Conducting a content audit: step by step
Every content strategy begins with an inventory of all existing content.
To create content that resonates with its target audiences, UX writers analyze the language used on web pages and optimize it as needed.
When we refer to "UX writing" (user experience writing), we're discussing the creation of user-friendly text for digital products, such as user interfaces for websites or software applications.
"Before the digital age, humans were the only beings who used language to communicate. So when someone speaks to us with language, our brain immediately reacts to the other person as if they were a human being."
Yifrah Kinneret: UX Writing & Microcopy, Bonn 2020, p. 23.
Based on this quote, we can say that as UX writers, we engage users personally, much like an interaction at an office desk or a café. In addition to design and technical implementation, appealing and accessible texts are vital components of a holistic digital user experience.
UX writing helps users navigate elements and pages effortlessly. As UX copywriters, we prioritize honesty and simplicity in our content to reduce the mental effort required for users to comprehend it. We strive to create an accessible content experience that motivates, convinces, and invites users to take action.
Strategic UX writing aids users in achieving their website goals, sparks curiosity, and maintains clarity. Ultimately, precise and empathetic text fosters a unique brand experience that can inspire user loyalty.
UX writers develop concise, easy-to-read text or small modules with significant impact – like button labels and form fields – that facilitate seamless interaction with the user interface and instill a sense of security and familiarity. Effective click triggers, such as CTAs positioned near buttons, entice users and pique their curiosity.
Just as many people keep returning to their favorite café, they also keep revisiting user-friendly, familiar websites. This presents a fantastic opportunity for companies to cultivate lasting customer loyalty.
We recommend several useful tools that have proven effective for crafting tailored microcopy. There are various options available based on where and how we write copy:
Important: Avoid using Lorem Ipsum text. Only actual copy can determine whether content, layout, and text length are in harmony.
In addition to UX writing, we at Moccu are also trained in copywriting and SEO copywriting. We also create SEO content briefings for keyword-optimized texts that generate high traffic and enhance brand visibility.
For UX writers, crafting microcopy – such as instructions, pop-up windows, tooltips, empty states, chatbot texts, and 404 pages – is part of our daily routine. In contrast, our copywriting tasks typically involve creating content for landing pages and newsletters.
It’s crucial to integrate UX writing and copywriting within the team. That’s why we recommend leveraging the combined expertise of UX, content management, SEO, and copywriting.
The following illustration provides a framework for distinguishing between UX writing and copywriting.
To optimize UX writing and better meet user needs, we recommend conducting a UX writing audit, which involves inventorying the existing text on a webpage. This includes evaluating the quality of various content types (i.e. button labels, informational texts, teasers, info cards, navigation links, and emails).
Tailored, user-centered texts enhance the overall user experience and communicate your company’s uniqueness more clearly.
Important Note: A UX writing audit is different from a content audit. The latter catalogs and analyzes all content without focusing on text-specific aspects. Each approach provides valuable insights.
Let’s dive deeper into the UX writing audit: to develop new, well-crafted textual content, it's essential to assess existing texts and microcopy. This helps identify concrete optimization opportunities and actionable instructions, ensuring alignment with your company’s strategic goals.
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For your UX writing audit, evaluate your company’s key pages, along with specific elements, modules, and functions, and create a textual inventory.
Are there any lingering issues or inconsistencies? During the final check, ensure that the page aligns with the style guide and the company's brand guidelines. This step is crucial for maintaining consistency across all text elements.
Based on the company's values, the textual characteristics that define the communication with users are outlined. This shapes the tone of voice – how the brand should sound – making its personality tangible in UX writing. The tone of voice is also vital for international SEO in global markets.
Examples of values are:
Suitable properties could be:
The list of values could also look like this:
In this case, suitable properties could be:
These values and traits communicate the brand essence and must be conveyed consistently. If no clear corporate values and characteristics can be determined from the text, take the opportunity to elevate their prominence. They should harmonize with the specifications in the company's style guide, corporate language and brand guidelines.
Before revising individual text elements, UX writers must establish priorities and develop a roadmap that aligns content with user needs, goals, and expectations. It’s essential to ensure that text modules cater to their target audience and enhance the brand experience while contributing to the company's objectives.
AI tools such as ChatGPT/OpenAI can assist in gathering valuable insights about a company, especially if there's limited information or no developed style guide available.
For instance, AI can be used to create a prompt that explores a company's core values and goals – a helpful addition to your research for UX writing or content marketing.
Advantages:
Guidelines are essential. They provide a foundation for consistently implementing specifications and communicating a brand effectively through UX writing. Consistency in text design and tonality ensure a familiar user experience.
