Pretty much every single one of my SEO clients gets an SEO audit. It’s the first step of any awesome SEO strategy to help them achieve their goals. But what is an SEO audit, and why is it the first thing I complete for my clients? Read on to find out everything you need to know about SEO audits. Plus, why should any SEO freelancer or agency offer one before beginning any work?
What is the purpose of an SEO Site Audit?
An SEO audit is the first step in any SEO strategy. An audit’s purpose is to identify:
- Where your website sits in the online marketplace.
- What foundational issues may be affecting its organic search performance.
- The core target audience of the site.
- Who the brand’s main competitors are in search engines.
Once the information for these areas has been provided and analysed, a plan of action can be implemented. As with any business audit, an SEO audit is all about understanding the current state of the business. But in this case, it relates only to Organic Search performance.
What is an SEO Audit made up of?
Now that we understand the purpose, we can identify the key things an SEO audit should cover to gather the correct information. Every SEO expert will approach audits in a slightly different way. Ultimately, this is because the SEO specialist working on your project will hone it so they can work effectively on your site using their specific specialisms and skills. An SEO audit may also look different depending on:
- The size of the company.
- The industry they are in.
- How the website was created and its digital history.
- The goals, challenges and opportunities of the business being audited.
These are some of the most common sections of an audit that are often presented to the customer in written format.
Website Traffic & Performance Analysis
A comprehensive website analysis is a key part of an SEO audit, one that cannot be skipped. Website analysis includes analysing traffic, behavioural metrics and conversions. This will be primarily from Organic Search sources, but may also analyse direct, social and other referral traffic. This will determine what’s working on a website. But it will also highlight areas of improvement.
Design Analysis & UX
Although not always considered in SEO, the appearance of a website is a key part of your offering, even if it has less influence on search engine rankings. If your site looks unprofessional or doesn’t behave as expected, you’ll struggle to keep visitors engaged, and it becomes less likely they’ll make a purchase.
A high-quality website audit will examine the user experience and design to identify areas where your site may be hindering user progress. The audit can include superficial issues like misspellings or more detailed aspects such as web accessibility and user journey.
On-page SEO Analysis
An on-page SEO audit of the site will review the important pages of your site against key metrics. This includes examining the copy, page structure, metadata (such as the SEO title and meta description), images, and any other on-page SEO issues that might prevent search engines from ranking your page.
Each page should provide quality and relevance for the user, not just be stuffed with what you think Google wants to see. A product, service, blog article or information page should provide your potential customers with all the information they need to review and trust you. An on-page SEO analysis in a site audit is essential to find the problems that could be preventing your site from reaching the right people and turning them into the customers you want.
Technical SEO Audit Parts
I place a strong emphasis on the technical audit section for my clients because it can have a surprising impact on your ranking and website performance. The technical SEO issues identified in this section are often mundane, code-focused tasks that people find intimidating to fix, but they are crucial maintenance for your site. Small adjustments can significantly boost your website’s speed, resolve indexing issues that prevent you from being found by Google, and guide your content strategy.
The technical aspects of SEO website audits can include reviewing the following: site architecture, indexing problems, on-page code issues, slow speeds, carbon usage and much more. This section will often use SEO software and a website crawl to determine the specific technical SEO problems and provide an SEO score. While each piece of software is different, it provides a good marker against other websites and a baseline for you to improve your site.
Crawling & Indexing Review
Making sure your website is easy for search engines to find is really important. Crawling is when search engine bots visit your pages and gather information, while indexing is about storing and organising that info so it can be found quickly and accurately. It’s a good idea to regularly check and optimise these steps to help search engines crawl and index your website effectively.
Keep an eye out for any issues like broken links or duplicate content. Fixing these can boost your site’s visibility and bring in more organic traffic. Remember, a well-crawled and indexed website really sets the stage for a successful online presence.
Off-page SEO & Backlink Profile
Some SEO audits include an off-page SEO section, which examines links to your entire site. Any link that points to your site from another domain is referred to as a backlink. The more quality links you have, the more visible your site is to the World Wide Web, and this is something Google sees as an indicator of popularity and relevance.
Although not directly used by Google, Domain Authority (created by Moz) is a metric that website owners can use to assess their online standing. A backlink profile analysis will help you understand your standing, identify where you are performing well, detect the presence of spam links, and, more importantly, highlight where you are missing crucial citations, directory links, or link opportunities.
Keyword Research & Rankings
Another vital part of an SEO audit, and probably the most important aspect of SEO, is keyword research. are the words and phrases that users search for in Search Engines (SEs). As SEs are serving up Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs) for users based on their search query and search intent, it’s essential to know what those queries are. If you discover the terms people are searching for that relate to your business, you can optimise your site for them and be more visible in search results.
By understanding your keywords, you can build your audience, increase customer engagement, and grow your business. An audit will reveal which keywords are most important for your business. At the same time, it will highlight whether you are currently have keyword ranking for your site and how likely you are to improve them based on your competition.
Target Market Identification
Every business should know its target audience or customer persona. Researching and identifying your core target market and the audiences that want your products and services determines a lot. It can help you choose the right language for content, the best branding to get their attention and the correct content campaigns to rank higher. Finding your target audience will not only inform your SEO strategy but all other marketing campaigns you pursue.
Competitor Analysis
Competitor research helps determine where your brand needs to focus its SEO efforts. If you identify your main competitors for keywords and phrases, you can place emphasis on keywords that are working for them. You can also take a leaf out of their book as to how to tackle your campaigns.
But remember, it’s never about copying competitors, only offering better. A competitor analysis from a content perspective will also highlight copy and content that performs well socially as well as in search engines.
