Should you get a Website Audit?
When was the last time you took a closer look at your website? For many business owners, limited resources have only provided a quick, surface-level inspection. Making updates to the contact page isn’t enough. Adding a new service won’t suddenly make your website appear higher during an online search.
If you’re only guessing on ways to improve your website rankings during free online searches, you’re wasting time and money. Have you considered an audit?
Take a deep breath. We’re talking about a search engine optimization (SEO) audit. Working with a consultant, an SEO audit gives you a closer look at the many levels of your website. An SEO consultant will point out strengths and weaknesses, provide suggestions, and create action steps to make changes quickly.
Don’t Be Afraid of a Website Audit
An audit can sound intimidating, but this inspection has one goal: to help a company’s website perform better during organic, free online searches. Through an SEO audit, a consultant identifies areas that are hurting a company’s website and influencing how it ranks on search engines. They often use specialized tools.
The only thing to fear is an under-performing website. Here are some reasons to consider an audit:
Out-of-touch content
A customer’s needs can change, and this includes the keywords they use during an online search. If the content on your website doesn’t reflect current customer needs, call an SEO consultant.
Dead-end links
If website links are broken, it can look like your website is poorly managed or outdated. Examples include links throughout your website, links that go to an external website, and links that go from an external website directly to your own.
Insecure connection
Customers want to feel safe when visiting your website. This isn’t just for websites with sensitive information or financial transactions. Websites with a secure connection make browsing more appealing to customers.
Extended loading times
No one likes to wait for a page to load. This is especially true when a competitor offers the same information in a faster way. Slower page loads are picked up by search engines, placing a website lower in the search results.
Not mobile-friendly
Customers no longer rely on a laptop or desktop to search online. Instead, they’re using mobile devices. Website designers must consider ways to make this experience better for users.
Traffic jam
If it seems like your company’s website traffic has come to a stop or has slowed down, consider an SEO audit. Some of the causes could be a recent redesign, rebranding, or technical issues.
Too much tech
Everything in moderation, right? If your website has too much technology, including active or inactive plugins, you have technical debt. Unfortunately, this technology overload can impact how browsers perceive your website.
Content copy
If your website is saying the same thing in multiple places, this can lead to a reason to worry about over indexation. This makes it more difficult for users to find you during an online search.
Rule-breaker
Google has webmaster guidelines, and they are provided for a reason. When a webmaster skips out on this advice, they’re hurting their website’s visibility.
Invisible content
If the content isn’t present in a search engine’s index, your customers won’t find what they need. If you have blocked or hidden content, it’s time for an audit.
Chances are if you’ve landed here, your website needs an audit. Our team of experts in making SEO friendly websites and increasing revenue with them, can do the same for your website. Give us a call today and we’ll get you back on track in no time.
Give your website an annual check-up
We recommend that you receive an SEO audit of your website at least once a year. This could increase depending on your business. Staying ahead of potential problems will save you time and money. Many SEO problems have quick solutions.
Consider an annual audit if:
- Your company’s website requires frequent content updates
- Your company’s website code can change often
- Your competitors are online and making changes, too
- More than one person can make changes to your website
Know your strengths and weaknesses
There is tremendous value in knowing the strengths and weaknesses of your company’s website. For the things that are helping your ranking on search results pages, continue the great work. We’re here to provide the data to support this decision. On the contrary, we can also point out the problems that are putting you below your competitors.
Benefits of an SEO audit:
Identify
We identify the things that are hurting your website’s performance. This includes technical problems or content that is no longer helpful for your customers. We also help you identify ways to create a sustainable revenue stream.
Improve
We help you improve the user experience. Accessibility is a part of this improvement. We also help with page loading times, broken links, and more.
Increase
We increase your ranking during online searches, the amount of organic search traffic going to your website, and conversion rates. We also increase your understanding of search engines and how they view your website.
Fix your issues
Receiving a list of problems with your website can be overwhelming, so where should you start? An SEO consultant is trained to not only list areas that need improvement but also provide clear and actionable solutions.
The team at Elevated Web Solutions will provide you with performance recommendations and SEO recommendations. With years of expertise, we will rank areas based on their level of priority. Some website issues may need attention right away. Other issues provide your company with additional time to process and create a timeline for a solution.
Whether it’s a quick fix or a more detailed process for a solution, we’re here to help. Here is an abbreviated list of items we will include during the SEO audit:
Domains and subdomains
URLs and redirects
404 page
Indexing issues
Crawl issues
HTML and XML sitemaps
Navigation and file structure
Keywords
Page titles and meta tags
Under-optimized pages
Analytics and conversions
Local targeting and international targeting
Image optimization and digital assets
Blog optimization
Social media indicators
Consider SEO tools wisely
We would love to perform an SEO audit for your company’s website, but we also know that various free and paid SEO audit tools are now available. Our biggest recommendation is to consider that an SEO consultant has the experience and intuition that differs from a tool.
Examples of free SEO audit tools:
- Google Search Console
- Google Analytics
- Bing Webmaster Tools
- Chrome Developer Tools
Examples of paid SEO audit tools:
- MOZ
- PitchBox
- Ahrefs
- Content King
Tools can identify the things that are bringing your website lower down the search results page. However, they miss the personal touch needed to provide a one-of-a-kind plan for your company’s website. Tools provide the data that can guide you in making the changes. People create plans for how to best use this information.
Is it time for your website’s checkup? Contact Elevated Web Solutions to learn more. See how you can land at the top of the search results page for your next customer.
