When we hear “audit” our minds default to serious men in suits inspecting our books. It’s a nerve-wracking thought and leaves very little to be desired.
However, not all audits are created equally – especially when it comes to your website.
In fact, a site audit is a GREAT THING and has heaps of SEO benefits if done correctly. Maybe you’ve heard the term “site audit” before, but have been put off by its technical sounding wishy-washiness. Don’t be.
Simply put, a site audit is a way to analyse what has been done on your website. It tells us the good and the bad. But, most importantly, it highlights what we need to fix in order to better align your website with page one success on Google.
With that all said and done, let’s check it out.
How exactly do you benefit from this peculiar practice we know very little about?
1 Fixes Your Foundations So You Build Better
Do you remember the childhood classic The Wise Man Built His House Upon The Rock? If not, then I’m a lot older than I thought (sorry, young millennials). If you remember it, your childhood was awesome and I’m sorry if you’re gesturing rain falling down.
The moral of the song is this: If you build your house on the rock, you’ll withstand the storms. Build it on the sand and you’ll be washed away with the first sign of rain.
The same is true for your website. Site audits red flag the sandy bits in your foundations, while providing actionable ways to improve them. It’s all about stepping back and seeing what has been done instead of adding that extra room to your house built on soft sand.
Example: Is your site loading as fast as a snail moves? A site audit will tell you what is causing the issue – maybe it’s your unoptimised images, code, or both. By fixing our mistakes, we know what we need to do going forward.
2 Makes Sure You’re Actually On Google’s Radar
Your site is live and you’re producing great content, but you’re still not showing up anywhere online. Imagine your disappointment when you learn that the search engines don’t even know about you. Brilliant content and links mean nothing if Google doesn’t have you on their list.
I know what you’re thinking: “I have a published website. How could Google possibly not know about me?”
The answer is a lot more complicated than you might think and depends heavily on indexing issues listed below:
- Your site is being blocked without you even knowing (robot.txt)
- You do not have an up-to-date sitemap.xml submitted
- You have too many broken links you didn’t know you had to fix
If you have any indexing issues, a site audit will make them stick out like a red flag on a sandy white beach.
3 Improves Your Search Engine Rankings
“I want to be on the second page of Google” said no one EVER.
It’s a bloodbath and we’re all fighting for that first page. Many people still think keywords and backlinks are the only way to get that sweet little number one spot.
Nope. Not good enough.
Google is all about the user now and wants to provide them with the best experience. Old tactics like keyword stuffing and buying links will cause your site to get a smack on the wrist and possibly banished from the Google-sphere.
Site audits look at user factors like page load speed, mobile friendliness and metadata. If we can fix these small things, we can appeal to a larger audience and render much better Google results.
The bottom line is this.
A site audit is a must for any growing business and is essential for a robust SEO strategy. Be the wise man and fix those foundations. Do it yourself or find a professional SEO team to help you plot out actionable steps to future proof your house for those rainy days.
