When Is The Best Time For An SEO Audit? - Semalt Expert
Many people wonder when is the best time to perform an audit. Some website owners only use an SEO audit when the website is very low in search results. When is the best time to audit a website?
This is the key point we will focus on in this article!
The best time for an SEO audit
A good time is when your website has not yet been indexed but has been fully built. An audit done before the website is set up will allow for proper optimization to be introduced before Google's bots start checking the website against many criteria. Thanks to this, the website will be perceived by the algorithms in the right way from the beginning. This is a much simpler and faster way than fixing the page elements later to improve your position in the search results.
The best time for an audit will always be the time before your website goes live. Unfortunately, some people don't think about SEO at the very beginning. Many entrepreneurs or bloggers want their websites to appear online as soon as possible. Only then do they deal with positioning. This is a big mistake!
When is an SEO audit performed?
If you have not opted for an SEO audit before the deployment of your site, it is not too late. The audit provides an accurate diagnosis of a website that is not high in the search results. With it, specialists will check all the elements of your website and discover the reason for its position in the search results.
The result of the audit will be a comprehensive report that will contaminate what needs to be improved. Gradually implementing the changes and observing the effects will make your website more and more visible. There is no wrong time for a website SEO audit - it will be the starting point for the SEO specialists to take care of all aspects of your website.
An SEO audit should be done before implementing any changes to the website, but it should also be done periodically. This will allow you to check for changes and constantly improve its subsequent elements. An audit will also be the best way to check the reasons for the decline in search results of a website.
How does an SEO audit work, and what does it check?
The SEO audit is a multi-step process. In the best agencies, specialists also check for elements that affect the UX. The sequence of specific activities performed during an audit depends on how the team works. However, each audit checks, among other things: the structure of the site, internal and external links, uniqueness of the content, the number of keywords and their correct use, errors in the code, and the intuitiveness of the site, among many other elements.
Can I make changes myself, having an audit?
Some people think that after ordering the audit, they will receive instructions on how to optimize their website by themselves. Unfortunately, this is not possible. Some changes need to be implemented gradually, and many of them require specialized knowledge, skills, and practice.
The SEO specialist has knowledge of website structure, programming, factors influencing website positioning, UX, and many other areas. If you are someone who is just starting to get interested in programming, you will not be able to improve the visibility of your website. The SEO audit informs you about the elements that need to be improved, but this should be handled by SEO specialists.
What is the right tool to perform a thorough audit?
Are you looking for a better SEO tool to perform an audit better? So far, we can understand that search engine optimization is an essential part of making businesses easier to find in the search engine and converting website visitors into customers.
If you have in your possession a good SEO tool, you can make great strides in conducting an SEO audit. With a modern tool, you get more options to measure parts of the website, you can make changes quickly, and you can use the website in a way that makes the chances of conversion much more realistic.
To help you on your way, Semalt's SEO Experts have developed an SEO tool called the Dedicated SEO Dashboard.
The Dedicated SEO Dashboard is a paid SEO tool, but it has a 14-day free trial. This tool is used by thousands of companies and millions of people around the world. One of the competitive advantages of this tool is that you can perform a complete site analysis. Everything from technical audit and speed control to plagiarism checks is now on the same platform.
In addition, this tool is traditionally one of the most reliable tools for determining which keywords are experiencing high search volume. Here you can also find information about the expected CPC, the competition, and the strength of the keyword. The overview also shows the expected competition (low, medium, or high). An analysis of your competitors can also be possible, which makes it interesting to see what they are doing well in the SEO field.
This tool is packed with several functions and tools, which I invite you to learn more about on demo.semalt.com.
Is it worth it to order an SEO audit?
Conducting an SEO audit, depending on the expansion, takes more or less time. The size of the audited website is of great importance here. The more subpages and the more developed structure of the website, the more time is needed for a thorough analysis. This also implies adding additional elements to the audit. While thinking about its order, we can fall into a trap. Simply preparing it does not bring tangible benefits. The benefits only become apparent with its implementation.
It may seem that an analysis of the current state is not necessary, and you should focus on the future of the site with a specific action and not look back. Many people wonder if they should hire a specialist to perform an SEO audit. There are ideas that it is better to invest your time immediately by making changes to the website or getting links to it. Before deciding to order an audit, it is helpful to know what elements should be included in a properly performed SEO audit and the benefits that can be obtained from it.
There are many SEO agencies and freelancers that specialize in audits. Each of the audits is different in its own way, some are more advanced, others less. However, all of them should show us the way forward for other activities on the website and should focus on analyzing all the important elements in terms of SEO. After receiving the audit, it should be verified that all the most important issues have been analyzed. The omission of an important element may mean that further changes to the website will not bring the expected benefits.
Benefits of an SEO audit
Performing an SEO audit gives you several advantages, some of which are:
- to have a complete overview of the elements to improve on the site;
- know the strengths and weaknesses of the site;
- evaluate the current state of the site, draw conclusions for the future;
- possibility to plan the activities necessary to implement on the website.
Benefits of implementing an SEO audit:
- Increase in the position of phrases - after the implementation of recommendations, the positions of many keywords included in the content of the page will increase.
- Increase in website traffic - if the audit is properly implemented, the quality of traffic obtained from Google will improve.
- Increased conversion on the page - well-tailored keywords, elimination of errors, and streamlining of the page will also improve the usability of the site and ultimately affect the increase in sales.
The dangers of a bad SEO audit
The benefits listed above can be achieved by implementing an audit. However, it should be remembered that this implementation must be done properly. A poorly prepared audit, based on insufficient knowledge, can lead to more negative than positive effects.
The same applies to the implementation of the audit recommendations. The person who will do it must have a thorough knowledge of the website itself, the CMS panel, or the website code. A poorly implemented audit can have the opposite effect of what was intended.
It can, among other things:
- lead to a decrease in the visibility of the website;
- reduced usability or the imposition of a filter on it on Google and its disappearance from the search results.
Which websites need an audit?
The audit can be performed on any type of website. However, it looks completely different on different types of websites. Blogs and online stores are audited differently. In this case, the goals of the website and the extent to which they are implemented are extremely important. In addition to the factors influencing the positioning, the audit will provide information on why the conversion is low.
Summary
The best time to audit a website is before the website is implemented and indexed. However, it is never too late for this. It will be a rescue in a situation where your website's position in search results starts to decline. However, it is worth using it to improve the optimization and constantly improve the position of your website.
If you need to learn more about the subject of SEO and website promotion, we invite you to visit our Semalt blog.