The Basics of an SEO Audit and Why It Matters

Imagine you’re throwing a party, and you want people to come.

You have everything set up – food, drinks, and decorations.

But there’s one problem.

Nobody knows about your party, and you’re standing there with a whole lot of white claws in a cooler and no one to drink them.

Now think of your website as the party you are throwing. You have everything set up, all of your links work, and you have outstanding copy (ahem – because you hired a rockstar copywriter), but no one knows your website exists.

That’s where SEO comes in!

What is SEO?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. In simple terms, SEO is the practice of optimizing a website to increase the quality and quantity of traffic to the site from search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo.

People who search for information or products online usually turn to search engines. And SEO is all about ensuring your website is visible and relevant to these search engine users so they’re more likely to find and click on your site.

So to continue your party analogy…

Just like you want people to know about your awesome party with all those white claws, you want search engines like Google to know about your website so they can show it to people who search for what you offer.

To do that, you must ensure your website is optimized for search engines. This means things like having good content that people actually want to read, using keywords that people are searching for, and making sure your website is structured in a way that makes it easy for search engines to understand.

Once you’ve optimized your website for search engines, it’s like sending out invitations to your party. People will find your website more quickly, and you’ll get more traffic and visitors. And just like a good party, a well-optimized website can lead to happier customers.

SEO is like sending out invitations to your website, so people can find it easily and have a great time (i.e., become a happy customer) – so somehow, I made that analogy connect – cheers!

Search Engine Algorithms Explained

Before we get into why SEO audits are important, we have to address the elephant in the room – search engine algorithms.

In simple terms, a search engine algorithm is a set of rules or instructions that a search engine like Google uses to determine which web pages to show in response to a user’s search query.

It seems easy enough, but these algorithms change literally every day, multiple times per day.

So, it’s time for another analogy.

I like to think of search engine algorithms as the secret ingredient to your favorite dish. Like how you add your secret ingredient to make your dish taste amazing, search engines have their own secret recipe to ensure they serve up the most relevant search results to users.

When you type a search query into Google, the search engine algorithm kicks in and starts analyzing millions of web pages to find the best one to show you. It looks at things like the content on the page, how often the page is updated, the website’s authority, and the user’s location to figure out what web pages will be the most helpful and relevant.

But just like how you might tweak your favorite recipe, search engines are constantly updating their algorithms to provide even better search results. They might add new ingredients to their recipe, like prioritizing mobile-friendly websites or fact-checking content.

To optimize your website for search engine algorithms, it’s like making sure your recipe has all the right ingredients and is prepared just the way you like it. You want to make sure your website has high-quality content, relevant keywords, and a well-structured design, all of which will help the search engine algorithm recognize your website as valuable and relevant to users.

The Basics of an SEO Audit

If you’re ready to gain a better understanding of how well your website is performing in search engine rankings and what you can do to improve it, then an SEO audit is the best place to start.

What is an SEO audit?

An SEO audit is like a check-up for your website’s health and well-being.

During an SEO audit, we take a deep dive into your website to see how well it’s performing and identify any issues that might be holding it back. We look at things like your website’s content, structure, and keywords, as well as your site’s ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs).

By conducting an SEO audit, you can find out what’s working well on your website and what needs improvements. It’s like getting a complete report card for your website and making sure it’s getting the best care and maintenance possible!

Why are SEO audits important?

SEO audits are important for several reasons. An SEO audit can help you:

Identify issues: SEO audits help to identify issues that may be hurting a website’s search engine rankings. These issues could include technical issues, content quality, or keyword targeting.
Improve rankings: By identifying and addressing issues, SEO audits can help improve your website’s rankings. And better rankings can mean more traffic, which can lead to more leads, sales, and conversions.
Stay up-to-date: SEO algorithms and best practices are constantly evolving. An SEO audit can help ensure that a website is following the latest SEO best practices and is not at risk of being penalized by search engines.
Gain a competitive advantage: By analyzing competitors and identifying areas of opportunity, an SEO audit can provide insights and strategies to help a website gain a competitive advantage.
Improve your ROI: SEO audits can help businesses prioritize their SEO efforts and allocate resources more effectively.

SEO audits can provide you with valuable insights and recommendations for how to improve your website’s rankings. And ultimately, this can lead to increased visibility, traffic, and revenue.

What is included in an SEO audit?

An SEO audit analyzes the following areas of your website:

Site structure
Keywords
Content analysis
Technical SEO, including site speed and mobile friendliness
On-page SEO, including tags, meta descriptions, and headers
Off-page SEO, including backlinks
Competitor analysis

After an SEO audit is completed, you’ll receive a report of the findings, identifying areas for improvement along with actionable recommendations.

How often should you do a website SEO audit?

Hang onto your hats, I have another analogy. (I’m full of them!)

Think of your website like your car – it needs regular check-ups to make sure it’s running smoothly, right? Well, an SEO audit is like taking your website to the mechanic for a tune-up.

Just like your car, your website needs an SEO audit to make sure everything is working as it should, including its structure, content, and technical setup.

How often you do a website SEO audit depends on how often you update your website. If you make frequent updates to your website, you may want to have an SEO audit more often – I recommend every 6 months. But if you don’t make many changes, once a year is likely sufficient.

So, don’t neglect your website – give it some TLC with an SEO audit every once in a while! And if you’ve never done one, don’t worry, I will help you prioritize what needs to be addressed so it doesn’t feel overwhelming!

Medical Copywriting for Functional and Naturopathic Providers

I consider website SEO a science and an art. There are strategic things you can do to improve your SEO, but sometimes it takes playing around with keywords, design, and language to find the true sweet spot.

However, when you nail your SEO, you will attract your ideal patients, build your email lists, boost your sales, and create the practice of your dreams.

But if SEO is totally overwhelming to you, I can help!

With a website SEO audit, I can share actionable tips and develop a plan to help take your website from being the party no one shows up at to the biggest bash in town (sorry, no white claws are included in your audit results).

Get started boosting your website’s SEO by scheduling a free consultation or drop me an email at julie@jbryantagency.com to schedule your SEO audit.