Five areas every SEO audit should focus on

Contents

What Is An SEO Audit?

Source: https://www.semrush.com/siteaudit

An SEO audit is a tool to improve online presence and visibility. A comprehensive analysis of your website's performance and areas that need improvement.

The process typically begins with a review of the current state of your SEO to identify potential issues or opportunities.

This includes analysing keywords, content quality, site structure, internal linking, page speed, and other factors that impact organic search engine rankings.

The audit can also help uncover technical issues, like broken links or duplicate content, which may prevent your website from achieving its full potential.

After identifying any shortcomings or opportunities for improvement within the website's architecture, a plan of action can be recommended to optimise your web presence.

Did you know that 68% of online experiences sourced from search engines?

Identify Keywords

A solid keyword strategy is an important part of any successful SEO audit.

Identifying the right keywords for your site can help you reach the right audience, increase organic traffic and improve your website's ranking.

How to find relevant keywords?

Firstly, brainstorm related terms and phrases associated with your business, website or blog. Think about what terms potential customers might use when searching for products or services like yours.

Additionally, research what competitors are using to find relevant terms that may not have been considered otherwise.

Once this list has been compiled, prioritise by relevance and competition level to find the most suitable keywords for your strategy.

Finally, consider using tools such as Google's Keyword Planner to identify additional opportunities based on search volume and other factors.

Five areas an SEO audit should focus on

1. On-Site SEO Audit

70% of online marketers believe that SEO generates more sales than PPC. On-page SEO includes optimising the various elements of a website that can impact its visibility and performance. Some of the key elements that should be included are:

Title tags:
Title tags are the text that appears in the browser tab and is used by search engines to understand the content of a webpage. Title tags should be unique, concise and relevant to the page's content.

Meta Descriptions:
Meta descriptions are summaries under the title tag on search engine results pages.

Headings:
Headings (H1, H2, H3, H4, H5.) help organise and structure a webpage's content. They should be used correctly and be relevant to the content of the page.

URLs:
URLs should be clear, concise and suitable. They should include keywords where possible.

Content:
Content is king when it comes to on-page SEO. Content should be unique, applicable and of high quality. It should be well-written, informative and easy to read.

Images:
Images should be optimised with alt tags and file names relevant to the page's content.

Internal linking:
Internal links help to connect pages within a website and aid in the website's overall navigation. Internal links can help search engines better understand your website's content.

Schema Markup:
Schema markup is a type of microdata that can be added to a website's HTML code to help search engines understand the content of a webpage. It can improve the visibility of a website in search engine results pages. Below, you can find an example of a schema markup; look at questions below the meta description.

2. Off-Site Audit

Off-page SEO refers to the elements outside of a website that can be optimised to improve its visibility and performance in search engine results pages (SERPs). Some of the key elements that off-page SEO should include are:

Backlinks:
Backlinks are links from other websites that point to your website. They are considered a key factor in determining a website's authority and credibility. Auditing backlinks is crucial to know which ones we should keep or disavow.

Social media:
Social media can be a powerful tool for promoting a website and driving traffic.

Online directories:
Submitting a website to online directories can help to increase its visibility and drive more traffic to the site. Off-page SEO audits should include reporting the relevant directories and ensuring that the listings are accurate and up-to-date.

Brand mentions:
Brand mentions are mentions of your brand or website on other websites or social media platforms.

Local SEO:
Local SEO is the process of optimising a website for local search. Local audits should include local listings on Google My Business, Bing Places, and Yelp.

3. Technical SEO Audit

A technical SEO audit is a process of evaluating a website's technical elements. Its aim is to identify any issues impacting its visibility and performance. Some of the key areas that a technical SEO audit should focus on include:

Crawlability:
It refers to the ability of search engines to access, read and index the content of a website. A technical SEO audit should ensure that the website's structure and code do not impede search engine crawlers from accessing the site's content.

Indexation:
Indexation refers to the process of adding a website's pages to a search engine's index. A technical SEO audit should ensure that all of the site's important pages are being indexed and appearing in search engine result pages.

Site-load time:
Site-load time is the time it takes for a website to load. A technical SEO audit should ensure that the website is loading quickly and efficiently to improve the user experience and boost visibility in search results.

Server errors:
Server errors can impede the ability of search engines to access and index a website. A technical SEO audit should identify and correct any server errors that may be impacting the site's visibility in search results.

Broken links:
Broken links can affect a website's user experience and restrict the ability of search engines to access and index its content. A technical SEO audit should identify and correct any broken links on the site.

Redirects:
Redirects are used to direct visitors and search engines to the correct page when a page has been moved or deleted. A technical SEO audit should ensure that all redirects are implemented correctly and are not causing any issues with crawlability or indexation.

