CHAPTER 3

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Audit

There are no hard and fast rules for SEO audits because every company is different. Your SEO priorities are unique to your goals, so we’re not going to tell you exactly what to focus on. However, we are going to walk you through the SEO audit process, which you can apply to your organization’s needs. Let’s get started.

An SEO audit covers three major areas: 

Accessibility: Can Google crawl your site and parse what it’s about?

Relevancy: Do you have content relevant to your search terms?

Authority: Are influential and respected sources linking to you?

ACCESSIBILITY

To rank well on Google, the search engine must be able to read your website and determine what it’s about. If your code and content are written in a way that prevents Google from finding the information it needs, your search rank will decline. UX often affects your rank, too, though we’ll touch on that a bit later.

Here’s how to check the accessibility of your site.

Check for site errors in Google Search Console

If you want to rank organically on Google, make sure it can crawl your site without running into errors. Fortunately, Google does a great job of telling you what’s wrong — and how to fix it — in the free Google Search Console (formerly Webmaster Tools). Here’s how to use this tool: 

STEP 1

Open Google Search Console.

STEP 2

Look for the Crawl Errors section under Current Status.

STEP 3

Review Error list.

Under Site Errors, you’ll see prompts for DNS, Server connectivity, and Robots.txt.fetch. A checkmark in a green circle indicates that your site is free of that particular error. 

Check for URL errors 

If Google warns you about crawl errors such as 44 Server Errors and 88 Not Found issues, here’s what to do: 

STEP 1

From the Google Search Console dashboard, click into Crawl Errors.

STEP 2

Review the list of server errors. This is a list of pages Google tried to crawl unsuccessfully. This can happen if pages were previously indexed on an old version of your site. It can also occur if users enter URLs that mistakenly resolve instead of hitting a 404 error.

STEP 3

Mark issues as resolved in Google Search Console.

STEP 4

Move on to the “Not Found” tab. 

Check your crawl stats 

Checking crawl errors is important, but so is checking crawl stats. These tell you how often Google is crawling your site and how many pages it hits. When you first launch your site and don’t have many links to it, you’ll notice a pretty low crawl rate. But for a site like ours, which has about 500 pages, we expect more robust stats. 

Check your website’s site map

A site map is a list of all pages on your site. It serves as a handy guide for Google to know which pages to crawl. If your site is built on a platform like WordPress, plenty of plug-ins exist to help create your site map. But if yours is a custom site, you’ll need to make your own.

It’s important to maintain an error-free site map. The following steps will help keep it up-to-date and Google-friendly:

STEP 1

Within Google Search Console, go to the Crawl tab in the menu, then select “Sitemaps.”

STEP 2

Under the bar graph, identify when the site map was last submitted. 

STEP 3

Click the Web pages tab above the bar graph. This will highlight the amount of pages submitted in your sitemap (and how many were actually indexed). You can also see if Google found any errors here. 

STEP 4

Type “site:yourwebsite.com” into Google’s search.

This will return all the indexed pages Google finds on your site.

Check internal links 

If you don’t have a sitemap, Google navigates your site just as a user would: by clicking links in your navigation bar and body copy. Therefore, you want to be sure the navigation bar links to top pages on your site. Otherwise, you’re sending the wrong signal to Google and may prevent users from finding key information. Here’s how to check your internal links: 

STEP 1

Open Google Search Console.

STEP 2

Under the Search Traffic tab, click Internal Links. This will display all accessible internal links on your website.

Check external links 

You may be wondering, “How does Google know my site exists in the first place?” The answer: through the grace of links from other websites. Here’s how to discern who’s linking to you: 

STEP 1

Open Google Search Console.

STEP 2

Under the Search Traffic tab, select Links to Your Site. This will provide an overview of all domains linking to your website.

Check for HTML errors 

Correcting HTML errors drastically improves your click-through rates on pages that appear in search engines. Here’s how to spot them: 

STEP 1

Open Google Search Console.

STEP 2

Under the Search Appearance tab, click HTML Improvements Here, you’ll see recommended HTML improvements (like removing duplicate meta descriptions and duplicate title tags). For a more in-depth HTML check, run your pages through the W3C Markup Validation Service.

Check your page architecture 

Semantics matter to Google, so make sure your site’s code is structurally sound. Having the correct header tags (like <H1>, <H2>, etc.) is especially important. Use these steps to ensure you’re not being penalized on this front: 

STEP 1

Right click within your browser to open the page inspector tool. 

STEP 2

Highlight your website’s title and body text.

Check for alt text in images 

Images that don’t include alt text will not show up in Google Image Search, and Google won’t know what the images are relevant to. Thus, untagged photos and graphics won’t boost the page’s relevance. To check for alt text: 

STEP 1

Right click within your browser to open the page inspector tool.

STEP 2

Hover over an image on your website. Inspect the source code for alt text for the image.

