A client recently came to me and requested and SEO audit for their firm’s website. They had redesigned it in the past year, but felt the SEO wasn’t completed correctly.
After quickly looking at the site code, I could confirm the suspicion to be true.
How did I do it? I went to any web page and right-clicked on some white space. Then I chose “View source code.” When the code appeared, I did a “find” command for “description.” The description meta tag on several pages of the client’s site was blank. An instant identifier that the SEO was lacking. So, I conducted the audit.
What are the benefits of an SEO Audit?
Conducting an SEO audit has several benefits, including:
- Flags issues with the website, such as low site speed.
- Identifies issues that prevent your site from ranking on search engines, such as lack of keywords, meta descriptions, and faulty alt tags on images.
- Helps you rank better on search engines, decreases the amount spent on social media and online advertising, increase organic traffic to your site (especially when combined with marketing efforts).
- Gains insight into what your competition is doing.
It’s impact can be great. In fact,
- 70% of the top five search results get the clicks; without SEO you may never land on page 1.
- 94% of searchers focus on organic search results (not paid)
- Through a keyword strategy, you can target a specific market for certain pages, e.g., you want to focus on Professional Services Business Growth and Transition, by doing keyword research for that target, you can develop landing pages, use copy on existing pages, and create marketing initiatives and lead-generating content to draw them in. It’s not a one-step process, but a strategy with multiple touch points. A good example is posting content on Google My Business a few times per week that focuses on the targets you want to reach, with links to information they find useful. That information, in turn, has keywords, meta descriptions, images, headings, and more that impact your search ranking.
Once Completed – What happens?
The firm’s leadership then asked these questions.
- Once the SEO audit is completed, what do we do with the information/findings, and what does it mean? Strategic keywords are identified by the marketing team, and the SEO recommendations are shared, the next step is to implement the changes, including Meta Titles, Meta Descriptions, keywords, URLs with keywords, and alt tags on image.
- What does the execution of what happens after the audit look like, and who does that? Is that something our marketing department can do, or do we have to outsource that?
- The audit file is prepared and informs the implementation team exactly what needs to be changed on the site.
- Implementation may be done by the existing marketing team, but it does take hours to complete, even when focused only on this task.
- Outsourcing the task takes the project off the marketing teams plate and is conducted by someone who understands SEO and where to make the changes.
- What is the current state vs. the desired state? In this firm’s case, their:
- Current state was okay, but there are some very important pieces missing, such as meta descriptions, focused keyword phrases, URL length, site speed issues, and content with a strategic focus.
- Desired state is to increase the site SEO score (into the 90s is excellent); monitor keyword search rankings (Semrush is great for that) to identify targeted keyword position and competitive rankings, and; spend as little as possible when conducting online advertising due to well-prepared website pages.
- What is SEO and how does it work? Give several examples.
- SEO stands for ‘Search Engine Optimization’, which is the process of getting traffic from free, organic, editorial, or natural search results in search engines. It aims to improve your website’s position in search results pages. Remember, the higher the website is listed, the more people will see it.
- There is a five-minute video on YouTube that does a nice job of visualizing how SEO works.
Example 1: Minnesota CPA Construction
When searching in a private browsing window for they keyword phrase “Minnesota cpa firms specializing in construction” the first organic brand ( not paying for ads) was Smith Schafer. My client’s firm was also on the first page, but at the bottom.
Even though they have a low on-page SEO website score, they have a tremendous backlink list (over 14,000), and monthly website traffic over 5,000, which increases their search ranking organically.
Also, from this example, we can see the keywords Minnesota and construction in their SEO meta tags (title, URL, description). See bold text below.
Minnesota Construction & Real Estate Accounting Experts.
Smith Schafer https://www.smithschafer.com › Industries
Smith Schafer is a recognized leader in providing accounting, auditing and consulting services to the industry. Our Construction & Real Estate Group, comprised …
https://www.smithschafer.com/industries/construction-real-estate/
Example 2: Manufacturing Accounting Firm Minnesota
Using the same process of a private browser window, the search phase was “manufacturing accounting firm Minnesota”. The organic results for this phrase also showed Smith Schafer in the top, organic spot. My client’s firm was also on the first page, but near the middle.
Here’s how Smith Schafer is using the keyword phrase:
Minnesota Manufacturing Accounting Services.
Smith Schafer https://www.smithschafer.com › Industries
We work with approximately 100 Minnesota manufacturing companies helping them grow with accounting and consulting solutions. Meet our manufacturing team …
https://www.smithschafer.com/industries/manufacturing/
Smith Schafer is using manufacturing and accounting more often than my client, which meets my search criteria more effectively.
Example 3: Payroll Services
Using the same process of a private browser window, the search phase was “Minneapolis payroll services”. The organic results for this phrase also showed CSI Accounting and Payroll and G&A Partners below them in the top, organic spots. My client’s firm was not on the search page. If this is a top revenue service line, using keyword research, proper SEO tactics, and content marketing could raise their placement.
Small Business Payroll Service
CSI Accounting & Payroll
Get expert payroll management and support, add on only the features that you need, and access reports and pay stubs at any time from our secure online …
https://www.csiaccounting.com/services/payroll
Minneapolis Payroll Services and HR Consulting
G&A Partners
The payroll specialists at G&A provide automated, end-to-end payroll administration services, helping to simplify and streamline payroll processing, time …
https://www.gnapartners.com/locations/minneapolis
Keep In Mind
Attracting the right visitors to your website, can increase conversion rate and potentially help the firm’s team to sell more services. But the reality is, SEO takes time. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Also, having a website without SEO is like trying to sell something but not telling anyone where to find it.
Want more SEO Tips?
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