Uploaded sitemaps:
Sitemaps are used to provide search engines with information about the structure and organisation of a website. A technical SEO audit should ensure that the website has a sitemap and that it is uploaded and accessible to search engines.

Semantic HTML tags:
Semantic HTML tags are used to provide additional information about the content of a webpage to search engines. A technical SEO audit should ensure that the website is using semantic HTML tags correctly and effectively.

JavaScript and CSS load times:
JavaScript and CSS can slow down the load time of a webpage. A technical SEO audit should ensure that JavaScript and CSS are being loaded efficiently and not impacting the page load time.

Robots.txt instructions:
Robots.txt is a file used to provide instructions to search engine crawlers about which pages or sections of a website should not be crawled. A technical SEO audit should ensure that the website has a robots.txt file and that it is being used correctly.

Page speed:
Page speed refers to the time it takes for a webpage to load. A technical SEO audit should ensure that all pages on the website are loading quickly and efficiently to improve the user experience and boost visibility in search results.

4. Content Audit

A content audit is a process of evaluating a website's existing content to identify any issues that may be impacting its visibility. Some of the key areas that a content audit should focus on include:

Semantic analysis:
Semantic analysis involves analysing the meaning of the text on a webpage and identifying the relationships between different words and phrases. This can help to identify any issues with the overall structure and organisation of the content.

Latent semantic indexing (LSI):
LSI is a method used by search engines to understand the context of a webpage and the relationships between different words and phrases. A content audit should ensure that the website's content is using LSI keywords effectively to improve its visibility in search results.

Search volume:
Search volume refers to the number of times a specific keyword or phrase is searched for by users. A content audit should ensure that the website's content is targeting keywords and phrases with appropriate search volume to boost visibility in search results.

Keyword mapping:
Keyword mapping involves creating a map of the keywords and phrases that a website's content should target. A content audit should ensure that the website's content is targeting the correct keywords and phrases to boost visibility in search results.

Ranking difficulty:
Ranking difficulty refers to the level of competition for a specific keyword or phrase. A content audit should ensure that the website's content is targeting keywords and phrases with a moderate ranking difficulty to improve its visibility in search results.

Content quality:
Content quality refers to the overall quality and value of the content on a website. A content audit should ensure that the website's content is high-quality and provides value to the user.

Content relevance:
Content relevance refers to how well the content on a website relates to the topic or theme of the website. A content audit should ensure that the website's content is relevant and aligned with the overall theme or topic of the website.

Content gap analysis:
Content gap analysis is a process of identifying the topics or themes that are missing from a website's content. A content audit should ensure that the website's content is covering all relevant topics and themes to improve its visibility in search results.

5. Uasability Audit

A usability audit is a process of evaluating a website's user experience to identify any issues that may be impacting its overall performance and effectiveness. Some of the key areas that a usability audit should focus on include:

Average session duration:
Average session duration is the amount of time users spend on a website. A usability audit should ensure that the website's user experience is engaging and that users spend sufficient time on the website.

Bounce rate:
Bounce rate refers to the percentage of users who leave a website after only visiting one page. A usability audit should ensure that the website's user experience is engaging and that the bounce rate is low.

Mobile-friendliness:
Mobile-friendliness refers to how well a website is optimised for mobile devices. A usability audit should ensure that the website is mobile-friendly and that the user experience is consistent across all devices.

Heatmaps:
Heatmaps are visual representations of how users interact with a website. A usability audit should use heatmaps to identify any issues with the website's layout and design that may be impacting the user experience.

User behaviour analysis:
User behaviour analysis involves analysing how users interact with a website. A usability audit should use user behaviour analysis to identify any issues with the website's user experience and to identify opportunities for improvement.

Track & Measure Results

By consistently reporting results, businesses can gain a better understanding of the performance of their website.

SEO reports should identify areas where optimisation and improvement may be needed to increase user engagement, improve visibility, and drive more leads to the business's website.

Measuring results should be conducted regularly in order to ensure that all changes made are tracked accurately.

Conclusion

In conclusion, a comprehensive SEO audit is essential for any business.

It enables marketers to identify keywords, analyse rankings, assess competition, optimise content and structures and track and measure results to unlock opportunities for consistent growth.

A successful SEO audit requires strategic planning, data analysis, and technical know-how. You can gain maximum benefit from your online presence by understanding the Uncovering Hidden Opportunities: Perform an SEO Audit.

Technical SEO is the most challenging part of all SEO efforts. It has an enormous impact on any website's ranking performance. Request a free consultation if you lack the time or tools to fix these issues.