If you’re a business owner or marketer, then you probably know that content is king. But do you know that content is also one of the most important aspects when it comes to SEO? After all, what good is your website if you’re not ranking for any valuable keywords?

A lot of business owners and marketers struggle to measure the ROI of their content marketing efforts. By analyzing your website’s current content and how it stacks up against your competitors, you can determine what changes need to be made in order to improve your search engine rankings.

So, what exactly is a content SEO audit and why is it so important? Keep reading to find out!

 

What is Content SEO?

Content SEO is the process of optimizing your website’s content to improve your visibility and ranking in search engine results pages. This means creating pieces of content that are relevant to your target keywords and audience and structuring it in a way that search engines can easily understand. This can be done through a variety of means, including organic keyword research, optimizing your title tags and meta descriptions, and creating compelling, shareable content.

 

Elements of Content SEO audits

There are a few key elements of Content SEO:

• Content discovery: The first step in any content SEO audit is to take inventory of all the content on your website. This includes blog posts, landing pages, product descriptions, and anything else that contains the text. Once you have a list of all your content, you can start to assess which pieces are performing well and which could use some actionable improvements.
• Content analysis: Once you know what content you have, it’s time to start analyzing it. This involves looking at things like keyword usage, title tags, meta descriptions, and other on-page factors. It also includes assessing the quality of your content, seeing how well it aligns with your target keywords and determining how likely it is to be shared.
• Content optimization: After you’ve analyzed your content, it’s time to start making changes to improve your SEO performance. This may involve adding or removing certain elements, changing the way your content is structured, or rewriting sections to be more effective.
• Content reporting: Once you’ve made all the necessary changes to your content, it’s important to track your progress. This means monitoring your organic traffic and keyword rankings over time to see how your new and improved content is performing. Content SEO audits should be conducted on a regular basis to ensure that your content is always up to par.
• Compelling content creation: Creating high-quality, informative, and engaging content is essential to Content SEO. Not only will this help you rank higher in search engine results pages, but it will also help you attract more visitors to your website and convert them into customers or clients.
  
  

Now that we know a bit more about Content SEO and its elements, let’s see why is it important for businesses of all sizes.

The importance of Content SEO

In today’s digital age, more and more people are using search engines like Google to find the products, services, and information they need. If you want to attract new visitors to your website, it’s essential that your site appears as high up in the search results as possible. Content SEO can help you achieve this by making sure your site is full of relevant and high-quality content.

It is also important because it helps you create a better user experience for your website visitors. If your content is well-written, informative, and engaging, it will keep people on your site longer and encourage them to come back for more. This not only helps you attract new visitors, but it also helps you convert them into customers or clients.

Finally, Content SEO is important because it can help you save money on paid advertising. Improving your website content can help you organically attract new visitors, which means you don’t have to pay for each and every click. That’s why optimizing your content is a long-term investment that saves money in the long run.

However, working on your Content SEO means having a content SEO audit done for your website first. But what does that entail?

 

What is a Content SEO Audit?

In general, SEO audits are assessments of a website’s search engine optimization. Content SEO audits specifically focus on the content of a website, including the quality, keyword usage, and structure of the site’s text-based content type. This includes both on-page and off-page factors, such as keyword usage, meta descriptions, title tags, and more.

How well your content aligns with your target keywords and audience? What can you do to improve your content’s quality, structure, and alignment? These are the types of questions that a Content SEO audit can help answer.

A Content SEO audit is an important part of any Content SEO strategy, and it can be conducted manually or with the help of specialized software. However, if you want to get the most accurate and detailed results, it’s best to hire a professional content SEO agency to conduct the audit for you.

 

What’s included in a Content SEO Audit?

Each audit starts with setting up goals and objectives.  Once these are in place, the audit team will analyze your website’s current Content SEO performance, but it will also research your competitors to see how their Content SEO strategies compare to yours. Once the research is completed, the audit team will compile all of their findings into a report that will include detailed recommendations on how to improve your Content SEO strategy.

But let’s take a closer look into the key elements and steps that should be included in every Content SEO audit:

Define goals

What do you want to achieve with your Content SEO Audit?

For example, do you want to increase your organic traffic, improve your conversion rate, or both?

In order to do that you need to know the answer to a few questions: Who, What, How, and Why.

