Let’s be honest: most higher ed websites are massive. Between academic departments, admissions pages, event listings, news articles, and administrative content, most institutions manage thousands, if not tens of thousands, of pages. And while launching a new website can give you a fresh start, it’s the months and years that follow where things often fall apart.
That’s where a content inventory and audit framework becomes your secret weapon. Done correctly, it gives you the visibility and control you need to reduce clutter, improve quality, and make smarter decisions across your content marketing assets.
A content inventory is a structured listing of all the content on your website. It’s sort of like a well-organized content pantry, where everything has its place on the shelf, is in the correct container, and is categorized and labeled.
It typically includes:
If you're using Cascade CMS, the new Content Inventory Report gives you a running start by automatically surfacing key details like orphaned assets, last modified dates, asset types, publish status, and content freshness status.
A content inventory tells you what you have, whereas an audit provides information about how your content is performing and which actions are needed to increase performance and effectiveness.
When you perform an audit, you assess your content against a pre-defined set of criteria, such as accuracy, relevance, engagement, SEO, accessibility compliance, redundancies, and alignment with your organization’s strategic goals, such as enrollment, retention or brand awareness. Typically, in your content audit, you will have a column for action items, which could be “keep,” “update,” “consolidate,” or “remove.”
You don’t have to do this manually. Here’s how to build an efficient workflow using Cascade CMS and complementary tools:
Start by running a report to identify:
Tools like Google Analytics, Lucky Orange, or Siteimprove can help uncover critical insights such as:
Next, you can combine data from Cascade, your analytics tool, and stakeholder input into one centralized system. Some of the columns that could be useful here include content owner, update status, priority level (and don’t make everything the highest priority!), next review date, and your audit notes.
While a one-time audit is incredibly valuable, especially if you’re going through a redesign project, a repeatable framework is even better. Here’s are some ideas on how to make it sustainable.
Make sure every major content type or section has a clear steward. Cascade CMS's folder structure and user roles can help assign and track responsibilities. In addition, you can bulk-assign content owners straight from the Content Inventory Report. Another benefit of designating content owners is the fact that those individuals now start receiving daily content report in their email, alerting them to any assets that need their attention, such as pending workflows, broken links, or drafts that have not been submitted yet.
Plan quarterly or biannual audits by section (e.g., Admissions in Q1, Academics in Q2). Again, using the Content Inventory Report allows you to set you review dates with just a couple of clicks. When content owners have assets with an upcoming review date, they’ll see it right on their Cascade dashboard and in their daily content report email, making it much easier for them to take action.
When content is centralized and structured, like tuition info, deadlines, faculty bios, or alumni stories, it’s easier to reuse, update, and ensure accuracy across your entire site. So whether you’re planning to implement new design templates or revisiting the effectiveness of your current setup, focus on your CMS implementation and ensure that you have your content managed in small, smart, and reusable chunks rather than a monolithic WYSIWYG editor.
One of the most effective ways to foster continued support from your stakeholders is to show progress, so be sure to share your wins with them by highlighting improvements in SEO, accessibility scores, or engagement after outdated content is removed or improved.
An effective content inventory and audit process gives you:
And, most importantly, it gives you the ability to serve your audiences better, since students, family, faculty, and members of the community can find what they’re looking for more easily.
Need help getting started? Cascade CMS and Clive Web Personalization make it easy to surface your existing content arsenal and maintain control going forward.
Whether you’re launching a new redesign or just want to declutter, we’re here to help.
Last Updated: Dec 11, 2025 9:00 AM
