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Sep 2, 2024
If your website isn’t ranking as well as it could be on Google, underlying SEO issues might be the cause. Conducting a comprehensive SEO audit can help uncover these problems and provide actionable steps to boost your search rankings and increase organic traffic. Follow this 11-step guide to conduct an effective SEO audit and improve your site’s performance.
Begin by running a detailed crawl of your website to uncover SEO issues like broken links, duplicate content, or missing meta tags. Tools like Ahrefs Site Audit and Screaming Frog SEO Spider are great for scanning your site and highlighting critical problems. Focus first on fixing high-impact errors that directly affect user experience and search engine visibility.
To get started, install your preferred site crawler tool and run a comprehensive scan. Review the crawl report for critical issues, such as 404 errors and duplicated content, then prioritize fixing these errors to enhance your site's performance in search results.
Regularly monitoring your website’s traffic patterns can help you detect significant drops, often coinciding with Google algorithm updates. Use Google Analytics and Ahrefs Site Explorer to analyze traffic data over time and identify potential causes for these declines.
When you spot a traffic drop, align it with the timeline of Google updates to determine which areas may need improvement, such as content relevance or backlink profiles. Adjust your SEO strategy accordingly to recover lost traffic and stay competitive.
RELATED: Use Analytics With Your Site
Duplicate content issues can arise when your website is accessible through multiple URL versions (e.g., http://, https://, www, non-www). To avoid this, ensure all versions redirect to a single, secure URL. This consolidation prevents the dilution of link equity and ensures that Google sees only one version of your site.
Use the Ahrefs SEO Toolbar or Redirect Path browser extension to check if all URL versions correctly redirect to the preferred one. If not, set up 301 redirects to guide users and search engines to the correct version.
For your pages to rank, they must be indexed by Google. Check for any pages mistakenly tagged with "noindex" or other errors that prevent indexing. Utilize Google Search Console to identify these issues and adjust the settings to ensure all important pages are indexed.
Start by accessing the "Coverage" report in Google Search Console and reviewing the list of "noindex" pages. Remove or modify the noindex tags from pages that need to be indexed to enhance their visibility in search results.
RELATED: Google Page Indexing Report
With most users accessing websites from mobile devices, ensuring your site is mobile-friendly is essential for SEO. Run your site through Lighthouse, formerly Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool, to identify any mobile usability issues that could hinder rankings.
If your site isn't optimized for mobile, consider implementing a responsive design, compressing images, and streamlining navigation to improve the mobile user experience. Regular testing across different devices ensures consistent performance.
Core Web Vitals are a set of metrics that Google uses to assess user experience, focusing on page load speed, interactivity, and visual stability. Enhancing these metrics involves optimizing images, reducing server response times, and minimizing CSS and JavaScript.
Tools like Google Search Console (for Core Web Vitals report) and PageSpeed Insights provide valuable insights and specific recommendations for optimization. Prioritize fixes that have the most significant impact on user experience and search performance.
Broken links frustrate users and waste valuable SEO potential by failing to pass on link equity. Use tools like Ahrefs Site Explorer or Broken Link Checker to identify broken links and set up 301 redirects to relevant pages. This step helps retain the SEO value of existing backlinks and improves user experience.
Regularly auditing your site for broken links and fixing them promptly can maintain site authority and enhance both user and search engine experience.
A well-structured sitemap is crucial for efficient site crawling and indexing by search engines. Ensure your sitemap only includes essential pages and excludes redirects, non-canonicals, and 404 errors. Use Google Search Console to submit and monitor your sitemap for issues.
Ensure that your sitemap is always up-to-date and reflects the latest site structure. Regularly review and adjust your sitemap to keep it optimized for search engines.
RELATED: How To Create a Site Map
Every indexable page should have unique and optimized on-page elements like title tags, meta descriptions, and H1 tags. These elements help search engines understand your content and attract clicks from search results. To streamline this process, consider using plugins like Yoast SEO or All in One SEO Pack for WordPress.
Ensure that all essential pages have compelling title tags and meta descriptions to improve click-through rates and overall visibility in search results.
Over time, content can become outdated and lose effectiveness in driving traffic. To maintain relevance, regularly review and update your content with the latest information, insights, and statistics. This practice not only boosts rankings but also enhances user engagement.
Identify content with declining traffic using Google Search Console and prioritize updates to revitalize its performance in search results.
RELATED: New Content vs. Optimized Content: Which Is Better for SEO?
Content gaps occur when competitors rank for keywords you don’t. Utilize tools like Ahrefs Content Gap, SEMrush, or Moz Keyword Explorer to find these gaps and create new content to fill them. Addressing content gaps helps you capture additional search traffic and expand your keyword coverage.
Identify the most valuable content gaps and develop high-quality content that targets these opportunities to boost your site's search performance.
A thorough SEO audit is key to uncovering hidden issues and opportunities that could impact your website’s performance. Following these 11 steps can optimize your site, enhance user experience, and achieve better Google rankings.
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