In this agency we always recommend and perform an SEO audit for all new clients.

Without understanding clearly what is technically wrong with the website, no amount of off-site SEO is going to work well. A technical SEO audit will be able to highlight areas where the website is struggling, where it could be improved and what it is doing right.

An SEO audit is all about getting the website onsite SEO right. I describe it to potential clients as the foundations of a building. If they are shaky and not planted firmly in the ground then building on top of them will not be secure or long term.

SEO Audit Tools

There are a number of tools which we recommend to use to undertake a technical SEO audit. In this agency we use:

• Screaming Frog
• Ahrefs
• Moz
• Google Analytics
• Search Console
• Google Structured Testing tool

There are others which we bring in depending on the issues. For a complicated website structure which needs a good overhaul we will use some site architecture tools to map what is there and to craft what the ideal navigation structure should be.

How to do an SEO audit

Following a thorough conversation with the client about their business and what they are looking to achieve we will progress to the audit itself.

• First up is a crawl of the website. We are able to see right off how many URLs there are, the type of title tags and Meta descriptions in place, any crawl errors. We can get a pretty good understanding of whether the site has had any previous SEO work done on it.
• We look at competitors keywords, we use keyword tools and we come up with a strategy for each page or section of the website.
• We look at the amount of copy; the use of title tags, the use of keyword themes, its structure (big blocks of text are a no-no) and we provide recommendations.
• Duplication issues – is the copy being copied elsewhere or was copied?
• How many versions of the website exists http and https? Diluting
• Website speed – is the website loading really slowly because of large images or too many plugins?
• Is the navigation intuitive? Are there orphan pages? We would use a site architecture tool and then suggest a new structure when required.
• Is there decent footer content?
• Is there Structured Data in place?
• How many pages are being indexed by Google? We can check this using the operator site: example.com. Very few pages being indexed and there may be a problem. Too many and it may mean that all types of things are being indexed which shouldn’t. In a WordPress site we can easily fix things like tags being indexed.
• Backlink profile – are there a decent number of links? Are there any which look like they are spammy or have been bought in the past? Always a good idea to understand the client’s motives before and deduce expectations.
• Does Google analytics show a dip in traffic in the past which could indicate a penalty? Is the traffic seasonal? Where is the traffic coming from? These are all valid questions which will help piece together the history of the website and if there is anything to worry about.
• If webmaster tools have been set up then it will provide a load of information about crawl errors and what Google generally thinks of the website.

How Long Does an SEO Audit take?

It depends. It really does depend on the size of the website and how complicated it is. Ecommerce websites are more complicated usually and take more time.

What’s the output?

In this agency we use a comprehensive SEO audit template which we complete and send to the client before any changes are implemented. There may be copy changes and structural changes and we need the client to agree to everything before we proceed.

Will You Rank After an SEO Audit?

We have seen some quite spectacular increases in rankings following the implementation of onsite SEO changes as a result of the audit. So much so that some clients have commented whether they need any off-site SEO as they have achieved so much!

Once the onsite SEO is complete following the audit, it doesn’t mean that we won’t revisit it. As part of our service we will be tweaking and checking and monitoring a client’s website each month. We take a holistic view of the business both onsite and offsite.

Alba SEO Services are an SEO company based in Scotland who understands exactly what it is like to be in a competitive market. That’s why we offer realistic and competitive options to businesses who need SEO.

We have years of experience of digital marketing and social media.  You can be sure that you are in safe hands. We have worked with lots of Edinburgh businesses but also businesses based in Glasgow, Aberdeen, London and Manchester. Distance is not a problem.

SEO or Search Engine Optimisation. To some, it’s a marketing must. A guaranteed traffic generator for your website and a steady source of engagement with potential customers. For others it can be a total mystery, a black box on the scale of an Agatha Christie novel.

The good news is that there are very few things in life that are a total mystery and SEO most definitely doesn’t fall into that category. If there is one question we get consistently asked by clients it’s this: “How do you know you can improve my search rankings?” And the answer is simple. Because it’s based on an algorithm and if you broadly know the set of rules that go into said formula, well you’re well on the way to taming the Google beast.

