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Video Summary
It’s a new year, so let’s dive into the nitty-gritty of optimizing your online presence to make sure you’re at the top of the search game.
In the ever-evolving world of search engines, staying on top of your SEO game is like having the golden ticket to the digital kingdom. Why, you ask? Well, it ensures that your website not only remains visible, but also ranks high when people are actively searching for the products or services you provide.
So, if you’re ready to level up, let’s look at 7 steps to keep your business ahead of the curve this year.
Video Transcript
Hello, it’s Jeffrey Kirk here.
Today, I want to go through an SEO audit checklist with you. It’s a new year, so let’s dive into the nitty-gritty of optimizing your online presence to make sure you’re at the top of the search game. So, grab your favorite snack, and let’s get started!
Before we jump into the step-by-step guide though, let me quickly remind you why an SEO audit is an important step to take. In the ever-evolving world of search engines, staying on top of your SEO game is like having the golden ticket to the digital kingdom.
Why, you ask? Well, it ensures that your website not only remains visible, but also ranks high when people are actively searching for the products or services you provide.
So, if you’re ready to level up, let’s look at 7 steps to keep your business ahead of the curve this year.
STEP 1: KEYWORD RESEARCH
Let’s kick this off by talking about the backbone of online visibility – keywords. And remember, it’s 2024 now. You can’t just stuff your content with keywords and hope to get visitors showing up. You’ve got to understand searcher intent.
As you craft your SEO strategy, the very first step is to carefully consider the words you want to rank high for in search engines. Dive deep into your industry, identify trending keywords, and align them with what your audience is actively searching for.
Your keywords will depend on your target market and your services. Like what your target users are searching for, the number of people searching for that, and what type of information they want. You must remember that keyword research takes time, and that’s why planning is important.
In order to succeed, you need to focus on your target audience and then use that data to discover the keywords that will provide a better user experience.
Start by using a few keywords that you want to rank for, like your products and services. Enter these into a keyword research tool and then look at the other topics and common questions related to those keywords.
And remember… there’s a trade-off here. The more commonly searched words have higher competition which means it’s more difficult to get ranked high. By targeting less commonly searched phrases, you might get seen more easily.
Now, if this is your first encounter with keywords and keyword research, don’t worry. I’ve got you covered! I recommend watching my previous video where I break down the basics. You can find the link here for easy access.
STEP 2: MOBILE OPTIMIZATION
All right, let’s talk mobile. In a world where everyone’s glued to their smartphones, your website has to be mobile-friendly!
Considering Google’s emphasis on mobile-first indexing, your site should look just as impressive on a phone as it does on a desktop. Test it out and fix any wonky formatting – you want smooth sailing for all users. That means you need a responsive website so it appears properly on all devices from phones to tablets to desktop browsers.
So how do you know if your website is mobile-friendly?
An easy way is to use the test at https://ready.mobi/. You just type in the webpage address and that’s it.
The tool shows you how the page looks on different devices, and it gives you major fails, minor fails, and areas that the page passes the tests. If there are failures, it also gives you some suggestions.
STEP 3: PAGE SPEED
Now, let’s give your website a turbo boost! Page speed is a game-changer. No one enjoys waiting around for a website to load, and Google is well aware of this fact.
You can quickly check your page speed with the Google PageSpeed Insights tool and work on optimizing images, reducing server response time, and leveraging browser caching. This tool analyzes your website’s performance and then recommends a variety of ways to increase speed.
To use the tool, go to https://pagespeed.web.dev/, paste your URL in the search box, and then hit analyze. Then you’ll get a thorough report of your website and what might be slowing its performance. Knowing these things will help you fix the page a lot faster.
A couple key points include reducing image sizes and learn about core web vitals. Your site users will thank you, and so will the search engines.
STEP 4: CONTENT QUALITY AND RELEVANCE
Content is king! And by that, I mean quality content. Is the content on your website relevant? Is some of it new? Or is it all old and boring?
Remember, great content attracts visitors. And it does a lot more. It nurtures relationships that can convert into valuable sales for your business. When you understand the needs of your target audience and create valuable content that solves their problems, you’re growing your business.
Your website should have fresh and relevant content so those who make it there can’t resist it. You want them to consume the content and want more.
To start a content audit, identify your what and how: What are you offering? And how will this help your audience?
Update outdated information, fix broken links, and ensure your content aligns with the latest trends. Google loves regularly updated, high-quality content, and so do the visitors to your site.
STEP 5: BACKLINK ANALYSIS
Now, let’s talk about connections. Backlinks are like votes of confidence from other websites. Conduct a backlink analysis to identify toxic links and remove them. Foster relationships with high-quality, relevant sites for those valuable backlinks. Once again, it’s about quality over quantity here.
To establish your authority in your industry, it’s beneficial to get links from websites that have a high level of authority. These links are more valuable and can improve your chances of ranking higher. And this means more traffic to your business.
Using links from relevant publications in your industry also helps you be viewed as an authority, while linking to credible external sites supports your website’s content and shows search engines you provide relevant information.
STEP 6: SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE
Don’t forget the social scene! In 2024, social signals matter. Make sure your social media profiles are not just placeholders but active hubs. Share your content, engage with your audience, and let the world know your business is more than a website; you’re a digital force to be reckoned with.
Social media provides a big platform for you to reach a tremendous audience to share your content. The bigger the audience, the more traffic you can get. The number of likes, shares, or comments on these social media sites translates to brand awareness, creating opportunities for engagement and sales.
Be sure to tell viewers what you want them to do by using calls-to-action such as comment, share, like your posts, subscribe, and to consume your other content.
STEP 7: USER EXPERIENCE
Well, I could just as well have made this step #1. None of the previous steps mean anything unless you are considering the user experience. It’s not about you, it’s about your audience.
Check your website’s navigation, ensure clear calls-to-action, and optimize for user engagement. A delightful user experience keeps visitors coming back and that tells Google your site is worth visiting. And a site that is worth visiting, is worth putting in the search results!
To enhance navigation, create clear and intuitive menus. And optimize images and multimedia elements to improve loading speed without compromising quality. A smooth and enjoyable user experience is key to retaining visitors and boosting your site’s overall performance.
Okay, now you have 7 steps to conduct an SEO audit. But let’s not stop there.
I put together a free checklist for you which includes 10 top level steps. And each of these steps is broken into 3 action steps you can take to conduct a complete audit.
With this checklist you’ll discover the actionable steps to optimize your website across 10 critical areas, including those I already presented, and more. This checklist is packed with insights to propel your site to the top of search results.
This checklist is available at upatdawn.biz/10audit. Go ahead and get that now while you’re thinking about it.
And, please remember to hit that like button, subscribe for more awesome content, and share in the comments any topics you’d like me to cover next.
Your business deserves to be seen online, and I will help you get there.
Thanks for watching and have a great day!
