SEO Website Audit Checklist: Is Your Site Optimized for Google with SEO?
Three things I know about female entrepreneurs:
✔️ We eat, sleep, and breathe autonomy
✔️ We grow best among a group of like-minded, big hearted, insanely supportive women
✔️ We L-O-V-E a good checklist!
…Checklists are bae especially when it comes to getting more done in less time.
So let’s chat about getting more done in less time when it comes to running your website.
A well-optimized site ranks high on Google, attracts qualified traffic (i.e. qualified traffic means these are the customers you’re best fit to serve), and, in the end, converts them into paying customers (emphasis on paying - lemme hear you say, Cash moneyyyy 🤑).
Important! if you’re interested in this topic, you’ll definitely want to download the free pdf I have to get you rolling: Best On-Page SEO Tips for Generating Content.
DIY SEO Audit Checklist
If your beloved website doesn’t perform well when it comes to these three things:
growing its visibility in the search results,
attracting dream clients, and
converting “Lookie Lou’s” into “Paying Penelope’s”
…then it’s high time to get an SEO audit. The good news, we’ve got you covered!
This DIY SEO audit checklist will assist you in identifying problems where you’re leaving literal cash on the table, fixing those problems, and improving your SEO to gain more qualified traffic and converting leads into paying customers.
Before we go any further, did you know at Founding Females® we host an entire training dedicated to helping female entrepreneurs upskill around organic search and conversion strategy called the ✨ SEO Glow Up ✨?
The ✨ SEO Glow Up ✨ is a two-hour training followed by two full weeks of “walk alongside you” “hold your hand” support so you can ask every question your entrepreneur heart desires to get your website and online presence bangin’.
Click to find out when we’re hosting this SEO training designed especially for female entrepreneurs next!
Website Checklist: 10 Non-Negotiables To Get Your Website Optimized
Friends, let’s begin. Here are 10 things you can do to get your website optimized for search engine optimization and conversion strategy (i.e. attract more leads and convert them into paying customers).
1. Website Speed Matters
Website speed matters. Like, realllllly matters. Statistically, visitors won’t wait longer than four seconds for your site to load.
Do you know how short that is?
…🤔
…🤨
….🧐
That short.
Site speed is one of the major ranking factors that determine whether you land in spot #1 or spot #101, and a slow website gives very little value to potential visitors because they can’t see your amazing content.
The conversion rule of thumb is this:
If website visitors have to wait longer than four seconds for your site to load or you don’t tell them where to go next (more on that in a minute), they’ll leave.
Use Google PageSpeed Insights to analyze the speed and performance of your site. This tool breaks down exactly what part of your website page is loading slowly and how to fix it.
How to fix slow site speed
Finding that your site loads slower than four seconds? Here’s how to fix it: Compress images, enable caching, and reduce unnecessary elements, like third party plug-ins.
2. Mobile-friendliness is Non-Negotiable
We live in a world where most people use their mobile device to browse a website, and Google makes no exceptions concerning mobile-friendly sites. Like, none.
You’re basically dead if your site isn’t mobile-friendly. But mobile-friendly goes way beyond whether your website fits the screen of the device your website visitor is using.
And this is where conversion comes in. Tap targets (i.e. buttons and hyperlinked text, video play buttons, etc.) must be large enough for mobile visitors to use with ease.
Be sure to check the mobile view of a page before you hit publish! For example, in Squarespace, the platform allows you to build in the desktop view or mobile view. I usually build or manage a website in the desktop view because it’s wider, but always toggle to the mobile view to make sure spacing and the order of elements is exactly how I want it prior to publishing a page.
How to fix mobile unfriendliness
Test your site with SE Ranking Tool. Responsive designs, easy-to-read text, and bold calls to action improve user experience.
3. Can Google Find and Index Your Site?
Don’t skip submitting your sitemap to Google! Google has amassed over 80% of the organic search marketshare.
So generally speaking, if you’re good-to-go with Google, you’ll be good-to-go with other search engines like Bing and Yahoo.
Google must crawl and index your site to appear in search results.
