Start with a question, not a spreadsheet
A content inventory is a list of what your website already contains. It gives you a clearer starting point than a blank document when someone suggests a new page. The aim is not to count everything for its own sake. It is to learn whether existing content answers visitors’ questions, where it repeats itself, and what needs attention.
Choose a manageable scope and a decision you want the inventory to support. A small community organization planning to explain its volunteer opportunities, for example, might review its volunteer landing page, role descriptions, application instructions and frequently asked questions. It can inventory the rest of the site later. Agree on the visitor task first: “Can someone understand the available roles and take the next step?” That question will make the review more useful than a list of pages alone.
Make a simple, usable list
Create a spreadsheet with one row per page or other substantial content item, such as a downloadable guide. Start with its title, URL, content type and the person responsible for it. Add a short note about its purpose and intended audience. Record when it was last reviewed if you know; leave the field blank rather than guessing. A page can have several contributors, but one named owner makes follow-up easier.
You can gather URLs from your navigation, site search, publishing system and any page lists your team already keeps. Check for pages that are not linked from the main menu, including older campaign pages and documents still available to visitors. If the site is large, work through one section at a time. Keep the columns limited to information you will use in a decision; an elaborate spreadsheet that nobody can finish is less valuable than a modest one the team maintains.
Review each item through a visitor’s task
Open each page rather than judging it by its title. Ask whether it answers the likely question promptly, uses words visitors will recognize, and gives a clear next step. Check whether important details agree across related pages. In the volunteer example, one page might describe an introductory call while another directs people straight to an application form. Flag that inconsistency for the content owner instead of inventing a new explanation.
Also note obstacles to using the content. Look for vague link labels, images carrying essential information without a text alternative, hard-to-scan blocks of text and documents that are difficult to use on a phone. These observations do not require an exhaustive technical audit to be helpful. If you have trustworthy search queries, contact-form questions or page measurements, use them as clues about what people seek or where they may get stuck. Do not treat a low page-view count by itself as proof that a page has no value.
Choose an action before commissioning new content
Give each item a proposed action: keep, improve, combine, retire or investigate. Keep a page that serves a distinct need and is accurate. Improve one whose purpose is sound but whose wording, structure or next step needs work. Combine pages when they answer the same question in scattered places. Retire content that no longer serves a useful purpose, after checking whether visitors or other pages still rely on it.
Write a brief reason beside each decision. “Combine these two role descriptions because they repeat the same eligibility details” is easier to act on than “duplicate.” If retiring or moving a page, identify links that need updating and plan how people following an old link will reach the relevant information. When facts are uncertain, assign someone to verify them before editing. The inventory should reveal genuine gaps: if no existing page explains how much time a volunteer role requires, that may justify new content.
Turn the findings into a small work plan
Prioritize changes by visitor need and effort. Fix a wrong application link or conflicting instruction before polishing a low-priority introduction. For each action, record an owner, a next step and a review point. A workable sequence might be to confirm the current volunteer process, combine overlapping answers, update the landing page and then test whether someone unfamiliar with the organization can find the right role and understand how to apply.
Keep the inventory after the project ends. When a page changes, update its row and note who will review it next. Before proposing another article or page, search the inventory for a suitable place to add the answer. New content is sometimes necessary, but a maintained inventory helps you make that choice deliberately rather than adding another page to an already confusing path.
