Write it, and readers will find it. Or, will they? Just because you craft engaging and insightful content for your clients, doesn't mean potential customers are going to flood the Contact Us link with inquiries. Why? Your SEO might be slipping, or virtually non-existent. If you've never done an SEO audit, put it on your calendar as soon as possible. Then, click the recurring button and check on your SEO efforts at least once per quarter.
Addressing an Audit
First, let's quickly define what goes into auditing your SEO techniques. This process will help identify issues, implement fixes and interpret data collected by various search analytics companies. There are multiple, detailed steps of an audit, ranging from evaluating page speed to identifying duplicate content.
But, why should you take the time to dig into an SEO audit? Your website is the backbone of your marketing and sales efforts. It's where customers go for information and potentially complete a purchase, fill out a form or take some action, Growing Social Biz noted. If your online presence isn't optimized for Google to find and index your entire site, your efforts are wasted. If readers can't find the content, they can't engage with you.
Improving Brand Consistency
As your kids grow up, you take them to see the pediatrician regularly. As you grow a website, take the same approach and give it regular health checkups. An SEO audit ensures that you're being consistent across the site, providing your brand more credibility and professionalism. And it goes far beyond keyword selection, according to Fast Company. Remember: You're optimizing your brand to engage people!
Think back to the launch phase team. You've since hired more people to work on the site and have implemented new pages or functionality. Does the launch phase content and newer sections fit together seamlessly? Do they follow the same formatting and tone? Is the old logo or company name visible anywhere on the website? A lack of brand consistency makes your business look confusing, amateur and unreliable. Authenticity is key, Forbes noted.
Expanding Marketing Efforts
An SEO audit quickly helps you see the gaps in your digital marketing efforts. After analyzing the data, are you seeing a huge bounce rate on a key sales page? Maybe it's time to implement a quick, digestible explainer video to keep viewers engaged.
Are you noticing tons of activity on the website but little engagement on the business social media feeds? It's time to put social media icon buttons on the landing page to expand your marketing efforts across various platforms.
Yes, an SEO audit takes planning, time and follow-through to perform. But, the insight you gain about the overall performance of your digital marketing efforts might be just what you need to take your outreach to the next level.