• Who: Who is your target audience?

You want to know if your content is persona-and-value-driven so it’s important to start with having a buyer persona in your mind, or even better – creating them.

• What: What is the purpose of your content audit?

Think about the Content SEO audit scope. Is it a comprehensive website Content SEO Audit that you need or just a quick health check-up of your blog posts? 

• How: How will you measure the success of your content?

Define your goals and how you’ll measure them.  For example, if you want to increase traffic to your website, you’ll need to track metrics like organic traffic, pageviews, and time on site. If you want to improve your conversion rate, you’ll need to track metrics like leads generated and sales revenue. In this step, you should also choose the content audit tools to use all along the way. SEMrush, Arhefs, Mozzila, Screaming Frog, and google tools are just some of the most popular ones.

• Why: Why do you need a Content SEO Audit?

Define your core principles. These could be things like quality over quantity, keyword density, or user experience. Whatever they are, make sure they’re reflected in your audit.

 

Create a content inventory

Before you start inventorying the content on your website, you should decide what kind of content you’re going to review.  Will it be all the text-based content on your website? Or just certain pieces, like blog posts or product descriptions? Or maybe you want to include other content types such as video and PDF?

Once you’ve decided what kind of content you’re going to include in your audit, you can start inventorying it. There are a few different ways to do this, but the most common is to use an Excel spreadsheet or Google Sheets.

Start by creating columns for the following information:

• URL
• Page title
• Description
• Meta-data
• Keywords
• Content type (e.g., blog post, product page, category page, etc.)

 

Additionally, you can include a few things more such as date published, author, word count, or anything else you think is relevant to your Content SEO strategy.

Now you’re ready to start filling in the spreadsheet with all of the content on your website.

 

Collect and analyze your data

If you have a small website, you can collect data manually by going through each page and copying and pasting the relevant information into the spreadsheet. For larger websites, you can use a tool like Screaming Frog to crawl your website and collect the data for you.

However, here are some of our favorite tools that can help with both small and large content audits:

• Google Search Console: Let’s start with the basics! Google Search Console is a free tool from Google that allows you to see how your website is performing in search results.  You can use it to track your progress over time, see which keywords you’re ranking for, and get an idea of how much traffic you’re getting from organic search.
• Google Analytics: Google Analytics can be helpful in understanding how people are interacting with your website. You can use it to see how much traffic you’re getting to each page, how long people are spending on each page, and what the bounce rate is for each page. This information can be helpful in understanding which pages are performing well and which could use some improvement.
• Ahrefs: With Ahrefs, you can see how much traffic each page on your website is getting as well as the average position in SERP for each page. This data can be helpful in understanding which pages are performing well and which ones need to be improved.
• SEMrush: SEMrush is another great tool for understanding how your pages are performing. In addition to traffic and SERP data, SEMrush also provides insights into the organic keywords each page is ranking for as well as the backlinks each page has.
• Screaming Frog: As we mentioned before, Screaming Frog is a great tool for quickly generating a list of all the pages on your website. Besides that, it can also be used to find broken links, duplicate content, and other technical SEO issues.

 

Once you’ve collected all of the data, it’s time to start analyzing it.

Look for patterns and trends in the data, and make note of any areas that need improvement. For example, if you notice that a lot of your blog posts are short (under 500 words), you may want to consider increasing the length of your content. Or, if you see that one particular type of content is getting a lot of traffic but not converting well, you may want to rethink your strategy for that content type.

Some Content SEO audits will only include a high-level analysis of the data, while others will go into more depth. But at a minimum, you should be looking at things like:

• Keyword density: Are you using your target keywords enough? Not using them enough?
• User experience: Do your pages load quickly? Are they easy to navigate? Do they have a clear call-to-action?
• Conversions: Are people taking the actions you want them to take on your website?
• Rankings: Are you ranking for the keywords you want to rank for?
• Backlinks: Do you have enough high-quality backlinks?

 

Once you’ve analyzed your data, you can start to see where there are opportunities for improvement.

