SEO audit of your website. Check what you need to remember

A website audit is an analysis of a website in terms of factors affecting its position in the Google search engine. Evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of a website. If you run your own website, you can be sure that it will be necessary at some point. Who should perform an SEO audit of your website? What does an SEO audit look like? What should be included in it? And is it worth being tempted by a free online SEO audit?

SEO Audit is a data analysis that allows for the valuation and planning of key changes. This is your first step to a high position in Google.

|SEO positioning audit. So what’s wrong…

You can imagine an SEO website audit as a car inspection. The mechanic will look under the hood and determine if the car is safe to drive on the road. If there are any defects, they will be able to be repaired, but this is only the next step. First, you need a specialist who will point out what needs to be done. Maybe thanks to his recommendations the car will stop stalling at the least expected moments?

Returning to the world of the Internet. Generally speaking, there are different types of website audits – e.g. security audit or performance audit. An SEO audit of your website focuses on your position in the Google search engine and how to improve it. The effect of taking the actions recommended by the SEO audit should be increased organic traffic on the website.

An SEO audit consists primarily of data analysis of how a website copes with optimization requirements (SEO is an abbreviation for “Search Engine Optimization”). SEO specialists should point out errors and places where something can be added to improve the website’s position in search results.

|…and how to improve it?

The second part of the SEO audit is a plan of specific actions that will help you climb to the top of the search results and thus increase organic traffic on the website. Every self-respecting interactive agency should provide an approximate schedule and dates within which results can be expected.

The results of the SEO audit analysis will allow you to find out whether the website requires optimization, changes in content, structure or code. An SEO specialist should clearly point out the necessary actions so that you can use this list even on your own or with another company. An audit alone will not improve your results. However, with this document you can plan your positioning well.

|What does a deep online SEO audit consist of?

Every serious SEO audit must consist of several points, i.e.:

• competition analysis,
• technical analysis of the website in terms of positioning,
• SEO content analysis,
• analysis of your website’s visibility in Google,
• page loading speed,
• mobile analysis.

In addition, the client should receive:

• a list of necessary optimization works with pricing and schedule;
• estimating the time needed to achieve specific results of SEO activities.

Individual activities should be handled by appropriate specialists – SEO editor, webmaster, positioner… It is rare to find a person-orchestra who can take one look at the website code, the content on it, the activities of the competition and the ever new ideas of Google.

Positioning and competition

Competition research is the most difficult, most important and… least frequently performed point of an SEO audit. The truth is that many interactive agencies offering audits do not analyze websites at all against market-leading competitors, especially if audit costs are zero or close to zero.

Meanwhile, an SEO audit without competitor research is like driving a car with completely fogged up windows. The data that the client usually receives (i.e. only about his website and keywords) is enough to start the engine. But only by examining the competitive environment and collecting information can you wipe the windows and really gain momentum.

Even if you receive information from the creative agency about all the other points of the SEO analysis (which you will read about below), but without competitor research, the analysis may not give you much. Only by analyzing how the best in the industry collect traffic and what phrases they position for will give you insight into what you need to do to really rank your website at the top. At the same time, it is the most difficult and time-consuming to carry out (no owner of a competing company will give you access to the source code or Google Analytics of his website).

Maybe the competition relies mostly on organic traffic? Or maybe it’s better to invest in a Google Ads campaign? Maybe hundreds of entries on a company blog work best? Or maybe it’s enough to focus on rich product descriptions? Competition research will provide answers to these questions. No interactive agency offers this for free. Only a full analysis of the website will allow for precise determination and valuation of further positioning activities.

A quote without examining the competition will be incorrectly calculated, and further steps may be a shot in the dark. After implementing such a flawed plan, it may turn out that the website’s position in Google does not change much, despite the money invested in positioning.

An SEO specialist should review the competition’s websites that are best positioned in Google search results, but also analyze which ideas from other websites are beneficial to the client and which ones are better not to be copied. Example? We can safely predict that Google will, over time, detect any “innovations” that cheat the Google search engine algorithm, as was the case, for example, in the case of copying content from other websites or the so-called “pretzels”, i.e. texts written without any order and structure, using key phrases and their synonyms. The more people try to get around certain Google policies, the more complex the system for eliminating such ideas becomes.

Technical SEO analysis

To conduct a comprehensive SEO audit, it is necessary to analyze the website’s architecture and check for technical errors. Correct website code affects your position in search results and leads to increased traffic because it is the most readable for Google robots. However, it is not the case that error-free website code guarantees you anything. Websites with hundreds of errors often appear in the top ten Google results. Therefore, it is important to analyze dry data on errors in the code and decide whether it is worth correcting these errors.

A properly optimized website must have:

• correct HTML code (although it does not have to be perfect),
• the latest possible versions of programming languages ​​and scripts, which significantly affect, among others, on website performance (e.g. currently PHP 8),
• metadata (meta title, meta description),
• headings (H1, H2, H3…).

The technical analysis of a website also takes into account the link structure (both internal and external linking). So, if you have a database of links leading to your website from friendly websites, the SEO specialist will analyze their effectiveness.

Keyword and content analysis on the website

The SEO specialist should delve into the content available on your website and the keywords for which you position it (or accidentally appear in the search results for a given phrase). It will analyze the quality of texts on the home page and subpages of your domain. It may suggest creating new or modifying existing content.

