How to Conduct an SEO Audit: A Step-by-Step Guide for Business

When looking for SEO service providers for your website, you must consider their SEO auditing capabilities as this is something that helps you improve your SEO strategy.
As we have entered another year, it’s time to get your website audited to understand potential areas of improvement and work on them.

If you just keep optimizing your website content for search engines, you might be missing out on a lot of important things. Following an effective SEO strategy is good, but conducting an SEO audit of your website is also equally important. You might be following the best on-page practices, but still not getting the desired results. It is because there are some issues with your website that you will never be able to identify without an audit.

You can either conduct the SEO audit on your own or hire a professional SEO services company for the same. Let us help you understand some crucial steps to follow when conducting an SEO audit:

What is SEO Audit?

An SEO audit is a check of how well your website is optimized for search engines. It helps website owners understand potential issues that might be hurting the site’s rankings. Also, you can identify the improvement opportunities and optimize your site accordingly. There are several other benefits of conducting an SEO audit. It doesn’t only help improve your website rankings but also improves user experience on your website. The process involves various areas, such as website crawlability, indexing, site architecture, user experience, keyword research, on-page SEO, etc.

Essential Steps to Conduct SEO Audit of Your Website

Here are some most important steps you must follow when conducting an SEO audit of your website:

1. Run a Crawl and Check for Indexing Issues

The crawl of your website helps you identify the SEO-related issues with your website. You can use SEO tools like Ahrefs or Semrush to run a crawl of your website. Now, you need to find out pages that are not indexed. Non-indexed pages cannot be ranked by Google.

You can check for indexing issues directly on Google Search Console. Along with the page URLs, you can also see why they are not indexed. Once you identify the reasons, you can work on them to get the issues resolved. However, you must keep in mind that not every web page needs to be indexed. Only the pages that you want to get ranked on search results should be indexed.

2. Look for Duplicate Versions of Your Website

Your website can have different versions for search engines. It depends on whether you are using www and https for your website or not. There can be four different versions of a website, including:

  1. http://www.abcd.com
  2. https://www.abcd.com
  3. http://abcd.com
  4. https://abcd.com

You need to ensure that Google is not indexing more than one version of your website. Running websites on multiple versions can cause various problems with ranking, crawling, and indexing. Google will consider them as duplicates, which is not good for your site. You can simply check it by entering any of these versions of your site on a web browser. The browser should automatically redirect you to the version you prefer. If it doesn’t redirect to your preferred version, you need to fix it by using a 301 redirect for other versions.

3. Identify Traffic Drops and Their Causes

Google keeps updating its search algorithms and ranking policies. Most of these updates are targeted at content quality, spam links, etc. If your traffic drops coincide with any recent Google update, it may be easy to identify the potential causes. Another reason behind traffic drops may be some manual actions.

If the drop doesn’t align with any update, you might receive a manual action from Google if your website has violated any of Google’s guidelines. However, Google sends manual actions only when you have done something drastically wrong. You can check for manual actions under the ‘manual action’ report section under the Google search console. If it says, ‘no issues detected,’ you are safe. Otherwise, you need to go through Google’s policy and make sure that your website aligns with it.

4. Look for The Issues Related to Mobile-Friendliness

Everyone owns a mobile phone today and if your website is not mobile-friendly, it is not accessible to most of the users. Mobile-friendliness is one of the essential ranking factors for Google. To check whether your website is mobile-friendly or not, look for the mobile usability report under Google Search Console. It will show if any errors affect the mobile usability of your web pages. You can make your web pages mobile-friendly by using a mobile-friendly layout, compressing image sizes for mobile screens, and optimizing content accordingly.

5. Consider Your Core Web Vital Scores

Core Web Vitals plays a crucial role in a website’s SEO strategy. These are the metrics that Google uses to measure the user experience of a website. Core web vitals are used to measure the loading time, stability, and interactivity of website content. LCP (Largest Contentful Paint), FID (First Input Delay), and CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) are the important metrics that you need to consider when conducting your website’s SEO audit. You can check Google Search Console’s Core Web Vitals report for this.

6. Fix Broken Links

Broken Pages are never good for your website. Especially when these pages have backlinks. You can use tools like ‘Site Explorer’ to recognize broken pages with backlinks on your website. Apply the ‘404 not found’ filter and you will get a list of all the broken URLs. Just remove these links if they are unnecessary or change them.

7. Ensure That There Are No Issues With Your Sitemap

Google sitemap lists all the web pages that you want Google to index for search engines. You must ensure that it includes all the pages that you want to be indexed and doesn’t include the unnecessary ones. Things like dead pages or redirects should not be there in this list as these pages send mixed signals to the search engines. You can check your sitemap issues under the ‘sitemap’ section on Google Search Console.

