{"id":971,"date":"2020-01-08T14:38:15","date_gmt":"2020-01-08T14:38:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/?p=971"},"modified":"2020-01-15T08:22:04","modified_gmt":"2020-01-15T08:22:04","slug":"seo-site-audit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/seo-site-audit\/971\/","title":{"rendered":"SEO Site Audit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"477\" height=\"251\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/site_audit_cover-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-985\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/site_audit_cover-1.jpg 477w, https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/site_audit_cover-1-300x158.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 477px) 100vw, 477px\" \/><figcaption>seo site audit<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_40 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" area-label=\"ez-toc-toggle-icon-1\"><label for=\"item-69e2ca8545a0b\" aria-label=\"Table of Content\"><span style=\"display: flex;align-items: center;width: 35px;height: 30px;justify-content: center;direction:ltr;\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/label><input  type=\"checkbox\" id=\"item-69e2ca8545a0b\"><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/seo-site-audit\/971\/#What_is_it\" title=\"What is\nit?\">What is\nit?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/seo-site-audit\/971\/#Why_do_it\" title=\"Why do it?\">Why do it?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/seo-site-audit\/971\/#How_Long_Does_It_Take\" title=\"How Long\nDoes It Take?\">How Long\nDoes It Take?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/seo-site-audit\/971\/#How_often_Should_we_Do_SEO_Audit\" title=\"How often\nShould we Do SEO Audit?\">How often\nShould we Do SEO Audit?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/seo-site-audit\/971\/#What_Should_be_Done_During_an_SEO_Audit\" title=\"What\nShould be Done During an SEO Audit\">What\nShould be Done During an SEO Audit<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/seo-site-audit\/971\/#Analyze_Your_current_SEO_Status_and_Detect_Major_Flaws\" title=\"Analyze Your\ncurrent SEO Status and Detect Major Flaws\">Analyze Your\ncurrent SEO Status and Detect Major Flaws<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3'><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/seo-site-audit\/971\/#Why_Not_Use_Google_Analytics_-_Not_Provided_Issue\" title=\"Why Not\nUse Google Analytics? \u2013 Not Provided Issue\">Why Not\nUse Google Analytics? \u2013 Not Provided Issue<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/seo-site-audit\/971\/#Rankings\" title=\"Rankings\">Rankings<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/seo-site-audit\/971\/#Backlinks_Analysis\" title=\"Backlinks Analysis\">Backlinks Analysis<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3'><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/seo-site-audit\/971\/#Checking_for_Link_opportunities\" title=\"Checking\nfor Link opportunities\">Checking\nfor Link opportunities<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/seo-site-audit\/971\/#Finding_SEO_Issues\" title=\"Finding SEO\nIssues\">Finding SEO\nIssues<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/seo-site-audit\/971\/#Targets_Assessment\" title=\"Targets\nAssessment\">Targets\nAssessment<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3'><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/seo-site-audit\/971\/#Finding_New_Keywords\" title=\"Finding New\nKeywords\">Finding New\nKeywords<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/seo-site-audit\/971\/#Find_Keywords_That_Could_Use_Some_Love_and_Attention\" title=\"Find\nKeywords That Could Use Some Love and Attention\">Find\nKeywords That Could Use Some Love and Attention<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/seo-site-audit\/971\/#Conclusion\" title=\"Conclusion\">Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_it\"><\/span>What is\nit?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>SEO site audit is the process of reviewing a website for SEO. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The aim in SEO site audit is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol><li>Understand current SEO Status.<\/li><li>Detect major flaws.<\/li><li>Find major opportunities.<\/li><li>Create a list of action\nitems for the upcoming period.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_do_it\"><\/span>Why do it?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>SEO is the best way to get good traffic for your website. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yes, it can be hard sometimes. Harder than paid advertising. But once\nyou conquer SEO, you get steady, natural and free traffic to your website. It\nis well worth all the hard work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>SEO work is endless. So, the purpose of the SEO audit is to focus the\nupcoming efforts on the most important issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Long_Does_It_Take\"><\/span>How Long\nDoes It Take?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>SEO audit Shouldn\u2019t take more than an hour on normal sites. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our moto in the SEO audit is to follow the 80\/20 rule. We want to create\n80% of the value, which takes 20% of the time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_often_Should_we_Do_SEO_Audit\"><\/span>How often\nShould we Do SEO Audit?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I think that once a month should be good enough in most cases. But if\nyou don\u2019t do much SEO anyway, it could be less often. It all depends on how\nmuch efforts you\u2019re willing to invest in SEO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Should_be_Done_During_an_SEO_Audit\"><\/span>What\nShould be Done During an SEO Audit<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Generally, we need to create an overall assessment of our SEO status and\npinpoint the biggest opportunities. We are not going to resolve the issues we\nfind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, for example we should end up with a general picture of our progress.