Designing a Process to Audit and Optimize Digital Channels
I designed a process to audit a digital channel, which we used to audit and optimize a client’s YouTube channel.
Overview
The Why: Our client had created their YouTube account many years ago, and it had been used as a dumping ground for videos created by different programs, education initiatives, and campaigns within the agency. The channel didn’t make full use of YouTube’s functionality, videos had inconsistent standards, and information on the channel was outdated. Our client wanted our help to optimize their YouTube channel and videos to better engage users on the platform.
Solution: We approached this project in 2 phases.
In phase 1, we conducted an audit of the YouTube channel — we looked at a random subset of videos, the overall channel, and a selection of related YouTube channels.
In phase 2, we implemented recommendations from phase 1, which included doing an in-depth review of all of the channel’s videos.
Outcomes: The client was delighted by the data-driven strategy and our team’s extensive attention to detail. This process became a new service offering for the company — we adapted it to audit another client’s Flickr account and drew inspiration from it to design a process to audit search engine optimization (SEO) tactics.
Phase 1: The Audit
We designed the audit to understand what the channel and videos did well and where there was room for improvement. We looked at how the channel and videos were branded and organized, and how well our client’s channel compared to that of similar organizations. We also looked at how well YouTube videos were integrated into the agency’s website and other social media channels.
Video Analysis
We created a rubric to score a subset of 51 videos from the channel against 24 quantitative and qualitative parameters. Parameters looked at accessibility and search engine optimization (SEO), video tagging, content types, and video quality. We used this information to understand the channel’s intended audiences, the types of content on the channel, and the quality of videos.
Channel Analysis
We looked at how well the channel was branded, whether it provided up-to-date information, and how well it was optimized for SEO. We also analyzed how videos were organized in the channel’s playlists.
External Channel Analysis
We identified 5 organizations in the public health field that have similar missions or audiences to our client. We evaluated how their channels were optimized for YouTube to draw inspiration and to understand how well our client’s account fared against its competition.
Website Video Integration Analysis
We looked at how well YouTube videos and playlist were integrated into the agency’s website. We identified pages that provided links to YouTube videos, playlists, or the channel. We also noted pages where users might expect to find videos.
Social Media Video Integration Analysis
We assessed how the agency shares YouTube videos on its various social media platforms. We reviewed social media activity on 6 Facebook and Twitter accounts going back 6 months to conduct this evaluation.
Phase 2: Implementation
Based on the audit’s findings, we provided recommendations to clean-up and improve the channel. Our high priority recommendations included:
Adding search-friendly keywords to video metadata to improve SEO
Creating a format for video descriptions to provide consistent information
Designing a new channel header with easily recognizable branding
Updating channel information, including adding search-friendly keywords to improve SEO
Reorganizing playlists to make the channel easy to navigate for audiences
Creating a Video Development and Maintenance Plan to ensure that videos meet certain standards before going on the channel and to devise a strategy for updating channel information and sunsetting outdated videos
In-Depth Video Review and Recommendations
We conducted an in-depth review of all of the videos on the channel. We updated the rubric used during the audit with 25 quantitative and qualitative parameters that were designed using the CDC Clear Communication Index, a research-based assessment tool that measures clear communication practices in content, information design, actionability, and more. Similar to the initial video analysis, the new rubric assessed videos on analytics, technical specifications, accessibility and functionality, content, and strategy.
Based on the data collected in the rubric, we provided recommendations to keep, revise, or remove videos from the channel to help with clean-up. We recommended removing 50% of the channel’s videos. We used insights gained through this review to inform standards and criteria for approving future videos.
Lessons Learned
If I were to do this for another digital channel, I’d conduct the in-depth review of all the assets during the audit phase, as opposed to reviewing a subset during the audit phase.
We designed a rubric with 25 quantitative and qualitative parameters to collect data for all the videos. We analyzed the data in the rubric to provide recommendations for each video.