Check your indexing status in Google Search Console > Coverage > Page Indexing. It’s free to use if you have a free Google account and it’s one of my favorite places to find out how my website and my clients’ websites are gaining visibility in the search result. We teach all about how to leverage Google Search Console to earn more search engine visibility in our ✨ SEO Glow Up ✨ Training.
Ensure your robots.txt file and noindex tags aren’t blocking content.
Submit an XML sitemap to help Google find all the pages in your domain (I’ll tell you how below).
How to fix an undiscoverable site
Google still askin’ “Who dis?” Let’s help you fix that! Here are steps to be found on Google:
Snag that free Google Search Console account
Log in to Google Search Console
Verify your domain through your domain registrar (Don’t worry, if this sounds too techy. If you already purchased your domain and linked it to your site, you’ll be able to do this too!)
Go to Sitemaps
Type your complete URL with “/sitemap.xml” at the end
Click “Submit.”
Need a more detailed step-by-step with screenshots and cheerleader-style support? Read How to Submit Your Sitemap to Google Search Console (Even If You Don't Feel Tech Savvy).
Plus, we handhold this process when you sign up for the ✨ SEO Glow Up ✨ Training.
4. Optimizing Titles, Meta Descriptions, and Headers
Every single page of your website features an opportunity to tell Google what each page is about in its title tag, meta description, and header structure. These are specific places Google looks to understand what each page is about.
Page titles should be under 60 characters and have the main keyword included nearest to the front of the title as possible.
The meta description (this is what searchers see in search results) should be 150-160 characters, with a summary of what on the page - again, load important keywords nearest to the front and remember that Google will bold exact match keywords in the search results to draw the searcher’s eye down the page.
Proper H1, H2, and H3 header settings improve readability and SEO. Remember to use only one H1 tag on each page containing your MOST important keyword at the very top. Then, structure H2 and H3 headings down the page similar to how you’d structure an eighth grade research paper.
And while we’re on the topic of what you learned in 8th grade, write at an 8th grade reading level. Don’t use large paragraphs (large paragraphs intimidate readers and stats show they leave the website altogether). Use bulleted lists and bold calls to action to draw the readers’ eye down the page.
And remember to have some kind of call to action (CTA) according to the buying cycle for what the reader should do next when he/she gets to the end of the page. (If you’re feeling lost about what the buying cycle is, I’ve laid all of that out for you in 5 Essential Steps to Create a Marketing Plan that Turns Leads into Paying Customers.)
Don’t worry, we also teach all of this and so much more in the ✨ SEO Glow Up ✨ Training.
How to fix a site that doesn’t leverage headers, title tags, and meta descriptions
Go through your site page by page and intentionally craft title tags, meta descriptions, headers, and of course, paragraph copy throughout your site with important keywords according to how your ideal audience describes the solution you provide. That’s where keyword research comes in…
5. Keyword Optimization for Better Rankings
The most important piece of keyword education is this:
You need to pack your site with keywords your ideal client uses, * NOT * keywords you think will make you sound smart.
If your site isn’t full of keywords your ideal audience is already typing into the search engine to find the solution you provide, you’re unlikely to rank well.
That’s where keyword research comes in.
You want to use keywords your ideal website visitors are typing into the search engine to describe the pain or challenge they’re facing, then position yourself in front of them as a solution to the problem.
Don’t worry, most entrepreneurs get this part completely wrong.
How to find the right keywords
Here’s one of my favorite ways to identify what keywords your audience is using to find your solution: Remember how you submitted your sitemap to Google Search Console? You can head to Performance > Search Results > Export to find out what keywords your website is appearing in the search for.
If you juuuuuuuuust submitted your sitemap recently, this data won’t populate for at least three months, so here’s another way you can research keywords:
You can use Google Keyword Planner or Ubersuggest to search for keywords. I also love the tools Keysearch and Keywords Everywhere.
Remember: Use keywords naturally in titles, headers, and content. Avoid keyword stuffing and keep URLs short with target keywords.
6. Internal Linking for Better Navigation
Internal links improve navigation and help Google understand your content structure.
