SEO Audits – What They Are, Their Importance, and How to Do Them

There is no denying that the world of online business, and subsequently digital marketing, is evolving. There is always a new competitor to stay ahead of, which is becoming increasingly complex. Thankfully, search engine optimisation (SEO) is a powerful tool that can boost your online presence significantly and, ultimately, your success online. However, to ensure that your SEO efforts are on the right track and that you are making the most of your online visibility, you need to carry out regular SEO audits.

Below, we have taken a look at what SEO audits are, why they are important and how you go about performing one.

What is an SEO Audit?

An SEO audit is a comprehensive, in-depth and thorough analysis of your website’s online visibility and performance. There is a lot that goes into an SEO audit but, in short, it involves assessing various factors that influence your website’s search engine rankings and user experience. The main aim of an SEO audit is to identify areas where your website can be improved, in the hope of enhancing its search engine rankings, user engagement and overall online presence.

The Importance of SEO Audits

A lot of businesses underestimate the importance of SEO audits, even though it’s a hugely important part of building a successful and effective online presence. Here are some of the main advantages of SEO audits, highlighting just how important an audit is.

Improved Search Engine Rankings – The online marketplace is highly competitive, and search engines constantly update their algorithms. With regular SEO audits, it’s a lot easier to adapt to these changes and ensure your website ranks well in search results.
Improved User Experience – User experience plays a crucial role in SEO, and it’s what brings visitors back to your website time and time again. A well audited website not only ranks highly in search engine rankings, but it also provides a better experience to visitors. This results in increased user engagement and conversions.
Find and Fix SEO Issues – SEO audits reveal technical, off-page and on-page issues, giving you the chance to fix them before they have a negative impact. Issues such as broken links, duplicate content or slow page loading times all need to be fixed quickly. Addressing these issues can have a significant impact on your website’s overall performance.
Competitive Advantage – By regularly auditing your website and staying up to date with digital marketing best practices, you can rise above your competitors and stay relevant in your niche. There are a lot of competitors out there, all of which are vying for the same target audience.
Maximise ROI – SEO audits can help you allocate resources more effectively. Focusing on high impact areas can lead to a better return on investment, helping you to ensure that your digital marketing budget is being used wisely.

How to Carry Out an SEO Audit

Performing an SEO audit can seem daunting and, at Profici, we can see why. However, it doesn’t need to be an overwhelming or complex task. By breaking the audit down into manageable steps, you can make the process feel less overwhelming and a lot easier to manage.

Keyword Analysis – One of the most important parts of carrying out an SEO audit is keyword analysis. Review your current keyword strategy and consider if you are targeting the right keywords. Use tools to find valuable keywords, and then assess their search volume and competition.
On-Page SEO – Evaluate the on-page SEO elements such as meta titles, meta descriptions, header tags and image alt tags. These are often overlooked, with many business owners assuming that a small amount of metadata won’t make a difference, but that isn’t the case. You need to ensure that they are optimised for your target keywords.
Backend SEO – You need to check for issues on the backend of your website such as broken links, 404 errors and page speed. You also need to check technical aspects, such as ensuring that your website is optimised for mobile use.
Content Review – A website’s success relies heavily on its content, so take the time to review your content for relevance and quality. Eliminate all duplicate content and update any outdated information. Remember, high quality and engaging content is vital for SEO.
User Experience – Evaluate your website’s user experience, ensuring that it’s as good as it can be. This includes assessing site navigation, mobile responsiveness and page layouts. A website should be easy to navigate and visually appealing to users.
Analytics and Tracking – Tracking and analysing data is a key part of an SEO audit, and you need to make sure that your analytics tools are set up correctly. You need to monitor your website’s performance and gather data for future improvements.
Competition Analysis – Though an SEO audit should focus on your business, you also need to pay attention to your competitors. Analyse your competitors to identify their strengths and weaknesses, and use these insights to determine what you need to improve.
Monitor and Iterate – An SEO audit shouldn’t be a one-time task, it’s something that needs to be continuously worked on. Regularly monitor the progress of your SEO efforts and make necessary adjustments along the way, especially as search engine algorithms evolve.

As an SEO audit is an ongoing process to keep your website working at its best and ahead of the competition, it can be time-consuming. This is why a lot of businesses hand their search engine optimisation and audit needs over to the experts, such as Profici. Get in touch with our expert team to find out more.