{"id":20982,"date":"2023-11-08T13:28:04","date_gmt":"2023-11-08T13:28:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c1mdev.com\/c1m.ai\/?p=20982"},"modified":"2024-08-29T17:14:46","modified_gmt":"2024-08-29T17:14:46","slug":"seo-audit-a-comprehensive-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c1mdev.com\/c1m.ai\/seo-audit-a-comprehensive-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"SEO Audit – A Comprehensive Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

You probably already know what an important role SEO<\/span> plays in your\u00a0digital marketing strategy. It\u2019s how you get found through\u00a0<\/span>search engines<\/span> by people<\/span> who want<\/span> to buy your products, without paying for the traffic<\/span>. But what happens if you realize your existing site\u00a0<\/span>and content<\/span> isn\u2019t up to date on SEO<\/span> best practices<\/span><\/a>? Maybe you set it up before\u00a0<\/span>you were a search engine<\/span> whiz, or before your goal was to boost organic traffic<\/span>. That\u2019s when you need<\/span> to do an SEO audit<\/span> of your site.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s<\/span><\/b>\u00a0an SEO Audit?\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

An SEO audit<\/span> is\u00a0<\/span>a checklist of steps<\/span> to improve your website\u2019s health and visibili<\/span>ty to search engines<\/span>. It an important tool<\/span> in your\u00a0SEO Strategy.\u00a0 If you set up<\/span> your site a while ago without adhering to SEO<\/span> best\u00a0<\/span>practices, or you just want<\/span> to check in to make sure your site is all tuned up, you need<\/span> an SEO audit<\/span>. And with the speed<\/span> that SEO<\/span> information changes, what was working well for your site two years may not be producing results for you today.\u00a0<\/span>Having a proper SEO<\/span> setup on your site is just as important as other SEO<\/span> elements like your backlink<\/span> profile.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To start your SEO audit<\/span>, you can\u00a0<\/span>begin by using an audit tool<\/span> like SEMrush<\/span> to crawl through your\u00a0<\/span>pages<\/span> for any errors.\u00a0<\/span>This is a great option if you\u2019re using a paid tool<\/span>, as\u00a0<\/span>the site crawl\u00a0<\/span>will<\/span> surface any problems like broken link<\/span><\/span>s that will<\/span> bring your score down.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Performing a<\/span><\/b>n\u00a0<\/span><\/b>SEO Audit<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

But if you\u2019re not yet using a paid tool<\/span>? You\u2019re not out of luck.\u00a0<\/span>There are a few steps<\/span> you can do through Google\u2019s own free<\/span> tools to review<\/span> your site structure<\/span> and the pages<\/span> on your site for any issues.\u00a0<\/span>Look at your submitted sitemaps in Google<\/span> Search<\/span> Console to be sure they\u2019re submitted correctly<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 if not, Google<\/span> won\u2019t be able to easily navigate your site.\u00a0<\/span>You also want<\/span> to check your Index Coverage Report in Google<\/span> Search<\/span> Console to be sure all your pages<\/span>, new and old, are indexed.\u00a0<\/span>Any errors will<\/span> come up in\u00a0red\u00a0<\/span>so you\u2019ll know exactly which page<\/span> needs to be fixed<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Check Your Mobile Experience<\/h3>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Next, you want<\/span> to be sure your site is mobile<\/span>-friendly.\u00a0<\/span>Many, if not most, of your users<\/span> will<\/span> access your site at some point from their phones instead of a laptop or desktop<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Does your page<\/span> load<\/span> correctly and look good when you\u00a0<\/span>access it from your phone? If not, that\u2019s dragging down your site rankings. Google<\/span> has recently said it is\u00a0<\/span>using\u00a0mobile<\/span><\/span>\u2013<\/span>friendliness\u00a0as an important ranking<\/span> factor, so you need<\/span> to have this\u00a0<\/span>set up<\/span> if it\u2019s lacking for you.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>How can you tell if you need<\/span> to fix your mobile<\/span> version? Google<\/span> has a\u00a0free tool<\/a>\u00a0for that<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Just plug in your web<\/span> address and get the data you need<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Broken links<\/span> are a\u00a0<\/span>factor that will<\/span> drag down your search engine ranking<\/span> and damage your user experience<\/span> too. And they pop up<\/span> more frequently than you\u2019d think \u2013 whether because of a typo, a deleted internal page<\/span>, or a change to an external site. Run your site through one of the many free<\/span> broken link<\/span> checking pages<\/span> and make sure those are deleted or cleaned up<\/span>\u00a0quickly.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Check Your Site Flow<\/h3>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Up next in your SEO audit<\/span>? Making sure your site structure<\/span> still makes sense. It\u2019s common for growing sites to have little structure<\/span> or a confusing one, because it might not have been a concern\u00a0<\/span>when you first set your site up. Make sure your categories still fit your content<\/span>, and that all the content<\/span> on your site is easily findable with less than three clicks<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A thoughtful site structure<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>encourages visitors<\/span> to spend more time on your page<\/span>, which increases your SEO rankings<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>If you would like to move your site to a new\u00a0<\/span>domain, make sure to set up<\/span> a 301 redirect<\/span> so your traffic<\/span> from your original site doesn\u2019t get lost. You should also set up<\/span> a 301 redirect<\/span> for all the different URLs<\/span> of your page<\/span> (www vs.\u00a0<\/span>without,\u00a0etc) so all your traffic<\/span> directs to your https site.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Check Site Speed<\/h3>\n