Google L-O-V-E-S a site with a tight web of interwoven linking because it gives context to how pages are related and what kind of content is on the linked page.
Plus, it keeps visitors on your site longer and shows that they’re taking action to navigate your website.
Remember to always hyperlink forward in the buying cycle toward a conversion and never backward (again, if this sounds foreign, read: 5 Essential Steps to Create a Marketing Plan that Turns Leads into Paying Customers to gain clarity on how to do this) or sign up for our ✨ SEO Glow Up ✨ Training.
Here’s what you need to know about internal linking:
Link relevant pages to keep visitors engaged. For example, on conversion-oriented pages like product listings, only link to other conversion-oriented pages. Or, on blog post pages, link to related blog posts. On your FAQs page, link to pages that will help clarify their questions.
Consider where they may have entered your site and point them onward toward a conversion.
Use descriptive anchor text instead of linking “click here”. For example, see the blog post I linked a few lines up? It has a clear description of what you’ll get when you click to that page included with juicy keywords.
Broken links should be removed to enhance the user experience. A broken link is what happens when a URL once existed but then got deleted or hidden. A few broken links are okay, but Google will penalize your site if you have too many. You can find broken links in Google Search Console. Then, create a 301 Redirect for the broken link so that Google circumvents the broken link and redirects the user to another relevant page.
Make your navigation easy by having a logical layout of the site. In other words, don’t bury important pages behind lots of clicks for visitors to find. Make several references for important pages and keep a horizontal navigation structure rather than a vertical navigation structure - this makes browsing your website much more enjoyable.
How to fix a nonexistent internal link strategy
Go through page by page on your website and look to find places where you can hyperlink the text on the page to lead to other pages. When Google sees that visitors are clicking through to other pages on your site, that’s one indicator that visitors are having a positive experience and Google is likely to reward you with even more search engine visibility in the future.
7. High-Quality Content is the Key to SEO
Google favors valuable and original content. If your site has outdated or low-quality information, rankings will suffer. Remember to update your content regularly.
Review and update blog posts regularly. Avoid plagiarism. That’s a no-brainer, but did you know that dumping a bunch of AI-generated content onto your site is a no-go either?
You can use AI to help create the end result, but never the complete result. Don’t worry, we cover exactly how to do this in the ✨ SEO Glow Up ✨ Training.
Focus on writing unique, engaging, and beneficial content to keep people on the site longer.
How to fix low-quality content on your website
Google rewards original, human-written, high quality content. Here are some tips for improving low-quality content:
Go back through each page on your site and ask whether the content sounds unique to your brand voice.
Remember that you know your craft well because it’s your expertise. Readers don’t know your craft like you do, so fill in the gaps with information that might seem obvious to you, but is informative to them. This will help you build out lots of keywords into your written content.
On each page, ask Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How? to round out the quality and context of your content, especially on product descriptions where you want to keep the visitor on that page as long as possible by answering all questions that could help them feel sound about a purchase.
8. Backlinks Boost Your Website Authority
Backlinks send a signal to Google that your site is trustworthy and valuable because another site is sending its precious traffic to yours. It’s one of the best things you can do to build authority for your website. Here’s how:
Use Ahrefs or Moz to analyze your backlinks.
Remove toxic links that could harm rankings.
Earn backlinks from safe and authoritative sites in your industry.
Guest post on reputable blogs to gain quality links.
NEVER buy links!
Check to see which sites are linking to yours in Google Search Console under “Links.”
How to fix a site that has no backlinks
Here are five ways to gain backlinks:
Consider what websites, news articles, collaborations, and industry memberships could be linking to your site already. Reach out to them and ask them to link to your site (And remember to suggest a keyword rich phrase so that Google picks up on that context!).
Create content for the purpose of collaboration. The photography industry is great at this! For example, many wedding vendors will create content and hyperlink to the other vendors’ websites - florist, venue, wedding planner, etc. All of those backlinks give one another credibility in the organic search space!
Write really great, informative content. Then send those links to big industry players whose audience would find the content helpful.
