The SEO audit is the essential first step in building a robust, effective SEO strategy. This comprehensive review assesses the core elements impacting your website’s ability to rank well in organic search and attract the right audience.
Google’s algorithm considers over 200 factors, and this audit focuses on the most influential elements, grouped into three major categories: Performance, Technical, and Quality.
Performance Elements
Performance factors assess how effectively your website generates visibility, draws searchers from search engine results pages (SERPs) to the appropriate pages, and converts visits into leads or customers. Key areas include:
- Keyword footprint to understand current ranking potential
- Organic rankings and how well your pages perform in search
- Search analytics for insights into both total and organic search traffic
- Local SEO performance to evaluate visibility in local markets
- Backlink profile to analyze the quality and relevance of links
- Manual review of SERP appearance for insight into how your site looks to searchers
Technical elements
Technical elements address underlying factors that may hinder your website’s performance. Optimizing these elements—whether in site development, programming, or content structure—can dramatically improve search rankings. Key areas of review include:
- Crawl stats and errors to identify indexing issues
- Internal navigation and linking for better site structure and authority flow
- Mobile friendliness to ensure seamless user experience on mobile devices
- Structured data to enhance search result visibility with schema markup
- Page speed for optimal loading times that boost rankings and user engagement
- JavaScript use to check for potential issues that may prevent indexing
- Site security to ensure user trust and compliance with search engine requirements
Quality elements
Quality elements increase engagement, interaction, and time spent on your site, creating a more valuable experience for visitors. This section of the audit covers:
- Content quality to confirm relevance and depth for your audience
- Duplicate or thin content issues that may harm rankings
- Visual media (images, videos) to improve engagement
- Social media integration to enhance site visibility and shareability
Your Roadmap to Action
Once the SEO audit is complete, you’ll receive a detailed report outlining your website’s strengths and areas for improvement, alongside a prioritized list of actionable recommendations tailored to your team’s capabilities. These insights offer a clear path forward, equipping your development team with everything needed to maximize site performance and search visibility.
Proven, Tested, and Refined for Your Success
This SEO audit is a top-tier deliverable, honed over two decades through collaboration with skilled development teams in both in-house roles at major companies and agency environments. It was a cornerstone of the SEO program I helped build at Investis Digital, benefitting hundreds of clients by enabling them to thrive in organic search.
Start with a comprehensive SEO audit to uncover what’s holding your website back from achieving top search engine rankings. Discover your website’s true potential and start building a stronger presence in organic search today.