WordPress SEO Audits: A Step-by-Step Guide for Agencies.

What is a WordPress SEO Audit?

A WordPress SEO audit is a systematic examination of a website’s current state, aiming to find areas for improvement and optimisation.

We specialise in SEO for WordPress sites, where an audit is a strategic practice that can significantly impact our client’s online visibility and success.

It’s an ever-evolving field, with search engines continually updating algorithms.

Regular audits ensure a website adapts to these changes, maintains best practices, and stays ahead of the competition.

Preliminary Analysis

Current Website Performance Assessment

Before diving into specific SEO elements, we need to understand the site’s overall performance.

This includes evaluating loading speed, mobile responsiveness, and the effectiveness of the site structure and navigation.

A user-friendly and efficiently functioning website is the foundation for successful SEO.

Keyword Analysis

Current Keyword Strategy Evaluation

Thorough Examination of Targeted Keywords and Phrases

• Relevance Check: Scrutinising the relevance of current keywords to the website’s content and business objectives.
• Performance Assessment: Evaluating how well current keywords contribute to search engine visibility and user intent.

Competitor Keyword Analysis

• Identifying Competitors: Pinpointing key competitors within the industry and analysing their keyword strategies.
• Competitive Edge Insights: Gaining valuable insights into areas where the website can gain a competitive advantage by identifying gaps or opportunities competitors may have missed.

Keyword Research and Expansion

Identifying High-Impact Keywords

• Business Alignment: Ensuring identified keywords align seamlessly with the business’s goals and target audience.
• Volume and Competition Analysis: Analysing search volume and competition level for each potential keyword to prioritise high-impact choices.

Discovering Long-Tail Keyword Opportunities

• Uncovering Overlooked Niches: Exploring long-tail keyword opportunities that might have been overlooked in the initial strategy.
• Niche Domination Strategy: Strategising on how to dominate specific niches through the incorporation of long-tail keywords.

Content Audit

This phase in a WordPress SEO audit is not merely about quantity but the strategic curation of information that resonates with users and search engines.

Agencies navigate through this phase, focusing on content quality, relevance, and strategic integration.

Content Relevance and Quality Check

Identifying Thin or Duplicate Content

• Thin Content Assessment: Examining content to identify pages lacking substantial information or depth.
• Duplicate Content Evaluation: Ensuring uniqueness across pages to avoid penalisation by search engines.

Strategic Keyword Integration

• Keyword Placement: Assessing how effectively keywords are integrated into the content for maximum SEO impact.
• Relevance Check: Ensuring that keywords align with each page’s overarching theme and purpose.

Content Gaps and Opportunities

Determining Topics for New Content Creation

• Identifying Industry Trends: Staying abreast of industry trends to determine topics that resonate with the target audience.
• Addressing User Queries: Analysing user queries and intent to identify areas where new content can provide valuable answers.

Optimising Existing Content for SEO

• Strategic Content Enhancement: Implementing SEO best practices to optimise existing content for improved visibility.
• User Intent Alignment: Making sure that existing content aligns seamlessly with user intent and search engine expectations.

On-Page SEO Assessment

Title Tags and Meta Descriptions

These play a huge role in search engine results.

This step involves reviewing and optimising all tags and descriptions to make sure they are concise, relevant and interesting.

Header Tags and Content Structure

Proper use of header tags (H1, H2, H3) and a well-structured content layout contribute to both user experience and search engine understanding.

Ensuring readability and hierarchy in content enhances SEO performance.

Technical SEO Audit

Crawlability and Indexation

Checking Robots.txt and XML Sitemaps

• Robots.txt Assessment: Examining the robots.txt file to understand how search engines should crawl and index different pages.
• XML Sitemap Evaluation: Ensuring that the XML sitemap is comprehensive and accurately reflects the website’s structure.

Ensuring Proper Crawlability

• Navigation Accessibility: Verifying that website navigation is accessible for both users and search engine crawlers.
• Canonicalisation Check: Addressing canonicalisation issues to prevent duplicate content confusion.

Identifying and Fixing Crawl Errors

• 404 Error Resolution: Resolving any 404 errors to ensure a smooth user experience and maintain search engine trust.
• Server Response Analysis: Investigating server response codes to identify and rectify issues affecting crawlability.

URL Structure and Redirects

Optimising URL Structures for SEO

• Keyword Inclusion: Incorporating relevant keywords in URL structures for both user and search engine understanding.
• Readability Enhancement: Ensuring that URLs are readable and provide a clear indication of the page’s content.