The Final Audit Report
All of the above information should be presented to you in the final audit report. While this can make the document quite technical at times, I think it’s a vital piece to give to my clients. It provides them with transparency on what is working and what isn’t, and evidence as to why I have suggested the various recommendations and fixes I present. The report should also finish with these key areas, though they will depend on the type of SEO audit you may have selected and where the focus may be.
Seo Strategy
Based on all the information in the site audit, the report should lay out an SEO strategy. This could include what steps to focus on, a timeline of changes and additional recommendations to support any SEO work. This may be tied to what the agency or freelancer can provide, or it may be a general plan which either they or the client can follow.
Content Plan
Most SEO audits will identify a content plan that businesses can follow to support their on-page and overall site SEO. This may include blogs, case studies, white papers, additional landing pages, or any other supporting content that can help boost Google rankings.
Additional Information & Suggestions
A site audit may also identify other non SEO related issues with the site. I often provide an additional recommendations list of problems and opportunities I have noticed throughout the process. This may cover all sorts of things such as;
- Social media presence
- Design issues and branding inconsistency
- Broken functionality
- Missing or broken images
- Confusing products, categorisation or service offering
SEO Audit Tools & Resources
While each SEO Audit will be created differently depending on the agency or SEO freelancer you use, there are several key tools in their arsenal.
Google Search Console
Google Search Console (formerly known as Webmaster Tools) is a valuable tool for website owners and digital marketers seeking to enhance their online presence. By providing detailed insights into how Google views your site, you can identify and address any issues that may be impacting your search rankings.
From checking your site’s indexing status to monitoring search analytics, Google Search Console helps you stay on top of your website’s performance. With its user-friendly interface and comprehensive reports, this tool is a must-have for anyone serious about their online visibility.
Google Analytics or other Analytics
Google Analytics is a powerful tool that provides valuable insights into website performance and user behaviour. By tracking metrics such as visitor numbers, bounce rates, and conversion rates, businesses can make informed decisions to improve their online presence and boost sales.
Other analytics platforms offer similar functionality, allowing companies to delve deeper into their data and gain a better understanding of their audience. With the right tools and know-how, businesses can harness the power of analytics to drive growth and success.
Pagespeed Insights & Core Web Vitals
Pagespeed Insights is a tool provided by Google that analyses the performance of a webpage and provides suggestions on how to improve its speed. Core Web Vitals, on the other hand, are a set of specific factors that Google considers important for a good user experience, such as loading time, interactivity, and visual stability.
By paying attention to these metrics and making improvements where necessary, you can ensure that your website is both fast and user-friendly, ultimately leading to a better experience for your visitors.
Domain Authority & Link Checker
If you’re looking to assess the strength and credibility of a website using Domain Authority and backlink checker tools is crucial. Domain Authority is a metric that reflects the reputation and authority of a website, while a backlink checker helps analyse the quality and quantity of incoming links to a site.
By utilising these tools, you can gain valuable insights into the SEO health of a website and make informed decisions to improve its online presence. A SEO Audit will include these insights, but if you want to have a quick review, MOZ provides a free tool to analysis your site.
The Benefits of a website SEO Audit
An SEO audit is the most beneficial step you can take when first starting your SEO journey. It’s also beneficial if you are changing SEO providers. It can also be helpful when you are undertaking a new strategy for business reasons such as a new product, new service or new branding. Here are the top reasons why you should get an SEO audit.
- Highlight what needs to be fixed on your site, while also showing what is working and therefore doesn’t need to change.
- Identify keywords and phrases that will attract traffic and convert to sales or leads.
- Identifies the right audiences to target and helps determine how to target them.
- Determines your main competitors and how to gain the edge over them.
- Improve your website for users through content, site speed & user experience optimisations
- Helps plan your next move. This is the key benefit you will gain. Strategy is nothing without a plan to follow.
An SEO Audit with Middleton Marketing
The SEO audits I offer are comprehensive and tailored to your needs, including website analysis, target market identification, competitor analysis, and keyword research. Plus, each one comes with a 3-month optimisation plan to help your site shine. Whether you need a one-time audit or want to include it as part of a larger SEO campaign, I’m here to support you every step of the way.
After the audit, there’s no obligation- you’re free to implement the plan yourself, have me handle it, or collaborate with another contractor. And if you’re ready to dive in yourself, I also offer useful consultancy packages. Whatever path you choose, I’m excited to help grow your business and achieve your goals!
Free SEO Audit Checklist
Are you more of a DIY person? Check out our Free 10 Minute SEO Site Health Check Guide which you can download for free or pay what you feel. If you are trying to make sense of your website’s SEO, this 10-minute SEO Site health check is a great place to start.
It’s designed to help you quickly identify the most common SEO issues, from technical hiccups to content gaps, and begin taking steps to improve your site’s visibility, accessibility, and performance. Whether you’re doing it yourself or just want to understand what needs fixing before you ask for help, this guide is built to empower, not overwhelm.
Once you’ve completed this you can get the Full DIY SEO Audit (COMING SOON). Perfect for those with some tech knowledge or a dev/comms team already in place. This downloadable guide takes you through a more detailed SEO review with step-by-step instructions and tools to help you make improvements confidently and ethically.
The Next Steps?
Need deeper guidance or don’t have the time or skills to tackle it yourself? Request a Full SEO Site Audit. I’ll review your website for you and provide a clear, jargon-free report with actionable recommendations tailored to your goals and audience. Email hello@middleton-marketing.co.uk or fill in this form.
Not sure what you need yet? Let’s have a chat. I’ll help you understand your options and suggest the best next step for your organisation. Email hello@middleton-marketing.co.uk or fill in this form.