SEO Audit - What Is It?

Conducting an SEO audit is worthwhile regardless of how long the website has been present in the search engine. For older sites, an SEO audit helps optimize site positioning and, consequently, increase organic traffic.

On the other hand, young and newly created websites will be protected from unnecessary errors and become more friendly to indexing bots.

A thorough audit should be carried out manually, step by step, using specific tools and end with a list of recommended changes that will help the website gain more traffic and achieve a better position in Google search results.

When is the best time to conduct an SEO audit?

There are no restrictions on when or how often an SEO audit can be performed on a website. However, there are several situations where conducting an audit is essential. The first audit can be carried out at the stage of creating a new site – an SEO specialist will indicate which elements have the greatest impact on the site's ranking in search engines and suggest how to improve its performance to achieve high positions in the rankings. It is important to remember that once the website is ready, another audit should be conducted. By using professional tools, you will avoid common mistakes, such as excessive keyword stuffing.

One of the most common reasons for commissioning an SEO audit is a drop in website visibility. Sometimes, despite proper marketing efforts, a site’s ranking position decreases. In such cases, it is crucial to quickly identify the cause of the drop to implement corrective actions. There can be many reasons – changes in Google algorithms, duplicate content, or linking errors. It is very difficult to identify these issues by eye without the use of specialized tools and data analysis. An SEO audit is also invaluable if the site has been penalized by Google – after the audit, you will receive a set of recommendations necessary to eliminate the source of the problem.

An audit should also be conducted after significant changes are made to the site. This applies both to technical changes such as site structure or domain changes, as well as to design updates. Another good time to perform an SEO audit is when starting cooperation with a digital agency or changing the SEO company. A detailed analysis will help identify the strengths and weaknesses of your site and develop an action strategy. By conducting an audit, you will also receive complete information about the SEO activities previously undertaken and the changes the new site manager plans to implement.

Technical SEO audit

It is advisable to start website analysis with technical issues. Using Google Search Console, check the website’s indexing and accessibility for search engines. Take a look at the robots.txt file – this will help you see which content is blocked from bots. Next, analyze the meta tags – title, meta description, keywords, headings, as well as the alt attribute, which is the alternative description of images, and review the URLs on the site. Optimizing these elements is fundamental for effective SEO, and any neglect in this area will result in a drop in search engine rankings.

Due to the recently introduced Mobile-First Index algorithm, which prioritizes mobile versions of sites, check whether your website is optimized for mobile devices. Websites without a mobile or responsive version are not considered mobile-friendly and, as a result, receive lower rankings.

Content analysis on the website

Start the content audit by checking the duplication rate. Google’s algorithm favors unique and helpful content for potential customers. Then, review the keywords. Check which keywords your website is searched for and whether their density on the site is not too high. The next step is to examine incoming links. Links coming from valuable, highly rated sites help achieve a high position in search results. The growth in the number of links should be steady and natural; deviations from this norm, such as random spikes, may indicate potential problems with the site. Finally, analyze the images and graphics on the site, as well as its loading speed. A slow-loading website discourages visitors, thereby increasing the bounce rate.

Performing a thorough SEO audit will make optimizing your website much easier and help you develop an effective strategy. Have you ever conducted an SEO audit of your website? Or maybe you prefer to entrust this task to specialists? Share your experiences with us. We look forward to your comments!