Step 1: Title
Tag Review
The first tell-tale
sign that a website is using SEO is in the page title aka title tag (Click here if you need help
finding title tags). Think of title tags 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 title tag 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 title tags.
You’ll know a website
is not investing in SEO if you find any of the following:
- The
title tags focus on the company name vs relevant keywords
- One
duplicated title used across the entire website
- Many
duplicated title tags on key pages
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 page called “Services” (this is our page for reference).
In terms of usability, that page is helpful because it’s a quick index
page that visitors can reference 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, 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 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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