If, like virtually every business in the 21st century, you rely on your website to attract leads and convert them into paying customers, you need to occasionally conduct an SEO audit. Regular, scheduled audits evaluate your website’s current strengths and weaknesses. You can, therefore, formulate strategies to rank high on search engine result pages (SERPs) and thrive in the online marketplace. SEO audits also identify issues that can create problems and attract penalties down the line. Not too long ago, ranking high on Google search results was a simple matter of acquiring backlinks, and adding keywords to your content, headers, and title tags. Those days are long gone — today, you need to know how to prepare an SEO audit report.
Once they perform industry-leading SEO audits, companies like High Voltage SEO create a document that clearly describes your website’s weaknesses and every step they’ll take to fix them. If you’re keen on learning the nitty-gritties of SEO and DIY your own audit report, you have to follow these steps:
An SEO audit report guides the process of improving SERPs ranking and educating clients (if applicable) on best practices. Clearly identifying objectives ensures focus and sets achievable expectations for improvement. Start by understanding the website's goals and prioritizing targets.
- Guide improvements for better SERPs ranking and online visibility.
- Educate clients on SEO practices and strategies (if auditing for a client).
- Identify and prioritize objectives like ranking higher, boosting traffic, and increasing sales.
- Recognize how each objective may affect others for a balanced strategy.
KPIs help measure progress toward your SEO objectives and ensure the effectiveness of your strategies. These metrics provide actionable insights for improvement and track tangible results over time. Highlight previous efforts to contextualize the audit findings.
- Focus on metrics like organic search traffic, conversion rates, and user engagement.
- Quantify goals with measurable targets (e.g., increase traffic by 20%).
- Track performance using tools like Google Analytics and Search Console.
- Highlight prior steps taken to achieve goals, ensuring transparency.
The audit report compiles data and insights into a format that is easy to understand and actionable. You can create it manually for thoroughness or use automated tools for efficiency. Ensure the report ties metrics to business goals and includes visual representations for clarity.
- Use tools like Google Search Console or Analytics to collect data.
- Explain SEO metrics and their relevance to business objectives.
- Include graphs and charts to illustrate progress over time.
- Choose manual audits for detail or automatic tools for quick, periodic updates.
Technical SEO is the backbone of your website’s performance and visibility. Start by identifying and fixing issues that could impact search engine crawling and indexing. Key aspects to check include:
- Website Crawling and Indexing: Use tools like Screaming Frog or Sitebulb to find crawl errors, orphan pages, and blocked resources. Check the robots.txt file and ensure the XML sitemap is updated and submitted to Google Search Console.
- Site Speed: Page load time is a critical ranking factor. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix to assess your website’s speed and identify opportunities to improve it.
- Mobile Usability: Verify that your website is mobile-friendly using Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test. Ensure responsive design and proper viewport settings.
- URL Structure: Ensure URLs are clean, descriptive, and free of unnecessary parameters or excessive length.
- HTTPS and Security: Check that your site uses HTTPS for secure communication. Update any mixed-content warnings or expired SSL certificates.
On-page SEO optimization ensures that individual pages on your website are structured and formatted to rank higher. Focus on:
- Content Optimization: Review the quality of your content. Ensure it is original, engaging, and satisfies user intent. Optimize for target keywords without overstuffing them.
- Title Tags and Meta Descriptions: Check that all pages have unique, compelling title tags and meta descriptions that include relevant keywords.
- Header Tags: Ensure proper use of H1, H2, and other header tags for content hierarchy and readability.
- Image Optimization: Check image sizes, use descriptive alt text, and compress large images to improve loading times.
- Internal Linking: Ensure an effective internal linking structure to distribute link equity and help users navigate the site easily.
Off-page SEO focuses on factors outside your website that influence rankings. This includes:
- Backlink Profile: Use tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush to analyze your backlink profile.Identify toxic links, disavow them if necessary, and seek high-quality backlinks from reputable sources.
- Social Signals: Evaluate your social media presence and engagement metrics. While not a direct ranking factor, strong social signals can enhance visibility and credibility.
- Brand Mentions: Monitor online brand mentions to see how your business is perceived. Positive mentions build trust, while negative ones highlight areas for improvement.
If your business serves a local market, optimizing for local search is essential. Focus on:
- Google Business Profile: Ensure your Google Business Profile (GBP) is claimed, verified, and optimized with accurate business details, keywords, and photos.
- NAP Consistency: Check the consistency of your Name, Address, and Phone Number across all directories and your website.
- Local Keywords: Incorporate local keywords in your content and metadata.
- Customer Reviews: Encourage and respond to customer reviews on platforms like Google and Yelp.
Benchmark your website’s performance against competitors to identify areas of improvement. Analyze:
- Keywords: Identify the keywords your competitors are ranking for and find opportunities to target those terms.
- Backlink Strategy: Study their backlink profiles to uncover potential link-building opportunities.
- Content Gaps: Compare your content with theirs to find gaps where you can provide additional value to your audience.
After completing the analysis, compile your findings into actionable recommendations. Divide them into categories based on urgency:
- Critical Issues: Problems that must be addressed immediately, such as broken links, crawl errors, or duplicate content.
- Opportunities: Areas where you can improve, like content optimization or enhancing internal linking.
- Long-Term Goals: Strategies for sustained improvement, such as consistent content creation and link-building campaigns.
Your final SEO audit report should be easy to understand, visually appealing, and actionable. Include:
- Executive Summary: Provide a concise overview of the audit findings and major takeaways.
- Visuals: Use graphs, charts, and tables to present data clearly.
- Action Steps: Summarize next steps with timelines and responsibilities.
- Tools and Resources: List the tools used for analysis and any resources clients can use to improve their SEO knowledge.
SEO is an ongoing process, not a one-time task. Set up periodic reviews and monitoring systems to track progress. Regularly update the client or your team with reports highlighting improvements and remaining challenges. Use tools like Google Data Studio to create automated dashboards for continuous performance tracking.By following these steps and presenting your findings effectively, your SEO audit report will serve as a roadmap for improving your website's performance, driving traffic, and achieving your objectives.
Conducting an SEO audit is a crucial step in improving your website’s performance and achieving your business goals. A well-prepared audit report not only identifies weaknesses but also provides actionable insights to enhance your website’s visibility, traffic, and overall user experience. By following a structured approach—defining objectives, establishing KPIs, and presenting findings effectively—you can create a roadmap for continuous improvement and long-term success in the competitive digital landscape.
"Just recently, I was able to take a pretty competitive keyword from #12 (page 2), up to #5 on page 1 in 14 or 15 days."
