Is your online store not showing up high enough in Google searches? Do you want to beat your competitors? This guide will empower you to conduct an SEO audit that gets results. It's not just about making significant changes; it's about you taking charge and helping more customers find your store.

Why Most SEO Audits Fail

Many SEO audits are not helpful. They give you a list of problems without explaining why they matter or how to fix them. These audits often come from plugging your website into tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush. But they don't tell you the important stuff.

Don't waste time on tiny details that don't matter much. Focus on the key things that will make a big difference.

Focus on Big Changes

Instead of worrying about small things like site speed, focus on these significant changes:

1. Enhance your key pages: These are your high-converting pages.

2. Acquire strong backlinks: These are links from other websites that direct users to your site.

3. Write helpful blog content: Show that you are an expert in your area.

These significant changes fall into three groups:

1. Technical SEO

2. On-Page SEO

3. Off-Page SEO

Most of your effort should be focused on On-Page and Off-Page SEO. Technical SEO is important, but it's not the main thing.

Technical SEO: The Essentials

Several technical issues can be addressed. But these are the ones that will help your online store:

• Fix broken links: Send broken links to active pages on your site. Please don't send them all to the homepage.

• Use pagination: This feature applies to category, collection, and blog pages.

• Use the correct tags: Use canonical tags for page query parameters.

• Remove duplicate content: Prevent Google from indexing pages with minimal content.

• Add schema: This helps Google better understand your pages. It can also help you get rich snippets, such as product ratings.

• Set up robots.txt: This file tells Google which pages to index on your site.

Ensure your site is also mobile-friendly, features a sitemap, and has straightforward URLs.

On-Page SEO: Where the Real Work Happens

This is where you can improve your SEO. We'll split this into two parts:

1. Existing Opportunities: Keywords you already rank for.

2. New Opportunities: Keywords you haven't found yet.

Existing Opportunities

These are pages you've already tried to optimize, but you're not yet ranking number one.

• Is your keyword in the right places?

  • Title and H1 tag

  • Meta title

  • Meta description

  • URL

  • First sentence

  • Throughout the content

  • Image alt text

• Have you written blog content for each product or category? If so, is it good enough to rank on page one? If not, make it better. If you haven't written any, start now!

• Have you built internal links? Link to your money pages and other blog posts.

• Are your money pages in the main navigation and on the homepage? If not, add them.

New Opportunities

These are keywords you haven't targeted yet.

• When was the last time you did keyword research? Do it regularly to find new keywords.

• Are you targeting keywords that are too hard to rank for? Find easier keywords to target.

• What new content have your competitors created? Create even better content.

Off-Page SEO: Building Authority

Backlinks are essential. They are also the most challenging part of SEO. But they can make a big difference. A few good links are better than a slightly faster website.

Here are some types of links to focus on:

• Social profiles: Ensure that all your social profiles link back to your website.

• Reference sites: Get links from sites like Wikipedia, Reddit, and Quora.

• PR distribution: Use tools like PR Newswire to get your brand mentioned in the news.

• Web 2.0 links: Use platforms like Medium and Substack.

• Review sites: Obtain reviews on Trustpilot and other relevant industry-specific sites.

• Reactive PR: Use tools like HARO to respond to journalists' queries and earn backlinks.

• Proactive PR: Reach out to journalists with story ideas.

Final Thoughts

Focus on the key things that will make a significant impact. Don't waste time on small details that don't matter much. By focusing on these tasks, you can reach the top of Google and leave your competitors behind. The potential for growth and success is within your reach.

Ready to take your e-commerce store to the next level? Start your SEO audit today and watch your revenue grow!