Step 1: Page Title Review
The
first tell-tale sign that a website is using SEO is in the webpage
Titles (Click here if you need help
finding the Titles). Think of webpage Titles like chapters
in a textbook. In order to find the information you need in a textbook,
you’ll skim the chapter names.
Google
uses a similar approach when reviewing and indexing your website. The
webpage Title gives Google a quick reference for what the page is about
so Google can then rank the page for relevant search phrases, or
keywords. With that in mind, one of the first steps to optimize your
website for Google is to edit your webpage Titles.
You’ll
know a website is not investing in SEO if you find any of the
following:
·
Missing webpage Titles on all or many key pages
·
Only the business name used as the Title of all or many
key webpages
·
One duplicated Title used across the entire website
·
Many duplicated Titles on key webpages
·
Generic Titles that do not include a relevant keyword
Of
course, just because a website passes this first test, we can’t be
certain the business is investing in SEO. Let’s move on to step 2…
Step 2: Website Structure Review
One
of the biggest mistakes we see when conducting SEO Audits is when
businesses try to rank just one service or product page, instead of
individual service or product pages. For example, most services
businesses have a webpage called “Services” (this is our page for
reference). In terms of usability, that page is great
because it’s a quick reference that visitors can use to see which
services the business provides.
But
for SEO, that page is terrible if you’re trying to rank your website
when prospects search for individual services. That’s because a
“Services” page lists every service you offer and it’s not 100%
relevant for any one service. Same thing for product pages.
This
is why it’s important to have individual product and service pages if
you want to have a shot at ranking when prospects search for those
products or services. So step 2 is a fairly quick and easy test. Does
the website have individual pages for each product or service? Or does
the website have just one “Services” or “Products” page?
If
there are individual pages, then that’s a positive sign the website is
investing in SEO and you can move on to step 3…
Step 3: Links Review
Investing
in SEO is much more than making edits to your own website. In fact,
your own website is only half of the battle in your quest to rank #1 in
Google. The other half is what’s called “off-page SEO” factors.
Off-page SEO factors are everything outside of your own website that
affect your search engine rankings.
One
major off-page SEO factor is the quantity and quality of links from
other websites. Generally speaking, the more links from other websites
the better because that is a signal to Google that you’re providing
high-quality information, products, and services. There are many other
factors, but links are one of the biggest signs that a business is
investing in SEO.
How
do you know how many links your website has? One free tool I recommend
is Link Explorer.
(Create an account here to gain
access to 10 free queries per month.) Simply copy/paste your website
URL into the search box, click the Search button, and then review the
number of links and number of different websites that are linking to
your website. If you find zero or very few links, then chances are good
the website you’re reviewing is not investing in SEO.
Now
on to step #4…
Step 4: Local Business Profiles Review
As
mentioned above, SEO is not just about making edits to your website.
And when it comes to ranking for locally-focused keywords like “new
york city plumber,” then Google takes into account all of your
online business profiles. For example, your business profiles on
Google My Business, Yelp, Facebook, and all the other major business
directories online need to be complete, accurate, and up-to-date with
your business information.
To
check if your business profiles are set up correctly, use the free Moz Local tool
(again, make sure to create a free account here first).
Simply search for your business name and zip code, and then click on
the correct business profile to view your report. You’ll see how many
major business profiles are set up correctly, how many are incomplete,
and how much of your information is inconsistent. If you find a very
low score using this tool, then chances are the website you’re
reviewing is not investing in SEO.
Now
on to the final step…
Step 5: Blog Review
Of
all the steps, this one is the easiest to check. Does the website have
an active blog? While a blog alone does not improve your chances of
ranking, it is a good sign that the business is investing in ongoing
SEO. To understand why, I’ll quickly explain some of the key SEO
benefits of a blog:
·
Every new blog article is another opportunity to rank in
Google. Think about that for a minute. If you’re blogging weekly, then
at the end of the year you’ll have 52 more opportunities to rank in
Google. And those articles are assets! So as you continue to blog,
you’re building a bigger and bigger net to capture prospects searching
in Google.
·
Every new blog article is another opportunity to get a
link from another website. Again, your articles are assets so over time
you’ll gain more and more links, which helps boost your website’s
domain authority. As your domain authority increases, your rankings
will improve as well.
·
Blogging is a natural way to educate and build trust with
your prospects, which ultimately leads to higher website conversion
rates. By publishing high-quality information on your blog, prospects
will view your business as the authority in your industry and be more
likely to choose you over your competitors.
With
all that in mind, if the website you’re reviewing is actively blogging,
then that business is likely investing in SEO.
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