8. Check Your On-Page Elements for SEO Best Practices

The next step in the step should be to ensure that your on-page elements align with SEO best practices. Make sure that every indexable page contains a meta description, a title tag, an H1 tag, and primary and secondary keywords. Including these basic elements in your web pages is essential to help Google understand the content of your web page, which further plays an important role in the rankings.

Get Your Website Audited by SEO Experts at MadHawks

You might have already understood the importance of an SEO audit and all the crucial steps involved in the process. When it comes to auditing your website for SEO, you need a thorough knowledge of SEO best practices and the different tools and techniques required in the process. This is where SEO service providers like MadHawks can be of great help. Our team of SEO professionals can conduct a thorough SEO audit of your website by analyzing every important element and help you improve your rankings. For any further information, contact us today!

FAQs

1. How do you complete a technical SEO audit?

Ans. Technical SEO audit involves various steps, including crawling & indexing, looking for duplicate versions of your website, identifying traffic drops and their causes, making your website mobile-friendly, checking for the Core Web Vital scores, fixing broken links, and a few more.

2. Which SEO tool is used for SEO audit?

Ans. There are various SEO tools that you can use for SEO audits. Google Search Console is the best service offered by Google that you can use to complete most of the above-mentioned steps. Apart from this, you can use tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, etc.

3. How to do a free SEO audit?

Ans. You can conduct a free SEO audit by checking for all the crucial elements of your website on Google Search Console. You can also look for other free SEO tools and use them for your website.

4. What is the difference between an SEO analysis and an SEO audit?

Ans. SEO analysis is the process of gathering and analyzing data to make more informed SEO strategies. On the other hand, an SEO audit is like a check of how well your website is optimized for Google or other search engines.

Ravi Kumar

Founder & CEO

Obsessed with breaking algorithms and rebuilding them. Leading MadHawks to global domination.
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    Digital Marketing Services to Boost Your Online Presence

    The shift from traditional marketing methods to digital marketing is massive. A decade ago, no one thought that digital marketing methods would dominate the traditional methods. Today, every business, whether a small retail store, e-commerce, MNCs, educational institutions, real estate, or healthcare, speaks to its target audience through digital marketing.

    If you are looking to grow your business, generate leads, and convert website visitors into buyers, you need to start searching for ‘digital marketing firms’ near you.

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    Why Does Your Business Need a Digital Marketing Company in India?

    Having a website and running it effectively, while reaching the target audience, are two different things. Hiring a digital marketing agency in India will help in:

    • Improving online visibility
    • Generating quality leads
    • Increasing website traffic
    • Enhancing the brand’s voice
    • Improving ranking on SERPs
    • Enhancing customer engagement

    Traditional Marketing Vs Digital Marketing

    While traditional marketing focuses on channels like newspapers, billboards, and television, internet marketing services concentrate on platforms such as social media, websites, and online advertisements.

    Traditional Marketing

    Digital Marketing

    Offline Channels

    Online Channels

    Less Specific Audience Targeting

    Precise Audience Targeting

    Unaccurate Result Measurement

    Accurate Result Measurement

    High Budget

    Cost-Effective

    One-Way Communication

    Two-Way Communication

    Limited Reach

    Global Reach

    Our Digital Marketing Services

    Search Engine Optimization
    SEO is one of the most demanded internet marketing services. It helps attract organic traffic to your website and boosts your brand’s reputation. The key to impactful SEO is an optimized website structure, relevant keyword usage, and authentic link-building practices.

    Pay-Per-Click Advertising
    PPC complements SEO as SEO is a long process and can take 2-3 months before delivering results. On the other hand, PPC advertisements can help gain instant visibility.

    Social Media Marketing
    Social Media has become an essential part of our lives; visibility on platforms such as Meta, Instagram, or LinkedIn is a necessity for a rewarding digital marketing campaign.

    Content Marketing
    Quality content is like a cherry on top of a cake. SEO and PPC will work better with a user-centric approach. Our expert team develops ads, blogs, and articles that resonate with your core audience.

    Website Optimization
    A rapid page loading speed, a sensible website structure, and easy navigation engage the audience and reduce the bounce rate.

    Franchise SEO
    Many digital marketing firms in India forget to focus on Franchise SEO and follow a generic approach, but we at MadHawks ensure amplifying the reach of all your outlets.

    Local SEO
    Be it a small retail shop owner, an e-commerce vendor, a gym, salon, grocery stores, or digital marketing for real estate, local SEO can help establish trust in the region your business operates. A strong local presence gives free PR and strong customer testimonials, helping in business growth. Just search for the best digital market companies near me, and you’ll find MadHawks on the SERPs.