STEP 3

If no alt text appears, add it by editing the photo information in your content management system (CMS). 

Check for open graph tags 

Graph tags ensure the right content appears when your company (or a user) shares your site’s content on social media. To make sure these tags are accurate:

STEP 1

Visit the page you want to examine, and right-click to open the page inspector tool

STEP 2

In your site inspection tool, find “meta property” tags with “og” in the <head> part of the page. 

RELEVANCY

Google rankings are all about relevancy. That’s what makes the search engine so valuable. People expect to find high-value results when they use Google. Therefore, your site must be up to par.

You can achieve relevance two ways: 

Target a set of keywords and create relevant content around those 

Discern which keywords you already rank for, then adjust your content strategy around those to improve your ranking. 

Google rankings are all about relevancy. That’s what makes the search engine so valuable. People expect to find high-value results when they use Google. Therefore, your site must be up to par. 

The choice is yours, and your decision will likely depend on company goals and current development phase. 

Whatever you decide, there are key areas to focus on for improving your site’s ranking... 

Look at search analytics 

Google Search Console is, again, uniquely helpful in seeing which keywords lead to clicks on your site. To view search analytics: 

STEP 1

Open Google Search Console.

STEP 2

Under the Search Traffic tab, click Search Analytics. Google Search Console is, again, uniquely helpful in seeing which keywords lead to clicks on your site. To view search analytics:

STEP 3

Scroll down to see impressions and clicks for the queries in which your business came up in the search. 

Bear in mind that searches related to your company’s name don’t count as organic search. Most people will type in the company name instead of its site URL, so this traffic is different than other searches. 

Optimize your website for search engines 

On-page SEO means optimizing individual webpages so they rank higher on search engine results. Both content and HTML code can be optimized for search, so be diligent about testing these, building in keywords, and writing semantic content and code to boost performance. In short, here’s what to do: 

STEP 1

Determine one to three keywords you wish to rank and optimize for.

STEP 2

Add these keywords naturally to page titles, descriptions, headings, body content, image titles, alt text, and URLs.

But don’t get carried away. Google may penalize you for “keyword stuffing,” the practice of forcing too many keywords into content that causes it to read stilted or unnatural. 

Optimize your blog content for search engines with this checklist 

Now that you know how to optimize a web page for SEO, you should do the same for any content you publish online, whether its for your own blog or guest post for another publication. 

When auditing content for SEO, make sure these elements are present: 

• Primary target keyword is in the URL. 

• Primary keyword is in the title of the page or blog post, ideally at the beginning of the title. Also include your primary keyword in at least one subheader. 

• Primary target keyword is in the page/post’s meta description. 

• Primary target keyword is included in the first 100 words of your post or page. 

• Primary keyword is included in the file name, alt text, and description of your images. 

• Your title has an <H1> headline tag, and subheaders use <H2>headline tags. 

• Insert at least 2-3 long-tail keywords and LSI keywords naturally into your post or page. 

• Social sharing buttons to promote engagement. 

• Long-form content with 1,600+ words. 

• Your page speed and load time are optimized for a better user experience

• Your page is secure with an HTTPS certificate. 

• Your page has at least 2-3 internal links to relevant content. 

• The content of your page answers one or more questions, and is relevant and high quality. 

• Add schema markup to your pages’ HTML code to help search engines understand the data on those pages. 

Most importantly, you should be creating content that answers a question or solves a problem for your target audience, like “how-to” guides or e-books.

AUTHORITY

The biggest mistake marketers make when it comes to SEO is taking an “if you build it, they will come” mentality — if they create quality content, source premium images, conduct good keyword research, and optimize on-page factors, a boost in rankings will occur naturally.

But that’s not the case. Even accessible, relevant sites will flop in search rankings if they lack authority. Unless reputable publications and sites link to you, your rank will remain low. It’s essential to not only publish quality content, but to also share it widely and encourage shares and backlinks.

Tweak the following metrics to boost your authority score:

Find your domain page authority

Domain authority is a score, on a 100-point scale, developed by Moz to predict how well a website will rank. To check for domain page authority: 

STEP 1

Open Moz’s Open Site Explorer and enter your site’s URL.

STEP 2

Under “Authority,” find your Domain Authority and Page Authority scores. 

You can also use Open Site Explorer to view your competitors’ domain authority numbers. 

Look at link quality 

There is a direct correlation between number of links and domain authority. Assuming all things are equal, the more links, the better: The number of domains linking to your site is almost as important as the total number of links. However, multiple links from the same source may seem spammy and will carry less weight than having multiple websites linking to your site and pages. 

The quality of your links is imperative. If someone who has a high domain authority links to you, that endorsement can be worth hundreds or thousands of links from less-trusted sites. On the other hand, when a blog that’s unrelated to your core topics and keywords links to you, it’s a strike against you. If that happens too many times, Google may penalize your site. 

