product pages, I filter by folder structure. Then I drop everything into a spreadsheet with columns for URL, title, date published, last updated, and type of content.

Step 3: Pull performance data

This is where Ahrefs comes in. I plug the site into Ahrefs and use Site Explorer to get performance data for every URL. I look at:

• Organic traffic estimates
• Keyword rankings
• Referring domains
• URL Rating
• Content length
• Last crawl date

I also use Google Analytics to cross-check traffic, especially for pages Ahrefs estimates at zero. Sometimes you’ll find hidden winners or intentional noindexed pages that are performing in other channels.

Step 4: Identify what’s underperforming

Once the data is in the sheet, I start sorting. I flag any page with very low or zero organic traffic, no backlinks, and no recent updates. I also look at bounce rate and average time on page when available.

In Ahrefs, I’ll check the Organic Keywords report. If a page ranks for its target keyword in position 11 to 30, that’s a signal there’s potential with a bit of work. If it ranks for nothing at all and has no links, I treat it with more scrutiny.

I also use the Content Gap tool to compare my content to top-ranking competitors. This helps me find missing subtopics or related keywords I didn’t cover the first time around.

If I suspect keyword cannibalization, I use the “Multiple URLs only” filter in the Organic Keywords report. If two or more pages from my site are competing for the same query, I consider merging them.

Step 5: Tag each URL with an action

Every page in the sheet gets one of these actions:

• Keep — no changes needed
• Update — refresh or expand the content
• Merge — combine with another post on a similar topic
• Prune — delete and redirect or noindex

If I plan to update a page, I add quick notes about what needs to change. For example, “Add missing FAQ,” “Target better keyword,” or “Fix outdated screenshots.”

Step 6: Take action

This is the part most people delay. Once the audit is done, you need to actually update, merge, or remove content. I usually tackle the easiest wins first — quick updates to ranking content or obvious deletions.

When merging pages, I always 301 redirect the removed URL to the new consolidated page. If a page has backlinks, I never delete it without redirecting.

If I improve a page, I optimize the on-page SEO, match the search intent more closely, and expand where needed. Sometimes that means turning a 500-word post into a full guide. Sometimes it's just adding an up-to-date example and a stronger title.

Step 7: Adjust strategy and repeat

After a full audit, I take time to reflect. Which content types performed best? Where did we waste effort in the past? I use those insights to guide future content creation.

I also schedule regular mini-audits going forward. Once a quarter, I’ll revisit anything that hasn’t moved or started to decline. That way, content problems never pile up again.

This is the exact process I use. It’s not flashy, but it works. Tools like Ahrefs make it faster, but what really matters is making smart decisions based on actual performance. No guessing. Just data, analysis, and action.

Real Results I’ve Seen from Auditing Content

Content audits aren’t just about cleanup. When you do them right, they can lead to serious growth.

I’ve seen this happen again and again — both on my own projects and with client sites.

One standout example was ClientX, a fractional marketing firm with solid expertise, well-written content, and a good-looking site — but basically no organic visibility.

When we stepped in, they were getting just 22 visitors a month. They had content, but it wasn’t ranking. Their site was a ghost town.

We started with the basics: fixing site speed and cleaning up technical clutter. Then we audited their existing content to find what could be salvaged.

A lot of it was underoptimized. Some posts were solid but targeting the wrong keywords. Others were buried by poor internal linking.

We rewrote and optimized those posts using our internal linking process and structured data enhancements.

Within days, traffic and keyword rankings started to climb. Because the results came in so quickly, we doubled down and started optimizing more posts — fast.

From there, we launched a full content campaign focused on high-intent topics that aligned with their target audience. These weren’t fluff pieces. They were long-form, strategic assets built to rank and convert.

The results speak for themselves:

• Traffic grew from 22 to over 4,500 visits per month at its peak
• The site now averages over 3,000 organic visits per month, consistently
• Rankings climbed for competitive terms like “Fractional CMO,” “Business Growth Strategy,” and “CMO Interview Questions”
• Lead generation picked up, and they were able to scale back on paid ads because organic was doing the heavy lifting

This wasn’t a fluke. It was the result of a focused audit, content optimization, and smart execution over time.

And it wasn’t just about traffic. It brought the right people to the site — people who engaged, converted, and drove real business growth.

I’ve had smaller but similar wins on my own blog, too. In one case, I updated an old post stuck on page two.

After expanding it, tightening the SEO, and adding a few internal links, it jumped into the top five and more than doubled in traffic.

The takeaway? You don’t always need to publish more. You need to make what you already have work harder. A good audit helps you do exactly that.

Common Content Audit Mistakes to Avoid

When people run their first content audit, they usually fall into one of two camps.

Either they play it too safe and change nothing, or they go in swinging and delete everything that looks weak.

Neither approach works.

Here are the biggest mistakes I’ve seen — and how I avoid them in my own process.

1. Deleting content too aggressively

I’ve seen people wipe out hundreds of posts just because they had low traffic. The problem is, not every low-traffic page is worthless.

Some have backlinks. Some support other pages through internal links. And some serve non-SEO purposes like lead qualification or email list growth.

Before I remove anything, I always check if the page has value beyond traffic.

If it has backlinks, I’ll usually redirect it to a relevant page. If it still serves a purpose but doesn’t need to be indexed, I’ll set it to noindex.

2. Only doing surface-level updates

Changing the year in the title or swapping out one sentence is not enough. Google’s not going to reward that kind of light touch.

If a post is underperforming, it needs a real update — deeper content, better optimization, and stronger internal linking.

When I update content, I treat it like I’m publishing it for the first time.

I check the top-ranking pages, find what they’re doing better, and make sure my version is more complete and more useful.

3. Ignoring internal links

A lot of people fix the content but forget to support it. Internal links are one of the easiest ways to pass authority and help Google understand relevance.

Whenever I update or merge content, I add links from other pages that are already getting traffic. This helps new or refreshed content get picked up faster.

4. Not tracking changes

If you’re making dozens or hundreds of changes and not documenting anything, you’re flying blind.

I always keep a simple log of what actions I took on each page — what was deleted, what was updated, what was merged and redirected.

That way, if rankings drop or traffic shifts, I know exactly what changed and when. It also helps prove the value of the work if you’re reporting to a client or internal team.

5. Giving up too early

Improved rankings don’t always show up overnight. Google might take a few weeks — or even a couple of months — to re-crawl and re-evaluate the changes.

I’ve seen posts bounce back in a matter of days, but I’ve also seen others take 8 to 12 weeks.

The key is to monitor performance, stay patient, and resist the urge to undo your changes too soon.

Final Thoughts

If you’ve never run a full content audit before, it might feel like a lot. But once you’ve done it, you’ll realize how much hidden opportunity is sitting on your site.

Some of your best-performing content is probably already live — it just needs attention. Other pages are dragging down your site and need to go. The goal isn’t perfection. It’s progress.

Every time I run an audit, I walk away with a tighter, more focused site that performs better in search. And the wins compound. More visibility. More traffic. Better user experience. Fewer wasted pages.

This isn’t about chasing hacks. It’s about making your content work harder.

If you haven’t done an audit yet, now’s the time.