Site speed<\/span> is a very critical element of your SEO rankings<\/span>. We all know the frustration of waiting for a needed web<\/span> page<\/span> to load<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 it\u2019s not a good user experience<\/span>. Google<\/span> knows it\u00a0too, and\u00a0punishes long load<\/span> times. What are the best resources to check your page<\/span> speed<\/span> insights?\u00a0<\/span>Don\u2019t worry, Google<\/span> has a tool<\/span> for that too. It\u2019s called\u00a0<\/span>Google<\/span> Page<\/span> Speed<\/span> Insights and it\u2019s free<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>It will<\/span> tell you the loading time for both the\u00a0<\/span>desktop<\/span> and mobile<\/span> versions of your site.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Check SEO in Your Content<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s not just your overall site that needs an\u00a0<\/span>SEO audit<\/span><\/a>. The individual\u00a0pages of content\u00a0you\u2019ve created need<\/span> one as well.\u00a0<\/span>Each blog post<\/span> and site page<\/span>\u00a0has\u00a0to be optimized for SEO<\/span>. And if you created your site a while ago, before you were an SEO<\/span> master, there might be a lot<\/span> of room<\/span> for improvement. That can sound worrying but it\u2019s great news \u2013 you\u2019re just a few steps<\/span> away from\u00a0<\/span>a big boost in your search<\/span> rankings.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

First, check your title<\/span> tags. Are\u00a0all of\u00a0your page<\/span> titles<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>coded in your HTML<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>with the proper title tag<\/span>?\u00a0<\/span>This helps search engines<\/span> figure out what your content<\/span> on the page<\/span> is about. You should use a form of the keyword<\/span> you\u2019re trying to rank for on that page<\/span><\/span>. K<\/span>eep\u00a0<\/span>the title<\/span>\u00a0to about 60 characters so it shows up in search results<\/span> well.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Meta<\/span>\u00a0tags\u00a0<\/span>are another important tag system on your website<\/span>. The meta HTML<\/span> tag will<\/span> provide search engines<\/span> with a description<\/span> of what your content<\/span> contains.\u00a0<\/span>Meta descriptions<\/span> are short paragraphs that tell searchers what your content<\/span> is about<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>For best SEO<\/span> results, each page<\/span> should have a meta description<\/span> that contains a keyword<\/span> but also provides an engaging\u00a0<\/span>blurb that makes users<\/span> want<\/span> to read more.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Checking Alt Text for SEO<\/h3>\n

