Why Running a Website Audit Helps Your SEO

Why-Running-a-Website-Audit-Helps-Your-SEOWhy-Running-a-Website-Audit-Helps-Your-SEO

Why Conducting a Technical SEO Audit is Essential for Search Rankings

A technical SEO audit is a crucial step in improving your search rankings by identifying and fixing website issues that may impact visibility. Since search engines continuously update their algorithms, staying ahead with regular audits ensures optimal performance.

Key Benefits of a Technical SEO Audit:

  • Improves Search Rankings – Optimizing core web vitals, meta tags, URL structures, and internal links enhances visibility.
  • Keeps Up with Algorithm Updates – Regular audits help maintain traffic despite frequent search engine changes.
  • Diagnoses Website Health – Identifies broken links, duplicate content, slow-loading pages, and technical errors.
  • Enhances Mobile Performance – Ensures your site is mobile-friendly, meeting Google’s mobile-first indexing requirements.
  • Provides Competitive Insights – Analyzes competitor rankings and keywords to refine your SEO strategy.
  • Tracks Ranking Progress – Measures keyword performance to optimize content for better search placement.
  • Boosts Website Traffic – Uses analytics tools to monitor impressions, clicks, and traffic trends for strategic adjustments.

Conducting regular SEO audits strengthens your website’s foundation and improves long-term search engine performance.

Conducting a technical SEO audit is one of the best ways for you to help your search rankings. The main reason for this is because whenever someone types in any kind of query, the search engine they’re using will do a site crawl to look for various ranking signals. These may include core web vitals, target keywords and relevant content, and all are used to determine if your key pages rank for that particular search.

If you take the time to review the results of your website audit and make sure that your website is fully optimized, you’re giving yourself the best chance for success. You’re also affording yourself the chance to patch in the gaps and fix any technical SEO issues such as site architecture, meta titles and meta descriptions, title tags, url structure, alt tags, or broken internal links that could be preventing your web page from ranking.

So, conducting a website audit is a necessary part of keeping your search engine optimization strategy updated. If you’re diligent about always optimizing your site, then you will soon find that your ranking steadily improves as a result.

Algorithms-are-Continually-Changing

Algorithms are Continually Changing

Search engines, such as Google, are constantly evolving, and continually updating their algorithms in order to improve the user experience. With each of these algorithm updates, there is the potential to lose huge amounts of web traffic. Indeed, if you can keep up with the algorithm updates by Google and other search engines and perform regular SEO audits, you will be able to successfully retain the web traffic and share of voice you’ve worked so hard to acquire.

If you are unsure as to what an SEO website audit is, then be sure to check out this guide here: What is a Website Audit and Why Do You Need One?.

Diagnosing-Your-Website-Status

Diagnosing Your Website Status

Running an SEO audit helps you to diagnose the general status of your site. You can see if you have broken links, pages that cannot be found, duplicate content or even permanent redirects that may be malfunctioning. You may also be able to see if you have any potential errors that could be reducing your site speed too. Slow loading times on your landing pages can be a real problem, as we’ll see shortly. Therefore, using an SEO audit tool and creating a website audit checklist are among the best ways for you to both identify errors and address technical issues related to your website performance.

Mobile-Friendly-Optimization

Mobile-Friendly Optimization

Did you know that Google has now adopted a mobile-first approach when it comes to indexing on all websites? This emphasis on mobile-friendliness and good user experience ultimately means that Google reviews the mobile version of your site before your desktop version. And when it comes to page speed, Google tends to rank based on the fastest load times. A website audit is one of the best ways for you to uncover any potential issues with your website on mobile devices while helping you to know if there are any critical factors that could be slowing you down or working against you.

Competitive-Analysis

Competitive Analysis

The great thing about the auditing process is that SEO audits can give you the insights you need about your competitor’s websites too. This could range from their strengths to their weaknesses. You can gain information about their SEO rankings and find out what keywords they are using. With this information, you can conduct your own keyword research and even implement those same keywords into your content strategy. Having a solid understanding of your competition is one of the pillars of SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) and is a good practice.

Competitor analysis of specific keywords and monitoring keyword performance goes a long way to helping your site’s content appear on search results, giving you a competitive edge.

Ranking-Progress

Ranking Progress

So, the best and easiest way for you to find out if your strategy is working is for you to closely monitor your keyword rankings. Website audits give you the chance to see everything you need regarding your site’s performance. You can also find out what keywords you want to rank for, and how you currently rank for the ones you are targeting. This helps you to find out if you are making progress, and if you’re not, why not.

Website-Traffic-Insight

Website Traffic Insight

By running a site audit, and by using tools such as Google Search Console, and even Google Analytics, you can find out whatever you need to know about your search traffic volume, impressions, clicks, and URLs. Seeing an increase in impressions and clicks is a solid sign that your SEO strategy is working and if you run a comprehensive SEO audit, you will find it easier than ever to monitor data like this.

