How to do the most simple but effective SEO audit ever
This post is a part of our digital audits series – a closer look at what it takes to improve your digital strategy.
Your website should be the heart of your organization’s digital strategy. This is the hub where your audience can actually convert (a.k.a. complete actions that further your objectives).
But how can you get your audience to convert if no one can even find your site?
If your SEO strategy is weak, overlooked or outdated, you need an SEO audit ASAP. Keep reading to discover how to improve your SEO strategy today.
How do you rank?
When you Google your organization’s keywords, where do you rank on the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs)? If you’re not on the first page, you need SEO help – and you need it now. Start by optimizing for the right keywords, improving your page speed, publishing more relevant content (like blog posts), and ensuring your site is mobile-friendly. If that doesn’t help, it’s time to reach out to an expert.
What are your competitors up to?
In order to beat your competitors, it’s important to understand what makes them successful in the first place. Tools like SEMrush will help you discover how high your biggest competitors rank for relevant keywords – so you can put in the work to overtake them.
It’s also helpful to know which high search volume keywords haven’t been targeted by your competitors. Update existing content by adding those terms, create new content, and make sure to start using your new keywords in your social media posts.
Keyword optimization basics
Identify the keywords that will bring you the best traffic – traffic that is relevant and likely to convert. From there, be sure to include those keywords in your content, and structure your content appropriately. That means using proper heading structures (i.e. H1, H2, etc.), chunked up content (e.g. short paragraphs, bulleted lists), lots of content (lengthier web pages rank better), and multimedia (i.e. images, charts, videos, etc.).
Make sure your best keywords are present throughout your content, but be judicious. Don’t stuff those keywords anywhere and everywhere. Once in the main heading and a couple more times throughout the rest of a page should suffice. Remember – humans will be reading your content too, so make sure it makes sense!
Don’t overlook the importance of alt-text
When uploading photos to your site, make sure to include relevant keywords in the “alt-text” section. Moz, a leading marketing analytics software service, explains the reason behind the alt-text: “Search crawlers still can’t ‘see’ the images on a website page like we can, so it’s not wise to leave the interpretation solely in their hands. If they don’t understand, or get it wrong, it’s possible you could either rank for unintended keywords or miss out on ranking altogether.”
If you’ve been skipping out on alt-text, try updating your site’s photos to include it.
Get back to basics with your metadata
Metadata isn’t always visible to your website’s visitors, but can all the difference to search engines. Meta tags help search crawlers understand the content on your webpages, like page titles and descriptions. Make sure to include your keywords in both!
Keep in mind that not all metadata is useful; sticking with the basics will keep web browsers happy.
Cross-link your way up the SERPs
Linking between the pages of your own website is known as cross-linking. This helps to create the right context for search engines, and distributes ranking authority among your pages. Usefulness and relevance are Google’s top priorities; providing your visitors with helpful links to other resources and content on your website will land you in Google’s good books.
Go get those back-links
When other sites link to your site, you’ve earned yourself a back-link. Congrats! Back-links prove that your content is useful and relevant (just how Google likes it) as other websites are effectively “voting” for your content. To build back-links, write some killer blog posts, and maybe even try guest posting or influencer marketing.
SEO is super complicated stuff – if you can’t quite wrap your head around it, you’re not alone. Enlist in the help of an expert team so your organization can climb to the top of the SERPs!