Keep, Merge or Retire: Running a Content Audit Before Migration

A migration is one of the few moments when every page on a website gets looked at. That makes it the right time for a content audit. Without one, outdated, duplicated and thin pages travel to the new platform and keep competing with the pages you actually want people to find.

Set up the audit sheet

Start from your URL inventory and add columns for content owner, last updated date, purpose, traffic over a fixed period, inbound links and a decision. Keep the decisions simple so the audit moves quickly:

• Keep: accurate and useful as is.
• Update: worth keeping but needs revision.
• Merge: overlaps with another page and should be combined.
• Retire: no longer useful, with a redirect if it has value or links.

Agree on criteria first

Before reviewing pages, agree on what makes a page worth keeping. Typical criteria include accuracy, relevance to current services, evidence of visits or links, uniqueness and whether it supports a business goal. Writing these down prevents long debates page by page.

Look for common patterns

Content audits tend to find the same things:

1. Duplicate service descriptions written at different times for different campaigns.
2. Old news and announcements that no longer reflect the business.
3. Thin location or keyword pages with little unique information.
4. Orphaned pages not linked from anywhere on the site.
5. Outdated downloads such as brochures with old details.

Merging well

When two pages cover the same topic, choose the stronger one as the destination, bring over any unique details from the other, and redirect the retired URL to the merged page. Merging often produces a better page than either original.

Retiring responsibly

Retired pages with external links or meaningful history should redirect to the closest relevant page. Pages with no visits, no links and no relevance can return a not-found or gone response. Avoid redirecting large numbers of unrelated pages to the home page.

Do not forget media and files

Images, PDFs and video embeds should be audited alongside pages. Unused media can be left behind. Images that stay should gain accurate alternative text where it is missing.

Assign owners and deadlines

Pages marked for update need someone responsible and a date. Content work is commonly the slowest part of a migration, so schedule it early. Where updates cannot be finished before launch, migrate the current version and track revisions separately rather than holding up the project.

Capture structure while you audit

As you review, note which pages share a structure, such as service pages, team profiles or case studies. Those patterns become templates and content types on the new platform, which makes future publishing more consistent.

What you gain

An audit makes the migration smaller, the new site clearer and the redirect plan more accurate. It also gives the business a fresh, deliberate view of what it is saying to customers, which is often worth as much as the technical move itself. Keep the finished audit sheet after launch; it becomes a useful starting point for the next content review.