At the end of the day, a comprehensive audit is a very powerful way for you to benchmark your success, ferret out the most common issues impacting your website’s effectiveness, and uncover optimization opportunities.

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Matt Erney
STRATEGIC MARKETING DIRECTOR
After founding Social Firm in 2010, I learned that having a healthy business online requires an equal balance of messaging, design and marketing. My vision is to help businesses compete in the marketplace by simplifying, clarifying and then amplifying their message.

I currently lead the Strategic Marketing team at Social Firm. I believe that to achieve greatness, one must be intentional and move quickly with focus beyond one’s self. I love Columbus and am energized by helping businesses realize their digital potential.
Jason Willis
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Like many in the design world, I started out as a freelance. My early career was on the sales and marketing side of business, and I’ve worked with, and for several large companies. However, my greatest joy is helping and sharing in the success of locally owned organizations.

When I’m not tailgating at an OSU game or playing tennis, I love traveling and creating new experiences with my best girl Kelly and my "little gentleman" dog Charlie. I like visiting all the new restaurants popping up around town and seeing which one can make the best Old Fashioned.
Julie Englerth
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
Julie is fully remote and hails from Longview, Texas, deep in the heart of the “Piney Woods” of East Texas where she lives with her husband and three amazing kids. She is also an experienced worship leader at her local church where her husband is a full-time worship pastor. Julie is passionate about encouraging and empowering people around her, leading worship, leading small groups at her church, or spending time with her loved ones.

She works closely with Matt in day-to-day communications and strategic planning. She has a knack for learning new things quickly!
Laura Elliott
Senior Digital Strategist
I have been in the digital marketing space since graduating from Xavier University in 2012 and I have experience in both the B2C and B2B realms. I specialize in digital advertising and have seen how it has evolved and grown over time. It has been exciting to keep up with all the new developments and changes throughout the years in the world of advertising and I thoroughly enjoy researching ways to leverage these changes to improve success for my clients. Throughout my career, I’ve honed and adapted my skills in data analytics and lead generation and enjoy learning about new industries and driving success for each of my clients!

When I’m not at work, I love to spend time with my family and traveling. My main goal is to travel all over the world with my husband and son!
Ally Gatien
DIGITAL SPECIALIST
Since graduating from the University of Dayton in 2021 with a focus in Marketing, I have worked for both a small local media agency and a large television station. In my professional career, I am most recently coming from a Digital Sales Coordinator role where I was able to focus in on all Digital Marketing tactics after learning about the world of broadcast TV. I am passionate about helping others and I look forward to being able to help countless local businesses as a Digital Specialist on a more efficient and effective scale!
Geno Marinelli
DIGITAL SPECIALIST
A fresh graduate from The Ohio State University, I’m excited to absorb as much as I possibly can! With prior experience in both advertising creative and strategy, I’m excited to learn from the best. I enjoy staying ahead of the curve, understanding or contextualizing the latest trends and developments in tech and Marketing. If there’s a disruptor, I want to know how it works, why it’s working, and if it can work for us.

As a Digital Marketing Specialist, I will assist in strategy, implementing changes and new initiatives on behalf of our clients helping them to reach their goals and achieve results. My favorite part of any final reveal is the before and after; the side-by-side comparison of the old and the new motivates me to always be looking for new and innovative ideas.
Terence Womble
CONTENT MANAGER
I spent the first half of my career working in public relations and marketing mostly in New York City but also in Toronto, Philadelphia and Columbus. Even with clients as diverse as Philip Morris, The Philadelphia Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Shakespeare in Central Park, CAPA, Jazz Arts Group, or Broadway shows, the common theme has been compelling stories. Helping craft and share stories for our clients is my passion.

Other passions? Sure. Tennis, jazz, classical music and classic disco; reading, documentaries, fact-based dramas, and forensic crime shows. I also enjoy a perfectly mixed and presented Manhattan – up or on the rocks.
Sheena Erney
ACCOUNTING
I spent over 10 years in corporate banking and quit corporate life to be a stay-at-home mom before my second child turned one. I love taking my four little ones on adventures, but I missed the hustle and bustle of work life. It’s exciting to work for a small business where we can so easily stay up to date and develop our processes as business needs change. Best of all, I get to work with my husband!

When I'm not working, I enjoy golf, reading, traveling and playing cards. Watching our four children learn and grow is one of the greatest joys of my life.
Doug Bierl
STRATEGIC PROJECT MANAGER
I have an inherent desire to help people and I like to figure out how to best connect people with something they need. That led me to a career in marketing and client services, primarily in marketing strategy and planning in product management, advertising account management, and marketing consulting.

When I’m not at work, you may see me walking the streets of Westerville with my wife, Julaine, or in a cafe meeting with a guy talking about life and faith. I value time with family, staying physically active and being outdoors brings me energy and joy.