With thrift, timeliness and page 1 of a Google search as my goal, I started applying the soothing balm of online optimization to my own neglected website.

The entire process helped me realize that if you don’t check in with your business every now and again, you can begin to lose track of what you do best, why you do it, and who you do it for. I became a writer because I loved to generate ideas, help companies find fuller expression with language, and to give readers a more engaging experience. Instead I was writing for a content mill, juggling projects that didn’t energize me and getting stressed out about things I didn’t feel passion for.

Content Audit

Now, I audit my content at least once per year, and I encourage my clients to do the same. Keeping track of what I have written, where it is displayed and following its online statistics with Google Analytics has kept me in the driver’s seat of my own career, and has allowed me to have a better grasp of how my writing is helping my clients.

And I’m on page 1 of Google. Boo ya.

If you don’t know exactly what you have online, what it’s doing for you, and who is reading it, why even bother to have it up? Hire a content manager and get back on track.