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Search engine optimization (SEO) is crucial for driving traffic to your website and boosting your online visibility. As a content creator or marketer, it’s important to regularly audit your website’s SEO health to identify any issues and opportunities for improvement.
In this article and podcast, I’ll walk you through my workflow for conducting an SEO audit, including the tools I use and key things I look for.
Tools I Use for SEO Audits
Here are the main tools I rely on when doing an SEO audit:
SEO Minion Plugin
This is a Chrome extension that provides an overview of your on-page SEO and identifies any issues.
It checks things like title tag length, meta descriptions, headings usage, etc. The “Analyze On-Page SEO” report shows you at a glance any areas that need improvement.
Sign up for Keywords Everywhere to use it for free.
The Yoast SEO Plugin
This is a WordPress SEO optimization plugin. I use it to optimize SEO titles and meta descriptions for each post. It ensures my SEO titles are formatted properly for each post and page. It also grades my writing against best SEO practices.
Read next: Why the WordPress Content Management System Rocks for Creators
Google Search Console
This shows you how your site is performing in Google searches. I check which pages are getting impressions and clicks for keyword rankings. You can see if Google has any crawl errors or pages are not properly indexed.
Key Elements I Look For In an SEO Audit
When auditing a website’s SEO, there are several key elements I look at:
On-Page Optimization
Title Tags
Title tags should be 60 characters or less, include primary keyword, and be written to entice clicks.
Meta Descriptions
These snippets under titles should be under 160 characters and provide a preview of the content. Again, they should entice the click
Headings Usage
Proper heading hierarchy helps structure content for SEO.
Image Optimization
Images should have descriptive alt text, title tags, and compressed file sizes.
Site Speed
Page speed impacts rankings so aim for load times under 2 seconds.
Mobile Optimization
The site needs to load properly on mobile devices and be easy to navigate.
Technical SEO
Indexation
Check Google Search Console for any crawl errors or pages not indexed.
Broken Links
Identify and fix any broken internal or external links.
Site Map
Ensure XML sitemap is recently updated and submitted to search engines.
Duplicate Content
Fix any thin or copied content issues.
Content Optimization
Keyword Targeting
Are you ranking for keywords relevant to your goals?
Topic Clusters
Create content around focused topics to build authority.
Ranking Trends
Look at historical rankings data to spot changes over time.
My Step-By-Step SEO Audit Process
Here is an overview of my process when conducting an SEO website audit:
1. Set up tracking
Before getting started, I make sure analytics and Search Console are properly implemented, so I have access to the necessary data.
2. Do a technical audit
I run through all the on-page and technical SEO factors first using SEO Minion.
3. Review keyword rankings.
Next, I look at keyword rankings and impressions in Search Console. I also compare that to historical data.
4. Review content optimization.
I audit existing content, outline future topics, and align with business goals. The focus is on topics that will attract qualified visitors.
5. Delete broken links
I use SEO Minion to find any broken links.
Key Things to Include in an SEO Audit Report
The audit report is crucial for explaining my findings and recommendations to stakeholders. Here are some key sections to include:
- Executive summary: High-level overview of website’s current SEO health and performance.
- Technical audit results: List of ON-page factors to fix like title tags, meta data, etc.
- Content audit findings: Summary of existing content and gaps to fill with new content.
- Keyword research: Overview of current rankings and opportunities in key topic areas.
- Action plan: List of prioritized next steps to improve SEO performance.
Why Regular SEO Audits Are Important
It’s tempting to “set and forget” your SEO efforts. However, website optimization is an ongoing process. Regular SEO audits help:
- Identify new issues and fixes to maintain performance.
- Discover opportunities in emerging topic areas.
- Keep pace with Google algorithm updates.
- Monitor new competitor threats.
- Align optimization with shifting business goals.
- Show concrete SEO wins and ROI to leadership.
I aim to do a full audit every 6 months. But you can break it down into smaller monthly or quarterly audits based on resources.
The key is to consistently analyze your website health and SEO data to make informed optimizations. This helps maximize search visibility and traffic to boost your business goals.
Summary
Conducting regular SEO audits provides tremendous value for improving your search performance and online presence.
Contact me now to audit your website