Just as the seasons change, so does Google’s algorithm – only much, much, more frequently. Not only is an SEO audit recommended, but it’s also best practice if you want to get your website performing at its peak at all times.
Content gets outdated quickly and a yearly SEO audit is important because it helps you identify your site’s strengths and weaknesses – and in doing so, prevents spam. You’ll gain insight into page performance and see the overall traffic on your site. It will also give you the opportunity to see how your keywords hold up against your competition and are able to see where you can improve your site.
What you will uncover with an SEO audit
An SEO audit uncovers areas you might otherwise miss with the untrained eye. It’s a much-needed check-up for your system and this is what it will uncover:
- Keyword Searches: Carefully chosen keywords are fundamental in making you visible in search results. With an SEO audit, you’ll be able to see if your words speak to the right people at the right time, bringing traffic to your site.
- Organic Search Rankings: Getting traction in organic searches is vital and an audit gives you information on the different strategies you can adopt to be a contender in this field.
- Bugs and Issues: Just like dust you can find under the bed, an audit can help you see and clean out the bugs and issues in the back end of your website that might cause a lagging behind in search rankings.
- Website Crawl: A comprehensive site crawl is an effective way to evaluate your site’s current status and uncover possible issues like duplicate content, problematic page titles, broken links and problematic meta-data. You can get basic site information like page views, conversion rates, and bounce rates. You can also check that your URL is unique and simple, your content is fresh and original, you have the recommended number of links per page, the descriptions on your images are accurate, your meta descriptions are distinctive and are the prescribed length and that your site is easy to navigate.
- Page Loading Speed: In a time of instant gratification, speed puts you first. Everyone appreciates a website that takes little or no time to open any page at any given time. Fast-loading pages mean users stay longer on your site. Slow-loading pages lead to high bounce rates and low rankings.
- Site Structure: Building a solid site ensures excellent user experience and your site can definitely use the win. The easier it is for a user to navigate your site and all the things you want them to know about your products and services, the more users visit and the longer they stay on your site. Some of the ways to make your site more appealing are by having your main web pages listed in your menu and using internal links to help visitors and search engine bots move easily from one page to another.
- Website Content: Content is king when it comes to cyberspace so doing your research is essential. Visitors need to be constantly engaged so refreshing your content regularly is a must if you are to keep them informed. Make sure you do thorough research in the keywords you use in order to remain consistent and original.
- Title Tags: Title tags should accurately describe each page in order to pop up in the search results. They should also be the length compliant with Google’s prescribed length as they will be cut short if they are too long. If you include a keyword in your title tag, your page has a better chance of being clicked on because it’s SEO-friendly.
- Backlinks: They say you are who you know and in cyberspace, it’s no different. Any websites linked to yours are viewed as your representatives – if they’re reputable, so are you. If they’re questionable, so are you. It’s best if you ensure that all the sites linked to your site are of high quality.
