Let’s be honest right from the get-go: if you’ve never performed a website SEO audit, the time to do so is NOW. This is not easy work, either.
These can be as complex or as simple as you want. Unfortunately, we can’t go into full depth here as discussing all possible nuances would fill many, many pages. Yet, we can discuss some of the basics and more common problems found in a series of blog posts. When you correct technical SEO factors, the net benefit is improved search rankings and the best ability to rank in Google for the long-haul.
With this in mind, here are some major items to check for:
- Are keywords in the title tags for every page? This is one of the biggest signals that tells Google which terms you want your page to rank for. Ideally, keywords are located near the beginning of the title. The title should also be benefits-oriented and include your brand name, if possible.
- Are meta descriptions unique/interesting? Do they include calls to action? Each page should have its own meta description, so visitors know what to expect when they actually reach the page. Calls to action—which increase your click-through rate—are a true no-brainer here.
- Is there enough copy on each page? Best SEO practices dictate including at least 300 words on the page for static web pages. And for blog posts? At least 400. Inbound marketing thought leader Neil Patel once shared that pages with 2400+ words of content rank the best. You don’t need to use that many words, and you absolutely shouldn’t unless the words are helpful to visitors. Nevertheless, it demonstrates the point that substantive content on each page is a must.
- Where are keywords placed? Aside from including the keyword in the SEO title, you should also add it to your meta description, your website URL, your page hl tag, and a few other spots within the page’s content. This allows the language to sound natural while also making it clear to Google which keyword you want to rank for.
- What is the authority of your home page? “Authority” refers to the amount of trust Google places in your website as well as the specific page checked. The higher your authority, the easier it is for your site to rank for various keywords. However, authority and rank do not have a linear relationship (e.g., your authority can outshine another website’s, but you can still rank lower in search). Authority basically affords you a much better probability of ranking for a keyword, meaning you want to keep this as high as possible.
- Is content created on a regular basis? Google doesn’t just want content—it demands it. You should produce at least one blog post per month and even more than that if you can. Posts should be interesting and of value to your readers yet also offer content that is difficult (ideally impossible) to find anywhere else on the Web.
Wrapping Up
While these are just a few technical SEO factors affecting your rankings, you can go into much more detail and check other items such as:
- Do your web pages have social sharing buttons?
- Are your physical address and contact information located in an easy-to-find spot on every page?
- Do all the links on your website work?
- How easy is your content to read?
- What’s your site’s bounce rate?
At the end of the day, the work can get as detailed as the person or agency performing the audit is willing to go. The more detail, the better!