Websites. Software. Consulting

What makes a great SEO Audit?

By Toby Mason

Added Tuesday 28/04/2009

There are many great SEO professionals out there but sometimes knowledge and experience are just the tip of the iceberg when performing an SEO Healthcheck for a client. In this post we discuss what we believe to be the foundations of a succesful SEO Audit for any website.

Bespoke it
Every website is different and so therefore should the analysis. While the list of criteria that you check a website against maybe roughly the same each time, the results will not be. If you feel that a certain point needs more attention then make sure you give it just that. Do not restrict yourself to a template but react accordingly to your findings.

Judge it
It's imperative to know who you will be presenting your Audit to. Find out how much exposure to SEO your client has and tune your Audit to their level of understanding. If they are a knowledgeable bunch then you know you will be on pretty much the same wave length. If your Audit is going to be their introduction to SEO then tone it down a bit and spend a little bit more time explaining your points in laymen's terms. If you are not sure if something make sense tehn bounce it off a mate or ask yourself "would my (mother/friend/yoga teacher etc.) understand?"

Code it
Having said that, don't be afraid to get technical if you have to. Even if your client is technically light their development team most probably is not. So if required include code snippets or technical lingo when getting into the detail on how to fix an issue and identify it clearly as something to give to their developer.

Explain It
For each and every review point include a detailed explanation to what it means and why it's important to SEO and why it is perhaps affecting their prominence in the SERPS. Don't just include pages of reports that need deciphering. There is every chance that the client may want to revisit the Audit at a later date so make sure it will make as much sense then as it does when you first talk them through it.

Illustrate it
Not with doodles unfortunately. As the saying goes "a picture is worth a thousand words" and it's true in this case too. Screen grabs, diagrams and charts all go a long way to help explaining and visualising data which otherwise may be far too complex. Looks nicer too.

Suggest it
There is absolutely no point indentifying hundreds of issues with a website unless you offer suggestions on how to solve them to increase website traffic. Do not try and hide this information away in the hope that you are then hired to fix them. The audit should be seen as a standalone piece of work and in our experience it is better to showcase your knowledge than to keep this information back.

Present it
When turning up to a client meeting you want to look the part. So should your Audit. Not only will it make it easier to digest but you should see an Audit as a representation of you or your company. Review it. Spell-check it. Format it. Review it again. We all know that first impressions count and more often than not you're Audit will be the first thing your client sees. Don't blow your chance at future work because of shabby presentation.

Check it
Do not rush an Audit no matter how much pressure you are under. It's better to manage your client's expectations than too push something out the door in a hurry. Even when you feel you have finished and there is no more you can do, save it....and wait. Review it a couple of days later and it's amazing how often things jump out at you that you missed before. It might just be a typo or a diagram that suddenly doesn't make any sense, either way give yourself the time and make sure it's not too late to rectify.

Dissect it
In some cases your Audit may include a mountain of things to fix to get the website higher search engine rankings. Break it down for your client into manageable chunks ordered by ease and importance. Unfortunately the most serious issues can often be the hardest or most costly to fix. But a big difference could also be made by dealing with all the little quick wins. Lowest hanging fruit anyone?

Corroborate it
You use them every day so be sure to include a list of useful tools & resources for your client to investigate themselves. Let them read what you read and let them explore their site with the tools you explored it with. If you end up skilling them into a world beating SEO then good on you, give yourself a pat on the back. If they have tried themselves but found they don't have the time then you will be the first person they call.

Talk through it
By spending just an hour with your client reviewing the audit you can clear up all the things they are not 100% clear about. With all the technology out there (Skype, Webinar Software, Virtual Login and of course the good old fashioned telephone) even if you can't meet face to face there is no reason for your client not to be fully debriefed on your findings. It also gives you another chance to get down to detail and really show off your knowledge.



This is obviously only beginnings of a successful SEO Audit and could also apply to a lot of different types of documentation but these points have so far done us proud. What things do you feel make for a good SEO Audit and what little details make a good Audit into a brilliant one?