You have to know where you are to get to where you want to be. And a website audit is the starting point in your SEO journey.
Actually, different analysts have different needs when it comes to performing a site technical analysis. In my article, I decided to look at three SEO audit formats: a template, a checklist, and an example. I will get into more detail into the article, but I want to give a brief formats description here:
- Template involves creating a list of tasks and following them in templated order, from beginning to end. The template audit usually consists of a series of questions that need to be answered in order to determine if all the necessary criteria have been met for a successful website.
- Checklist is a step-by-step process that breaks down the site into individual components. This approach requires more time and effort, but it's important to have an understanding of each element in order to create a holistic picture of the website's performance.
- Example is a great approach for those who want to take a look at how other websites have optimized their content. By studying successful search engine optimization campaigns, you can gain insight into what works and what doesn't.
And I know, whether you’re a small business trying to optimize your site for organic search, or an agency doing the same for a client, it can be difficult to know where to begin and how in-depth your analysis should go.
That's why I've put together the best SEO audit examples for all user cases, so you can find something that's right exactly for your case.
7 SEO Audit Templates, Checklists, and Examples
Okay, I think I said it all...well, then, let's get started! 🚀
Founded by internationally recognized expert Brian Dean, Backlinko is a search engine optimization agency that provides search engine optimization training and link-building strategies to generate more traffic and improve search rankings. Having consulted with marketers from Apple, Disney, IBM, and Amazon, Backlinko has the experience and the skill advise on all of the tips, strategies, and techniques required to get higher rankings and more traffic.
What Got Me Hooked on the Backlinko’s Template
The Backlinko template SEO analysis takes the traditional approach to an analysis and adds a few extra layers of detail, such as helping marketers understand which elements should be prioritized for optimization. This helps prioritize tasks according to importance and level of difficulty.
The Backlinko template also offers helpful advice for the analysis phase, such as which tools you should be using, what reports to focus on, and how you should go about validating various pieces of evidence. Furthermore, the template analysis provides a comprehensive guide to performing a report that is easy to follow and understand.
Key Takeaways
- Backlinko template takes a traditional approach and adds extra layers of detail to help prioritize tasks according to importance and level of difficulty.
- It provides helpful advice for the analysis phase, such as which tools you should be using, what reports to focus on, and how you should go about validating various pieces of evidence.
- Easy to follow and understand.
When it comes to search engine optimization, Moz is an industry leader and one of the most trusted sources of search engine optimization information. Founded by Rand Fishkin and Gillian Muessig in 2004, Moz has since grown to be one of the most respected companies in the industry.
Moz's SEO checklist audit is a great example for a technician to follow as it covers all aspects of on-page optimization, from content optimization to technical SEO. It also provides a detailed list of recommended action items, along with helpful advice on implementation and execution.
What Got Me Hooked on the Moz’s Checklist
Moz's checklist is comprehensive and covers each aspect of the website from top to bottom. This helps ensure that nothing is overlooked and all aspects are addressed. Furthermore, the detailed list of action items helps guide an SEO technician through the process of optimizing each element for maximum search engine visibility.
The checklist is broken into 12 distinct sections that cover everything from the basics like having analytics software installed to more granular sections like site speed and security checks[/caption]Additionally, Moz's checklist provides a great starting point for those who may not have a lot of experience with techniques. By following along carefully, it's possible to learn the basics of search engine optimization and how to effectively optimize a website.
Key Takeaways
- The action items provide guidance on implementation and execution, making it easy for those with less experience to understand the basics.
- The checklist allows techs to take a holistic approach to website optimization, ensuring that nothing is overlooked and all elements are addressed.
- The checklist denotes high, medium, and low priority as a way to recommend where time should be spent early in a campaign.
- This example includes off-page analysis to identify relevant backlinks (or to denote which backlinks should be disavowed).
Wordstream is an agency that has been assisting online businesses for more than a decade.
They have been pioneers in the SEO industry, and their checklist audit is a great example of what to look for when assessing an SEO campaign.
Wordstream’s SEO master checklist includes 6 distinct sections that cover everything from technical to design and user experience. It also includes conversion optimization analysis, which looks at how users are interacting with a website and what improvements can be made to improve the experience.
What Got Me Hooked on the Wordstream’s Checklist
WordStream’s checklist is an excellent example of a technical analysis as it covers all aspects of optimization, from content and technical items to design and UX, accessibility, and CRO. Additionally, it includes conversion optimization analysis, which is important in ensuring that the website is optimized to convert visitors into customers.
Wordstream’s checklist spreadsheet is broken down into 8 helpful tabs that guide the analyst through all of the steps and cover different aspects from basics like page titles and meta descriptions, to more granular areas such as site speed, structured data, and SSL certificates.
Key Takeaways
- The 8 tabs in the spreadsheet provide a detailed guide for conducting an analysis on any website.
