SEO Audit: Content Audit
SEO Content Audit
A content audit is one of the areas of SEO audit process to boost a website's google ranking in the search engines results page (SERP). Content audit, also known as on-page auditing, is one of the widest areas of search engine optimization audit since it involves an audit of important sections of all web pages in a website including URL analysis, main navigation, main page content, footer navigation, breadcrumbs, consistent content production, HTML Sitemaps, among others. Since content audit involves a page-by-page analysis, the cost increases with the number of pages to be audited: However, if you are dealing with a huge website that has numerous web pages, it may be necessary to audit the following important areas of web pages to save on time.
1.) Main Page URL
A content audit of web pages begins with the main page URLs. There are a number of tools specifically designed to check for any broken URL, which may hinder your site's visitors from accessing some of your web pages. On the other hand, ensure that every page's URL has relevant keywords that relate to the content, products, or services offered on the page. Most of the URL checkers will give you options to correct every broken link and even change the keywords that need some changes.
2.) Main Page Content
Main page content is one of the major areas of content audit. If you are dealing with a number of pages with your audit, it is advisable to identify and start your audit with web pages that have massive traffic. The main page content audit should focus on main relevant keywords that every page should have. Ensure that every page has the correct longtail keywords for its industry and the target audience. Moreover, ensure that every page has the correct keyword density to avoid keyword stuffing that may lead to search engines penalties, also, ensure that enough keyword variations are used all over the page.
Finally, since search engines like web pages with sufficient content, see that all pages have enough content from texts, video, to pictures to make them media-rich and attractive to the search engines and humans. Also, ensure that there is a strategic plan for consistent content production to keep competition at bay and outrank common competitors in the website's niche.
3.) Page Title
Page titles are another important content audit area. Ensure that all pages have titles and subtitles. Moreover, all titles must have relevant keywords on them for maximum optimization to the search engine robots. It is also very important to ensure that all the titles have the optimum length of between 30 and 55 characters long, which is very important for search engine crawling.
4.) Meta Description
Meta descriptions are very important for both search engines and human: Web pages with meta description tend to rank high in the SERP due to a high click-through-rate they get from the search engine users: The more precise and keyword-focused a meta description of a web page is, the more search engine users will be engaged and the more they will click the link. As such, ensure that all pages have a meta description and all the relevant longtail keywords are used to attract both the search robots and users.
5.) Alt tags
Search engine crawlers use images and all relevant keywords associated with the images to return web pages on the SERP. Consequently, it is necessary to make good use of alt tags on all images of every web page by tagging longtail keywords for a high ranking position on the SERP, and more click-through-rates from users.
6.) Internal Linking
A Content audit involves extensive checkups on linking structure of all web pages within a website. Ensure that linking texts include main and relevant keywords that are associated with every page. Moreover, ensure that all the links are not broken and lead to the right web page so that users can get the right information they need. A strong internal architecture is very important for search ranking and this should be among the audit areas to take seriously for web pages to rank higher.
7.) Spelling and Grammar
Spelling, grammar, and typos are major issues of users experience: The more user-friendly a web page is, the more the web page will be search-engine-friendly and will rank high in the SERPs. Ideally, there are a number of proofreading applications that can be used to correct all the spelling, grammar, and typos errors on all web pages for a good user experience and search results.
8.) Unique Contents
Duplicate contents are among the major culprits when it comes to ranking in the SERP: Original and unique contents that don't appear anywhere on the internet tend to get high ranks in the search results of the major search engines. As such, during a content audit, ensure that all the pages have unique contents that do not appear on any web page online.
9.) Outbound Links Audit
Outbound links are links that lead a site's visitors to external web pages for more relevant information that they need online. A poor outbound linking is very detrimental to search ranking: Consequently, ensure that all outbounds links are working properly and no single link is broken for a good user experience and good ranking on the SERPs of all the search engines.
10.) Call to Actions
Call to actions are the main influencers of a website's conversion rate. The more call to actions used on a web page, the more conversion rate a website will achieve since users will know what is expected of them once they are on a web page. During the content audit, ensure that every call to action is working properly and add a relevant call to action on all web pages for a higher conversion rate.
Conclusion
A Content audit is the most important area of SEO audit as a whole since it maximizes user experience, which is one of the most important signal that search engines consider before returning relevant web pages on the SERP. While performing your audit, ensure that most important areas of every web page such as the URL, outbound and inbound links, titles, subtitles, meta descriptions, and alt tags are audited and necessary changes and updates are made for a good user experience and a more search engine friendly web pages.