\nA list of 7-8 keywords that we know we should focus on in the upcoming month. A\nlist of sites that we will try to get backlinks from. Finally, 8-10 SEO issues\/errors\nthat could be easily addressed immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We can break it to simple 5 steps and divide an hour between them:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol><li>Analyze current SEO status\nand detect major flaws \u2013 15 minutes<\/li><li>Check rankings \u2013 5 minutes<\/li><li>Analyze backlinks \u2013 10 minutes<\/li><li>Find SEO Issues \u2013 15 minutes<\/li><li>Find keyword opportunites \u2013\n15 minutes<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, let\u2019s see the details\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Analyze_Your_current_SEO_Status_and_Detect_Major_Flaws\"><\/span>Analyze Your\ncurrent SEO Status and Detect Major Flaws<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The first thing we to do is open <a href=\"https:\/\/search.google.com\/search-console\/\">Google Search Console<\/a>. It\nis a great tool for SEO. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_Not_Use_Google_Analytics_-_Not_Provided_Issue\"><\/span>Why Not\nUse Google Analytics? \u2013 Not Provided Issue<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The problem with google analytics (and any other traffic monitoring\nsoftware) is that it doesn\u2019t show organic traffic anymore! <br>\nSee here<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"744\" height=\"368\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/not_provided_analytics.jpg\" alt=\"A screenshot of a cell phone\n\nDescription automatically generated\" class=\"wp-image-972\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/not_provided_analytics.jpg 744w, https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/not_provided_analytics-300x148.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 744px) 100vw, 744px\" \/><figcaption>Analytics &#8220;not provided&#8221; issue<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Most of our traffic from Google will be hidden under this \u201cnot provided\u201d\nsection. So, that is why only google search console can uncover this blurred\ninformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Google Search Console will require you to verify that you have admin rights\nfor this website. So, if you don\u2019t have such rights for the website, I\u2019ll provide\nalternatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"662\" height=\"649\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/console_coverage.jpg\" alt=\"A screenshot of a cell phone\n\nDescription automatically generated\" class=\"wp-image-973\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/console_coverage.jpg 662w, https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/console_coverage-300x294.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/console_coverage-40x40.jpg 40w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 662px) 100vw, 662px\" \/><figcaption>Google Search Console &#8211; Coverage<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>First thing to check is index coverage. If there are pages that Google\ncan not crawl, they will not show up in any Google results.<br>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"549\" height=\"697\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/performance_search_console.jpg\" alt=\"A screenshot of a cell phone\n\nDescription automatically generated\" class=\"wp-image-974\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/performance_search_console.jpg 549w, https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/performance_search_console-236x300.jpg 236w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 549px) 100vw, 549px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Next, we can look at the performance of our keywords<br>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We can filter by pages, keywords and countries to get more data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What if we don\u2019t have permissions for the Google Search Console? We will\nhave to rely on Google Analytics, which will show just some of the keywords\nfrom organic search, and we will use a rank tracking software, to get the rest\nof the data. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>SEO Ranking software can give you nice graphical overview of your SEO\nperformance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here is how it looks like in sheerseo:<br>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1002\" height=\"737\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/seo_dashboard.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-978\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/seo_dashboard.jpg 1002w, https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/seo_dashboard-300x221.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/seo_dashboard-768x565.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1002px) 100vw, 1002px\" \/><figcaption>SEO Software Dashboard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>So that could also be a nice way to view your SEO status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After we finished analyzing our SEO status, we need to go a little\nfurther with rank tracking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Rankings\"><\/span>Rankings<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Every SEO work will require some rank tracking. You must measure your\nprogress for the main keywords you focus on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rank tracking software is comfortable, and it is probably a must for\nevery SEO work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here is how the rank tracking looks like on sheerseo<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"372\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/rankings_sheerseo-1-1024x372.jpg\" alt=\"A screenshot of a cell phone\n\nDescription automatically generated\" class=\"wp-image-976\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/rankings_sheerseo-1-1024x372.