Get in the media! This is one fantastic reason to leverage PR in your business. Once they post the news feature or podcast, ask that they link to your website in the write-up.
More media/PR suggestions - pitch your article to a big outlet in your industry. In your bio, make sure to include a link to your website.
9. Website Security and HTTPS
Google prioritizes secure websites, especially with the ever increasing amount of online shopping we do in the US. A website not protected with HTTPS would not allow visitors to access it but would warn them that it’s a security threat.
Check the URL—it should not start with “HTTP”, but rather “HTTPS”.
Otherwise, you should install an SSL certificate. Most hosting providers offer free SSL installation (Squarespace does!).
To ensure site security, redirect all pages from HTTP to HTTPS.
If I highlight Founding Females®’ URL in the browser and paste it, it looks like this: https://foundingfemalesco.com/
Here’s what that looks like in the browser:
How to fix a missing SSL
Go to your domain registrar or hosting service and purchase an SSL certificate or install the free one.
10. User Experience and Engagement
A well-built and maintained website will keep visitors engaged.
If visitors abandon the site quickly, Google considers it an indication that visitors didn’t find what they were looking for.
Remember, Google has amassed it’s marketshare by figuring out how to create an excellent search experience for visitors. By creating a great experience where visitors can find what they’re looking for and stay engaged, you’re appeasing the Google gods’ goals too.
Your goal should be to keep visitors on your site as long as it takes to reach a conversion.
A “conversion” might look like:
Signing up for your email list
Making a purchase
Watching a video
Downloading your free guide
I.e. Taking action.
Track statistics like bounce rate and time on the page in Google Analytics or your platform’s analytics tool to improve navigation, readability, and call to action buttons.
Clean designs, short paragraphs, and bullet points make content easier to read.
Remember to use an eye-catching color for your buttons and hyperlinked text so visitors are more likely to navigate the site how you intend them to.
Love this content and want to learn more?
Here are some SEO-related articles you don’t want to miss!
5 Essential Steps to Create a Marketing Plan that Turns Leads into Paying Customers
The #1 SEO Mistake Business Owners Make (And How to Fix It!)
Final Thoughts: Website Audit Checklist: Is Your Site Optimized for Google with SEO?
This website audit will help get your site primed for organic traffic and conversion.
Website auditing helps to find weak points and improve SEO. A fast, mobile, well-structured site with high-class content and a strong backlink strategy will always perform better in searches.
Remember, we host the ✨ SEO Glow Up ✨ Training to empower female entrepreneurs to optimize their online presence and begin earning sales. Tap the link to find out when we’re hosting the next training and get on the list to receive details as they become available.
Cheering for you,
Francie
P.S. Here are some of my top favorite female small business resources:
Dream, Build, Grow Free Resource Suite - free business templates for your business plan, marketing plan, ideal client persona, financial statements, and more!
Founding Females Community - an online female mastermind space for entrepreneurs to connect, support, and get inspired
Dream, Build, Grow: A Female’s Step-by-Step Guide for How to Start a Business - a guided handbook including everything you need to know from business idea to launch to profiting and scaling your business.
Free Downloads for Female Entrepreneurs
Free PDF Download: 25 Ways to Market Your Business (Aside from Social Media)
Free PDF Download: 33 keys to Business Success
Free PDF Download: SEO Tips for Entrepreneurs
About Founding Females®
The mission of Founding Females® is to help women build thriving businesses. We create safe spaces for women to share business challenges and receive peer support.
In addition, Founding Females® offers an online female business mastermind, a how-to guidebook for female entrepreneurs called Dream, Build, Grow: A Female’s Step-by-Step Guide for How to Start a Business, and in-person events, like an annual women’s business conference and local Founding Females® Meet Ups.
Founding Females® was founded by small business educator, Francie Hinrichsen. She believes anyone with a dream on their heart can pull up a seat to change the world through entrepreneurship. Click to learn more about working with Francie.
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Is your website SEO-optimized for Google? Follow this DIY website audit checklist to improve rankings, fix issues, and boost traffic with simple steps.