This post was sponsored by SE Ranking. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the sponsor.
If you’re hoping to win new customers in 2023, the key is to demonstrate your expertise and value right out of the gate.
Submitting a comprehensive SEO audit of your potential client’s website is a great way to put your best foot forward.
Don’t worry about potentially wasted time if a customer closes a deal.
With the appropriate tools instead, creating a comprehensive and proactive SEO audit won’t add much more time to your team.
In fact, it can be done in just six steps. Let’s start with the basics first.
What is a comprehensive website audit?
A full website audit goes beyond surface-level analysis; it delves into various components that contribute to website success.
These audits can provide an in-depth understanding of the current state of the website and provide valuable information for future optimization.
By performing a thorough analysis of your client’s website, you can:
Discover untapped potential which will improve the SEO performance of your website.
Show your commitment to a thorough analysis and improvement.
Persuade potential customers to choose your agency for your business needs.
However, conducting a comprehensive SEO audit can be a resource-consuming process for agencies. This is why some agencies choose to send quick automated website audit results instead of investing in holistic analytics.
How can I speed up the SEO audit process?
By implementing a well-defined workflow and using appropriate toolsyour SEO audit process can be streamlined, simplifying the lives of your teammates and increasing your chances of winning leads.
In this article, we’ll dive deeper into why holistic SEO audits are important, and then provide a step-by-step guide to make sure you’re fully prepared.
Now, get ready to win customers during your initial pitch. All that is needed to achieve this is a solid understanding of the importance of these audits.
Step 1: Gather sources and prepare for SEO audit
To prepare for an SEO audit, it is essential to gather relevant information.
Tools that make this step faster:
Google Search Console and Google Analytics (although, your prospect probably won’t be able to grant you access at this point). dedicated SEO monitoring and analysis toolsI like SE rankingwhich will give you information about the performance of the site, even if you do not have access to the backend of the site.
Get a holistic view of the business and its website performance
Start by collecting website analytics data and accessing the backend tool. This data is fundamental to the audit process.
Then engage in open conversations with them to get to know the customers:
business goals Available resources.
For example, determine if they have a dedicated development team that can address technical issues and optimizations.
Finally, thoroughly analyze the client’s target audience and industry to uncover information about their specific needs and preferences.
For example, in the case of an e-commerce client, understanding the buying behaviors and preferences of their audience can inform optimization strategies for product pages and conversion funnels.
By conducting thorough research, engaging in client conversations, and aligning goals, you can put together an effective SEO audit that uncovers the client’s specific challenges and paves the way to tangible results.
Step 2: Conduct competitive research and analyze strategies
Thorough competitive research is a vital part of any SEO audit process.
Gain valuable insight into your prospect’s competitive landscape by assessing the customer’s top competitors:
visibility Traffic sources. Keywords. Backlink profiles.
This analysis gives you a better understanding of your customer’s strengths and weaknesses.
It’s also great for discovering successful keyword strategies, which are the key to developing a comprehensive strategy that sets your client apart in the marketplace.
How to speed up competitive research
Dedicated SEO tools such as SE Ranking Competitive analysis toolcan streamline this process by providing comprehensive data and insights.
Provides information on:
It also helps identify the client’s closest competitors in organic search based on the keywords they rank for.
Image created by SE Ranking, July 2023
Competitive research gives you actionable insights to position your client for success, leading to better rankings, increased organic traffic and higher conversions.
Step 3: Perform a technical website audit
Now, let’s move on to the next vital step: carrying out a Technical audit of the website.
Start with:
Evaluating various technical aspects such as page experience, broken links and redirects, sitemaps and robots.txt files, noindex and canonical tags, and overall website structure.
Analyzing Core Web Vitals of the website to uncover potential issues that could affect user experience and search engine rankings.
communicating the importance of each detected issue to your customer, highlighting its impact on website performance and visibility in search results.
If your client is targeting an international audience, also address localization issues such as incorrect language settings or regional targeting. Ensuring a consistent experience across locations is key.
How to speed up technical website audits
You can streamline the technical audit process by using website auditing toolswhich provide comprehensive information on these technical elements and help uncover areas for improvement.
Image created by SE Ranking, July 2023
By presenting technical audit findings, you can effectively demonstrate how your expertise can deliver tangible results and contribute to overall customer success.
Step 4: Analyze your keyword rankings
The next step in auditing your client’s SEO performance is to analyze keywords.
Start by analyzing the client’s current keyword positions and their dynamics over time.
Identify keywords that are close to the top 10 positions and can serve as foundations for better optimization.
next, perform keyword research to identify new target keywords that align with client goals and industry trends.
Compare the client’s keyword ranking with that of their competitors. Spot keyword overlap and gaps to identify areas where the customer excels and areas that require improvement.
Image created by SE Ranking, July 2023
This approach helps you craft an effective strategy that bridges gaps and outperforms competitors in relevant keyword searches.
Consider different ways to achieve this, such as optimizing your existing content, creating new targeted content, or refining your on-page optimization techniques.
Step 5. Evaluate the backlink profile
Start this stage with a thorough backlink profile analysis.
Examine the number and quality of backlinks, referring domains, commonly used anchor texts, and the ratio of dofollow to nofollow links.
Image created by SE Ranking, July 2023
Evaluate the quality and relevance of backlinks by considering factors such as domain trust, anchor texts, and diversity of linking domains.
Then compare the client’s backlink profile to that of their competitors to identify gaps and potential opportunities.
This analysis allows you to develop a specific strategy for acquiring high-quality backlinks that will improve the client’s website authority and visibility in search engine results. This could involve outreach campaigns, guest blogs, partnerships or content promotion.
Step 6. Gather the results and prepare for the presentation
After you’ve collected your data, conducted a full website audit, and conducted competitive research, it’s time to gather your results and prepare for your client presentation.
Begin by creating an executive summary of the audit findings, highlighting the website’s strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement. This summary should provide a concise overview of the main findings of the audit.
Then identify actionable recommendations and optimization strategies based on the audit findings. These recommendations should address specific areas for improvement, including technical improvements and SEO practices.
Identify low-hanging fruit, which refers to SEO tasks that have been overlooked or left untouched for quite some time. These tasks are usually simple, but can lead to a noticeable increase in organic traffic when done the right way.
Design a custom report and presentation that visually presents data and effectively conveys your ideas and suggestions.
How to speed up the creation of SEO client proposals
Use SEO reporting tools to create impactful reports, improving customer understanding and engagement with information.
Image created by SE Ranking, July 2023
Adapt the conclusions of the audit to the specific needs and objectives of the client, aligning the recommendations with their requirements.
During the presentation, present the audit findings and introduce any possible recommendations. Also, illustrate the potential impact and ROI of implementing these proposed improvements.
Emphasize how the recommended changes can improve your website’s performance, user experience, search engine visibility, and ultimately drive business growth.
By showing value and potential results, you increase the likelihood of gaining the customer’s trust and securing their partnership.
Now, it’s your time to shine
Conducting a thorough SEO audit serves as a powerful tool for agencies to impress potential clients and secure new business opportunities.
By capitalizing on this valuable asset, agencies can demonstrate their expertise and win high-profile client presentations.
Harness the potential of website audits as a means to drive business growth and build lasting partnerships with clients.
Image credits
Featured image: Image by SE Ranking. Used with permission.
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