By Solomon Thimothy, Clickx & OneIMS
Let's face it. If you have a website, chances are you've done some sort of audit to see how well it's performing.
From speed to rankings, you've probably put your website to the test at some point. However, a true website audit encompasses more than one type of audit. As a robust and essential part of your business, your website deserves a comprehensive audit that factors in all major key performance indicators of your online presence.
So what should a real website audit really look like? There are six major areas to a well-rounded website audit.
How well your website fares in organic searches is a major part of a website audit. Understanding the total traffic to your site, your rankings and keywords bringing traffic to your site is critical for making improvements not only from a strategy perspective but also finding opportunities. An audit of your online presence should give you a pretty good idea of drivers of traffic and total traffic expectations. This can help you plan for further growth.
Most organic and paid campaigns are usually run completely isolated from each other. That's why a paid visibility audit is crucial to understanding if your ad spend is going to the right keywords. An audit of your website's paid campaign provides insight into what keywords are generating visits and the cost for those visits.
Your website's usability and functionality matter more today than ever before. On one hand, users are becoming Web savvy and demanding better performance from your website. On the other, search engines are taking this to heart and giving preference to websites that are technically sound. That includes a variety of technical elements including load speed, image optimization, content to code ratio and more. Reviewing the technical foundation of your website is doubled when you consider both a desktop and mobile experience.
Understanding the health of your backlink profile is an often forgotten part of a website audit. The quality and origin of links to your website are important for establishing your own website's authority. No wonder Google has put so much emphasis on a website's link profile as part of their ranking algorithm. It's also no surprise that acquiring quality, authoritative backlinks has become more difficult over time. Understanding where your own links are coming from can truly give you a perspective of how authoritative your website is in the eyes of search engines.
Without having something to compare to, an audit is just a report. A comprehensive website audit should include a competitive audit that allows you to compare your website among competitors. A competitor audit may provide insight into online competitors of which you may not have been aware or a better view as to how well you compare among your competitors. Understanding how strong their organic presence is and how wide their paid campaigns can stretch can offer a better big picture view of your own website.
Accurate business information is important for anyone. For local businesses that depend on foot traffic, accurate business information is vital. A wrong phone number, an old address or incorrect hours of operation can lead to a lost customer. A local audit provides a full view of existing local profiles giving you the opportunity to identify any problems that may be potentially turning customers away.
A website is an integral part of any business. Whether B2B or B2C, a website is an influential element in acquiring and retaining customers. A comprehensive website audit can ensure your website performs well in critical areas and help you drive your business forward.
As the founder and CEO of OneIMS and Clickx, Solomon Thimothy has built his career around his passion for helping other businesses grow an online presence and thrive in the digital world. Solomon works with clients big and small to develop uniquely customized and highly-effective marketing strategies that meet every company's individual goals. Follow him on twitter @sthimothyd.