What Does a DIY SEO Audit Involve?

Around 70% of online experiences begin with a search engine, making SEO a critical component of a website's visibility and success. We understand that diving headfirst into a DIY SEO audit can seem daunting, but with the right approach, we can systematically uncover the strengths and weaknesses of our website. We'll need to scrutinize our site's indexation status to ensure search engines are properly crawling and indexing our pages. Then, we'll evaluate the site structure and internal linking to guarantee a seamless user experience and efficient link equity distribution. On-page elements require a meticulous review, from meta tags to content quality, to align with best practices and keyword strategies. By thoroughly examining these elements, we position ourselves to identify actionable insights that can significantly boost our site's search engine performance. Stick with us as we unpack the essential steps of a DIY SEO audit that could lead to breakthrough improvements in your site's rankings.

Assessing Indexation Status

To ensure your website is fully accessible to search engines, start by checking its indexing status using Google Search Console. This powerful tool provides us with crucial insights into which pages are included in the Google index and which aren't. Pinpointing pages not indexed and understanding the reasons they've been overlooked is vital.

We'll leverage a site audit tool to unearth any indexation barriers that might exist. This step is indispensable because indexation is a prerequisite for appearing on the search engine results page. Issues like Check for Duplicate content or poor navigation structure can be SEO issues affecting our visibility.

Furthermore, it's essential we confirm all versions of our site are indexed correctly. Non-preferred versions should point to the canonical version via 301 redirects, a significant Google ranking factor. We can't afford to dilute our SEO efforts through inadvertent content duplication.

Utilizing a crawl tool will help us simulate how search engines navigate our site. This simulation enables us to identify and rectify any crawlability issues preemptively. Finally, we'll Check for Manual actions in Google Search Console, as these can adversely impact our site's indexation and, consequently, its performance in search results.

Evaluating Site Structure

Evaluating a website's site architecture and internal linking is crucial for ensuring both users and search engines can navigate the site effectively. During our SEO audit, we delve into the site structure, ensuring it's logical and intuitive. Our aim is to pinpoint areas that may cause users frustration and hinder search engine optimization. We're not just looking for problems; we're identifying opportunities to enhance the user experience and boost our rankings in Google Search Results.

Here's a breakdown of our targeted approach:

We're committed to ensuring our site structure supports our SEO efforts. By addressing technical SEO challenges and optimizing our internal links, we not only improve the user experience but also our visibility in search results. A meticulous website audit is the cornerstone of a robust search engine optimization strategy, and a well-organized site structure is a lynchpin of success.

Analyzing On-Page Elements

Moving to on-page elements, we'll scrutinize and refine title tags, meta descriptions, and headers to bolster our website's SEO performance. We understand that optimized title tags and meta descriptions are crucial for attracting clicks from search engine results pages. Our audit will ensure that every page title is unique, concise, and includes relevant keywords that align with the content of the page.

We'll employ keyword tools to identify and fill content gaps, avoiding duplicate content that can hinder our SEO efforts. With a focus on internal linking, we'll create a web of connections throughout our site to distribute page authority and guide users to our most important landing pages.

Headers will be examined for hierarchy and relevance, ensuring they reflect the page's primary topics. This structured approach not only aids readers but also helps search engines understand and index our content more effectively.

Every page will be checked to confirm it's optimized for search engines, with a special emphasis on mobile responsiveness and page loading speed. By addressing these factors, we'll improve user experience and our site's overall SEO health, leading to better rankings and increased visibility in search results.

Reviewing Local Citations

Having honed our on-page elements, we'll now ensure our local citations are accurate and consistent to further enhance our SEO efforts. Local citations, which include our business name, address, and phone number (NAP), have been a Google ranking factor since the dawn of local SEO. They're critical for our website to gain trust and improve our local search presence.

We'll check our local citations across the web for uniformity. It's crucial to fix discrepancies that could hurt our SEO. For instance, an old address lingering on a directory could mislead Google and potential customers, damaging our credibility and ranking.

Here's a snapshot of our local citation audit process:

We'll also monitor and manage reviews on these platforms diligently. Positive reviews bolster our reputation, but negative ones need addressing swiftly to maintain trust.

To wrap up our SEO audit, we'll rectify any broken links discovered. A smooth, fast-loading website keeps both users and search engines happy, making site speed optimization an ongoing priority. We're committed to mastering every aspect that can elevate our SEO performance.

Identifying Content Opportunities

We'll dive into keyword research data, using tools like Ahrefs and Semrush, to pinpoint high-potential keywords for new content creation. By assessing search traffic volumes and keyword difficulty, we strategize to capture more organic traffic through untapped content opportunities. Our goal is to find content niches where we can establish authority and meet user intent with precision.

In the heart of this process lies the Ahrefs Content Gap tool. We utilize it to uncover keywords your competitors are ranking for but we aren't. This competitor research is invaluable; it highlights gaps in our content marketing approach and directs us to areas ripe for development. By aligning our findings with SEO best practices, we ensure that the new content we plan to produce is optimized to increase visibility and engagement.

We also conduct a thorough content audit of our existing assets to identify underperforming pages that can be improved or expanded upon. It's not just about creating new content; it's about maximizing the potential of what we already have.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Does an SEO Audit Consist Of?

We'll assess keyword research, content analysis, and backlink profile, ensuring mobile responsiveness, page speed, and optimal user experience. We'll tweak meta tags, optimize images, and enhance internal linking for better SERP ranking.

How Do I Create a SEO Audit?

We're navigating our website's digital landscape, ensuring our map includes keyword research, content analysis, and a robust backlink profile. We're scrutinizing site structure, mobile optimization, page speed, user experience, meta tags, image optimization, and social signals.

What Is the Typical Cost of an SEO Audit?

We're eyeing audit pricing, comparing market rates for both freelancers and agencies. Factoring in experience, tools used, and potential hidden costs ensures our budget planning aligns with the value proposition of package deals.

What Is Included in an SEO Technical Audit?

We'll assess site speed, index status, and mobile responsiveness, scrutinize canonical tags, content duplication, schema markup, and URL structure, review security protocols, untangle redirect chains, and validate the XML sitemap in our SEO technical audit.