SEO audit: Improve your website's visibility in 2024

Published by

Charlotte Nowak

Content Manager

Imagine having a shop window in front of which thousands of people pass every day without ever noticing. This is the reality for many businesses in the digital world. Your website, however aesthetically pleasing, can go unnoticed if its online presence isn't optimized. This is where an SEO audit comes in, a secret weapon for reveal your site's hidden potential.

At a time when 53% of website traffic comes from organic search, understanding the subtleties of SEO auditing is not just an option, it's a necessity. Let's explore how this tool can become the cornerstone of your digital strategy.

What is an SEO audit?

An SEO audit, or natural referencing audit, is a comprehensive process for evaluating a website's visibility and performance in search engines.

According to Semrush, it's all about identifying the mistakes that may be preventing your site from ranking well, and discovering the opportunities that will help you gain visibility.

A well-executed SEO audit offers tangible benefits, bringing many advantages to your business.

Increased organic traffic : on average, companies that invest in SEO see a 20% increase in organic traffic after a full audit.
Improved conversion rate : a well-optimized site can increase its conversion rate by 2 to 5%.
Lower advertising costs : good SEO can reduce dependence on paid advertising.
A better understanding of your audience : keyword analysis gives you valuable insights into the search intentions of your potential customers.

Key elements of an SEO audit

Technical performance

Thetechnical aspect is the foundation of good SEO. It is therefore essential to verify several technical elements during an audit, including for example :

Indexing : make sure your pages are correctly indexed by Google. For example, an unindexed product page may never appear in search results.
Robots.txt : check that these files do not prevent the indexing of important pages. A common mistake is to accidentally block access to essential pages.
Sitemap.xml : a well-structured sitemap helps search engines understand how your site is organized. It can reduce indexing time for new pages by 60%.
Loading time : the speed of your site is an important ranking factor. A one-second improvement in loading time can increase conversions by 7%.
The text/code ratio : a good balance is essential for effective optimization. Aim for a ratio of at least 25% text to code.
Keywords in URLs : descriptive URLs help to understand the page content. For example, "www.monsite.com/chaussures-de-running" is preferable to "www.monsite.com/produit?id=123".

Content and semantics

Content is king in SEO. A thorough audit examines the quality and relevance of your content. It is crucial to pay particular attention to the following elements:

META tags : be sure to include optimized titles and descriptions for each page. For example, a well-written meta description can increase click-through rates by 5.8%.
Hn tag structure : a clear title hierarchy improves readability and SEO. Use a single H1 tag per page, and structure your subheadings logically.
Site tree structure : a logical structure helps users and search engines to navigate. Make sure that no important page is more than 3 clicks away from the home page.
Content quality : make sure your content is original, relevant and brings value to users. Pages with more than 2000 words of content tend to rank higher.

Popularity and backlinks

Your site's popularity, measured in part by the quality and quantity of your backlinks, is a crucial factor in SEO. The audit should therefore include an analysis of your external links, to check the quality and relevance of your backlinks. A single high-quality link can have more impact than dozens of low-quality links.

Don't forget to include an evaluation of your netlinking strategy in your audit, with the aim of achieving a natural and steady growth of your backlinks. Finally, don't forget to assess the quality of the referring domains: give preference to links from authoritative sites in your sector.

Key points for an effective SEO audit

Key SEO audit tools

To carry out a successful SEO audit, it's crucial touse the right tools. The most recommended are :

Google Search Console: Google's free tool for monitoring and resolving problems related to your site's presence on Google.
Semrush : an all-in-one suite of SEO tools for a complete analysis of your performance.
GTMetrix : to analyze your site's loading speed.

A step-by-step methodology

Here's a step-by-step approach to a complete SEO audit:

Check for indexing problems : use Google Search Console to identify unindexed pages.
Analyze duplicate versions of your site: make sure that only one version of your site (www or non-www, HTTP or HTTPS) is accessible.
Run a full site crawl : use a tool like Screaming Frog to crawl your site and identify technical problems.
Check Google's manual actions : make sure your web page hasn't been penalized by Google.
Evaluate mobile-friendliness : your website must be perfectly functional and pleasant to use on mobile devices.
Analyze your site speed : use PageSpeed Insights to identify performance problems.
Examine your Core Web Vitals : these metrics are crucial for user experience and SEO.
Analyze your internal link structure : make sure your important pages are well linked.
Evaluate your organic traffic : analyze the evolution of your traffic and identify opportunities for improvement.
Compare yourself to your competitors: identify areas where your competitors perform better.
Identify missing keywords : find new opportunities for relevant keywords.
Find new backlink opportunities : identify sites that link to your competitors, but not to you.
Audit and improve your main pages : focus on optimizing your most important pages.
Track your rankings : regularly monitor the evolution of your positions on important keywords.

Interpretation of results and action plan

Once the audit is complete, it's crucial to interpret the results correctly and put in place an effective action plan. To do this, prioritize issues according to their potential impact and ease of implementation, then start by correcting any technical errors that may be hampering indexing.

