In a competitive digital environment, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is one of the key factors for the success of a website. Without thorough SEO analysis, a website can lose organic traffic, potential customers, and overall performance. Therefore, SEO audit is a fundamental step in website optimization. If you want to know how an SEO audit is conducted, how long it takes, and what results you can expect from it, read on.
What is an SEO Audit and Why is it Important?
An SEO audit is a comprehensive analysis of a website that reveals technical, on-page factors, and off-page factors affecting its visibility in search engines. The goal is to identify issues that hinder better placement in organic results on Google and other search engines, and to propose solutions to eliminate them.
An SEO audit is essential in the following cases:
- If the website is losing organic traffic and conversions.
- During a redesign or migration of the website to minimize performance drop risks.
- If the website lacks optimized content and SEO parameters.
- When entering new markets or launching a new e-shop.
How Does an SEO Audit Work? Step by Step
1. Technical Website Analysis
Technical SEO is the foundation for the proper functioning of a website. It includes checking:
- Indexing and crawlability – whether Googlebot correctly crawls and indexes the website content.
- Loading speed – a slow website can negatively impact user experience and SEO.
- Mobile optimization – Google evaluates the mobile version of the site as primary.
- HTTPS and website security – a missing SSL certificate can reduce the site's credibility.
- Broken links (404, redirects) – improperly set URLs can damage SEO performance.
- Pagination – incorrectly implemented pagination (incorrectly used canonical tags, duplicate content, poor internal linking, blocking pagination in robots.txt) can negatively impact indexing and crawl budget, meaning Googlebot may focus on less important pages.
- Faceted Navigation - dynamically generated URLs during advanced filtering (especially in e-shops) can lead to excessive indexing of unnecessary pages, duplicate content, and wasting crawl budget, negatively affecting the website's SEO performance.
- Structured Data (Schema Markup) – incorrect or missing structured data can cause search engines not to interpret the website content correctly, leading to reduced visibility in search results.
2. On-page Factors Analysis
On-page SEO involves optimizing the content itself and key elements on the page:
- Keywords – whether relevant terms with sufficient search volume are used.
- Title and meta description – properly set titles and descriptions affect CTR in search results.
- Content structure (H1, H2, alt tags, URL) – logical hierarchy and proper naming of images.
- Internal linking – helps distribute value among subpages.
3. Content Analysis (Content Audit)
SEO is not just about technical parameters but also about quality and relevant content. The analysis evaluates:
- Content quality and uniqueness – duplications can harm SEO performance.
- Text length – Google prefers informative and valuable articles.
- Keyword usage – should not be excessive (keyword stuffing) but natural.
- SEO-friendly content structure – readable text with logical division.
4. Off-page SEO and Backlink Audit
Off-page SEO is important for the site's authority. The audit focuses on:
- Number and quality of backlinks – relevant links from trusted domains.
- Anchor texts – whether they are natural and do not contain spam techniques.
- Toxic backlinks – links from spammy sites can lower the site's rating.
5. Local SEO (if relevant)
If you operate in a local market, it is also important to:
- Optimize Google My Business profile.
- Customer reviews and ratings.
- Consistent names, addresses, and contact details online.
How Long Does an SEO Audit Take?
The duration of an SEO audit depends on the size and complexity of the website:
- Smaller websites (10 – 50 pages) – the audit can take 1 – 2 weeks.
- Medium-sized websites (50 – 500 pages) – the process takes 2 – 4 weeks.
- Large e-shops and portals (500+ pages) – the audit can take 4 – 6 weeks.
It is important that the audit is not just a one-time process but a regular part of the marketing strategy. It is recommended to conduct a complete audit at least once a year and ongoing checks every quarter.
What are the Outputs of an SEO Audit?
The output of an SEO audit is a detailed report containing:
- Technical findings and recommendations – a list of errors and proposed solutions.
- On-page factors analysis – evaluation of the website's content and structure.
- Content strategy – suggestions for optimizing existing content and creating new content.
- Backlink analysis – an overview of the current backlink profile with recommendations for improvement.
- Action plan – prioritization of tasks based on importance and impact on website performance.
These outputs serve as a basis for implementing changes that can significantly improve organic traffic, search engine visibility, and conversions.
Conclusion: SEO Audit as the Foundation of a Successful Strategy
An SEO audit is not just a technical check of the website but a strategic tool for increasing the performance of online business. Without regular audits, a website can drop in search rankings, lose traffic, and potential profits. If you want to know the state of your website and where its reserves are, an SEO audit is the first step to improvement.
If you are looking for experts to help you with an SEO audit, at ui42 we have experience optimizing e-shops and websites across various segments. Get a detailed SEO analysis and take your website to the next level.
