Content evaluation
As you review your site, identify content that you must keep for customers to successfully interact with your agency.
- Most thorough reviews keep just 40-60% of content.
- A true user-centered website transformation may require as little as 20% of content.
Removing outdated, redundant, or low-value content significantly improves customer experience and site usability, reduces migration effort, and lowers short- and long-term costs.
Tip: Be sure to include PDFs, documents, spreadsheets, and other files in your review. These files are often the largest source of outdated or redundant content.
Keep content only if it meets the following criteria
Required by law, regulation, or policy
- Are you required to keep the content public-facing?
- Archive content where required, and remove content that is not required.
Current and timely (created after 2023)
- Is the content from the current administration or an ongoing initiative?
- Remove content from previous administrations or time-limited initiatives.
Accessible
- Is the content accessible for people with disabilities?
- If not, you must remediate it to follow the Maryland accessibility policies and guidelines and meet legally-required accessibility standards.
Readable
- Does the content use simple and clear language that avoids jargon?
- If not, you must revise it to follow the Maryland plain language standards.
Unique
- Is the content unique?
- Remove or merge redundant content.
- If content is duplicated from another authoritative source, link directly to the source (rather than reproducing it).
Accurate
- Is the content accurate?
- Remove content that is outdated or contains errors, broken links, or references to obsolete policies.
Relevant
- Is the content necessary and useful for your target audience?
- Remove content that no longer serves a clear purpose.
High traffic and engagement
- Are target audiences using your content?
- Remove content with low-traffic or engagement.