- It includes CRO analysis so that you can determine how users are interacting with your website and what improvements need to be made.
- Includes a tab with a comprehensive technical checklist that includes indexing and crawling, sitemap, robots.txt, site performance, security, and site structure.
- Does not overlook CRO, which can be just as valuable to a website as the backend technical issues that need to be addressed.
Distilled is one of the leading search engine optimization and digital marketing outfit with a test-and-learn approach to growing businesses around the globe.
Now a part of Brainlabs, Distilled is a full-service agency that focuses on client needs and provides comprehensive solutions.
Distilled’s checklist audit helps to ensure that all aspects of search engine optimization are addressed and provides a comprehensive pass/fail report of the website's current health. It is broken into 3 sections to address all technical, content, and ranking.
What Got Me Hooked on the Distilled’s Checklist
Distilled’s checklist is an outside-the-box example for a technical analysis as it covers all aspects of optimization, from content and technical issues to design and UX, accessibility, and CRO — from a search experience standpoint. It not only identifies the issues but also provides the source of the issue and offers a column for recommendations to address each issue.
Key Takeaways
- Asks whether there is a technical reason content isn't indexed, ranked, or well-represented in search.
- The pass/fail grading is a digestible way to present the report and identify where problem areas are.
- The recommendations section is clear and concise for techs to implement.
SEOptimer is an analysis and reporting platform that reviews a website in as little as 30 seconds.They provide simple, easy-to-understand, professional quality reporting for large and small businesses.
They offer a technical-forward approach to staying ahead of trends and iterating as search algorithms change over time.
What Got Me Hooked on the SEOptimer’s Example
SEOptimer's SEO analysis is comprehensive and covers everything from website structure and page speed to internal linking, meta data, and more. It also contains digestible images and graphics to highlight specific points that can be used as actionable items for improving your website's performance.
Key Takeaways
- Macro-to-micro report approach enables the tech to identify trends and correlations quickly.
- Visual insight into what factors are affecting the website's performance in search.
- Easy to read and understand and is very presentable for clients.
- Includes Social Results and recommendations for improvements.
- Summary of top-priority recommendations is listed on the last page.
Founded in 2010, Echidna is a top digital commerce agency that provides strategy, creative, marketing, systems integration, technology services, and managed service.
They specialize in helping large companies with their digital transformation and also help smaller businesses understand the e-commerce landscape.
What Got Me Hooked on the Echidna’s Example
Echidna's SEO analysis is comprehensive and detailed with actionable insights to help you improve website performance. Presented as a report that includes an index of sections from content analysis to competitor analysis, Echidna's report is easy to read and easy to follow in terms of actionable recommendations.
Key Takeaways
- Well-formatted presentation makes the analysis and recommendations easy to understand.
- Provides screenshots to go with specific issues that are being identified.
- Includes a search engine optimization scorecard, index optimization analysis, off-page structural analysis, and concludes with priority action items.
Dalton Luka is a United States-based search engine optimization consultant and growth marketer that has helped businesses grow through Search Engine Optimization, Web Design, Amazon PPC, and Social Media Marketing since 2017.
Offering a niche-based approach, Dalton Luka has helped hundreds of businesses achieve accelerated revenue and traffic goals.
What Got Me Hooked on the Dalton Luka’s Example
Dalton Luka's SEO audit includes a crawl overview report in addition to the technical analysis. The crawl report does a good job of easily highlighting issues that need to be addressed. The SEO audit tab includes a template for the internal HTML audit with columns that can be filled in with status, title, meta details, links, and more. The report is a clean and easy-to-understand analysis of a site's technical details.
Key Takeaways
- Highlights issues that need to be addressed, color-coded to denote priority.
- Provides columns for URLs, percentage of total, and total URLs.
- Includes a page speed analysis.
Conclusion
Ultimately, all three types of analyses are useful tools when trying to identify potential issues with a website that may be hindering its performance. For anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of search engine optimization technical analysis, the Search Engine Journal provides a complete guide.
Additionally, Mark from Wiki Design provides a walk-through of a 12-section audit checklist that guides the viewer in reviewing on-page SEO and site architecture through page speed, web design, and domain authority.
By using real-world examples to identify issues and improve rankings, Mark provides an invaluable resource for anyone interested in sharpening their audit skills and broadening their knowledge of the checklist template. He takes the viewer through each section and explains his approach and how he scores each line item. While some checklist items are fairly elementary, understanding the reasons behind the identified issues — as well as any items that receive a passing grade — is important for any SEO tech.
Whether you choose the template, checklist, or cite another agency's example, it is essential to remain focused on the goal of the analysis, which is improving website performance. With an understanding of the different types of analyses and some helpful examples to follow, you should have a better idea of what type will work best for your needs.