You also need<\/span> to check your on-page<\/span> images<\/span> for a few things. Review the file size \u2013 if it\u2019s over 1 MB compress it, or it will<\/span> slow your page<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Also, check to make sure you have alt\u00a0<\/span>text<\/span> written for each image<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Alt text<\/span> should describe what\u2019s in each image<\/span>, helping search engines<\/span> understand what each image<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>contains.\u00a0<\/span>Stuffing alt text<\/span> with keywords<\/span> that don\u2019t quite match isn\u2019t a good idea<\/span> \u2013 just describe what each image<\/span> contains.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And finally, don\u2019t forget to boost your\u00a0<\/span>blog posts<\/span> and articles on social media<\/span>. The greater the number of people<\/span> who access your content<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>directly or from search<\/span>, the more authority Google<\/span> assumes your website<\/span> has and so it will<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>likely\u00a0<\/span>rank your site higher.\u00a0<\/span>Social media<\/span> doesn\u2019t just mean Facebook<\/span> \u2013 don\u2019t forget about LinkedIn<\/span> for business<\/span>-related content<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Your Next Steps for Your Complete SEO Audit\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n

Your SEO audit<\/span> is done \u2013 but your work isn\u2019t finished yet. You still have two more steps<\/span> to\u00a0<\/span>complete your audit.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Setting up a way to track your results is a great idea<\/span> after an SEO audit<\/span>. Chances are you won\u2019t be able to update the SEO<\/span> on each post and page<\/span> at once, so note which ones you\u2019re\u00a0<\/span>updating first and track their progress after the update. Are you seeing a boost in traffic<\/span>, and more critically, in traffic<\/span> that converts? This will<\/span> give you\u00a0<\/span>insights for updating the rest of your pages<\/span> in your next batch of updates.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Your final step is to set a regular schedule to perform an SEO audit<\/span>. Once a year is a good minimum time. A lot<\/span> can change with SEO<\/span> best practices<\/span> in just 12 months<\/span>. Y<\/span>ou want<\/span> to have a plan to stay on top of\u00a0<\/span>any\u00a0changes\u00a0so you don<\/span>\u2019t lose all the boosts you just got from completing your audit. It\u2019s a good idea<\/span> to check for\u00a0<\/span>items like broken links more frequently<\/span>\u00a0as these can happen quickly.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Then you\u2019re done \u2013 for now! SEO audits<\/span> are a lot<\/span> of work, but they usually pay off with big results.\u00a0<\/span>If you\u2019re tracking your results, you should see an uptick in a few weeks, with bigger results coming down the line.\u00a0<\/span>Always remember, when you invest in SEO<\/span>, you\u2019re playing the long game<\/span> \u2013 not looking for instant results.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

C1M Can Provide You with an SEO Audit<\/h2>\n

At C1M, we know how<\/span> much effort and time goes into every aspect of SEO<\/span>, from setting up a site properly from the start to auditing and making regular updates. And we\u2019re\u00a0<\/span>experts in creating well-written content<\/span> that engages your audience<\/span> and gets you that SEO<\/span> boost your business<\/span> needs too.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s possible to go it alone \u2013 but you might spend all that time and effort with few results to be seen. Instead, give C1M a call and get your free<\/span> business<\/span> review<\/span>. We\u2019ll take care of as much of your SEO<\/span> and content strategy<\/span> as you need<\/span>. And we\u2019ll get you results you\u00a0<\/span>can understand and measure, with business<\/span> that grows consistently.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Schedule your consultation today!\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You probably already know what an important role SEO plays in your\u00a0digital marketing strategy. It\u2019s how you get found through\u00a0search engines by people who want…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20983,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,198],"tags":[1136,1078,42,1176,1177],"class_list":["post-20982","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-marketing","category-search-engine-optimization","tag-content-seo","tag-google-seo","tag-search-engine-optimization","tag-seo-audit","tag-seo-optimization"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c1mdev.com\/c1m.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20982","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c1mdev.com\/c1m.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c1mdev.com\/c1m.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c1mdev.com\/c1m.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c1mdev.com\/c1m.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20982"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/c1mdev.com\/c1m.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20982\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23387,"href":"https:\/\/c1mdev.com\/c1m.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20982\/revisions\/23387"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c1mdev.com\/c1m.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20983"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c1mdev.com\/c1m.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20982"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c1mdev.com\/c1m.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20982"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c1mdev.com\/c1m.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20982"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}