Performing an SEO audit is a great way to spot opportunities for improving your website’s search ranking. You can also use it to detect issues that may have been introduced by a site redesign or migration.
However, it is important to understand that an SEO audit cannot fix everything on your website. So, it is essential to prioritize the recommendations and execute a plan.
On-page optimization
A successful SEO strategy starts with a solid technical foundation. However, it also involves staying on top of the latest search engine best practices and local SEO if your business relies on customers visiting a physical location. An SEO audit is a good way to keep on top of these issues and find ways to improve your site.
To perform an on-page SEO audit, start by collecting data on your competitors’ websites and their keywords. This data will help you understand the keywords they’re targeting, and how their content stacks up against yours. There are several tools you can use to find this information, including Google Search Console’s Core Web Vitals report.
An on-page SEO audit should provide an easy-to-understand diagnostic report, with a prioritized list of recommendations and the estimated impact and effort required to complete them. As a business owner, you should be able to connect the dots and see how each recommendation ladders up to your online priorities and goals.
Off-page optimization
Off-page optimization is the yin to on-page optimization and a crucial part of a thorough SEO audit. It includes everything that happens outside your website, such as backlinks and social media buzz. It also includes the quality of your content and other off-site SEO factors that can affect your search engine rankings.
A comprehensive off-page audit includes a detailed checklist for each page of your site. This includes a check for broken links (also known as 404 errors). A tool like Screaming Frog can help you find these errors, and they can be sorted by pages and resolved quickly.
A good off-page audit also analyzes your competitors’ sites. This helps you identify any opportunities to improve your site and increase its visibility. It also helps you avoid wasting time on SEO practices that don’t work. For example, focusing on keywords that don’t have enough search volume can hurt your site’s performance in the long run.
Keyword research
Performing an SEO audit is a critical step in improving a website’s visibility and performance. SEO is not a one-size-fits-all solution, so a site’s technical elements, backlink profile, content, and rankings need to be evaluated to find out what’s working and what isn’t. Fortunately, there are free tools that can help you do just that.
The first step in any good SEO strategy is keyword research. This is where you determine which keywords your competitors are targeting, as well as any untapped opportunities. By identifying and leveraging these keywords, you can increase your traffic and revenue.
The next part of good SEO audit services is analyzing your competitor’s backlink profiles and assessing their quality. This process can be time-consuming, but is a necessary step in improving your search engine optimization. You can use a tool like Rank Math PRO to analyze your competitor’s link profiles and compare them to your own. Alternatively, you can use Google Search Console’s Core Web Vitals report to get similar insights.
Competitor analysis
Unlike other types of marketing, SEO is never static. With search engines releasing new algorithms and your competitors constantly working to outperform you, it’s important to audit your website regularly. This will help you identify areas that need improvement and keep you competitive in your industry.
SEO audits provide a foundation for all your SEO work, and it’s essential to perform one before starting any campaign. This will allow you to set measurable goals and track progress over time.
An SEO audit should cover a variety of issues, including page speed, mobile optimisation, and broken links. It also examines the backlink profile of your competitors. This information can be used to improve your own link building strategy by identifying high-quality referring domains. It’s also a good idea to audit your site after major projects like a redesign or migration. This will prevent unintended SEO issues that may affect your rankings. This includes 301 redirects and changes to URL structures.