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/rankings_sheerseo-1-300x109.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/rankings_sheerseo-1-768x279.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/rankings_sheerseo-1.jpg 1086w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Rank Tracking SheerSEO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Here, we can not only view the ranks for our keywords, but we can also associate\nthat data with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol><li>Latest progress. <\/li><li>SERP features \u2013 the features\nthat exist for that keyword in Google (like search snippet, knowledge panel and\nlocal results), and if our own website appears in any of those features.<\/li><li>Search volume \u2013 the amount\nof Google searches done monthly for that keyword.<\/li><li>Estimated clicks \u2013 an estimation\nof the amount of clicks the keyword will get for that keyword. Based on the\nrank and search volume.<\/li><li>Impressions &amp; Visits \u2013\nthe number of times your page was seen and clicked on Google for this keyword.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>So, you probably get the idea, how this could get you an assessment of\nyour current SEO status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Backlinks_Analysis\"><\/span>Backlinks Analysis<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Backlinks are a critical asset in SEO. They are the building block of\nGoogle\u2019s algorithm. We need to figure out where we are in that aspect if we\nwant to get any SEO results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I recommend using <a href=\"https:\/\/majestic.com\/\">MajesticSEO<\/a>. But\nother alternatives would be <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/\">ahrefs<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/moz.com\/\">moz<\/a>. All of those solutions scan all the internet\nand find backlinks. The problem with them is that they are limited in usage and\nwill cost a lot per month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another way of doing this would be to use one of the all in one SEO\nsoftwares, like sheerseo, where those will use one of the big site explorers\nmentioned above. We use MajesticSEO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, first step is to simply view your overall backlinks status. Here is\nhow it looks like in MajesticSEO<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"811\" height=\"562\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/majesticOverview.jpg\" alt=\"A screenshot of a cell phone\n\nDescription automatically generated\" class=\"wp-image-979\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/majesticOverview.jpg 811w, https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/majesticOverview-300x208.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/majesticOverview-768x532.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 811px) 100vw, 811px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Few critical things to check in terms of backlinks, during your SEO\naudit are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol><li>New backlinks \u2013 find which\nnew backlinks were added lately to your site.<\/li><li>Find dropped backlinks! \u2013\nWe want to know which backlinks dropped. Maybe we worked very hard on building\nthose backlinks, so we need to know about that and maybe, we will be able to\nrestore them.<\/li><li>Guard your most precious\nbacklinks &#8211; Some of your backlinks are critical. Those should be well guarded.\nYou might have paid for them or had an agreement for them. I suggest you use a\nspecial tool to check on those links every day. We can\u2019t afford to lose such\nlinks without knowing. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Here is how our tool checks them. We call it the\nbacklinks checker<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"767\" height=\"370\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/backlinks_checker.jpg\" alt=\"A screenshot of a cell phone\n\nDescription automatically generated\" class=\"wp-image-980\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/backlinks_checker.jpg 767w, https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/backlinks_checker-300x145.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 100vw, 767px\" \/><figcaption>Backlinks Checker &#8211; sheerseo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Checking_for_Link_opportunities\"><\/span>Checking\nfor Link opportunities<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>We need to see if there are link opportunities we can use. For that, we can\ncheck on our competitors, and see if they have some backlinks from domains we\ncan try also approaching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That can be accomplished by using one of the link explorers, or again an\nSEO software that has access to such tools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Finding_SEO_Issues\"><\/span>Finding SEO\nIssues<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There are general guidelines for SEO. Things like, using titles, H1,\nhaving enough content, and avoiding broken images and links. It is useful to\ncheck those guildelines and fix during an SEO audit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I wouldn\u2019t spend too much time on fixing all issues, because usually there\nmight be tons of them. I would rather focus on the critical stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To pinpoint your SEO issues, you should use an SEO audit software. Luckily,\nyou can find some free solutions these days. Like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.screamingfrog.co.uk\/seo-spider\/\">Screaming Frog<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/site-audit\/839\/\">sheerseo site audit<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here is how a typical screen will look like on your SEO audit<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"898\" height=\"701\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/auditIssues.jpg\" alt=\"A screenshot of a cell phone\n\nDescription automatically generated\" class=\"wp-image-981\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/auditIssues.jpg 898w, https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/auditIssues-300x234.