SEO Audit: Why Is It Important?

Before beginning work on an SEO campaign, first determine the current status of your website. This means checking which aspects your website performs well and where it needs improvement. You should not implement an SEO campaign just because it is what other marketers are doing. Just like your business goals, websites have different needs and require specific strategies to meet those needs. These aspects can only be determined through an thorough SEO audit for your website.

What is an SEO audit?

An SEO audit involves checking and analyzing the off-page and on-page elements of your website. This is done both manually and through the use of tools. With an SEO audit, you will be able to determine your website’s performance in terms of speed, content, backlink profile and other technical aspects. After using online tools like Google Analytics or SEMrush to conduct a short audit, recommendations are provided  regarding what you need to fix or change in your website. From there, you can begin working on an effective SEO campaign.

Here is an SEO audit checklist to use as your guide:

Why is it important to do periodic SEO audits?

The SEO industry is similar to the business world. It changes rapidly. And with Google constantly changing and updating their algorithms, an SEO audit should be done periodically in order to have an up-to-date SEO strategy. By doing regular checks, you can make the necessary adjustments to ensure your website keeps up with those changes.

Why conduct an SEO audit?

• It provides necessary knowledge – SEO audits provide vital information required to create an effective SEO strategy. It’s possible the strategies that worked last year may no longer be as effective. By constantly updating your SEO strategy, you can be certain you are not missing opportunities to bring more traffic to your site.
• It identifies weaknesses and opportunities for improvement – By conducting an SEO audit, you will determine which aspects your website seems to be lacking. For example, if duplicate content has been found in your site, you can have that content rewritten – or removed and optimized – for better results.
• You’ll keep up with algorithm changes – From time to time, Google refreshes or updates its algorithms. Some updates have effects that are not very noticeable, while other updates shatter all your efforts. In this case, an SEO audit is necessary to make much-needed adjustments to your website.
• You’ll keep up with webmaster guidelines – Google and other major search engines have webmaster tools which are also constantly updated. Their guidelines can change from time to time. Conduct an SEO audit to keep your website in compliance with the guidelines. If the site no longer complies, you can use the SEO audit as a guide in making crucial changes.
• It will improve user experience and site performance – Because you were able to find important issues within your website, you can now make fundamental alterations to improve user experience and site performance. If you’ve discovered that your website doesn’t load quickly, you can change its design and/or work on other aspects to improve its speed.

When you make essential shifts to your site based on an SEO audit and its recommendations, it benefits your site and your site visitors. People prefer websites that are user-friendly and provide the information they need.

How often should SEO audits be done?

Our experts recommend SEO audits be conducted twice a year. It can be done at the end of the first and third quarters or every 6 months. For our clients, we conduct an initial audit to determine the site’s current standing before we implement an SEO strategy. After that, we perform our audits annually to ensure their SEO strategy is still working.

If you would like to conduct an SEO audit for your website, contact Local SEO Search. Our experts will do a thorough examination of your website and provide you with recommendations. Contact us anytime if you need more help.