Performing an SEO audit is crucial to assess the health and effectiveness of a website’s SEO strategy. Here’s an outline of the basic steps involved in conducting an SEO audit:
1. Website Crawl and Indexation
- Crawl Accessibility: We will ensure search engines can crawl the website and check for any robots.txt issues that may block important pages.
- Indexation Status: Verifying which pages are indexed by search engines using tools like site: search operator and checking Google Search Console errors.
2. Technical SEO Audit
- Site Speed: We will evaluate page load times using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights. Identify areas for improvement.
- Mobile Friendliness: Checking how the website performs on mobile devices. Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test.
- SSL Certificate: Ensuring the website is secure with HTTPS. Check for SSL issues.
- XML Sitemap: Verify the presence of an XML sitemap and its accuracy. Submit it to Google Search Console if not done already.
- Robots.txt: Reviewing and ensure it’s correctly configured to allow crawling of essential pages.
- Canonicalisation: Check for proper use of canonical tags to avoid duplicate content issues.
- 404 Errors: Identify and fix broken links and 404 errors, including dealing with Search console errors.
- Structured Data: Ensure structured data (schema markup) is correctly implemented where applicable.
3. On-Page SEO Audit
- Meta Tags: Review meta titles and descriptions for relevance and keyword optimization.
- Header Tags: Check proper use of H1, H2 tags for headings. Ensure they are optimised with keywords where appropriate.
- Content Quality: Evaluate the overall quality and uniqueness of content. Ensure it’s informative and valuable to users.
- Keyword Optimisation: Check keyword usage throughout the content. Ensure keywords are used naturally and not excessively.
- Image Optimisation: Assess alt text and file names of images for relevancy and technical SEO best practices.
- Internal Linking: Verify internal links for relevance and proper anchor text usage.
- External Links: Check for broken outbound links and ensure they lead to authoritative sources.
- URL Structure: Review URLs for readability and keyword inclusion. Ensure they are SEO-friendly.
4. Off-Page SEO Audit
- Backlink Profile: Evaluate the quality and quantity of backlinks. Identify toxic or spammy backlinks that may harm rankings.
- Social Signals: Assess social media presence and engagement. Check for social sharing options on the website.
5. Analytics and Reporting
- Traffic Analysis: Review website traffic trends using Google Analytics and SEMrush. Identify top-performing pages and areas for improvement.
- Keyword Rankings: Monitor keyword rankings using tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs. Identify keywords with potential for improvement.
6. Action Plan and Recommendations
- Prioritise Fixes: Organise findings into critical, medium, and low priority fixes.
- Implement Changes: Work with web developers or content creators to implement recommended fixes.
- Monitor Progress: Schedule regular audits to track improvements and adjust strategies as needed.
7. Documentation and Follow-Up
- Document Audit Findings: Create a comprehensive report detailing audit findings and recommendations.
- Follow-Up: Schedule regular follow-ups to ensure implemented changes are effective and monitor ongoing SEO performance.
By following these steps, businesses can systematically evaluate their website’s SEO health and make informed decisions to improve search engine rankings and user experience.