The word audit may not be exciting, but it is something that every website owner must do at some point if they want to grow their business online. That’s because it’s a basic SEO technique that can improve the overall user experience and performance of your site. And isn’t that what you want? A better chance of appearing in search engines, with the people who arrive on your site enjoying their experience? You want to improve your chances of being found in search engines while also making sure that the people who visit your site have a good experience. With that in mind, the only question left is how do you do a website audit? That’s the purpose of this guide, which goes through the 11 important steps of performing a website audit to help improve many aspects of your website. This guide will take you through 11 steps to perform a website audit, and help you improve your website in many ways. Let’s get stuck in!
A website audit is similar to a health check for your site. It’s a comprehensive review that assesses how well your website is performing in search engine optimization (SEO) and user experience (UX). Think of it as a diagnostic tool that is designed to uncover hidden issues that impact your site’s visibility and user-friendliness.
A website audit is designed to highlight areas that can be improved so that your website is running at full throttle. Let’s take a look at how you can do just that. Here’s how you can achieve this.
1) Define Your Website Audit Goals
Before getting your website audit underway, set clear, specific goals. Why are you auditing your website? Are you auditing your website to improve SEO and get higher rankings in search engines? Is it for increased conversion rates or to ensure your site’s mobile-friendliness? Maybe it’s a combination of all three. As a small-business owner, it is important to ensure that your goals are tailored to your specific needs. There’s no point in doing an audit if you’re not sure what you’re hoping to gain from it. By pinpointing what you want to achieve, you can focus your efforts more effectively and make your audit a strategic tool to elevate your online presence instead of a simple tick-box exercise.
2) Gather Your Tools and Resources
Now that you’ve figured out your audit goals, it’s time to get the tools you need to figure out what you need to audit. Google Analytics and Google Search Console will give you the most up-to-date information on your site traffic, user behavior and search results. But don’t stop here. You can boost your audit by using powerful tools like SEMrush and Ahrefs. These tools can be viewed as your personal website trainer, spotting any SEO mistakes, broken links and UX issues. Set up free Google Analytics and Search Console accounts and integrate them into your website. As for SEMrush or Ahrefs, pick one that aligns with your goals and budget. Once these tools have been set up, they’ll act as the audit’s guiding stars, pointing you towards real and impactful improvements. Many software tools offer free trials that allow you to try them out before committing.
3) Collaborate With Your Team
There’s no need to audit your website alone. In fact, bringing in a team can help untangle the technical and SEO intricacies of a website. Two (or more) sets of eyes can be better than one, whether they are seasoned professionals or members of your own team. Incorporating more people also means that everyone is on the exact same page when it comes to giving your website a once-over that will help it perform at a high level.
4) Content Audit
Sifting through content for a website audit is like sorting your wardrobe. You need to determine what works, what doesn’t, and what you’re missing. Start by mapping your content. Are there topics your competitors are covering that you’re missing? Perhaps there are questions that customers have not been answered. These gaps are golden opportunities to provide value that your competitors may be missing. Now, take a closer look at your existing content. Is it up-to-date, relevant, and engaging? Old, outdated content can be a big turn-off for visitors and search engines alike. Give your content a fresh look – a “new coat of paint” if you like – to make it more appealing and relevant. Double-check your website for duplicate content. Search engines aren’t fans of duplicate content. For them, it’s like wearing the same outfit to every party. Unique, original content is key to standing out in the crowd and boosting your SEO.
5) Technical Audit
Technical audits are like an MOT for your website. They check that everything is running smoothly under the hood. Start with a page-speed check. Slow pages are similar to long queues in a store, and no one enjoys waiting. Slow loading times can also cause visitors to leave your site, resulting in you losing valuable traffic. Tools like Google’s PageSpeed Insights are a great tool to use for this. It will give you insights into how quickly your content appears on your website. Next, go over your SEO once more. Are your title tags and meta descriptions up to date? Tools like Moz and Yoast SEO can detect any errors. It’s also important to search for any broken links or 404 errors. A tool like Broken Link Checker can help you find these. Don’t forget your mobile users. With more than 55% of people browsing on their phones, making sure your site is mobile-friendly is essential. Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test can help you determine how well your website is designed for mobile users. Regularly check for crawl errors in Google Search Console to ensure your website is easy for search engines to navigate.
6) User Experience (UX) Audit
A UX audit is about walking in your visitors’ footsteps. Start with navigation. Is it easy to navigate your site, or does it feel more like a maze when you do? Tools like Hotjar can help you see how visitors interact with your site and give you vital feedback about usability. Make sure fonts, colors, and layouts are easy to read. Don’t forget the CTAs. They should stand out to encourage users to take action, whether that’s making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or registering an interest. Test different designs and placements and see what attracts the eye and encourages users to click. A UX audit isn’t just about making your website look pretty. It’s about creating an intuitive, welcoming space that visitors will love to explore.
7) On-Page SEO Audit
The goal is to get your website featured on search engines. Start with your title tags, which should be engaging, concise, and descriptive of what the user is about to click on. Use H1, H2, and H3s to structure your content as a well-planned narrative, making it easier for users and search engines to follow. The blurb is a meta-description, which gives people a concise and short summary of what they are about to read. Don’t overlook alt text for images. Not only is it SEO-friendly, but it also acts as a description for visuals, helping visitors with visual impairments. You should also pay attention to internal linking. It helps you lay down breadcrumbs that will help visitors navigate your site and move seamlessly from one content piece to another. Keep your URLs descriptive and neat, so they’re easy-to-understand at a glance.
8) Off-Page SEO Audit
Off-page audits are different from on-site audits in that they require you to look beyond the website and into the wider web. Focus on your backlinks first. These are like digital endorsements by other sites. And the higher the domain authority of these sites, the better. You can use tools such as Ahrefs and Majestic to analyze both the quality and quantity of these links. Check out your social media presence. Nowadays, this is an area you can’t afford to neglect. It’s essentially your website’s megaphone, amplifying all of your content across the web. Keep an eye on your online reputation and what customers say about you. If your competitors are doing better than you, take notes and see where you can get ahead.
9) Track Analytics and Metrics
This data lets you know what’s working and what isn’t. Start by monitoring your website traffic and seeing who is visiting. Bounce rate is a key metric that you should monitor. The average bounce rate for an ecommerce business is between 20% and 45%. Anything higher than this means that visitors aren’t getting the most out of your website.
10) Implement Changes
After spending all that time auditing and improving your website, it’s now time to test the changes. The first step is to implement technical fixes such as speeding your website up and removing annoying bugs. It is also important to update content so that it meets the latest requirements of search engines. It’s also a good time to improve elements like title tags or backlinks. Above all else, it’s crucial to ensure that your content is engaging.
11) Monitoring and Ongoing Maintenance
Your website audit won’t be a one-time deal. Regular audits will help you stay on top of the situation, ensuring that your website receives a routine check-up. Track your progress regularly to celebrate your successes and make adjustments where necessary. It’s important to stay up-to-date with industry trends, as things are always changing and you have to keep up. Be ready to adapt as search engine algorithms change. Ongoing maintenance keeps your website growing and evolving.
Performing a thorough website audit will improve your site’s user experience and SEO. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can ensure that your site is up to par with the rest of the world.