Building a formidable SEO presence on the web takes plenty of time and focus. With dozens of technical and aesthetic considerations to make, it can be easy to overlook one or more elements during the pursuit of better rankings and more traffic. As time goes on, however, SEO habits can change, search engine algorithms can be modified, and the focus of a website or blog may shift to reflect new audiences or a new direction. Because of all of these things and more, it is always a good idea to perform SEO audits on a regular basis. If you are about to begin a new SEO audit of your website or blog, then you’ll want to consider the following elements when reassessing your standings.

Double Down on Mobile Focus

Google and other major search engines now derive a majority of their traffic from mobile devices. In the wake of such revolutionary shifts, these search engines have started requiring websites to be optimized for mobile when pinging for SEO. Any SEO audit should take into account how mobile optimization is or is not being used in web design, content delivery and a variety of other areas. With many people now using mobile devices and search engines deciding whether or not to show many specific results in search based on the user’s device, you could be losing out on a large amount of traffic. By making sure that your mobile optimization efforts are well-documented, you can ensure that your next SEO audit produces relevant results and leads to meaningful changes.

Inspect Site Speeds

When performing an SEO audit, it is vital that you inspect a variety of technical aspects of the site that might not be directly linked to SEO, but that can affect the end result nevertheless. Website speed is one good example of an indirect impact on SEO. It is believed that slower websites are recognized by search engines and are ranked below sites that have faster loading times. While this has not been directly proven, there is a correlation between site speed and overall rankings. Additionally, bounce rates from search engines increase substantially as the website speed decreases; nobody wants to lose valuable traffic brought by SEO efforts just because the site speed is pushing people away.

Navigation and URLs

When pinging for SEO details in a website audit, it is vital that you review how your overall website design impacts site navigation and URL structure. Improper URL structure can impact overall SEO performance and can make it less likely that visitors will share your content on social media, in email and beyond. Well-organized URL structures that are based off of the topic or subject content on each page tend to perform better with respect to user shares, and also help search engines more accurately categorize content. Additionally, navigational challenges – such as poorly-placed menus or a lack of access to vital elements of the site – make it difficult for users to find what they need. If these users are originating from Google or Bing, and they cannot find what they need in an expedient fashion, then you are all but guaranteed to lose their traffic and loyalty in major ways.