SEO link audit – Make sure your agency does one!
Recent poll revealed that 27% of Search Engine Optimisation companies have never done an SEO link audit. The survey only covered the Search Engine Journal Twitter community but this is basically the who’s who of the SEO big guys globally.
So, what exactly is a link audit and why should you do one?
When you carry out an SEO link audit, you are checking to see if there are any risky or weak links on your website – and which strong links are bringing you positive feedback and business. If you have strange or unsuitable links, search engines will penalise you and your site could be de-indexed (banned) by the big boys like Google.
Plan your tactics better
If you own a website, which is the backbone of your company or business, you use it to build links and partnerships, to market and to grow your business. So, if you audit your links regularly, you can expand your tactic regarding building links. You can also sort out your downgrades by search engines if they have in fact happened.
Link building is becoming an art and is ever difficult in the fast-paced world of SEO. If you are looking to investigate your competition, then you need to go over their websites with a fine tooth comb to see how they get to beat you in the search engine rankings. Look at their use of keywords, and how they promote their content.
Why is the SEO link audit so vital?
Link audits ensure you are always picked up by search engines and rank high. You need to ensure your links are original, clever and honest. Don’t make mistakes. Do your link audits regularly as part of your weekly schedule and you will be able to improve your rankings.
If you are trying to improve your SEO and you want your website to rank well on search engines, you need strong links and you need to do away with any risky or weak links that could get you demoted by Google and other top search engines. Your SEO link audit will also help you to improve your use of keywords and how you write and promote your content.
The deeper you go, the more you see
As you get involved in your SEO link audit, you start to see more and more issues with your website – which can be positive and negative. You may come across some glaring SEO errors or weaknesses which are holding your website back – which you can then correct.
Some websites duplicate their content over several URLs to get better rankings but this can weaken websites and their rankings altogether. And some links are never updated or checked and end up getting a “page not found” response to the user. These pages should be fixed or could become completely wasted links.
Wasted pages weaken your plan
Look out for pages that you deem to be strong because they direct traffic to other sites but they should in fact be directing traffic to your other pages on your website. And check for forgotten pages where no editing and touching up has been done for months. Redo or throw out.
As an SEO expert, you should throw more energy into improving your website by checking links regularly and updating your SEO. When you know which links attract more clicks, you know what content is being read and you can add to this. If a link is strong and well-used you can direct it to powerful web pages and improve the content to rank better. You may also come across old links that do your business a dis-service so you need to re-assess these.
Conclusion
Link audits are essential for your SEO business and success. They do not take a long time to do and should be done regularly. You can only improve your rankings this way, your content and your SEO – thus your credibility.
