Keywords are key to a website’s SEO success. They form the backbone that search engines use to identify and rank content according to user queries. That’s why it’s important to carry out a comprehensive keyword audit to ensure your site’s content targets the right keywords and attracts your ideal audience. However, SEO encompasses more than just keyword selection. It includes various elements, like mobile responsiveness, high-quality content, design, and other technical factors. These all contribute to how well your website ranks for certain keywords, especially in a crowded field. In this guide, we’ll provide a detailed step-by-step method for performing a keyword audit, along with a broader site audit to cover other crucial SEO elements.
Book a FREE Consultation!
What Is a Keyword Audit for SEO?
A keyword audit is an essential SEO process that assesses how effective a website’s keyword strategy is. Using different tools, you can identify the keywords your content ranks for and assess how well it performs with users and on SERPs (search engine results pages). It can also identify any shortcomings in your keyword focus. A keyword audit can reveal several useful metrics, such as:
The number of pages on your website and the keywords they rank for
The most successful pages and keywords by search position, impressions, and clicks
The pages and keywords with the least performance
Conducting a wider website audit in addition to a keyword audit helps you understand the following:
Which pages are indexed and which are not
Pages with minimal or risky backlinks
Page loading speeds
Mobile optimization
Page titles and meta descriptions as they are displayed in search engine results, as well as the word count and headings on each page.
Completing a keyword audit requires a little time and a few keyword research tools.
What Are the Objectives of a Keyword Audit?
A keyword audit aims to: Find areas to improve content for both search engines and visitors
Enhance landing page relevance to increase both SEO traffic and AdWords quality scores
Ensure you’re covering all the relevant long-tail keywords that drive traffic
The results from the audit can guide you in targeting new keywords and finding ways to optimize existing ones. It can also reveal issues like keyword stuffing or over-optimization that could negatively impact search rankings.
Overall, a keyword audit is a vital step in forming a solid SEO strategy.
How to Conduct a Website Audit
Here is a list of the required tools and steps to perform a keyword audit on your website: Tools you will need:
An active Google Search Console account
A Google Analytics account
A tool like Screaming Frog (a free version is available)
A spreadsheet
A few hours and a cup of strong coffee!
1. Identify Which Pages Are Indexed on Your Website
To start your audit, find out which pages on your site are indexed. Google Search Console is a straightforward tool to help with this.
H3 – Using Google Search Console Google Search Console allows you to determine which pages are indexed and the keywords they rank for:
Sign in to your Google Search Console account and choose your website property
Click ‘Indexing’ > ‘Pages’ on the left-hand menu
From here, you can export the list of indexed and non-indexed pages to a CSV file
If a page isn’t indexed, it could be because of duplicate content, low-quality content, or technical issues. Click on each URL for more details.
Using Screaming Frog
Screaming Frog is a desktop crawler that can provide a list of all the pages on your website:
Open Screaming Frog and set up an account
Add your website’s URL and choose “HTML” under “Internal”
Click “Start”
Export the list of all pages to a CSV or Excel file
This tool can also help find technical issues, such as broken links or non-indexed pages.
H3 – Locating Your Sitemap Manually If you have an XML sitemap, you can use it to find indexed pages. If not, it’s advisable to set one up:
Log in to your CMS and export your sitemap
Alternatively, find your sitemap manually by entering “www.[YourURL]/sitemap_index.xml” in your browser’s search bar
You can use this list to ensure all pages that should be indexed are listed, removing duplicates or non-indexable URLs.
2. Gather Data for Each Page
After identifying which pages are indexed, the next step is to analyze how they perform in search results and with users.
Running a Keyword Audit with Search Console
Google Search Console is useful for performing a keyword audit: Navigate to ‘Performance’ > ‘Search Results’.
Select a desired date range
Scroll down to the ‘Queries’ section to see which keywords your content ranks for in Google search results
You can also click on the ‘Pages’ tab to identify the keywords that individual pages are ranking for. Evaluate click-through rates, impressions, and average search positions to identify the keywords driving the most traffic. Consider focusing on high-priority pages that need improvement or those with low click-through rates.
Finding Error Pages with Screaming Frog
If you used Screaming Frog, you could find pages with technical issues:
Sort the results by ‘Status Code’ in descending order
Pages with a ‘200’ code are indexed, while those with ‘301’ or ‘404’ need closer examination.
Gathering Performance Data from Google Analytics
If you used Screaming Frog, you could find pages with technical issues:
Sort the results by ‘Status Code’ in descending order
Pages with a ‘200’ code are indexed, while those with ‘301’ or ‘404’ need closer examination.
3. Assess Your Data
This step is often the most labor-intensive, but it’s also the most fulfilling phase of the audit process.
Using Google Search Console
Assess the relevance of the keywords and the searcher’s intent. Examine the click-through rate and average position of each keyword to find improvement opportunities.
Using Screaming Frog
Screaming Frog helps you examine technical details like:
Metadata
On-page titles and headings
Word count
Internal and external links
Page response times
This can help pinpoint technical reasons for underperforming pages, such as broken links or insufficient word count.
Using Google Analytics
Google Analytics allows you to gauge how users interact with your indexed pages: Organic traffic and sessions for each page
Bounce rate
Average session duration
Conversions and revenue (if conversion tracking is enabled)
This data offers insights into user behavior and engagement with your content.
4. Refresh Your Content
Once you’ve gathered and analyzed your data, it’s time to improve your existing content. Here are some steps to consider:
Check that all sitemap URLs are indexed by Google
Resolve non-indexable URLs or set up redirects
Ensure your keyword targeting matches search intent
Optimize poorly performing content
Make sure each page has sufficient content—500 words for web pages and 1000 words for blogs,
Keyword in metadata
Is the keyword in the meta title and description?
Keywords in body copy and alt tags: Are they present in the body content and image descriptions?
5. Use Your Insights to Plan Future Content
With all the data and analysis, you can now create a plan for your content strategy.
Fill Content Gaps
Identify themes or topics you haven’t covered and start planning new content to address these gaps.
Refresh Old Content
Examine older content every six to twelve months to see if it needs updating. Consider re-optimizing it for targeted keywords or improving the page layout and design. Sometimes it’s better to remove outdated content that doesn’t provide value.
Optimize Your Keyword Strategy
A keyword audit can aid in refining your keyword approach and considering additional semantic keywords that matter to your audience and business. It can also inform your decision whether to create new pages or posts.
Resubmit Pages for Indexing
After making changes, let Google know by validating the fixes and resubmitting for indexing in the Google Search Console. If you’ve made significant changes, resubmit the entire page for indexing.
How Often Should You Conduct a Website Audit?
The frequency of a website audit depends on various factors like content volume and frequency of publishing. Some sites need audits every few months, while others may require them monthly or weekly. Always audit your content before starting a new strategy, and check back periodically to avoid errors.
