An SEO audit can take many forms. A favorite among clients is undoubtedly the one accompanied by the slogan "free."
Free SEO audits, as we've written elsewhere , while they contain substantive knowledge, are often vague. Their value is low, and the information provided is selective.
The individual approach offered by a paid audit allows not only for obtaining reliable information about the website's condition and level of optimization, but also for its analysis in a broader context, taking into account direct competition and the entire industry.
What is an SEO audit?
Audit is also known as control. In businesses, this term is used primarily in financial and organizational contexts. Adding "SEO" to it signals a focus on this area, thus:
(The rest of the article can be found below the form)
- SEO AUDIT – checking the website’s compliance with search engine guidelines; assessing the solutions and technologies used and the keyword strategy adopted; assessing the effectiveness of actions to increase the level of online visibility.
A comprehensive audit aims to assess existing visibility efforts. It can be conducted regardless of whether any such efforts have been undertaken or not.
The task of a website auditor is not only to analyze specific solutions or the placement of keywords in a given headline, but also to look at the broader perspective, taking into account current trends in search engine guidelines.
When to conduct an SEO audit?
Audits are performed at several strategic points throughout a company's lifecycle. The same is true for SEO audits. Three key moments stand out:
- website launch or redesign, combined with a change in some functionalities – changing the website often causes confusion in the brand’s visibility, especially if it is not carried out under the supervision of a specialist.
URL changes, page layouts, content modifications or restrictions… a trained eye can help you sort through this chaos and pinpoint places that could potentially delay your rankings.
When launching a website (and we're talking not only about starting from scratch but also about refreshing it, for example, with a CMS change), it's worth handing it over to an SEO specialist before it becomes publicly available. Evaluating solutions in advance and making modifications during the development process will make things easier not only for SEO specialists but also for the developers building the site; - sharp drop in visibility, no search engine traffic – when such a dramatic change occurs, it's crucial to determine its causes. While a fluctuation isn't caused by a modification to a given industry's algorithm (such as the high-profile changes in the medical industry, which caused traffic disruptions even on the largest health portals), which will be easier to track, declines affecting a single domain will require deeper analysis and observation.
- campaign launch on other platforms and expansion of marketing activities in the media – Why is an audit necessary in this situation? Let's assume you're starting operations and sales in an online store.
Because of your products, you focus primarily on social media activities. Not every customer will click through to your website directly from the link in your Instagram bio – some will search for your company in a search engine.
Some people won't remember the brand's name and will search for keywords associated with it or, for example, hashtags used on Instagram. Strong visibility built around these keywords and a proper presence in the SERPs prevents these customers from being "lost" and will help direct them straight to the product page.
A comprehensive assessment of activities, conducted at a strategic moment and by an independent observer, provides an excellent basis for organizing further work. The knowledge contained in the audit will make planning the work and the necessary time and financial outlays much easier.
To fully answer the question of when it's worth conducting an SEO audit , it's also worth mentioning the need to verify the SEO company's performance. This topic may seem somewhat controversial, as "no-obligation and free" audits are one way to attract clients.
However, if we manage to shed negative associations, we can easily see that an audit can help us "look at the website with fresh eyes" and perhaps discover the potential for new opportunities. More on how to approach an audit will be discussed later in this article.
What does a website audit costing over PLN 2000 provide?
To start without saying anything cliché... paid audits allow for a personalized approach to a website. The price of a comprehensive audit depends on many factors, primarily the time, knowledge, and experience of the SEO specialists who conduct it. Additionally, there are the costs of paid tools used to assess the website or webpage.
Verseo website audits are conducted in three price ranges.
The third-package audit is a solution for those who prefer complete clarity and all information in one place. The third-package audit covers everything that falls short of this. However, the information contained in the document is expanded with additional elements that broaden the scope of search engine visibility data and deepen its analysis.
So let’s discuss the next elements of the audit:
- Meta tag analysis – inspection of the elements contained in the part Pages that appear in Google search results. A properly prepared title and meta description will contain well-chosen keywords and encourage visitors to visit the site. The audit will provide information on whether these elements are keyword-rich, of appropriate length, and whether they appear across the entire domain. Duplicates will also be identified.
- Analysis of the page for the absence of duplicates – the audit will indicate all possible copies of the website – whether they are non-redirected http and https versions, or copies created on subdomains or created during the website building process and available to web robots.
- Website content analysis – comprehensive content research will allow you to evaluate the content – its usefulness for the user, keyword saturation and comparison with the competition.
- Head section analysis – outside the title&meta description, in Other elements important for positioning are also included – meta robots and canonical links.
- Correct structure of subpages – control of access to pages, ease of use and finding information on pages, and internal linking – elements important both for the orientation of web robots on the page and for user convenience.
- Correctness of the subpage code – indicating errors in the code, incorrect use of HTML, CSS, JS elements or non-functioning fragments that may prevent the page from loading correctly or prevent the use of some of its functionalities.
- Analysis of the website's indexing capabilities – control of exclusions and access bans for web robots that may prevent data collection.
- Website Mobility Analysis – not only whether the website is responsive, but also whether the speed and solutions used enable proper use of the website on smaller screens of mobile devices and with a weaker internet connection.
- Display speed analysis – the issue of page rendering speed also applies to the desktop version; tests allow us to specify the elements that delay page loading and find solutions to eliminate these problems.
- Search console analysis Data collected in Google Search Console allows you to determine a site's status in the Google index. Auditing older domains without GSC analysis won't be complete – the console provides detailed data on how web crawlers index, how Google actually sees pages, and what errors it encounters. In the case of a new, freshly launched site and domain, a full GSC analysis may be impossible – the data collected will be fragmentary.
