Make a content inventory before a redesign

Begin with what already exists

A redesign can give outdated content a more convincing presentation. Before choosing new layouts, list the pages and downloadable files that visitors can reach. Include the quiet material: old service PDFs, confirmation screens, campaign pages and contact instructions. A page that is absent from the navigation can still be shared or found elsewhere.

This is an inventory exercise, not a demand to rewrite everything. Its purpose is to identify what each item does, who owns it and whether its claims remain supportable.

Use columns that lead to decisions

Record the URL or file, intended audience, visitor task, content owner, last review date and proposed action. Add a short reason for that action. “Keep” is stronger when followed by “current service details, owner verified.” “Update” should name the sentence or missing fact, not merely say “needs work.”

In a fictional workshop inventory, a service page might remain useful while an attached price sheet is outdated. Treat the download as its own item. Replacing the main page’s text will not automatically correct a file someone has bookmarked.

Prioritize promises and paths

Review public promises first: prices, availability, turnaround times, guarantees and service coverage. Then inspect the paths people use to act on those promises. A current service description attached to a broken enquiry link is still an incomplete experience.

Do not infer demand from page count or internal opinions. If real search, support or sales evidence is available, record where it came from. If it is absent, prioritize by potential harm and the importance of the visitor task, while clearly labeling those judgments as team decisions.

Make retirement deliberate

A retired page needs a destination or a clear explanation when visitors still arrive at its old address. Map a genuinely equivalent replacement where one exists; avoid routing every removed page to an unrelated home page just to hide the loss. Have the person responsible for the site check the actual behavior after the change.

The inventory is ready for design work when each important item has an owner and a decision. Keep it small enough to maintain. A one-page table that people update is more valuable than an elaborate catalog that becomes obsolete immediately after launch.