 

Make a plan for improvement

Now that you know what needs to be improved, it’s time to make a plan for how you’re going to do it. Some common action steps include:

• Delete: You should instantly delete any low-quality or duplicate content, especially if it’s not bringing any conversions and don’t rank for any keywords.
• Redirect/Merge: If you have any pages that are getting traffic but not converting, consider redirecting that traffic to a more relevant page. However, if you have similar pages on your website, consider merging them into one page to avoid duplicate content.
• Leave as it is: Obviously if a page is getting traffic and converting, there’s no need to change it!
• Rewrite/Optimize: If you have pages that could be performing better, consider rewriting or optimizing them. This could involve anything from adding more relevant keywords to increasing the length of the content.

 

Besides these most common action steps, there are also other ones you can add to your audit such as: add/update images, add/update backlinks, add table of contents, change CTAs (calls to action) and many more!

Depending on the results of your Content SEO audit, you may need to take some drastic action steps or just make a few small tweaks to your content marketing strategy.  But either way, performing a Content SEO audit is a great way to make sure your content is working hard for you and not against you.

 

Still not convinced that a Content SEO audit is worth your time?

Let’s take a look at some of the benefits!

 

What are the benefits of having a Content SEO Audit?

Making sure your site’s content is well-optimized is important for two reasons. First, it ensures that your visitors are getting the information they need from you. Second, it helps your site rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). Content is a key factor in SEO, so an audit will help you identify any areas that need improvement.

So, what are the overall benefits of having a Content SEO audit?

 

• Improving your website’s content quality: One of the main goals of a Content SEO audit is to assess the quality of your website’s content. This includes looking at factors such as grammar, spelling, and overall usefulness. After conducting an audit, you’ll know what areas need improvement and how you can go about making those changes.
• Improving your marketing strategy: Perhaps the most obvious benefit of conducting a Content SEO audit is that it can help you improve your content and overall strategy. By identifying areas that need improvement, you can make the necessary changes to help your website rank higher in search engine results pages and attract more visitors.
• Increasing your website’s traffic: Another benefit of Content SEO audits is that they can help you increase your website’s organic search traffic. By improving your content quality and making sure it’s properly optimized for search engines, you can attract more visitors to your site. In turn, this can lead to more sales and conversions.
• Saving money on paid advertising: As we mentioned earlier, Content SEO can help you save money on paid advertising. By ranking higher in search engine results pages, you can attract new visitors to your site without having to pay for each and every click.
• Improving your user experience: Content SEO audits can also help you improve your user experience. If your content is well-written, informative, and engaging, it will keep people on your site longer and encourage them to come back for more. This not only helps you attract new visitors, but it also helps you convert them into customers or clients.

 

Assuming you’re interested in conducting your audit, you might be wondering how to do so? Should you hire someone or do it yourself?

 

Getting a Content SEO Audit done by a professional

Hiring a professional to help you with your SEO content audit is probably the best way to go.

A professional can help you determine whether your content is actually helping you achieve your business goals and identify any areas where you might need improvement by checking your content health, content gap analysis, and overall content plan.

Later on, these findings can be used as a guide to improve your content marketing strategy, identify low-hanging fruit for your optimization, and track progress over time.

Conducting a content audit is important, but it’s only the first step. Once you’ve identified areas where your content could use some improvement, you need to take action and make the necessary changes. But don’t worry, we can help you do both parts of the process!

At LFDM, we specialize in Content SEO, and we know some secret tips and tricks to help you improve your website’s ranking. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you improve your SEO content strategy!

Additionally, if you have any questions about Content SEO or tips you tested, feel free to share them with us in the comment section.

FAQ

How do I check my pages?

Content SEO audits check both the quality and quantity of a website’s content. A content audit will help you determine which pages on your site are performing well and which need improvement.

A good place to start is the Google Analytics tool. You can use GA to track your pageviews, unique visitors, and other performance metrics over time. This data can help you identify which pages are ranking the best in terms of traffic and which are being ignored. Once you’ve identified which pages need work, it’s time to start making changes. This may involve adding new content, improving existing content, or both. Remember to keep your audience in mind when making changes – what do they want to see on your site?

If you’re not sure how to get started, just reach out, and we’ll help.

 

How do I know if my content is indexed correctly?

If your content is not appearing in search results, it may not be indexed correctly. This can happen for a number of reasons, but the most common is that your pages are not being crawled by search engines. There are a few ways to check if this is the case:

• Use Google Search Console to see if there are any errors associated with your site.
• Check your sitemap to make sure all of your pages are included.
• Use a web crawler like Screaming Frog to check if all of your pages are being crawled.