- Standard link profile analysis – performed similarly to GSC analysis – for a domain with a history. The analysis allows us to determine whether and which pages contain links to a given domain.
- Detailed link profile analysis – a more detailed link analysis allows you to determine the dominant link sources and assess their value.
- Detailed analysis of keyword potential – evaluation of keyword selection based on search volume, click-through rate and Google search trends specific to a given industry.
- Examination of the substantive content of the website – In the extended version of the audit, we also provide information on whether the website contains the necessary data to enable users to find the information they need. We will identify any gaps in product or service descriptions and the need to add additional technical information.
- crawl budget – an important element for large websites, which provides information on how many pages in a given domain the Google search engine robot can scan.
- Detailed competition analysis What do they do better, what makes them rank higher and/or have better search engine visibility? Competitive analysis allows us to identify solutions that work well in a given industry.
- Detailed analysis of website visibility – During the audit, a comprehensive visibility study is conducted, which requires the use of several independent tools. Analysis of the collected data allows for a comprehensive picture of page visibility and guidance for further development.
- Indications of changes – The extended version of the audit also allows for the inclusion of domain-specific guidelines, the implementation of which is intended to improve the website's Google search results. These guidelines address all of the elements mentioned above – keyword selection, their placement on the page, the quantity and quality of text, and site speed. The audit also suggests areas for increasing the diversification of incoming link sources and identifying link locations essential for a given industry.
How long does an SEO audit take?
The time it takes to conduct an SEO audit and receive its final version will depend on the scope of the audit. This "top-shelf audit" also includes guidelines and can take up to two weeks to prepare.
The size of the website also influences the time it will take to prepare an SEO audit . Sites with dozens of tabs, due to the smaller workload, are analyzed much faster. Larger sites typically require more work. If extensive guidelines are required, deadlines are usually agreed upon individually.
What does an SEO specialist do during this time? They prepare an analysis of all the previously mentioned points. Google Search Console and Analytics make some of these tasks easier to work on – data collected by Google robots allows for quicker identification of major issues and areas requiring improvement. Other tools are also used to analyze traffic, website statistics, and Google search engine data.
How to read a website audit?
The automated audits that some agencies use to acquire clients typically highlight any negative elements the auditor was able to find.
They are dominated by a narrative that highlights shortcomings and shortcomings—often without specifying the specific places where they were noticed. In most cases, it boils down to criticism of the actions of other SEO specialists.
A professional audit will focus on all aspects of the website – it will identify the work that was carried out correctly and the areas where the website does not lag behind the competition and does not deviate from Google guidelines.
For example, when analyzing an online store's website, an SEO specialist is aware that the store's engine doesn't support the changes being made. Therefore, this information will be included in the audit, along with a note that the X engine running the store doesn't support the required changes.
These types of considerations are worth considering when planning a website redesign. If the CMS used is a niche solution (e.g., proprietary solutions) and the SEO specialist does not have full access to the website, they will not know whether the technical solutions allow for the suggested changes.
The audit provided by Verseo will provide maximum information about your website's appearance on Google and highlight elements that may be reducing its visibility. Our professional approach is evidenced by the numbers.
How do I go about implementing the suggested changes?
Technical Matters
By analyzing a website, the SEO specialist pinpoints problematic areas in the code. Some of these are due to outdated solutions that need to be replaced with newer ones. Others may require changes, such as moving some JS code fragments to allow the site to load faster. In the case of popular CMSs and templates, some code fragments are hard-wired into the solution, and changing them requires advanced steps on the developer's part.
Implementing some suggestions may involve additional costs, hence our note at the beginning of the text – it is worth consulting changes to the website with an SEO specialist already in the development phase.
Content
The vast majority of audited websites have poor content. Building a database of texts takes time, but creating content that's relevant to both users and web crawlers will pay off in many ways. The audit's observations will help determine direction and prioritize the addition of specific content.
Links to the page
The audit will include information on the number and quality of links and a comparison with those of competitors. It will also identify areas where the website owner can add links themselves—for example, by asking customers to update their website data and include their own link.
SEO audit – a prelude to positioning
An SEO audit is an excellent start to website positioning. Having all the information about the current state of your website in one place allows you to easily plan changes. Note – performing point-by-point optimization requires perseverance!
Preparing and updating the code, and then adding content, is a process that can take several weeks in the initial phase alone. It's also worth considering further collaboration with an agency – optimization work and all related activities won't disrupt normal business operations, and the results will be visible faster!
Summary
The above article covers the following topics:
- A paid SEO audit is a comprehensive and reliable check of a website's compliance with search engine guidelines, which, unlike free analyses, offers an individual approach and a broad market context.
- It is worth conducting an SEO audit when launching or redesigning a website, when facing sudden drops in visibility, and when expanding marketing activities to effectively diagnose problems and optimize further development strategy.
- A professional SEO audit for over PLN 2000 is a comprehensive analysis based on expert knowledge and paid tools, which includes detailed technical, content, link profile, and competition research, providing precise guidelines for website optimization.
- The duration of an SEO audit depends on the size of the website and the scope of the analysis, and can be up to two weeks for the most comprehensive studies.
- A professional SEO audit should be read as a thorough analysis of both the strengths and weaknesses of your website, taking into account the technical limitations of your website engine and providing specific guidance rather than mere criticism.
- Implementing post-audit changes involves close cooperation with the developer to fix technical errors, systematically expanding content in line with established priorities, and strengthening the link profile, also through independent actions by the website owner.
