Attracting large volumes of organic traffic from Google is a top priority for every website owner. Conducting an SEO audit is a powerful way to optimize your site’s search engine rankings, helping you pinpoint what’s working, what needs improvement, and what changes are essential.
In this article, you’ll discover a comprehensive guide, complete with 30 essential questions to consider, for performing an effective SEO audit of your marketplace. Each question will cover:
- Why the question matters for SEO performance, and
- Which tools to use to gather the needed insights.
Let’s dive into the key elements that make for a successful SEO audit.
Step 1: Define the Scope of Your SEO Audit
When you build a marketplace, it’s essential to clarify why you’re conducting an SEO audit and what you aim to achieve. For example:
- Are you preparing for a website redesign?
- Do you want to enhance your content strategy?
- Are you looking to improve your site’s technical health and usability?
Knowing your purpose will guide your focus areas.
Setting SMART Objectives
Establish SMART objectives (Specific, Measurable, Ambitious, Realistic, and Time-bound) to create a clear path for your SEO audit, such as:
- “Increase organic traffic by 50% within a year.”
- “Identify and prioritize top SEO improvements for the next quarter.”
Defining your goals and KPIs will ensure that your audit is not just theoretical but aligned with measurable results.
Step 2: Keyword Analysis and Competitor Benchmarking
Identify Current Keyword Rankings
Using tools like Google Search Console and Ahrefs, examine the keywords your marketplace ranks for, noting:
- Search volume and competition for each keyword,
- Current rankings and click-through rates (CTR), and
- The alignment of these keywords with your business objectives.
Assess Market Search Volume
Determine the total search volume within your niche. This will help gauge the potential demand and revenue your SEO strategy could capture. Tools like Google Ads Keyword Planner or SEMRush are invaluable here.
Analyze Keyword Competition
Not all keywords are worth pursuing if they’re too competitive. Identify a mix of high-volume, low-competition keywords and long-tail variations that you can realistically rank for.
Identify Top Competitors
Understand who your main competitors are for each keyword. Use SERPstat or Ahrefs to analyze competitors’ strengths, weaknesses, and domain authority.
Analyze User Intent and Business Value
For each targeted keyword, assess user intent (informational, navigational, transactional) and identify which keywords align closely with your business goals.
Step 3: Technical SEO and User Experience (UX)
Site Performance and Core Web Vitals
A fast-loading site is crucial for user satisfaction and SEO. Google’s PageSpeed Insights and Core Web Vitals reports in Google Search Console will help you understand your site’s loading times, interactivity, and stability.
Mobile Usability and Responsiveness
Ensure your site adapts seamlessly to all screen sizes. Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test is ideal for evaluating mobile optimization, and consider using AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) for improved mobile performance.
URL Structure and Accessibility
Ensure all pages are accessible, indexable, and have clean, readable URLs with relevant keywords. Tools like Screaming Frog SEO Spider can scan your site for non-indexable pages, broken links, and accessibility issues.
Redirects and Broken Links
Poorly executed redirects and broken links harm SEO. Screaming Frog can help identify redirect chains and 404 errors, ensuring every link guides users (and search engines) efficiently.
Step 4: Content Optimization
Evaluate Titles, META Descriptions, and Headings
Content optimization is critical for SEO. Review your title tags, META descriptions, and headings:
- Titles should be concise and keyword-rich.
- META descriptions should be compelling and relevant to encourage clicks.
- Headings should be structured with keywords for clarity.
Check for Duplicate Content
Duplicate content can hurt rankings. Use tools like CopyScape to ensure all content is unique and avoid keyword cannibalization, where multiple pages compete for the same search term.
Content Relevance and Depth
Audit content to ensure it is detailed, current, and well-aligned with user intent. For instance, examine which pages provide valuable information and whether they are structured to rank for targeted keywords.
Step 5: Internal Linking and Site Architecture
Establish Robust Internal Links
Internal links help distribute authority across your site. Ensure high-priority pages receive sufficient links, and avoid “orphan” pages with no internal connections. My Ranking Metrics provides insights into internal link distribution.
Optimize URL Silos for Thematic Relevance
Ensure your site is organized into clear thematic silos, where each section is logically related to a product or service category, helping users and search engines understand your content structure.
Consolidate Similar Content
If you have multiple pages targeting similar keywords, consider combining them to create a single, authoritative page to avoid diluting SEO potential.
Step 6: Image Optimization
Optimize Images for Load Speed and Accessibility
Images can slow down your site if not optimized. Ensure images are compressed, contain descriptive ALT tags, and are correctly referenced with HTTPS. Use Screaming Frog to scan for missing ALT tags.
Step 7: Backlink Profile Analysis
Assess Quantity and Quality of Backlinks
Backlinks are a strong ranking factor. Tools like Ahrefs and SEMRush can help you analyze the quantity, quality, and authority of your incoming links. A healthy backlink profile will have links from relevant and authoritative sites.
Diversify Anchor Texts
Check that anchor texts in your backlinks are varied and natural. Excessively optimized anchor texts can raise spam flags with Google, so aim for a natural distribution that includes branded anchors.
Compare Backlinks with Competitors
Analyze your competitors’ backlink profiles to identify potential gaps and opportunities. Majestic SEO provides Trust Flow and Citation Flow scores to assess link quality compared to competitors.
Identify Harmful Backlinks for Disavowal
Some backlinks may harm your SEO. Review links from low-quality or spammy sites and consider disavowing them through Google Search Console.
Step 8: Strategic Review and Action Plan
Align SEO with User Search Intent and Demand
Your SEO strategy should align with actual search demand in your niche. If there is no demand for specific keywords related to your marketplace, consider adjusting your approach to focus on keywords with proven interest.
Build Relationships for Organic Backlinks
Identify key influencers, bloggers, and journalists in your industry to create natural backlink opportunities. Building a strong network will improve visibility and drive traffic to your site.
Create a Multi-Channel Marketing Plan
SEO is just one component of digital marketing. Consider how you can integrate social media, email marketing, and paid ads to enhance your SEO efforts and capture leads at different stages of the buyer’s journey.
Conclusion
An SEO audit is a dynamic process that should be revisited regularly to keep up with search engine algorithms, market trends, and your business goals. By performing a thorough SEO audit, you’ll set your marketplace up for sustained growth, increased visibility, and better user engagement. Remember to stay strategic—identify your target audience’s needs, and align your SEO approach with measurable goals that truly drive business impact.
