1. Benchmark Your Current SEO Performance
Before embarking on the audit, it's essential to understand your current position. Use Google Analytics and Google Search Console to review your organic search traffic, keyword rankings, and more. This will provide a benchmark against which you can measure future improvements.
2. Check Your Website's Accessibility
Accessibility is a fundamental component of SEO. Ensure search engines can easily access and index your site. Look for:
- Crawlability: Use a tool like Google Search Console to identify any crawl errors.
- Site Structure: Ensure your site's structure is logical and user-friendly. This helps search engines understand and rank your content.
- Load Speed: Slow load times can impact your SEO and user experience. Use a tool like Google PageSpeed Insights to check your site's speed.
3. Examine On-Page SEO Elements
On-page SEO refers to optimizing individual pages on your website. Key elements include:
- Title Tags: Make sure each page has a unique, descriptive title tag that includes relevant keywords.
- Meta Descriptions: These should be compelling, accurate summaries of your page's content, including keywords when appropriate.
- Headers (H1, H2, etc.): Headers should be used correctly and include relevant keywords to outline the structure of your content.
- Content Quality: Content should be high-quality, relevant, and provide value to the reader. It should also be fresh and updated regularly.
4. Evaluate Off-Page SEO Factors
Off-page SEO refers to factors outside of your website that affect your rankings, like backlinks. High-quality, relevant backlinks can significantly boost your SEO. Use a tool like Moz's Link Explorer to assess your backlink profile.
5. Review Your Site's Mobile Friendliness
With more people accessing the internet via mobile devices, mobile optimization is crucial. Use Google's Mobile-Friendly Test tool to see how well your website performs on mobile devices.
6. Check for Duplicate Content
Duplicate content can harm your SEO. Use a tool like Siteliner to check for and resolve any duplicate content issues on your website.
7. Analyze User Experience (UX)
Good UX isn't just good for users—it's good for SEO, too. Analyze your site's navigation, design, and overall usability.
8. Prepare an SEO Audit Report
Compile your findings into a comprehensive SEO audit report. This should outline your current SEO performance, areas for improvement, and an action plan for moving forward.
If this seems overwhelming, remember that you're not alone. MRLA Media, a leading digital marketing agency in Los Angeles, offers free SEO audits. They'll conduct a thorough examination of your site, identifying areas of strength and opportunities for improvement, to help you improve your SEO and achieve your business goals.
Conducting an SEO audit is a crucial step for any Los Angeles business seeking to improve its online visibility. Whether you choose to go it alone or take advantage of the free SEO audits from MRLA Media, performing regular audits will help you stay ahead of the competition in the ever-changing SEO landscape. So, get auditing, and see your Los Angeles business climb the search rankings.
