SEO audit is required to improve your performance considering you or your competitor’s action.
Yes, you heard it right.
When you conduct an SEO audit for your site, it is carefully analyzed to assess its visibility in search engine results pages. An SEO audit takes into account the entire infrastructure of your site, how it is optimized for search engines, and how it ranks among other sites, and where improvements can be made.
Industry professionals like PRable can utilize powerful SEO strategies that identify areas where your website can be improved, and what kind of content gaps you might have.
These kinds of digital marketing assistance companies typically work closely with their clients to help them establish their brands in the digital space through their website.
However, these services are pricey. Luckily, you can perform a lot of audit related tasks yourself, and improve ranking without assistance. In this article, I’ll run down why you need an SEO audit, what to look out for, and some tips to ease the process.
Why Conduct an SEO audit?
If you are wondering why you have fewer visitors on your site, perhaps it is time to evaluate your site through an SEO audit.
When people type a specific query on a search engine, you want your pages to be among the top results on the page. This will increase your visibility and more people are likely to visit your site.
More traffic on your site means that interested buyers are likely to convert, or at least visit. This increase in traffic can further improve your domain dating, make you more eligible for Google AdSense, affiliate marketing plans, and much more.
All the above metrics can be identified and improved once your site undergoes a full SEO audit.
What to Look for When Performing an Audit
Now, I am pretty sure that you are looking for the seo audit checklist or in other words, how to do an seo audit.
Let’s run down some of the main issues you might come across while evaluating your site and how you can get around to improving it.
Fix On-Site and Link Issues
Broken links are faulty links to webpages. Users who click on these links will get an error message and are redirected to a 404 page. Broken links and page errors might cost your brand. You might have spent valuable resources setting up your website and it is only best to get maximum value from it.
These faulty links only work to ruin the user experience. Visitors who get redirected to a 404 page might get frustrated and decide never to visit again.
They might even not recommend the site to their close friends and family. Users might also exit without completing transactions leading to loss of revenue.
How to Fix Link Issues
- Use simple, easy to type URLs for products and campaigns. Users might be prone to making errors when typing long URLs.
- Ensure you test links before you publish them on your webpage.
- Link checkers will help you diagnose any broken links and detect any slow-loading pages. If you’re running WordPress, use a plugin like Broken Link Checker.
- Use 301 redirects when you change an existing URL. Users who click on the old URL will be redirected to the new page.
Algorithm Changes
Search engines are continuously changing their algorithms to provide a better experience for their users. Typically, these changes focus on improving the algorithm’s ability to correctly decide what page holds the best answer to a given query.
Usually, you will notice the changes after they have already been implemented. Algorithm change affects site ranking and it might affect your business because everyone is looking to be ranked highest anyway. It’s essential to stay up to date with this info and research the going on. A good place to start is joining an SEO community of forum and following search engine representatives on Twitter.
If you wake up to your site being ranked lower than last month and your competitor ranked higher, it might be due to the change and this might lead to loss of revenue for you. You could also lose all the traffic you had worked hard to build.
Addressing Algorithm Changes
- Keep Track. It is not easy to predict when search engines are going to update their algorithms. However, you can keep track of the changes as they happen. It might help if you belong to a community that keeps track of the latest search engine algorithm changes.
- Update Content. Always have fresh and relevant content on your site. Outdated content will only work to your detriment. In case you notice fluctuations in your site, a full website SEO audit can help identify what you’re lacking that higher-ranking competitors aren’t.
Monitor Your Website’s Growth
Despite your website having all the glitz and color, you need to ensure that visitors have the best user experience which is converted to profit. Keeping track of various website performance metrics help you have a clear picture of where you stand in the market.
Web analytics is one of the best strategies to keep track of your site’s growth. Using Key Performance Indicators, these web analytics tools can gather data on metrics such as:
- The number of visitors – exactly as it sounds.
- The number of visits per session – how many pages visitors tend to open during a single browsing session.
- Bounce rate – how many visitors leave your site after visiting a single page.
- Conversions – a desired action taken by visitors. A conversion can be anything from signing up to a mailing list or buying a product.
- Dwell time – how long visitors stay on your website after clicking on a page.
You can then use the data gathered to optimize your site. You will also know whether to change strategies for further growth. Some web analytics tools include Google Analytics, Woopra, Clicky, and Crazy Egg.
Monitor the Competition
Are you aware of how your competitors are performing? A website SEO audit can reveal your competitors’ social mentions, strategy, search ranking, emails, and relevant keywords.
How to Monitor Competition
- Research the most shared content on social media by your competitor. Tools like BuzzSumo are optimized for such tasks.
- Use tools like SpyFu to research keywords that they commonly use to understand their strategy.
- Keep track of the ads running on competitor sites.
- If the competitors have Twitter followers, you can use Followerwonk to analyze their profiles.
In Conclusion
A website SEO audit is the sure way to diagnose what ails your site and how to fix it. Whether you are a newbie or have been operating your business for years, a detailed analysis to improve your overall SEO strategy can be the link to a successful business.
I could not resist commenting. Perfectly written!