Ideally, guidelines are created right at the start of a collaboration and in consultation with all parties involved. This approach can help to standardize internal processes, promoting efficient work while upholding quality standards and aligning with a content-first approach to UX writing. This prevents major deviations from expectations and minimizes frustration.
Additionally, clear specifications reduce the need for time-consuming coordination. Defining all important parameters upfront means decisions don’t need to be remade repeatedly, streamlining feedback loops.
Let’s collaborate to develop UX writing guidelines tailored to your brand!
Accessibility for companies is another aspect that should not be missing from our guidelines. Alt texts are essential as they provide detailed descriptions of images or graphics, adhering to the specified guidelines, including character limits.
Choosing an accessible font is equally important to enhance the readability of UX text elements for individuals with dyslexia. For example, a capital "O" should be easily distinguishable from a zero, and a capital "I" from a one. This clarity helps users quickly comprehend the content.
In addition, we also document how to implement gender-inclusive language.
Website accessibility is often perceived as a niche concern, but it’s essential for all businesses.
Specifications should always deliver tangible benefits or measurable outcomes. For example, incorporating cheering headlines before product grids can significantly boost conversions. These motivating headlines, often with a personal touch, are strategically placed to drive engagement.
We also define the structure of step-by-step instructions for how-to articles, for clients such as STIHL, Hama, and Angelini. Each headline contains a motivating verb, and the maximum number of steps are defined.
Alongside our UX writing guidelines, we also maintain other guidelines that better structure and facilitate our collaboration – such as those for content management. Clear instructions and guidelines are available and help us to enter content in accordance with standardized best practices.
This is particularly helpful because one person often takes on several roles. For example, it's common for content managers to reference copywriting guidelines and vice versa, as many areas are interconnected.
Just as our UX writing guidelines ensure consistent communication, our content management guidelines assist with questions related to the Content Management System (CMS). This alignment guarantees consistent implementation and simplifies the maintenance of articles according to defined standards, such as in a copybook that serves as a structural reference.
A single content creation document provides an overview, is always up to date, and saves a lot of time in the production process.
It is also essential that the guidelines are accessible not only within the agency but also to external partners. A well-organized filing system is necessary to ensure that once the guidelines are properly stored, they can be accessed and implemented by anyone with authorization.
Ultimately, our UX writing guidelines streamline workflows, making things significantly easier for both our team and our clients. If clients have questions, they can find the essential points directly in the brand guidelines on corporate language without waiting for feedback.
Having guidelines available in text format already – such as in an expandable style guide – makes it easier.
Analyzing the target group
First, we want to understand what motivates our target audience. We start by reviewing the materials provided by our clients.
Change perspective
To ensure clarity, we consider the perspective of someone without the same level of expertise. Insights from our audience analysis guide us in this process.
Define corporate language
Next, we establish a clear, audience-focused corporate language. How should we address users, and what terminology best represents the company?
Incorporate best practices
What resonates with users becomes evident over time, and we integrate these insights into our guidelines.
Coordination process
It’s essential to involve the company before we begin implementation. This step ensures that we deliver a final product that everyone can effectively use.
Next, we implement all planned optimizations based on our UX writing audit and guidelines, testing them through various methods like A/B testing, usability tests, and gathering user feedback.
Elevate your UX with effective usability testing: Discover the most important techniques.
At Moccu, we also conduct performance assessments. In order to keep the content relevant, accessible and user-friendly, the audit should be repeated on a regular basis, and we will be happy to provide you with advice and support.
Based on our key take-aways, we develop actionable recommendations, much like sorting through a closet to create well-defined piles.
We divide them into:
Based on these recommendations, you’ll have a solid foundation to produce linguistic content that aligns with the guidelines and elevates your text. Our goal is to ensure that your messaging effectively communicates your corporate values and strengthens your brand’s essence for the long term.
UX writing is important to regulate and simplify the interaction between users and a digital product.
An optimized user experience ensures higher click rates, a stronger brand presence and ultimately higher sales.
A UX writer creates clear, concise and useful texts and text modules for users. Among other things, this involves making it easier to navigate a page, increasing conversion and strengthening brand loyalty.
A UX writer writes microcopy, i.e. small text modules. This includes, for example, the optimization of button labels, chatbot texts, 404 pages or information texts.
A good UX text is clear, coherent, comprehensible and concise. Its structure ensures that users reach their destination quickly. Misleading, ambiguous formulations and filler words are avoided.
The quality of a UX text must always be evaluated through user feedback, A/B tests, usability tests and a UX writing audit.
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