    Conversion Rate Optimization
    Attracting the target audience is good, but converting them into customers is even better. Use our CRO services and see the results yourself.

    Industries We Serve

    MadHawks provides digital marketing services for businesses across multiple industries:
    • E-commerce
    • Healthcare
    • Real estate
    • Education
    • Finance
    • Technology startups

    Why MadHawks?

    Experience and Trust
    With our effective digital marketing strategies, we have helped businesses achieve their marketing goals over the years.

    Long-Term Growth
    For long-term growth, you need a digital marketing agency that can boost your presence across multiple channels with a specialized approach.

    Result-Focused
    As a reputed name in the digital marketing landscape, MadHawks sole aim is to deliver promised results rather than anticipating.

    PPC Services for High-Performance Advertising With MadHawks

    Pay-per-click advertisements have helped businesses to instantly appear in front of the target audience. While SEO takes months to show results, PPC can be an add-on to a digital marketing strategy.

    Our specialized team at MadHawks ensures that your ads are shown to the right audience, right leads are generated, and conversions are escalated.

    As a result-driven PPC company in India, we have handled clients of different niches, and this could be your chance to reap the benefits of a well-strategized PPC campaign.

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    Why Does Your Business Need a PPC Agency in India?

    The growing competition in India and the fast-paced market environment have made it harder for businesses to outperform giants and establish a name in their industry. With PPC’s rapid results, you can become a household name in your region, or your business can go global if the product has prioritized consumer satisfaction.

    • Partnering with a reputed PPC company in India can help:
    • Increasing website traffic in a short span.
    • Generate high-conversion leads.
    • Improve brand visibility and authority.
    • Getting a good return on online advertising investment.

    Our PPC Services

    PPC Management Services in India
    MadHawks focuses on planning, executing, and delivering results through PPC management services in India. We handle every aspect of PPC advertising to optimize your business growth.

    Pay-Per-Click Advertising in India
    Our pay-per-click advertising services help businesses appear at the top ad results on SERPs. Whether you are looking for Local PPC or want to sell products globally, MadHawks PPC services are what your business needs.

    PPC Services for Business Growth
    We perform campaign planning, researching intent-focused keywords to be used in PPC ads, and generating quality leads for your business’s rapid growth.

    Industry-Focused PPC Marketing

    PPC for Amazon
    We help sellers promote their products on one of the biggest e-commerce platforms, Amazon, through increased visibility and sponsored listings.

    PPC for E-commerce Businesses
    In today’s world, where most of the purchases and sales are happening through online channels, PPC for e-commerce businesses is a necessity.

    PPC for Real Estate
    Real estate is yet another high-profitability sector. With a growing population and skyrocketing land prices, PPC for real estate can be a real game-changer for your company.

    Benefits of PPC Advertising for Your Business

    Instant Visibility: Unlike SEO, PPC gives your business instant visibility.

    Target Audience: PPC helps businesses to target their core audience based in different localities, regions, or countries.

    Measurable Results: With PPC, you get to know the effectiveness of your campaign and can calculate ROI

    Cost Control: If the campaign results are achieved before the deadline, you can adjust your budget accordingly.

    Why MadHawks?

    Knowledge and Confidence
    Over the years, we have assisted companies in reaching their marketing objectives with our successful PPC marketing methods.

    Long-Term Development
    You need a PPC company in India that can use specialised techniques to increase your presence across many platforms if you want long-term growth.

    Results-oriented
    MadHawks is a well-known brand in the field of PPC advertising, and our goal is to deliver on promises rather than anticipate.

    Social Media Marketing Services for Brand Growth With MadHawks

    Social media connects you with your target audience more than ever. Millions interact daily, so maintaining a strong social media presence is essential in today’s world.

    As a result-oriented social media agency, MadHawks social media marketing services in India are curated to help grow your social media reach and connect with your audience.

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    Why Does Your Business Need Social Media Agency Services in India?

    In today’s world, businesses need more than just posting to maintain a strong presence on social media platforms. An experienced social media agency in India, like MadHawks, helps implement time-tested strategies that are essential in attracting the target audience.

    Partnering with expert social media marketing companies in India helps businesses:

    • Build a strong social media presence.
    • Attract the target audience and increase engagement.
    • Generate quality leads and increase conversions.
    • Improve brand consistency.

    Our Social Media Marketing Services

    Digital Brand Identity
    We run social media campaigns on multiple platforms to create a unique and consistent identity for your brand.

