A Guide to Search Engine Optimization
What is an SEO audit? Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the procedure of enhancing the quantity and quality of site visitors to a web site or a particular web page by search engines. SEO targets mainly unpaid visitors rather than paid visitors or direct traffic. The primary aim of an SEO audit is to understand and analyze the various web site elements, such as content, architecture, tags, keywords, backlinks, search terms, Meta tags, site maps, internal linking structures and other relevant factors that are used for the efficient performance of the site. The results of such audit can indicate areas of improvement for improving the volume and quality of site traffic as well as identifying any problems areas that should be improved upon.
How a SEO audit works SEO audits generally begin with the identification of the keywords or key phrases that are being used in the content. This research is carried out by the client prior to starting the audit work. The keywords or key phrases should be used as the basis of the content as it is more meaningful and relevant to the purpose of the web pages. The SEO auditor then goes through this research to identify and document the presence or absence of these keywords or key phrases within the source code of the pages. After this initial work the audit progresses by checking the ranking of each page based on the keyword or key phrase used in the page content, links from other sites, the structure of the web pages and other relevant parameters.
SEO audits are used by companies to identify gaps in their service which may affect their rankings in search results. This enables them to take remedial measures for addressing these issues before their negative effects become evident. An effective SEO audit tool should include both technical aspects as well as non-technical aspects such as monitoring and reporting of the progress of the audits. This will enable the company to track its progress towards achieving its goal of achieving higher rankings in search results.