How to Conduct an SEO Audit For Improved Website Performance
Performing a comprehensive audit of your website is extremely valuable. Given the constant algorithm changes in the search engine and potential risk of being a target of link spam, audits are necessary to identify and address all potential website issues.
Website audits include:
- Assessing how optimised each page is for the search engines
- Identifying and addressing potential identifying penalties
- Conducting a detailed analysis of backlinks
- Checking how secure the website is against attacks
- Addressing overlooked opportunities to convert visitors
An audit gives a complete overview of areas that need to be addressed that could be hindering the performance of your website. Conducting a content and technical assessment is crucial as websites are valuable assets for any business.
Whether you are investing in a new design or have experienced a significant drop in traffic, the following is a detailed analysis of what to look for when conducting an SEO audit.
Content Audit
Resorting to questionable in a deliberate attempt to manipulate rankings can lead to serious penalties. Google Penguin is an algorithm update aimed at decreasing rankings for websites that violate the Google Webmaster Guidelines.
Conducting a content audit allows you to identify low quality pages on your website that could be affecting rankings. This step involves evaluating all pages on your website and looking at the following:
- Quality: Does the content provide value? Content should be written in a way that not only appeals to your target market but also provides detailed information about a topic.
- Optimisation: Is each page search engine friendly? Review basic on page factors such as page titles and copy to ensure the relevant keywords are included.
- Usability: Is the website designed for usability? The content needs to reside on a website that makes it easy for visitors to navigate through and take the desired action.
- Conversions: Is the content set up to convert visitors? Including marketing offers and optimising landing pages is important to increase sales for your business.
Content is perhaps the most important factor in terms of search engine rankings. But it also has a significant impact on conversions. Taking the steps to improve low quality pages can attract more targeted traffic and increase sales.
The next step is to look at the technical aspects of your website.
Technical Audit
Whereas a content audit deals mostly with content optimisation on inner pages, a technical audit is much more involved and may require an outside agency for a detailed analysis. The goal is still the same: To improve user experience and increase website performance.
A technical audit involves looking at:
- Design: Is the website responsive? A responsive website improves usability for visitors across all devices including smartphones and tablets. Responsive design is recommended by Google and offers numerous SEO advantages by having only one website to manage.
- Errors: Are there any broken links? Using resources such as Google Webmaster Tools will help you identify potential site errors and how to fix them.
- Speed: How fast does your website load? Site speed has an impact on rankings and even on conversions. Improving speed is a fairly technical aspect that involves reducing server response time and enabling browser caching.
- Structure: Is the site structure optimised for users and search engines? Site structure is an important aspect for visitors to find your content and for search engine visibility.
- Indexing: Are search engines able to index your pages? Creating a sitemap and checking the robots.txt file are recommended to help with indexing.
As one would expect, conducting a detailed technical analysis is an enormous undertaking but can have a significant impact on website performance and conversions.
Conclusion
Comprehensive SEO audits should be performed at least twice a year to identify any underlying issues that could be negatively affecting the performance of your website. The most beneficial aspect is being able to see exactly which areas need improvement.
Making any necessary changes can see a significant boost in performance and conversions.
Do you need an SEO audit conducted for your website? Get in touch today with one of our marketing professionals to schedule a consultation. Our team can perform a detailed analysis of your website and implement an action plan to address any problematic issues.