A lot of planning goes into creating a website. Colors, theme, content, writing style, media and accessibility are all topics that are discussed prior to the launch of the site.
When learning about content strategy this week, I read, researched and audited a website as a way to put what I was learning in action. The website I chose was American Forests, the oldest national nonprofit conservation organization in the United States because though I saw how visually appealing it was, and how educational and well-written its content looked, I wanted to explore whether all their beautiful images and media were being posted properly and in a way that everyone could enjoy it.
Thus began my Content Site Audit and Analysis. In short, the American Forests website— both desktop and mobile— are easy to navigate through and extremely user-friendly. The five drop-down menus on the homepage provide ample information to help users get to where they need to. Their multiple “Donate” buttons also stand out and offer several choices for contributing to their cause. Because their website audience leans toward donors and volunteers, being able to find information and donate are extremely important.
Their titles, meta descriptions, headers and alt-text are well-written, descriptive and their corresponding hyperlinks take you exactly where they want you to go. Though they mention the importance of their scientists and researchers, the website is not flooded with words or information only they can comprehend, instead, it’s clear and concise and reads like it’s written for everyone to understand.
The website does have room for growth, especially when it comes to including alt-text in every single image and ensuring its website is as close to 100 percent accessible as possible. I also found page errors when exploring their website. For example, when I clicked the About Us drop down menu and visited their Newsroom, it took me to their Media Inquiries page, which did have correct information. But, when I scrolled to the bottom of the website and clicked Press Releases & Statements, I again found myself on the Media Inquiries page, but instead discovered what looks to be Photoshop placeholder text, which means they also have issues with hyperlinks.
The following report will provide an in-depth analysis of the website based on data collected by Screaming Frog Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Spider Crawler, an SEO audit tool. Among the data analyzed in this audit includes: Page Title elements, Meta Descriptions and Keywords, a Content and Image review, Accessibility and Header elements.