    Channel Strategy
    Audiences on different social media channels react differently, and the information they consume is also diverse. For instance, you won’t find meme content on LinkedIn often. Therefore, a distinctive channel strategy is required for better results.

    Content Schedule
    Social media optimization services in India require top-notch planning. Witnessing the vast competition in every industry, having a content calendar helps in publishing the right content to the right audience at the right time and staying ahead of the competitors.

    Copywriting
    A single iconic copy is better than ten generic social media posts. MadHawks believe that creativity is the best solution to increase organic reach, and this is reflected in our work and the results we deliver through social media campaigns for our clients.

    Reputation Management
    Reputation management is one of the core aspects of social media management. For a better reputation, honesty and transparency are the key. We focus on building a cordial relationship with the target audience.

    Competitor Analysis
    If you want to become the best in any field, you need to observe your competitors, understand what they are doing wrong, and what their pros are. We work vigorously hard on competitor analysis to understand the pros and cons and refine our social media campaign strategy. This makes our strategy more effective and less risky.

    Industry-Specific Social Media Marketing

    We believe that a generic approach cannot be used for every business, as the reach and scale of one is different from another, and that is why industry-specific social media marketing is essential.

    • Social Media Marketing for E-commerce
    • Social Media Marketing for Dental Clinics
    • Social Media Marketing for Small Businesses
    • Social Media Marketing for Real Estate
    • Social Media Marketing for Healthcare Departments
    • Social Media Marketing for Educational Institutions

    Almost every household in India has at least one social media user, and therefore, it makes social media a powerful platform for online marketing. Collaborating with a social media marketing agency in India can help your brand increase its impact and likelihood among the target audience.

    Why MadHawks?

    MadHawks, because we have been in the social media marketing industry for almost a decade now. MadHawks, because we have handled clients from diverse industries and helped them achieve their social media marketing goals within the deadline and without making unnecessary adjustments to the budget.

    We are:

    • Transparent and Trusted
    • Experienced Experts
    • Result-focused
    • Cost-effective

    Graphic Design Services for Creative Brand Growth With MadHawks

    Visuals play an important role in a brand’s growth. Be it logos, trademark signs, or graphics on social media platforms, many people remember brands because of visuals. As a professional graphic design agency, MadHawks understands the value of visuals in marketing and ensures a powerful visual presence for your brand.

    If you are looking for creativity and design expertise, you are in the right place

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    Why Does Your Business Need a Graphic Design Agency in India?

    A well-placed and well-designed visual identity sets a unique perspective in the minds of the target audience and influences them to buy your products and services.

    Partnering with a trusted graphic design company in India helps businesses:

    • Creates a strong brand identity
    • Improves visual identity.
    • Increase recall value.
    • Build trust and credibility.

    Collaborating with a creative agency in India ensures that your brand keeps flashing in front of the target audience, they recall your brand just with a glance, and converting leads into customers becomes easy.

    Our Graphic Design Services

    Brand Identity Design
    A brand should be recognizable across platforms, and with our creative graphic design team, we make sure that your brand maintains a unique identity and is easily recognized by the target audience.

    Social Media Creatives
    To increase engagement, social media creatives play a vital role. To capture the target audience on social media platforms, it is necessary to remain active on these platforms through graphics, banners, etc., and constantly engage with the audience.

    Marketing Collateral Design
    Our creative services are not limited to social media graphics; we also design flyers, brochures, and other marketing materials.

    Website and Digital Creatives
    A great UI helps in smooth navigation and boosts UX. To maintain brand consistency, creativity on the social media channels and a smooth user experience on the website are required.

    Creative Services for Multiple Industries

    Our creative services are designed for businesses across industries, including:

    • Graphic Design services for E-commerce
    • Graphic Design services for Real estate
    • Graphic Design services for Healthcare Departments
    • Graphic Design services for Educational Institutions
    • Graphic Design services for Startups and enterprises

    Why MadHawks?

    MadHawks has been providing creative design services for almost a decade now. We have worked with customers from a variety of industries and assisted them in being viewed as a visual masterpiece through various marketing channels.

    Experienced Design Experts
    Our team understands the evolving design trends and is quick to identify and create impactful designs. Our experience in delivering high-quality designs and our ability to adapt to the changing dimensions of the graphic design industry have helped brands flourish visually.

    Customized Design Solutions
    Every business is unique, and the approach of visual creativity also needs to be unique. Our expert teams create customized graphics that match your brand identity, remain consistent across platforms, and fulfill your marketing goals.

    Growth-Focused
    Growth-focused designs are not only visually attractive, but they serve a purpose. As a trusted graphic design agency, we focus on creating designs that not only look good but also deliver results.