SEO audits are necessary to ensure a website adapts to new terms of Search Engine that are slightly strict in recent years. It is similar to lubricating your vehicle to extend its lifespan.
An SEO audit carefully analyses the on-page and off-page infrastructure of your website to identify the potential threats that sometimes transform into the biggest risk factor for an entire online business.
Not only weakness, but identifying strength of a website is also easier for long-term success if SEO services are done routinely.
With so many advantages in mind, the question of how to perform a quick SEO audit of your website is a worthwhile one. So, without further ado, let’s answer:
What is Covered in SEO Audit?
In layman's terms, an SEO audit is a "health check-up" for a website that covers areas such as -
- On-page SEO (everything visible to the site’s audience)
- Off-page SEO (everything visible to the site’s owner)
- Keyword Research
- Indexing and crawlability
- Site Architecture
- Competition Analysis
- Backlink Profile
Now it’s time to understand the process of performing an SEO audit. So let’s dive in.
SEO Audit Checklist: Steps to Perform an SEO Audit
Selecting SEO audit tools
Before we dive straight to the actual topic for which you have come across this article, it’s necessary to mention that the task can be inherently challenging without SEO audit tools. Some of the most important tools that are about to help you on this journey are:
Google Search Console
If you seek a free alternative to running an SEO audit, luckily, it is already accessible through your website. It is a set of dashboards where every website will be listed to gain presence on Google and be featured in the search results. But if you navigate through the dashboard, you will see many other great features that are provided exclusively for SEO auditing.
Or any paid tool
On the other hand, you have paid tools that bring you advanced SEO auditing abilities. You can perform a deep analysis of your website or someone else’s website, which isn’t possible with free tools like Google Search Console. If you are working in a competitive niche, going with premium tools makes sense. Semrush, Ahrefs, and UberSuggest are some of the most popular SEO audit tools of the age.
Begin with indexing issues.
Once you have the best tool in hand, it’s time to start with indexing. No matter how much great content you have on your website, if it is not indexed, it will not be visible on search engines.
Luckily you can check this issue in your free tool Google Search Console. Simply head to the "Page" section and see which pages, posts, or categories are "Not indexed."
SEO Link Audit
Just like veins are to the body, links work the same way for a website. It directs the "crawling robots" of the search engine as well as the visitor on a website. But if these links pointing to your website or another website aren’t working properly, they will worsen the search result performance of that website. Luckily, this problem is trackable in the Google Search Console by simply entering your domain.
SEO Website Audit
This auditing task covers a deep analysis of the major ups and downs of a website. What are the top sources of traffic coming to your website? What are the top-ranking keywords? Which posts are ranking at the top? All such things can be viewed inside your website’s Google Search Console. But if you want to spy on your competitor, if you want to uncover everything on their website, paid tools come into play.
Final Words
In the end, your website will be up-to-date. Ready to spark on the internet as you will be familiar with its foundation through SEO auditing.
Author Bio:
I am Abhishek Mehta, CEO & Founder of AliteDigital. I am a passionate, visionary and fun-loving person with 15 + years of experience in Technology and Marketing. Being a technophile, I slowly developed my interest in writing and started my WordPress blog. I write on any topic that spikes the hint of interest in him. Till now, I have covered business, technology and digital marketing areas.
