A diagnostic review of all technical and content-related SEO issues on a website.
Find the Problems Hiding on Your Website
Hey friend! Does it feel like your website has secret issues holding back your traffic? I have the tool that finds every hidden crack and loophole on your site. Today, I am sharing the most crucial check-up for any website, regardless of size. Get ready for actionable tips that reveal technical problems and set you on the path to top rankings.
What is Site Audit?
So, What is Site Audit? It is a comprehensive examination of my entire website to find technical, on-page, and off-page issues affecting search performance. I use specialized tools to crawl my site just like Google does, looking for errors like broken links, slow pages, or duplicate content. Think of it as a complete check-up to ensure my website is perfectly healthy and ready to rank.
I perform a regular audit to prevent small errors from becoming major ranking problems. This process provides a prioritized list of fixes that guarantee the biggest return on my SEO time and effort. It is the single most effective way I find opportunities for quick, measurable improvement.
Impact on CMS Platforms
The CMS platform influences where I focus my energy during the audit process.
WordPress
When auditing a WordPress site, I focus heavily on plugin performance and excessive database queries that slow down server response time. I check for broken internal links and proper image compression across all my blog posts. Technical hygiene is the key focus on this platform.
Shopify
For Shopify, I concentrate on finding duplicate content issues caused by filter and sorting URLs, which are common problems. I ensure that my product and collection pages have unique meta descriptions and titles. My audit verifies that product schema is implemented correctly for rich results.
Wix
Wix handles much of the core technical SEO, so my audit focuses on content quality, mobile-friendliness, and simple on-page elements. I check that all my pages are indexed and that my headings are logically structured. The audit ensures I maximize the SEO features Wix provides.
Webflow
Auditing a Webflow site focuses on confirming that the clean code translates to perfect crawlability and lightning-fast speed metrics. I verify that my custom 301 redirects are working correctly. I ensure that all the great design work does not slow down the user experience.
Custom CMS
A custom CMS requires the deepest audit, often involving manual server log analysis and code review to check for fundamental crawl errors. I check for proper implementation of canonical tags on large, dynamic sections of the site. I ensure I have full technical control over all indexing directives.
Application Across Industries
The audit’s focus changes based on the specific SEO needs and vulnerabilities of the business model.
Ecommerce
In ecommerce, my audit prioritizes finding discontinued product pages that need 301 redirects to similar products or categories. I check for thin content on low-selling product pages that might be hurting the site’s overall quality score. My goal is to ensure every page contributes positively to revenue.
Local Businesses
For local businesses, the audit starts with a deep check of the Google Business Profile (GBP) and the consistency of the Name, Address, and Phone (NAP). I verify that local landing pages are properly optimized for local keywords. I check for any issues with the location schema markup.
SaaS (Software as a Service)
SaaS audits focus on the organization and crawlability of the help center and documentation content. I check for internal linking patterns that pass authority to high-value marketing pages. I ensure my informational content is comprehensive and easy to read.
Blogs
When auditing a blog, I look for content that is suffering from “keyword cannibalization,” where multiple posts compete for the same term. I identify old articles that have stopped receiving traffic but could be refreshed for quick wins. The focus is on content efficiency and topical authority.
FAQ
1. How often should I perform a comprehensive Site Audit?
I recommend a full, comprehensive site audit at least once every six months to a year. However, I run smaller, automated technical checks every month. A major website change or a sudden traffic drop should trigger an immediate, unscheduled audit.
2. What is the single most important issue a Site Audit looks for?
The most important issue is anything that prevents search engines from crawling or indexing my content. This includes robots.txt blocks, broken links to important pages, and indexing errors reported in Google Search Console. If Google cannot see the page, it cannot rank it.
3. Can I do a simple Site Audit without expensive tools?
Yes, absolutely. I start by checking my Google Search Console for technical errors and my Google Analytics for high bounce rates. Then, I check my site speed with Google PageSpeed Insights. These free tools provide a great starting point for any audit.
4. After an audit, what is the first thing I should fix?
I always fix the critical, site-wide technical issues first, such as server response time problems or broken canonical tags. These fundamental errors affect the entire website. Addressing these problems provides the biggest, fastest boost to overall performance.
5. How does a Site Audit help my website’s authority?
By fixing technical errors and optimizing my content, the audit makes my entire site more trustworthy and reliable. This signals to Google that my site is well-maintained and provides a good user experience. Consistency and technical correctness are key components of authority.
