The following is an 8-point checklist for auditing your website’s SEO:
If you’re feeling overwhelmed trying to figure out where to start with your website audit, don’t worry—I’ve got you covered. I’ve created a complete website audit checklist with six clear-cut phases✋ in this free Google Sheet template.
- Analyze the Website Structure: A key step in an SEO audit is to review the website’s overall structure. This includes looking at how navigation menus are structured and how content is organized within pages. It also involves analyzing the level of siloing, as well as any hidden or orphaned pages that may exist.
- Review Metadata: The next step is to review metadata for each page of your website, including titles, descriptions, headings, and keywords used throughout the content. Make sure that all metadata accurately reflects what’s on each page and helps users understand not just what they will find but why it is relevant to them.
- Check for Broken Links: Another important part of an SEO audit is to check the website for any broken links. Make sure that all internal and external links point to existing, active pages on your site or another website.
- Evaluate Site Speed: Poor page speeds can negatively affect your search engine rankings, so make sure to review the site’s speed and performance. Tools like Google’s PageSpeed Insights can provide insights into how quickly pages load for both desktop and mobile devices. If necessary, consider optimizing images, minifying code, caching data, or using a content delivery network (CDN).
- Analyze On-Page Content Quality: Having high-quality content is essential for earning higher rankings from search engines. As part of an SEO audit, take some time to assess the quality of content on each page. This can include analyzing text, images, and videos for relevance, as well as checking for keyword stuffing or thin content.
- Monitor Backlinks: Analyzing backlinks can help you identify any potential issues with your website’s link profile. Use a tool like Ahrefs to review both internal and external links pointing toward your site and check for anything suspicious or spammy that could hurt your rankings. Additionally, make sure to monitor new backlinks as they are created to ensure nothing negative is added to your profile over time.
- Compare Competitors: Conducting an SEO audit should also involve researching what other sites in your industry are doing. It may be helpful to compare your website’s structure, content, and backlink profiles with those of your competitors to see where you may need to improve.
- Report Findings: Finally, be sure to record all the findings from your audit in a report that can be used as a reference for future updates or optimization efforts. Review this report regularly to track any changes or adjustments you make over time. This will help ensure that any ongoing SEO strategies remain effective and up-to-date.
By following these steps, you can conduct an effective SEO audit of your website and begin making improvements that will help boost organic search engine rankings and drive more targeted traffic over time.
