Website Audit: What to Expect from Managed SEO Services

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When it comes to improving your online presence, a website audit is often the first and most crucial step. A website audit provides a comprehensive evaluation of your site’s overall health, helping to identify areas that need improvement. Managed SEO services often include detailed audits as part of their package, ensuring that your website performs optimally in search engine rankings.

In this article, we will explore what to expect from a website audit as part of managed SEO services. From identifying technical issues to improving content and optimising user experience, a thorough audit lays the foundation for a successful SEO strategy.

What is a Website Audit?

A website audit is a detailed analysis of a website’s performance. It looks into multiple aspects, including technical factors, content quality, and on-page SEO. The primary goal is to identify issues that might be hindering the site’s performance on search engines like Google.

Managed SEO services use website audits to create a roadmap for optimisation. This process can be broken down into several key categories, each playing a significant role in the overall success of your website.

Key Areas of a Website Audit

Here are the top key areas that a website audit focuses on:

Technical SEO Audit

The technical side of SEO is critical for ensuring that search engines can crawl and index your website efficiently. A technical SEO audit will examine several factors, such as:

  • Site Speed: Slow loading times can frustrate users and hurt your rankings. A website audit will measure how quickly your pages load and offer recommendations for improvement.
  • Mobile-Friendliness: With mobile traffic surpassing desktop usage, it’s essential for your website to be fully responsive. An audit will test your site’s mobile compatibility.
  • Crawlability: Search engine bots need to be able to access and crawl your site. The audit will look for any barriers that might prevent this, such as broken links or poorly structured sitemaps.

Technical issues can often be complex, but resolving them is essential for improving search engine visibility.

Read: Why Web Accessibility is Important for SEO

Content Quality Analysis

Content is at the heart of SEO. However, not just any content will do; it needs to be relevant, engaging, and optimised for your target audience. In a content audit, managed SEO services will:

  • Check for Duplicate Content: Search engines penalise duplicate content, which can negatively impact rankings. The audit will identify instances of duplicate content on your site.
  • Content Gaps: Managed SEO services will find areas where new content can be added. This is especially important for targeting long-tail keywords and answering user queries.
  • Keyword Optimisation: An audit will also examine how well your current content is optimised for targeted keywords. Recommendations will be provided for improving keyword placement and density.

Content audits help you understand what changes are needed to create more valuable, SEO-friendly material.

Learn More: Advantages Of White-Label SEO Services

On-Page SEO Analysis

On-page SEO refers to the elements on your web pages that you can directly control, such as meta tags, headings, and internal links. An on-page SEO audit will:

  • Analyse Meta Descriptions and Titles: These elements are essential for both user experience and search engine optimisation. An audit will check if they are correctly optimised and suggest improvements.
  • Check Internal Linking: Internal links help distribute page authority and guide users to important content. The audit will evaluate your internal linking structure to ensure it’s helping rather than hurting your SEO.
  • Heading Structure: A clear and logical heading structure is important for both users and search engines. Managed SEO services will make sure your headings are properly optimised for relevant keywords.

Improving on-page SEO can significantly boost your site’s ranking potential.

Find out: How To Avoid Common WordPress SEO Mistakes

User Experience (UX) Audit

Search engines value websites that provide a positive user experience. A UX audit will focus on how visitors interact with your site. This includes:

  • Navigation: A well-structured website makes it easy for users to find what they’re looking for. The audit will assess the usability of your navigation menus and links.
  • Design: The overall design should be visually appealing and functional. Auditors will evaluate the aesthetics of your website and how it impacts the user journey.
  • Calls-to-Action (CTAs): Strong CTAs guide users toward conversions. The audit will check if your CTAs are strategically placed and effective in driving engagement.

The user experience directly impacts bounce rates and time spent on your site, which are important SEO factors.

Also read: Must-Have WordPress SEO Plugins

Off-Page SEO Audit

Off-page SEO focuses on activities that happen outside of your website but still influence its performance, such as backlinking. An off-page SEO audit will:

  • Backlink Profile: Managed SEO services will assess the quality and quantity of backlinks pointing to your website. Low-quality or spammy links can harm your SEO, while high-quality backlinks can improve it.
  • Social Signals: Though not a direct ranking factor, social signals like shares and mentions indicate relevance and popularity. The audit will measure your site’s social media performance.
  • Brand Mentions: Even if your brand is mentioned without a direct link, it can impact your SEO. An audit will track these mentions and suggest strategies for leveraging them.

Off-page SEO audits help boost your site’s authority and improve its reputation across the web.

How to: Maximise Your Local SEO After Google Business Sites Shutdown

Why Website Audits Are Essential for SEO?

Website audits are the backbone of any successful SEO strategy. Without a thorough audit, it’s challenging to understand what areas of your website need improvement. Managed SEO services use these audits to create an actionable plan that will enhance your site’s performance.

Here are a few reasons why website audits are essential:

  • Identify Hidden Issues: A website audit uncovers issues you might not be aware of, such as broken links, outdated content, or missed SEO opportunities.
  • Improve Ranking Potential: By addressing the issues found in an audit, your site can achieve better rankings and attract more traffic.
  • Increase Conversions: A website that performs well in search rankings is more likely to attract engaged visitors, leading to higher conversion rates.
  • Stay Ahead of Competitors: Regular audits help keep your site competitive in an ever-changing digital landscape.

What to Expect After an Audit?

After a website audit, managed SEO services will provide you with a detailed report outlining their findings. This report will often include:

  • Actionable Recommendations: Based on the audit, specific tasks will be suggested for fixing any problems or optimising performance.
  • Priority List: The audit report will prioritise issues based on their impact on your website’s performance. For instance, resolving a technical SEO issue might be more urgent than optimising meta descriptions.
  • Long-Term Strategy: Managed SEO services will use the audit results to create a long-term SEO strategy tailored to your website’s needs.

The ultimate goal of a website audit is to provide a roadmap for ongoing SEO improvements.

Conclusion

Website audits are a fundamental part of managed SEO services. They offer a comprehensive review of your site’s health, helping to pinpoint technical, content, on-page, and off-page SEO issues. Through a detailed audit, you can enhance your website’s performance, improve user experience, and boost search engine rankings.

By understanding what to expect from a website audit, you can better prepare for the changes and improvements needed to elevate your online presence. Ultimately, audits give your site the tools it needs to thrive in an increasingly competitive digital landscape.

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