SEO Tips & Tricks Podcast: SEO Website Audit (Part 1)

Hello and welcome back to another episode of the Search Engine Optimization Tips and Tricks podcast with Tim Jennings. My name is Tim and I am your host. I have been helping businesses and nonprofits reach their goals by gaining organic traffic through SEO for almost ten years now. It is a passion of mine. Another passion is coaching. So it only makes sense for me to share the knowledge that I have gained over the last decade with all of you. 

Today, I want to start a new series that I think is very important for SEO. In fact, you could argue that it is one of the most important factors concerning Search Engine Optimization. And that is the SEO Website Audit. Regularly auditing your website is necessary if you want to not only gain traction for your keywords but also remain on the top! Over the next few weeks, I will be breaking down the various elements of a website that are important for you to audit. Once you do, you will know if your website is performing to its best capabilities. 

So sit down, open up your favorite note-taking app, and let’s jump right in! 

Purpose of SEO Web Audits

Before we dive too far in, let’s start with the purpose of a SEO web audit. A SEO audit of your website will help you find any issues that your website might have that could be hindering it from ranking, give you an overview of how your website is performing in the search results, and inform you on where you should focus your attention as you try and improve your organic rankings. 

Audit Frequency

Now that you know why you should audit your website for search engine optimization, let’s discuss how often you should be auditing your site. The answer to how often should you audit your website is one that is often used in the SEO world – It depends. And while I hate that response personally, in this scenario, it’s the only acceptable response. 

Niche Competition Matters

If your website is in a highly competitive niche then you will probably want to audit your website daily. You already know that there are multiple competitors all fighting for the holy grail of search: the top position in the search results pages (SERPS). 

The more competitors you have, the more options that Google has to pick from when deciding which websites to show for a search term. Not only that though! The more competitors your website has, the more time and resources are going into ensure that their website outperforms everyone else’s. That means more content in a shorter amount of time, more money towards purchasing links, and so much more. 

If you don’t audit your website often (daily even) then there’s a good chance that instead of competing for the top 1-3 spots for a keyword, you’ll find yourself fighting for the top of page 2 in Google’s SERPs. And everyone who has been doing SEO for more than a couple of days will tell you that page two of the SERPs is Google’s graveyard. You simply aren’t going to get enough traffic to really move the needle while being stuck on page 2. Simply put, if you are in a competitive niche and you don’t audit your website regularly, you run the risk of having an unknown issue prevent you from dominating the rankings. 

However, if your niche isn’t as competitive, you could get away with running a SEO audit a little less frequently. You might find it more beneficial to run an audit quarterly or monthly. That would help you get a snapshot of how your website is performing, if there has been any shakeups in the SERPs, and how to proceed in the immediate future. 

The truth is, whether or not your niche is competitive, you need to run audits on your website at least twice a year to ensure that you aren’t hurting yourself as you try to obtain your goals. 

The Components of a Comprehensive SEO Audit

So now that we’ve covered how often you should perform a SEO audit, let’s go over what the components of a comprehensive web audit. In my opinion, there are 7 components of a website audit. Those are:

1. Keywords and Content Optimization 
2. Technical SEO 
3. User Experience (UX) 
4. Backlink Profile 
5. Local SEO (if applicable)
6. Social Media Integration
7. Analytics and Reporting

Each one of those items will have different aspects to consider and steps to perform in order to get a clear picture of how your website is performing and what you can do to improve. Over the next serval weeks I will breakdown each component and give you tips on what to look for, what to fix, and what might look bad but is no big deal.

Third Party Website Audit Tools

There are many third-party tools that you can use to help speed up the audit process. They each come with their own advantages and disadvantages. However, while no auditing tool is perfect and will require some manual action at some point, they do make things a lot easier! 

One of the most commonly used seo audit tools is Screaming Frog SEO Spider. It’s a desktop program that crawls websites to check for any technical issues, broken links, meta tags, etc. One of its major strengths is its ability to crawl huge sites quickly and accurately. It also provides detailed reports on what it finds. On the downside, it does require a bit of tech know-how in order to use it effectively. 

Another popular tool is Moz Pro. Its main strength is its ability to provide detailed insights for keyword analysis, backlinks and overall SEO performance. It also generates site audit reports that are easy to understand for non-techy users. The downside is that it’s quite costly compared to many other seo audit tools. 

A third tool worth mentioning is WooRank. It has a simple one-click report system which makes it ideal for busy website owners who need quick results. Its major strength is its affordability, as well as the ease of use for those with limited technical experience. On the flip side, some of its features are quite basic and don’t pack enough punch to give comprehensive data on large sites. 

Next, let’s talk about Seolyzer, your friendly neighborhood spider… err… crawler. It helps you see your website as search engines do. It’s like having x-ray vision! But remember, with great power comes great responsibility. Seolyzer requires a bit more technical know-how to get the most out of it.

The fifth tool you can use is SEOptimer, the generous philanthropist of the group. Offering a free detailed SEO analysis across 100 website data points, it’s like getting a free health check-up for your website! But remember, you get what you pay for. SEOptimer might not offer as comprehensive a report as some of the paid tools.

Another popular tool you can use to audit your website is Serpstat, a budget-friendly darling in the SEO world. It’s like finding a designer dress at a discount store – quality at an affordable price! Serpstat offers site auditing, keyword research, and backlink analysis. But beware, the user interface might not be as intuitive as some of the other tools.

A seventh seo audit tool that you can use is SEOmator, a powerhouse in the world of technical SEO audit tools. It has a knack for diving deep into the corners of your website that other tools might overlook. However, keep in mind that every superhero has their kryptonite. SEOmator’s detailed reports can sometimes be too technical for less experienced users.

And the last tool I will talk about today is one that I use almost everyday – SEMrush. With its ability to run a detailed SEO analysis of your entire site and identify over 140 common issues, it’s like having an eagle-eyed detective on your team. SEMrush is not just a tool, it’s your personal Sherlock Holmes of SEO! But remember, even Sherlock had his weaknesses. SEMrush can be a bit overwhelming for newbies and some of its advanced features come with a hefty price tag. 

There are many other SEO website auditing tools available but those are just a few popular choices. Personally, I love the SEMrush audit tool so that is the one I use most often.

More SEO Audit Tips

And there you have it, folks – your very own guide to the wonderful world of SEO audits! Just like finding out the secret recipe to Grandma’s famous apple pie, understanding the ins and outs of SEO auditing is a game-changer. It’s not just about discovering the issues that might be playing hide-and-seek with your rankings, it’s about knowing which corners to look in. It’s about transforming your website from a hidden gem into a shining star in the vast universe of the web.

But wait, there’s more! Over the next few weeks, we’re going to break down the various elements of a website audit. Think of it as your VIP tour of the SEO audit universe. We’ll explore everything from keywords and content optimization to technical SEO, user experience, backlink profiles, local SEO, social media integration, and analytics reporting. It’s going to be like an epic journey through the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but for SEO!

And for those who can’t get enough of all things SEO, we’ve got a special treat for you. Head over to soulheart.co/seo and sign up for exclusive resources that we don’t share anywhere else. It’s like being part of a secret SEO club! So buckle up, and get ready for an exciting ride into the world of SEO audits. It’s going to be one heck of a journey, and I can’t wait to take it with you!

So, are you ready to take the plunge into the world of SEO auditing? Trust me, it’s a journey worth taking for the sake of your website’s health and success!