So, in this blog, we’re going to let you in on a few of its secrets, focusing in on a small sub section of SEO, on-page factors. Think of on-page factors as the most visible aspects of SEO. To use a well-worn analogy if SEO was an iceberg, on-page factors would be the part above the sea. So, without further ado let’s run through a few key aspects of on-page SEO and how you can alter them to your benefit.

#1 – The Title Tag –

As with any marketing what people see or hear about your business is kind of the whole point of doing it in the first place and SEO is no different. Which is why title tags are so important. Essentially an HTML element located in the header section of any web page, title tags are typically what search engines display as the clickable headline in their results. The best way to think about title tags are like the spine of a book. Picture yourself in a library. What part of the book do you read before taking it off the shelf? That’s right the spine! So, if you run a website, make sure that spine (title tag) is accurate, compelling and representative of the on-page content. Do this and you’ve just earned a big tick in the eyes of search engines.

#2 – URL Structure –

URL’s are an oft over looked tool in the SEO arsenal because they are, in fairness one of its more boring aspects. Why spend time fretting over URL structure when you can be creating a mind-blowing infographic or blog post, right? But the truth is that you should give thought to it, not only because it provides helpful navigation to users but because the information contained is used to evaluate the relevance of web pages by search engines. Remember all the search engine wants to do is be confident that when it sends people through to a web page the searcher will find what they searched for. Nothing more, nothing less.

And so, when you have a URL structured like this: www.examplewebpage.com/64638q3746464 your sending a message – intended or otherwise – to search engines that you’re not willing to help users understand what they might be clicking through to or where they might end up on your website.

Sure, it can be a pain (goodness knows we know!) but spending the few minutes to construct helpful URL’s can make a lot of difference in the long run. As the saying goes; the devil is in the detail.

#3 – On-page content –

Arguably the most important aspect of SEO and the part of your website that will play the biggest role in its success – the words. So important is this now deemed in the eyes of search engines it has sprung an entire sub-category of marketing, content and inbound.

The good news is this is probably the least technical of all SEO and by extension the most accessible to non-developers and the one that if executed well can generate the greatest search engine gains. The bad news? It’s probably the most difficult and competitive way to do so.

Difficult but by no means impossible and like any other aspect of SEO if you follow some crucial rules you can give your content a fighting chance. And the good news is you already know them! Think about any website or page which really engaged you? Our guess is that it was relevant to what you were searching for, provided unique and compelling information, had ample links back to other parts of the website and reinforced the topic throughout the page. Right? Well that is essentially the key points to on-page content. No secrets, no gimmicks. Just good, solid, useful information for users.

#4 – Image alt-tags –

Despite recent product launches from Google and Apple, computers are still some way off universal image recognition and, for the foreseeable future at least, search engines will likely remain a text-only piece of software. What do we mean by that? Well just that, it has the capacity to read text-only and as pretty as the pictures on a website may be, they have no way to differentiate between an apple and an orange. That is of course, unless we tell them. And that is where the image alt-text comes in.

Ask yourself this, how many times have you hovered over a photo online and a long list of numbers and letters appear? A lot presumably. Well that is an example of poor image alt-text. Again, it might not be the most glamourous aspect to SEO but it is vitally important to an effective SEO strategy.

Remember, search engines are just software like any other and they rely on our inputs to tell them what to think and how to respond. So, if you’ve got an image of a banana on your site, label it as a banana. You’ll keep the folks at Google happy and make your site vastly more searchable for potential users.

As outlined above SEO is a large area of marketing and with updates being made to search engine algorithms all the time. That said there are some key principles that are unlikely to ever change. If in doubt put yourself in the user’s shoes and ask yourself the question: if I was on my website would it make me more or less informed about a given topic. If that answer is no – then you’ve probably got work to do. But if you’re willing then the prize is there with better visibility online, more website users and more informed customers.

If you’d like more information about SEO or inbound marketing then please get in touch with us today for a free consultation. www.whodaresmarketing.com