Addressing Redirect Issues

• 301 Redirect Implementation: Implementing 301 redirects for pages that have moved or undergone changes.
• Redirect Chain Resolution: Addressing and resolving any redirect chains that may hinder user navigation and search engine crawling.

Ensuring Efficient Site Navigation

• User-Friendly URLs: Crafting URLs that are user-friendly and contribute to a positive user experience.
• Breadcrumb Implementation: Incorporating breadcrumbs to enhance user navigation and search engine understanding.

Backlink Analysis

Evaluating Current Backlink Profile

Identifying High-Quality Backlinks

• Source Authority Assessment: Scrutinising the authority of websites providing backlinks to gauge their impact on the website’s credibility.
• Relevance Check: Ensuring that backlinks come from sources relevant to the website’s industry or niche.

Addressing Toxic Backlinks

• Toxicity Assessment: Utilising tools to identify and evaluate toxic backlinks that might harm the website’s SEO.
• Disavow Process: Implementing a disavow process to communicate with search engines and disassociate from harmful backlinks.

Backlink Building Opportunities

Strategic Backlink Building

• Outreach Campaigns: Developing outreach strategies to connect with authoritative websites in the industry.
• Relationship Building: Building relationships with influencers, thought leaders, and industry peers for collaborative backlink opportunities.

Content Collaboration

• Creating Linkable Assets: Producing high-quality, shareable content that attracts organic backlinks.
• Guest Posting: Exploring guest posting opportunities on reputable websites to secure valuable backlinks.

Local SEO Optimisation

Local Business Citations

Ensuring Accuracy and Consistency in NAP Information

• Name, Address, Phone Number (NAP) Audit: Conducting a meticulous review of business listings to ensure the accuracy of NAP information.
• Consistency Across Platforms: Verifying that NAP details are consistent across various online platforms, directories, and listings.

Leveraging Local Directories and Platforms

• Google My Business Optimisation: Ensuring that the Google My Business listing is claimed, verified, and optimized with accurate business details.
• Exploring Local Directories: Identifying and leveraging local directories relevant to the business niche for increased visibility.

Local Content and Reviews

Generating Localised Content

• Location-Specific Content Creation: Developing content tailored to the local audience, including information about local events, news, and community engagement.
• Geo-Targeted Keywords: Incorporating geo-targeted keywords to align content with local search queries.

Managing Online Reviews

• Encouraging Positive Reviews: Implementing strategies to encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews.
• Responding to Reviews: Engaging with customer reviews, responding to feedback, and addressing concerns to build a positive online reputation.

Building Trust Within the Community

• Local Testimonials: Featuring local testimonials and success stories to establish credibility.
• Community Involvement: Actively participating in local events, sponsorships, and initiatives to foster a positive image within the community.

Reporting and Documentation of a WordPress SEO Audit

Creating a Comprehensive SEO Audit Report

Summarising the Audit’s Results

• Clear Presentation: Presenting findings in a clear and concise manner for easy understanding.
• Visual Elements: Incorporating visual elements such as graphs or charts to illustrate key metrics and trends.

Prioritising Actionable Steps

• Highlighting Key Recommendations: Identifying and highlighting key recommendations that will have the most significant impact on SEO.
• Roadmap for Improvement: Providing a step-by-step roadmap outlining the sequence of recommended actions.

Ensuring Clarity and Actionability

• Executive Summary: Including an executive summary for a quick overview of the audit’s key takeaways.
• Detailed Analysis: Offering a detailed analysis for those who wish to delve deeper into the findings.

Prioritising Actionable Steps for Improvement

Addressing Incremental Improvements

• Implementing Low-Hanging Fruit: Tackling quick wins and straightforward optimisations that can yield immediate improvements.
• Long-Term Strategy Integration: Aligning prioritised steps with the long-term SEO strategy for sustained success.

Sequencing Implementation

• Timeline for Execution: Providing a suggested timeline for the implementation of recommended changes.
• Collaboration and Communication: Facilitating collaboration between teams or with external partners to execute changes effectively.

Monitoring Progress

• Setting Milestones: Establishing milestones to track progress and measure the impact of implemented changes.
• Adjusting Strategies: Being prepared to adjust strategies based on ongoing monitoring and emerging trends.

Final Thoughts

Knowing about WordPress SEO audits is going to be pretty useful when growing your website.

It’s not a one-time thing, you’ve got to keep at it.

Here at Searchworthy, it’s our focus to help create an optimisation strategy that’s sustainable and personalised to you.