Your team is divided on redundant content. How can you navigate conflicting opinions effectively?

1 Assess Needs

Before diving into any decisions about redundant content, it's essential to assess the needs of your audience and your organization. Start by evaluating the purpose of your content: is it to inform, to educate, or to sell? Consider the user experience and how multiple pieces of similar content might affect it. Are users finding value in having different formats or repeated information, or is it creating confusion? Understanding these needs will provide a foundation for your team to discuss the value or detriment of redundant content.

3 Analyze Data

Data is an impartial ally in discussions about content. Look at analytics to see how redundant content is performing. Are there high bounce rates on pages with repetitive information? Do certain pieces of content convert better than others? Analyzing user behavior and content performance metrics can help your team move past subjective opinions and focus on what the data suggests about the effectiveness and impact of redundant content.

4 Set Criteria

To navigate conflicting opinions, it's helpful to set clear criteria for what constitutes necessary versus redundant content. These criteria might include relevance, user engagement, conversion rates, and SEO impact. By establishing these benchmarks, your team can objectively evaluate content and decide whether it serves a unique purpose or simply repeats what's already been said. This approach can help depersonalize the debate and focus on strategic content decisions.

5 Pilot Changes

If there's a stalemate, consider piloting changes to your content approach on a small scale. Choose a section of your content to test removing or consolidating redundant pieces, then monitor the results over a set period. This trial can provide tangible outcomes that can guide a more informed decision on whether to keep, revise, or remove redundant content across your platform.

6 Iterate Often

Content management is not a set-it-and-forget-it task. It requires regular iteration and reassessment. Encourage your team to view the management of redundant content as an ongoing process. By regularly revisiting the topic, assessing new data, and discussing evolving user needs, your team can stay aligned on content strategy decisions and remain flexible as preferences and best practices change over time.