A content audit is one of the areas of SEO audit process to boost a website's google ranking in the search engines results page (SERP). Content audit, also known as on-page auditing, is one of the widest areas of search engine optimization audit since it involves an audit of important sections of all web pages in a website including URL analysis, main navigation, main page content, footer navigation, breadcrumbs, consistent content production, HTML Sitemaps, among others. Since content audit involves a page-by-page analysis, the cost increases with the number of pages to be audited: However, if you are dealing with a huge website that has numerous web pages, it may be necessary to audit the following important areas of web pages to save on time.
1.) Main Page URL
A content audit of web pages begins with the main page URLs. There are a number of tools specifically designed to check for any broken URL, which may hinder your site's visitors from accessing some of your web pages. On the other hand, ensure that every page's URL has relevant keywords that relate to the content, products, or services offered on the page. Most of the URL checkers will give you options to correct every broken link and even change the keywords that need some changes.
2.) Main Page Content
Main page content is one of the major areas of content audit. If you are dealing with a number of pages with your audit, it is advisable to identify and start your audit with web pages that have massive traffic. The main page content audit should focus on main relevant keywords that every page should have. Ensure that every page has the correct longtail keywords for its industry and the target audience. Moreover, ensure that every page has the correct keyword density to avoid keyword stuffing that may lead to search engines penalties, also, ensure that enough keyword variations are used all over the page.
Finally, since search engines like web pages with sufficient content, see that all pages have enough content from texts, video, to pictures to make them media-rich and attractive to the search engines and humans. Also, ensure that there is a strategic plan for consistent content production to keep competition at bay and outrank common competitors in the website's niche.
3.) Page Title
Page titles are another important content audit area. Ensure that all pages have titles and subtitles. Moreover, all titles must have relevant keywords on them for maximum optimization to the search engine robots. It is also very important to ensure that all the titles have the optimum length of between 30 and 55 characters long, which is very important for search engine crawling.
4.) Meta Description
Meta descriptions are very important for both search engines and human: Web pages with meta description tend to rank high in the SERP due to a high click-through-rate they get from the search engine users: The more precise and keyword-focused a meta description of a web page is, the more search engine users will be engaged and the more they will click the link. As such, ensure that all pages have a meta description and all the relevant longtail keywords are used to attract both the search robots and users.
5.) Alt tags
Search engine crawlers use images and all relevant keywords associated with the images to return web pages on the SERP. Consequently, it is necessary to make good use of alt tags on all images of every web page by tagging longtail keywords for a high ranking position on the SERP, and more click-through-rates from users.
6.) Internal Linking
A Content audit involves extensive checkups on linking structure of all web pages within a website. Ensure that linking texts include main and relevant keywords that are associated with every page. Moreover, ensure that all the links are not broken and lead to the right web page so that users can get the right information they need. A strong internal architecture is very important for search ranking and this should be among the audit areas to take seriously for web pages to rank higher.
7.) Spelling and Grammar
Spelling, grammar, and typos are major issues of users experience: The more user-friendly a web page is, the more the web page will be search-engine-friendly and will rank high in the SERPs. Ideally, there are a number of proofreading applications that can be used to correct all the spelling, grammar, and typos errors on all web pages for a good user experience and search results.
8.) Unique Contents
Duplicate contents are among the major culprits when it comes to ranking in the SERP: Original and unique contents that don't appear anywhere on the internet tend to get high ranks in the search results of the major search engines. As such, during a content audit, ensure that all the pages have unique contents that do not appear on any web page online.
9.) Outbound Links Audit
Outbound links are links that lead a site's visitors to external web pages for more relevant information that they need online. A poor outbound linking is very detrimental to search ranking: Consequently, ensure that all outbounds links are working properly and no single link is broken for a good user experience and good ranking on the SERPs of all the search engines.
10.) Call to Actions
Call to actions are the main influencers of a website's conversion rate. The more call to actions used on a web page, the more conversion rate a website will achieve since users will know what is expected of them once they are on a web page. During the content audit, ensure that every call to action is working properly and add a relevant call to action on all web pages for a higher conversion rate.
Conclusion
A Content audit is the most important area of SEO audit as a whole since it maximizes user experience, which is one of the most important signal that search engines consider before returning relevant web pages on the SERP. While performing your audit, ensure that most important areas of every web page such as the URL, outbound and inbound links, titles, subtitles, meta descriptions, and alt tags are audited and necessary changes and updates are made for a good user experience and a more search engine friendly web pages.