7 Simple Steps On How To Perform An SEO Audit
Firstly, the term ‘Audit’ according to a common man would mean checking and giving assurance about something, usually accounts. Concerning Search Engine Optimisation too, audit plays a significant role, since it is all about measuring, checking, and assuring the performance in the field of SEO. In the case of SEO too, there arises mismatching issues and errors, which has to be dealt with immediately to ensure better reach and performance. Issues include website structure issues, on-page SEO issues, technical SEO issues, user experience issues, and so on.
There is a solution for every problem..right? Yes, a well-structured SEO audit can solve all sorts of issues arising on technicalities when it comes to marketing. There are several websites, which offer SEO Audit feature, but at the same time, it can be carried on by an individual with reasonable knowledge and expertise in the field as well. The below listed are 7 simple steps, broken down in the best possible manner to ensure clarity and understanding.
Step 1: Search for yourself and know your Ranking/Position:
It’s just like simple introspection of your website and where it stands among the huge ocean of websites flowing from every other angle. In technical terms, we are performing a site crawl, which would require a series of general checks manually possible. Ubersuggest is the most popular and commonly used provider to perform this task. By simply searching for your website here, and enabling Site audit, where the scan runs and provides a summary of the issues found, belonging to categories like critical errors and warnings, along with suggested tips. Doing a detailed analysis of the same and then making the necessary corrections would complete your first and foremost step in the audit function.
Step 2: One at a Time:
Duplicates and old ones create chaos right? So does it happen with the search engine too? Once a search is made by a user, the search engine finds it difficult on which information to present as an output. So, when you inculcate the details of your website and links, it is highly important to ensure that only one of a kind exists and eliminate all the duplicates and unsafe links that bring in unnecessary interruptions. This would otherwise cause harmful threats when it comes to SEO ranking. The presence of the “https” version has always been an issue for a very long time. Being the most used search engine, Google has taken steps to ensure the safety of the websites and its usage.
Step 3: The so-called “ on-page SEO Checks”:
Yes, this is once again a commonly used term when it comes to SEO and its functionalities by lead generating companies. This is basically to reduce repetitions and duplicates to the maximum. There are several sites, which offer free on-page SEO checks as well, which can be opted to perform this function promptly. One of the very basics that we learn in computer science is the HTML, right? It is quite easy too, and also has an advanced version and study when it comes to the SEO role. There is a need to ensure a proper, crisp, and short title tag so that these get listed first in the overall ranking on the search engine. The small portion, which appears right below your title in the search engine is known as meta description, which also influences in attracting traffic to your website and also the ranking. Hence, these meta descriptions have to be enhanced in an impressive way to the users as well as the search engine. Keywords are what everything depends upon in an SEO. Right placement and usage of keywords, and their stress throughout the content matter a lot. So, it was all about how well an SEO strategy should be planned and implemented.
Step 4: Link Checks:
For every website, there would be internal as well as external links, out of which the website is going to appear and run further. The links, technically the hyperlinks should be perfect and in a sequential manner, with zero overlappings. Just like the previously mentioned steps, there are certain sites for undergoing checks on your website’s links too.’ Integrity’ is one such downloadable tool that can be used for the purpose and ensure a better flow of links and access.
Step 5: Speed is What Ultimately Matters:
Yes, generally human beings lack patience. Internet speed and buffering are the major issues faced and complaints received by most of the service providers in developing countries. In the busy life schedules too, one expects good speed so that there occurs a smooth flow of activities.
In the case of a website too, once we click a particular URL, the immediate launch of the complete website and its features are expected. But often, in the initial stages of the launching of a website, the process seems to be time-consuming, annoying the users, and ultimately resulting in closing the whole window. These days, especially in the case of e-commerce websites, where the product images and graphics need to be optimized in such a manner that it is compatible with every device and while accessed at a reasonable field. Measurement is done in terms of speed index and various other indicators by websites that offer speed checks at free of cost, which is highly beneficial.
Step 6: Comparison of Site Metrics:
Google Analytics is what comes to play here. This step would check if your webpages are responding and accepting the crawls. The bounce rate is another significant element when it comes to checking your ranking. It is also well understood that the lower the bounce rate, the better is the ranking on search engines. To introduce next, Mozbar is an online tool, which facilitates better checks on these sites regarding the result page. Mozbar provides several features as in customization and page authority. Since it is a combination of this wide array of features that help in enhancing the supporting system between a website and a search engine, it is the strength of every talented website developer. Mozbar also provides a social media tracking facility along with its latest version, which is highly impressive.
Step 7: External Audit Check:
This will be our last and most important step in the process. There needs to be a proper check kept on the on-page and well as the off-page condition and presentation of the website. This is to ensure the performance and relevance of backlinks. Entering the URL and accessing your site’s backlink report is the final step, which would require corrections done in the most effective. Also, the major benefit of performing the bank link audit is the ability to view your site’s performance in comparison to the competitors. Keeping an eye on the competitors, makes you soar higher with exceptional features. The most frequently used keywords and enabling those by other websites can be assessed in this final step of your site external audit. Carrying on a detailed analysis and gaining the tips to overcome the competitors’ ranking requires smart minds and cleverness from the part of the developer. Finally, all you need to make sure is continuous and regular participation in social media. Social media is indeed a platform to ensure survival and give an indication that a particular website exists, share offers, and bring in more traffic.
Conclusion:
The above mentioned are the simplest and the most important steps in the process of an SEO audit, making it possible for every competent website developer to bring their websites on top of the ranking. Other than carrying out the steps with diligence, there also requires a systematic approach towards website development and rank tracking. It often happens that your website tops the list for a single week, but is dragged down on the next! It’s quite disappointing for sure. There lies the element of being consistent throughout. Once a website is done, we have to guide it throughout its journey on the World Wide Web. There is a long list of websites that offer checker facilities, but the choice is yours and must be clever always. Upgrading is always a necessity in this ever-changing technological era.