Boost 2023 Website Rankings with a 10-Step SEO Audit Checklist
If you’re a small business looking to optimize your site for organic search or an agency looking to do the same for a client, it can be tough to know where to start, how in-depth your analysis should be, and which SEO tools will help you gather the most helpful information. To cut through the clutter, we’ve identified 10 essential 2023 trends of a good SEO audit. And we’ll go over not only how to carry them out but also how to solve any problems that arise.
Ten-Step SEO Audit Checklist
When you begin your SEO strategy for 2023, you may wonder what you should concentrate on auditing. Your SEO audit checklist for 2023 will include ten factors to consider when doing your audit:
Mobile-Friendly Site
Google’s transition to a “mobile-first” algorithm stresses this need even more, as the internet behemoth now assesses both mobile and desktop searches using mobile versions of webpages.
Use Google’s free Mobile-Friendly Testing Tool to see if your site is appropriately optimized for mobile. This useful tool allows you to enter your URL and instantly receive an analysis of how well-equipped the page is for small screens.
Link building opportunities
Internal links convey link equity within your pages and, as such, are critical for establishing authoritative hierarchies on your site. A simple and time-honored method for building internal links is to run a site search for older, similar content that has preferably built up some equity, then discover anchor text inside the old content to link to the new content.
Google Analytics tracking code
Google Analytics helps monitor your website rankings‘ performance. You can start the performance review by uploading a short code to each website you wish to track. If your webpage lacks the tracking code, you cannot view any data or get any insights, such as page visits, time on the page, and other performance indicators.
When you perform this for all your web pages, Google Analytics becomes a full database of your website performance where you can review all the important parameters at the same time and place. Moreover, you can easily proceed to the next stage of your site audit if you have Google Analytics.
Speed Up Your Site
Google considers site speed to be an important ranking factor. Use PageSpeed Insights to inspect your HTML code for bloat and errors to achieve lightning-fast load times. This tool detects faulty code that is impeding performance. Then, run real-user monitoring speed tests to mimic how your sites would load for visitors.
It identifies bottlenecks, such as huge assets that cause delays. Regarding assets, picture compression is critical because high-resolution visuals greatly impact performance. To reduce file sizes without sacrificing quality, use a service like Kraken.
Find (and fix) thin content.
Regarding content, if your pages are thin, they will receive no regard in the SERP (Search Engine Results Page). “Thin” material is content that does not suit the user’s needs. A blog post of 300 words conveying a complex idea is thin. However, expecting 1000-2000 words on every page of your website is unrealistic. Design elements like hero photos, iconography, call-to-action buttons, and product-centric content will dominate pages closer to your homepage.
Improve Your On-Page SEO
Effective on-page optimization necessitates directing resources where they will have the greatest impact. Concentrating SEO efforts on the most crucial sites produces greater results than spreading efforts widely over overall content. Determine your top five pages by examining those that target high-volume keywords, previously high-performing pages that are presently declining, or already ranked pages with space for development.
Optimize these high-potential assets by including the target keyword in the title and first 100 words and adding internal and external links from credible sources. Complement on-page efforts with related long-tail keywords that increase semantic coverage and appeal to search engine ranking.
Scan for keyword optimization.
As with beefing up thin content, some pages on your site will be impossible to optimize for target and supplementary keywords fully. Assume you own a company that provides employee scheduling software. You’ve crammed “employee scheduling software” into several locations on your webpage. “Best employee scheduling software” is the highest volume, lowest competition keyword linked to “employee scheduling software.” While you want to rank for that term, saying “we’re the best” on your homepage is generally not a good idea.
Fix Broken Links
While Google claims that broken links do not affect search rankings, they degrade user experience, an important SEO indicator. To resolve broken links in advance, use the index report in the Search Console to audit pages that Google cannot index.
It finds flaws that are impeding proper crawling. Use link auditing tools to look for non-functional internal and external backlinks. Paid solutions, such as Semrush, provide detailed findings, while free choices, such as Broken Link Check, provide adequate scans.
Repairing redirects, 404s, and other technical errors enhances usability by ensuring visitors and search engine bots can access all site content properly. Taking the effort to address link failures helps improve a website for both users and search engine ranking algorithms, with user experience being a key assessment factor and broken navigation being an impediment.
Identify page update opportunities.
Making even minor changes to a page tells Google it should crawl that page. As a result, regular changes will assist in keeping your content fresh and relevant in the eyes of search engines.
Businesses can update the content by utilizing the techniques and addressing the organic visitors’ needs, preventing them from returning to the SERP and clicking another result (which can affect your rankings).
Competitor Analysis
It is wise to investigate competitors in the sector to find chances for organic growth. Start by utilizing a program like Semrush to identify their best-performing keywords. Targeting keywords that rivals have become visible for suggests they provide potential routes to rankings. Next, look at competitor websites’ top-ranking pages for those keywords.
Examine standard on-page optimizations, including content categories, word counts, internal linking arrangements, and more. There will be trends that reveal which strategies work best in the niche.
Hire an SEO-Audit Expert To Boost Your 2023 SEO Strategy
Companies that want to increase their organic visibility should use best practices for technical, link-based, and on-page SEO. Repairing issues discovered in audits and implementing strategies to enhance rankings for target keywords are effective ways to increase a site’s authority in the eyes of search engines.
By identifying technical issues, content gaps, and link-building opportunities, you’ll have a clear optimization checklist for your most important pages’ user experience and search performance through 6S Marketers. Don’t leave money on the table – schedule your SEO audit today!
FAQs
- What is an SEO audit?
An SEO audit is a thorough review of a website to identify any issues hindering its search engine optimization (SEO) performance. It examines on-page elements, off-page links, technical performance, and more to surface problems and opportunities for improvement.
- Why is an SEO audit important?
Regular SEO audits boost a website’s search rankings and visibility. It helps site owners find and fix SEO-related problems before negatively impacting the user experience and search performance. Audits also uncover new optimization strategies to improve SEO rankings.
- How often should I do an SEO audit?
Most experts recommend conducting a full SEO audit of your website at least once per quarter. However, some parts of the audit require a monthly audit, like keyword research, technical performance checks, and link analysis. At a minimum, aim to audit your site twice per year.
- How long does an SEO audit take?
The length of time an SEO audit takes can vary depending on the website’s size and the audit’s depth. However, most basic audits examining key on-page and off-page factors generally take 4-8 hours to complete. Deeper technical audits or audits of large sites may take over ten hours.
- What are the most important things to check in an SEO audit?
Some top things to evaluate include keyphrase research opportunities, on-page SEO (titles, meta descriptions, headings, content), internal linking, technical SEO issues, mobile usability, backlink profile, and site speed. These areas have a big impact on searchability and user experience.
- How can I do an SEO audit or hire a pro?
It’s possible to DIY an SEO audit, but professional audits tend to be more thorough and catch issues an individual may miss. Consider hiring a digital marketing company, like 6S Marketers, if you lack the time/skills or want an objective outside perspective. Use free audit tools and consult checklists online to self-audit key areas.
- What’s the best way to prioritize SEO audit findings?
Prioritize fixes that directly impact user experience and searchability first, such as technical errors. Then, focus on opportunities with the highest potential for boosting search rankings and traffic in the short term. Long-tail improvements can wait if you have limited resources.
- How soon will I see results from implementing SEO audit recommendations?
You may see rankings and traffic gains within 1-3 months of implementing SEO audit fixes and optimizations. However, more significant improvements generally take 4-6 months as search engines recrawl and re-index the site. Be patient and focus on continuous optimization.