Next, optimize existing content by improving titles, meta descriptions and keyword usage, then improve internal linking for better distribution of "link juice".

Finally, don't forget to document all actions taken and their results for effective follow-up and to learn constructive lessons from the entire SEO audit process. For example, a typical action plan after an SEO audit would be as follows:

Week 1-2: correction of indexing errors and major technical problems.
Week 3-4: optimization of title tags and meta descriptions on main pages.
Week 5-6: Improve content on the worst-performing pages.
Week 7-8: Implementation of a quality backlink creation strategy.
Week 9-10: optimizing site speed and Core Web Vitals.
Week 11-12: analysis of results and adjustments.

The specifics of an SEO audit for e-commerce

E-commerce sites have specific SEO audit requirements. Here are some points to think about in particular:

Category and sub-category analysis : optimize them for search engines while ensuring smooth navigation. A good category structure can increase conversion rates by 15%.
Optimizing filters and product attributes : avoid generating duplicate pages. Good filter management can reduce the number of duplicate pages by 30%.
Evaluation of product sheets : make sure they are optimized with relevant keywords, engaging meta descriptions and quality images. Well-optimized product sheets can increase conversion rates by 5-10%.
Track product page performance : analyze traffic, conversions and bounce rate to identify areas for improvement. A 10% reduction in bounce rate can increase sales by 2%.

SEO audit: case studies and practical examples

To better understand the concrete impact of an SEO audit, let's take a look at some real-life success stories, analyze the results and deduce the lessons we can learn from them.

SEO audit success stories

Case 1: SEO optimization for Orus

As shown in this case study we carried out at Bulldozer Collective, Orus, an insurance company dedicated to small professionals and freelancers, benefited from SEO optimization that led to significant organic growth. The main actions implemented were:

detailed editorial planning with targeted themes and keywords;
the creation of a content roadmap planning publications and updates;
technical optimization, including reorganization of the site's tree structure and improvement of slugs and internal meshing;
standardization of content production processes with clear briefs;
setting up Looker dashboards to track SEO performance.

The results have been impressive : monthly organic traffic growth of over 60%, production of over 10 pieces of content per week thanks to task standardization, and over 400 keywords ranked in the top 10 of search results.

Case 2: Global marketing strategy for Aircall

Aircall, a start-up revolutionizing business telephony, benefited from a broader approach, as detailed in our case study on the Bulldozer website. This approach combined SEO, growth marketing, paid marketing and the use of data and AI. Key actions included:

audit and benchmark competitors to position Aircall in the market;
development of a complete SEO roadmap;
optimization of advertising campaigns on Google Ads, Meta (Facebook), and LinkedIn ;
in-depth website and data analysis for actionable insights;
improved lead management and tracking processes.

The results have enabled Aircall to gain fast, relevant insights for activating the right marketing levers, improve its internal processes thanks to in-depth data analysis, establish a clear roadmap for prioritizing marketing actions, and gain autonomy in managing marketing priorities.

Lessons learned from these success stories

These success stories teach us several key lessons. First, the importance of adopting a holistic approach, since as the Aircall case shows, the best results often come from a strategy that combines SEO with other marketing tactics and advanced data analysis.

Secondly, the value of a structured content strategy : the Orus case highlights the importance of well-defined editorial planning and standardized content production.

It is essential to note that technical optimization remains crucial. In both cases, optimization of site architecture and technical aspects played a key role. Finally, the importance of monitoring and reporting is not to be underestimated: the implementation of dashboards and tracking tools has enabled continuous improvement in performance.

A quick summary of common mistakes to avoid

Let's not forget that there are also common mistakes to avoid from these case studies, including:

Neglecting competitive analysis : auditing and benchmarking competitors was crucial for Aircall.
Underestimating the importance of lead quality : Aircall has learned to focus on valuable leads rather than raw volume.
Ignoring continuous campaign optimization: both cases demonstrate the importance of constantly adjusting strategy according to results.
Neglecting integration between SEO and other marketing channels: Aircall's success is based on an integrated approach combining SEO, paid advertising and data analysis.

By learning from these real-life successes and avoiding these common mistakes, you can maximize the effectiveness of your SEO audit and significantly improve your website's performance.

The results Bulldozer Collective has achieved for its clients clearly demonstrate the power of a well-executed SEO audit and a coherent SEO strategy, especially when integrated into a broader marketing approach and supported by in-depth data analysis.

The SEO audit is therefore not a one-off action, but a continuous continuous process of improvement. Regular audits will enable you to monitor your progress and quickly identify opportunities for improvement.

What's more, by strategically planning your audits, you'll be able to stay abreast of search engine developments and thus remain competitive. Finally, you'll be able to increase your organic traffic, and thus constantly improve your online visibility.

By integrating SEO auditing into your digital marketing strategy, you ensure that your website remains effective, visible and competitive in the ever-changing SEO landscape. Don't wait any longer to carry out your first (or next) SEO audit, and pay a visit to our experts at Bulldozer!