The SEO audit is important for any type of online business that wants to obtain a better performance and presence of its web in the SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages). Follow the latest trends, set goals and concrete achievable objectives, know the results achieved. This is all part of the benefits gained from carrying out an SEO audit.
An SEO auditor is mainly concerned with reviewing the current functioning of a website within the search engine, verifying practices such as: adequate keywords, optimized headers, relevant and easily indexable content for search engines such as Google. On the other hand, to evaluate the speed and investment thinking around the responsive design for mobile devices.
Step by step of an SEO audit
Despite hundreds of factors that Google considers and takes into account to qualify websites and give them a ranking, there are 10 fundamental steps that are necessary in any SEO strategy. Let’s get straight to the point!
1- Carry out a complete analysis of the organic traffic of your page.
The main thing we will do to start an SEO audit is to know the current state of the organic traffic of the website in question in order to establish objectives and starting points. For this, we could use Google Analytics as an ideal tool. An initial configuration is enough to know the most visited pages and the origin of the visits to know the metrics on direct, organic searches, paid ads, social networks, references, among others.
All this information helps us determine the traffic sources with which we will begin to optimize. The objective is to diversify the attraction of traffic and to know the type of content that we have on a website for which we are attracting users.
2- Website Tracking
The tracking is carried out with the objective of knowing the current situation. This way you can go looking at positioning advances and organic traffic as the errors or problems detected can be solved.
In this case, one of our experts will explore the website as the Google algorithm would do and provide you with solutions. This gives us perspective on the SEO configuration according to your CMS, such as WordPress, being the most used by many in their work.
In any case, there are tools that can help you to carry out a tracking analysis such as Screaming Frog, AHREFS or Semrush to name 3 of the most used.
3- Analysis of the indexing of the website in Google
There is nothing more important for organic SEO positioning than Google indexing. It stands to reason that if you don’t appear in the Google search index, no one can find you organically. We assure you of this despite all the efforts and tasks you undertake to publish or optimize existing content.
One of the fundamental aspects of this SEO audit is to verify that your website URLs, that is, the total number of pages, entries are being indexed in Google. For this we use the free indexing tool Google Search Console. This page gives you a series of data and options by which you can find out how many pages you have indexed in Google for a specific and previously verified website.
At this point it is essential to configure a Sitemap. Knowing that it is the file that contains the total list of 100% of the URLs of a website and it is the file that must be sent to be processed in Google Search Console with the aim of making Google aware of our structure and therefore begin to crawl and index in that order.
In many cases where WordPress is used for web development, we recommend using the Yoast SEO plugin as it has excellent features. It generates a Sitemap ready to send to Search Console and is the TOP plugin for Technical SEO and SEO on Page analysis work.
4- Content audit
Our team at Exeditec defines that SEO content is the king for positioning. Defining within an SEO audit the review of all the content of a site is ideal to detect content with problems and seek to optimize it to the maximum.
The work would be aimed at knowing the metrics of the pages that receive less traffic and defining whether to update or delete content that is not working. On the other hand, after the audit it is always good to define a new content strategy that is objective. Guide the new information that can be included, expand existing content, verify keywords against the search intentions of users.
Another of our suggestions for the quality of the content and to seek better conversion is to see in Google Search Console the phrases and keywords for which many impressions are coming, but few clicks. In this case, it is always good to intention content using these phrases and search words in new or already created content with the aim of starting to receive clicks on them. If Google suggests that there are people coming to your site with those phrases, nothing better than exploiting this method.
5- On-Page SEO Audit
This point of the general SEO audit of a website is essential, although SEO on Page is defined as a simple adjustment. Everything is based on starting to evaluate all the pages of your website with the following general aspects:
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Review the structure quality of SEO titles and subtitles
This will make it easier for us to scan the content and search for the crawlers to better understand what a website in question is about, especially the indexing process is speeded up. It is necessary to review in each content that there is only 1 H1 title as a parameter. That the SEO title is descriptive and motivates the client or the reader to stay and read all the content. It is also important that the size of the SEO title is ideal so that its sample in Google does not exceed the visuality when appearing in the SERPs.
On the other hand, it is necessary to review the structure of the subtitles (H1,H2,H3,H4…) according to a hierarchy. It is necessary to audit that in each title and subtitle the keyword that has high search volumes is chained and why Long Tails terms are worked as long tail words for which they have less search intention, but little competition on other sites for which you would be gaining customers by having them on your website.
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Meta descriptions
If the SEO title is important, the meta description is its perfect complement. This short piece of content that users read under the SEO titles in the SERPs is the second most relevant after the title. Although the crawlers do not classify the site according to the meta descriptions, it is a factor that will make it relevant to attract traffic, since in a brief way you are providing a central idea about the content contained in that page, post, entry.
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Internal link quality
The creation of internal links is one of the best SEO techniques since it literally tells Google what or what is the most important content on your website. This is what conveying an authority to a URL is all about.
In an SEO on PAGE audit, you cannot miss this content evaluation and link them according to their quality and the intention of saying which content has the most value. Likewise, their organization to achieve relevant pages within your business.
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SEO in multimedia image
SEO work on images demands a lot of calm, but it is important to optimize them. Above all, in the size, weight and format, as well as including the descriptive texts, titles and of course an alternative text called ALT.
6- Search for duplicate content
We all know that Google does not like replicated or duplicate content. It is important to achieve in an audit to know that there is content for which double work is being done on the same keyword. This process is called cannibalization and on the other hand there may be sites that are copying our content.
The biggest problem is that Google does not recognize who is the main or original author of double content. In this case you can have penalties making you lose positions in the search even affecting the indexing.
If you have an electronic store, we know that duplicate content can be the order of the day. Knowing that they are very related, for this it is necessary to dedicate the right time and that each content is unique.
7- Analysis of loading speed of a website
In an SEO audit it is essential to carry out an analysis of the speed at which a website takes to load. This factor is essential to rank according to loading speed and provide a better experience to users. It is logical that a site that takes time to open, the user abandons it.
For us at Exeditec, this aspect is essential since we started developing a website. Among the variables that can slow down a site are the Hosting provider, the templates and plugin used, the images in their formats and sizes, the concise use of the cache and the excess of CSS codes.
In Google Page Speed, as a widely used free tool, you can determine the speed and current status of your site in its entire structure. It makes the recommendations and you can follow them to achieve greater speed.
8- Technical SEO Review
Starting from the previous points of the audit, we arrive at Technical SEO as the rules of connecting a website with Google so that it knows its structure and that it is shown to users in the most optimal and elegant way as featured fragments.
Above all, in terms of its architecture, structurally by sections and grouping the URLs with the aim of organizing terms and categories. Another necessary aspect is the structured data with the objective of telling Google the information that each URL contains. It is necessary to use them on products, blog posts among others.
Another point to evaluate is to avoid containing 404 errors. It would be returning empty information or an annoying error to the user and they would leave your site immediately. In cases of solutions with 301 redirects it can be solved.This occurs when some URLs undergo some modification and we do not realize the redirection.
Something essential today is to have good Mobile SEO. It is essential to check it in order to know that the website is responsive and that it works with AMP protocols.
Exeditec: We carry out the best SEO audits for your business
To summarize, at Exeditec we take care of SEO audits with a detailed analysis of all the aspects explained above. Our goal is to quickly and directly resolve issues that may be currently affecting your website. Contact us to diagnose your details and guide the optimization points with a view to improving the ranking of your digital company on the search engine results pages.