If you find that your pages are not being indexed, you can submit them to Google manually. Just go to Google Search Console and follow the instructions under the ‘Coverage’ tab.

 

What are some common problems with content?

There are a few common issues that can occur with content performance:

• Duplicate content – from another page on the site, or from another site entirely.
• Thin or low-quality content: This can happen if a page is filled with too much fluff or if it’s copied from another source.
• Outdated content: If your content is no longer relevant, it will hurt your ranking in search results.
• Content is not keyword optimized: This means that your content doesn’t include the keywords that people are searching for. As a result, your pages will be less likely to show up in search results.

 

How do I find poor-performing content?

There are a few ways to find poor-performing content pieces:

• Check your Google Analytics account to see which pages have the lowest pageviews.
• Use a web crawler like Screaming Frog to find pages with a high number of 404 errors.
• Check your Google Search Console account for any crawl errors.
• Use an SEO tool like SEMrush to find pages with a high bounce rate.

 

How do I fix poor-performing content?

• Add new and relevant content to the page.
• Optimize the existing content for keywords.
• Remove outdated types of content and replace them with something more relevant.
• Fix any errors on the page, such as broken links or misspellings.

 

How do I pull data for a content audit?

There are a few ways to collect data during a content audit process:

• Google Analytics: Use it to see pageviews, unique visitors, and additional metrics.
• Screaming Frog: Use Screaming Frog or other web crawlers to collect data about your site’s pages.
• SEMrush: SEMrush or other similar tools can help you collect keyword rankings and other SEO data.
• Google Search Console: Use it to find crawl errors and other technical issues.

 

How do I know if my content is properly auditable?

If you want to make sure that your current content is properly auditable, you should:

• Use Google Analytics to track your pageviews, unique visitors, and other metrics over time. This data can help you identify which pages are getting the most traffic from search engines and which are being ignored.
• Check your sitemap to make sure all of your pages are included. This will help you identify which pages are being indexed by search engines.
• Use a web crawler like Screaming Frog to check if all of your pages are being crawled. This will help you identify if there are any errors associated with your site.
• Submit your pages to Google manually. This will help you ensure that your pages are being indexed correctly.

Content audits are important because they help you keep your site updated and relevant. By regularly auditing your content, you can ensure that your pages are being indexed correctly and that people are finding what they’re looking for.

 

How do I get rid of low-performing pages?

There are a few ways to get rid of low-performing pages:

• Delete the page from your website.
• Redirect the page to a more relevant one.
• Keep the page but noindex it so it won’t show up in search results.

You should also consider adding new and relevant content to your site on a regular basis to keep people coming back.

 

What is the URL analysis?

URL analysis is the process of looking at a URL and determining what it is about. This can be done by looking at the page’s title, metatags, and other elements. URL analysis is important because it can help you determine if a page is relevant to your site and if it is being indexed correctly by search engines.

 

How do I improve my URL structure?

There are a few ways to improve your URL structure:

• Use keywords in your URLs.
• Keep your URLs short and to the point.
• Use hyphens to separate words in your URLs.
• Avoid using special characters in your URLs.

 

What is bad content?

Bad content is content that is not relevant to your site or that is not well-written. It can also be content that is plagiarized or that has been duplicated from another source. This type of content can hurt your site’s ranking and reputation. If you have critical content on your site, you should delete it or redirect it to a more relevant page.

 

How many blog posts per month do you publish?

This is a difficult question to answer because it depends on your content goals and other business objectives. If you’re trying to rank for keywords, then you’ll need to publish more frequently. However, if you’re just trying to generate leads or sales, then you can publish less frequently.

Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide how often you want to publish, but there is a study that shows companies that published sixteen or more blog posts per month generated 4.5 times more leads than companies that published zero to four monthly posts.

 

Do I need a Content SEO Audit at all? 

If you’re not sure if a content audit is right for you, consider the following:

• Do you have a lot of old, outdated, or irrelevant content on your site?
• Do you have pages with high conversion rates or low pageviews?
• Are people having trouble finding what they’re looking for on your site?
• Do you want to improve your SEO?
• Do you want to generate more leads or sales from your website?
• Are you launching a new product or service and need to make some content updates?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then a content audit might be right for you.