Quick tactics for generating high-quality backlinks 

• The first step toward getting people to link to your site? Create content they want to consume. That’s really the driving force behind high-quality backlinks. Develop engaging, valuable content and then promote, promote, promote. 

• Look for opportunities to link to old content that becomes relevant again through a particular industry event or milestone. Even better, update popular content and do a more in-depth piece to garner a fresh wave of interest. 

• Internal link-building is a good way to build authority as well, so make sure your old blog posts link to new ones (and vice versa). Be sure to check your backlink profile: Is it up-to-date? If you find a broken link, reach out to whomever shared it and ask him to update it with the current URL. 

• We recommend identifying the keywords people are searching, and then building blog posts and longer-form pieces around those. You can also analyze competitor content that ranks well to discern what resonates with your market. Use Google Trends to discover topics people are actively searching. 

• An easy way to score a content win is to peek at your competitors’ broken links. Build your own posts and videos around those topics to deliver unique value in your market. 

• Creating timely content is key to boosting your exposure (which increase chances of backlinks), so look for news hooks around which you can write a blog post or pitch a guest article to an industry publication. This positions your company as an authority and creates incentives for followers and influencers to link to your site. 

• Speaking of delivering value, industry reports and studies always generate links, so publishing comprehensive guides or lists will attract serious shares. You can also ask if a site is interested in linking to your resources. As long as what you’re offering is relevant to their audience, it never hurts to inquire. 

• Landing interviews for articles, TV segments, and podcasts is great for credibility-boosting, too. Build relationships with journalists and bloggers who often interview experts for timely insights in their coverage areas.

Check for anchor text

The anchor text a website uses to link to you also matters. For example, Kualoa Ranch called DAY 33 a “data-driven marketing agency.” This is far more beneficial to us than if they linked to us as DAY 33. Why? Google will associate us more strongly with the keywords “marketing,” “agency,” and “data-driven.”

However, don’t try to game the system. If a high percentage of your links have the same anchor text (or too many have anchor text, period), Google might penalize your site. If you’re prompting partners to link to you through anchor text, ensure they use a variety of related keywords to be safe. 

Need helping finding anchor links? Use Ahrefs!

STEP 1

Open Ahrefs and input your website.

STEP 2

Click on the Anchors tab in the menu on the left side of your screen. On this page, you’ll see the anchor text, the number of referring domains, the number of do-follow links, and the number of referring pages. 

Check your branded keywords 

Check how the search results page look for your brand keywords. One way to do this is to use Ahrefs’ Advertising Research toolkit. 

STEP 1

Open Ahrefs and enter your domain into the advertising research tool.

STEP 2

Scroll down to paid search positions to find your top paid keywords. If you’re bidding on branded keywords, this is the best place to see where your ads are ranking.

See how your brand is displayed in searches 

In addition, there are a few other things you should check for in your branded searches. First, make sure your meta descriptions provide relevant information about your business to improve your click-through rates. 

Next, are your sitelinks showing up? Unfortunately, you can’t control if your sitelinks appear or not, but Google recommends that you “make sure you use anchor text and alt text that’s informative, compact, and avoids repetition.” 

Analyze social sharing activity 

Use Buzzsumo to see which articles have been shared the most on social media and analyze what type of content gets the most engagement--both yours and your competitors. 

Start by looking at engagement on specific articles. 

STEP 1

Login to Buzzsumo and go to the Content Research tab.

STEP 2

Enter your blog or website domain.

STEP 3 Sort by Total Engagements to see all of your posts with the most social media engagements. 

Analyze engagement on social media networks 

Which social media platforms drive the highest average engagement for your business? Use BuzzSumo to figure it out! Here’s how: 

STEP 1

Open BuzzSumo and navigate to the content research tab.

STEP 2

Next, click the Content Analysis tab and enter your website’s domain.

STEP 3

Finally, scroll down to find the Average Engagements by Network. This will display the social media platforms with the highest engagement.

Compare engagement by content type 

Now, it’s time to determine that type of content gets the highest average engagement. We’ll use BuzzSumo to find this information. 

STEP 1

Open BuzzSumo and navigate to the content research tab.

STEP 2

Next, click the Content Analysis tab and enter your website’s domain.

STEP 3

Finally, scroll down to find the Average Engagements by Content Type. And voila! You’ll see what types of content have earned the most engagements.

Compare engagement by content length 

Dozens of studies support the claim that content with 2000+ words often rank higher in search engines and generally perform better. But does a 2000+ word article work for your audience? Here’s how to find out: 

STEP 1

Open BuzzSumo and navigate to the content research tab.

STEP 2

Next, click the Content Analysis tab and enter your website’s domain.

STEP 3

Finally, scroll down to find the Average Engagements by Content Length. Now, you’ll be able to find out what 

Getting started with your SEO audit 

Ready to kick off your SEO audit? Here’s a checklist of all of the elements you should cover and the tools you’ll need.