A Quick Guide to an SEO Audit Package
Business owners wanting to improve their website and reach more customers online find website and SEO audits incredibly helpful to meet those ends. However, sifting through all the audit information can be challenging if you aren’t sure what you are looking at.
Here to help you out is our basic SEO audit guide! Within it you’ll find key metrics to pay attention to after receiving your audit score and why they matter so much for your website.
Keywords
To reach customers searching for your products and services online, ranking keywords are one important metric to consider. These are the words that are used in Google searches. The keywords you have on your website will determine the kind of audience you will get. A good website is one that can speak the same language as its customers.
As part of an effective SEO website audit, you will receive keyword analytics with which you can make a proper keyword list to use and update regularly. Carefully review which keywords customers use frequently, which ones have a high click-through rate, which ones you are ranking higher for, and which you could improve in ranking.
For example, see if you could rank higher for long-tail keywords with low competition and a more specific audience. (Read more about long-tail keywords here.) Pairing these keywords with good content on your website is a big help in increasing the traffic you get.
Organic Traffic
As the name suggests, organic traffic is the number of people who visit your website organically, that is to say without the use of paid advertising. Instead, these viewers discover your website naturally through search engines like Google.
Organic traffic gets people who are not familiar with your website to discover it for themselves. When it appears on a Google search, it is like Google saying that they find your website relevant to the consumer’s search. The more relevant your site is for searches, the better organic traffic it will see.
To get the most bang for your buck and improve your organic traffic metrics, you need to make sure your website is at the top of the search results. This can be done by implementing good keywords and phrases to your website’s content that search engines filter to make your website appear more often and higher on the list.
Domain Score
Domain Authority (D.A.) is a score that shows how well your website will rank in a search engine on a scale of 1 to 100 with higher scores being ranked as more influential. Think of it as your website’s reputation online.
This offers you a metric to judge how competitive your website is and if the strategies you are using are working. Many components are taken into account when calculating your domain score. Things like root domains and the number of inbound links to your website are such factors when making this score. Improving organic traffic is another way to improve your domain score as Google ranks your website’s score based on your total traffic as one factor. This means sites like Wikipedia which boast many high-quality inbound links will rank higher than websites with few or none.
Backlinks
This leads us to backlinks, also known as “inbound links” or “incoming links.” These are links posted on a website that bring people to another website.
The backlink metrics in your website audit score reflect the number of links posted on other websites such as Facebook or Wikipedia that connect users back to your website. Backlinks are important contributors to the success of your website. Not only do these links lead people to your website, but they also indicate of the popularity and relevancy of your website given how many websites link people back to you.
Additionally, one of Google’s criteria in its search engine rankings is the number of quality backlinks a website has. Keep in mind that these need to be quality backlinks, meaning that inbound links on websites related to your content will rank higher than those that do not.
Page Loading Speed
In the digital age, people have gotten accustomed to getting what they need in the blink of an eye. This is no different with the rise of the Internet where people now shop, make reservations, and even pay their bills. As a result, the speed of your website plays a key role in your its success.
Like the other metrics mentioned above, page speed is one of the factors that Google considers when ranking pages for their algorithms. But not only that, most people simply do not have the patience to wait for pages to load for very long. If you want to keep your customer’s attention, then practices such as compressing files, optimizing codes, and reducing redirects are the way to go.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, there are many metrics and factors to take into account when planning the future of your website. It may seem overwhelming at times, but have no fear. Many companies like Local 360 Media are more than happy to lend their services and work with you to ensure that your website is at the top of its game.