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/auditIssues-768x600.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 898px) 100vw, 898px\" \/><figcaption>SEO Audit Issues<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>As you can see, our own website has 336 SEO issues. It is critical that\nyou can find the critical stuff and focus on that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Targets_Assessment\"><\/span>Targets\nAssessment<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>OK, at this point of the SEO site audit, we know where we are, and we\nmanaged to find some issues that needs fixing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, as the final part of the SEO audit, you should focus on building\nyour keyword target list. This is because on every moment, you need to have a keyword\nlist, that you are going to target in the next period. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Depending on the time you can devote to SEO, it could be just 3-4\nkeywords, or 20. You should plan carefully on which keywords you want to spend\nyour resources on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those keywords could be either new keywords or existing keywords that\nneed more love and attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Finding_New_Keywords\"><\/span>Finding New\nKeywords<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Three ways you can find new keywords:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"813\" height=\"627\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/competitor_keywords.jpg\" alt=\"A screenshot of a cell phone\n\nDescription automatically generated\" class=\"wp-image-982\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/competitor_keywords.jpg 813w, https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/competitor_keywords-300x231.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/competitor_keywords-768x592.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 813px) 100vw, 813px\" \/><figcaption>Competitor Keywords<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ol><li>From your competitors. Check\na competitor and see where he gets his traffic from. Here is an example from\nour Keyword explorer<br>\n&nbsp;<br>\nYou should make sure you choose the keywords that provide enough traffic but are\nalso not too hard to rank for.<\/li><li>Find keyword suggestions\nfor a given keyword. You start with a given keyword and find keywords that\ncontain that keyword, or words from that keyword.<\/li><li>Use <a href=\"https:\/\/ads.google.com\/home\/tools\/keyword-planner\/\">Google Keyword\nplanner<\/a> to get suggestions. Note that you\u2019ll need a paying Adwords account\nto be able to use it properly.<br>\n<br>\n<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Find_Keywords_That_Could_Use_Some_Love_and_Attention\"><\/span>Find\nKeywords That Could Use Some Love and Attention<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You can watch your rankings and find the keywords that are now ranked\n11-20 (second page) and pick some of them. With little changes in either\ncontent or another backlink, even from your own site, you might be able to get\nthem up to page one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, where should you maintain your SEO targets? Your head might be a\ngood answer. But if you are like me, you better write it somewhere. We provide a\nfeature we call \u201cOptimization Targets\u201d, where we manage all those targeted keywords.\n<br>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"886\" height=\"433\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/seo_targets.jpg\" alt=\"A screenshot of a cell phone\n\nDescription automatically generated\" class=\"wp-image-983\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/seo_targets.jpg 886w, https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/seo_targets-300x147.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/seo_targets-768x375.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 886px) 100vw, 886px\" \/><figcaption>Optimization Targets<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>We show some more useful information next to each target keyword, like\nits\u2019 current ranking and some metrics regarding the On-Page SEO and Off-Page\nSEO for that page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span>Conclusion<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We should do SEO site audit every month or so. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It should not take more than an hour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It should:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Give us an overall status\nof our SEO.<\/li><li>Find major flaws like\nerrors and site coverage.<\/li><li>Assess keyword rank status.<\/li><li>Provide backlink analysis.<\/li><li>Spot critical SEO issues.<\/li><li>Update SEO targets, so we\nhave action items for our next period.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Hope this helps<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is it? SEO site audit is the process of reviewing a website for SEO. The aim in SEO site audit is: Understand current SEO Status. Detect major flaws. Find major opportunities. Create a list of action items for the upcoming period. Why do it? SEO is the best way to get good traffic for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":984,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[20,49,51],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/971"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=971"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/971\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":986,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/971\/revisions\/986"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=971"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=971"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sheerseo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=971"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}