What can you do on your own? Try to avoid duplicate content on your website. This includes, for example, copying the same descriptions for different products on your website, as well as copying other people’s content (which is ineffective, lowers the quality of the website in Google statistics, and is illegal).

It may turn out that it will be necessary to modify key phrases. A common problem is too general keywords and the complete omission of the so-called “long tail”, i.e. very specific phrases with a small number of queries, but which are quite easy to rank for.

Example. Let’s assume you have an online store where you sell crocheted scarves for adults and children. It is not enough to position yourself for the phrase “scarf”, because it is a very general word. You should choose more specific keywords, such as “women’s scarf”, “fashionable neck scarves”, “neck scarf”, “men’s scarf”, “neck scarf”, “girl’s scarf”, “beach scarves”, “scarf with fringes”, “warm women’s scarves”, “warm scarves for winter”, “spring scarves” or even “autumn crochet scarf”. What does this mean in practice? At least create a few subpages about these words (as well as obtain links to these phrases). However, their final choice should be consulted with an SEO specialist.

How to find keywords that suit your needs? You can use the Google Ads keyword planner or rely on the experience of an SEO specialist.

Editor dealing with the so-called content, i.e. the content available to users on the website, should take into account not only the content of the home page, but also all subpages of your website.

Website visibility analysis

An SEO specialist will check whether your website is visible – that is, what position it ranks in the search engine, but also whether all its subpages are visible to Google robots (sometimes it is recommended to block access to some subpages using the nofollow attribute).

Page loading speed and website audit

Website speed is one of the factors influencing search engine position, but it is not entirely clear how big this impact is. It is certain that extremely slowly loading pages usually do not land in the top ten Google results and therefore reduce their traffic rate. However, high loading speed alone does not guarantee that you will reach the top of searches.

But remember! Good performance undoubtedly affects how users perceive a given website, how they stay on individual subpages, continue clicking and returning, i.e. website traffic (and this also affects the position in Google).

SEO analysis for mobile devices

Specialists involved in website positioning in search results know that Google is now paying more and more attention to how a website is displayed on mobile devices and its performance also on smartphones.

Having a website that works best on mobile devices is in your interest for more than just SEO purposes. It is known that we use phones more and more often to read, buy or look for information. The better a website works on mobile, the more likely users are to use it.

|Tools used during an SEO audit

The most frequently used SEO tools for website auditing are:

• Google Search Console (free),
• Google Analytics (free),
• Google Ads (free),
• Ahrefs (paid),
• Surfer SEO (paid),
• Semstorm (free in reduced version),
• Senuto (free for 14 days),
• Screaming Frog (free in reduced version),
• Majestic SEO (paid).

But beware! The tools themselves and the information derived from them can only help in website positioning to a limited extent. Provided that you extract information that is important to you from them and apply it correctly.

|Is a free SEO audit a good idea?

A free SEO audit allows many smaller interactive agencies and freelancers to quickly evaluate activities aimed at positioning the client’s website. Please remember that the only benefit of this is that the client can read the document after a few days of waiting. And he doesn’t have to pay for it.

Unfortunately, such a quick, free SEO audit cannot be accurate enough and will not provide all the information – both in terms of the number of tools used (let’s face it, you can check Google AdWords or Google Search Console yourself), as well as competition analysis or estimated work schedule and estimated effects.

|If not free, how much does an SEO audit cost?

SEO audits in various agencies range from several to several dozen thousand zlotys. Our audit prices start from PLN 1,900 net (for e-commerce). Considering how many parameters we take into account, this is a very affordable price. However, the final valuation depends on the degree of development of the website and its nature.

|When is it worth conducting an SEO audit?

If you want to conduct an SEO audit of each website, it should always be done before you start working on positioning. In addition, a periodic SEO audit can help detect and eliminate potential problems. Coming back to the car analogy – inspection is done every year, even if the car is still running. Even if it’s a Porsche. Thanks to this precaution, you can avoid more serious faults in the future before problems arise.

It is important to constantly monitor the position of your website in the search engine and, in case of unsatisfactory results, seek help from professionals as soon as possible. Be sure to do this if search engine traffic starts to drop.

A well-conducted SEO audit can serve as a to-do list – whether you choose the same company or a different company to implement its recommendations.

|How long does a professional website audit take?

A comprehensive, professional and effective SEO audit is a process that takes time. Our specialists need at least 7-14 business days to analyze the website’s visibility in the search engine and use many tools (including those listed above). An extensive online store will take longer.

There is no reason to delude yourself that a company that provides a free SEO audit in two days will do it properly. Such a head-to-head audit may do more harm than good. Based on it, it will be difficult for you to plan a comprehensive strategy of activities, not to mention an indicative schedule and realistic estimation of results.

So if you want an effective SEO audit, you need to treat it as an investment. This is not just a valuation of positioning activities. A paid audit is the first step towards ensuring the highest possible position of your website in the search engine.

|Is it possible to position a website without an SEO audit?

It is possible, but it may not be effective. At the beginning of your business, it is easy to make basic mistakes that could be avoided thanks to a well-conducted (at an early stage!) SEO audit. It’s best to design your website right away and from scratch with a team of SEO specialists.