{"id":12251,"date":"2025-02-06T02:47:10","date_gmt":"2025-02-06T02:47:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/06\/how-to-do-a-website-audit-in-5-steps-checklist\/"},"modified":"2025-02-06T02:47:10","modified_gmt":"2025-02-06T02:47:10","slug":"how-to-do-a-website-audit-in-5-steps-checklist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/06\/how-to-do-a-website-audit-in-5-steps-checklist\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Do a Website Audit in 5 Steps (+ Checklist)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A website audit helps you find what\u2019s holding your site back. It highlights technical issues that affect your rankings and UX problems that hurt conversions.<\/p>\n<p>In this guide, I\u2019ll walk you through five essential steps to maximize your site\u2019s performance.<\/p>\n<p>And to make it easier, I\u2019ve created a free <a title=\"Website Audit Checklist\" href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/spreadsheets\/d\/1lhhahKBJTDcQRv63_5PvWsDnnDHbaDwTMr19yDrasnY\/copy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">website audit checklist<\/a> that you can refer to as you follow along.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__visual-chart backlinko-image\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Website audit checklist\" alt=\"Website audit checklist\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.90571428571429\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/website-audit-checklist.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<div class=\"sc-quote alert blue-box font-georgia type-normal transparent-img-bg\">\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-sm-down\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-note.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">        <\/figure>\n<div class=\"media-body\">\n<blockquote class=\"sc-quote\">\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> This post covers the fundamentals of website audits for small to medium sites. Enterprise sites have extra considerations and may need specialized tools and processes.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-md-up\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-note.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">                <\/figure>\n<p>                                <cite class=\"sc-name media-body media-middle\"><br \/>\n                                    <\/cite>\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_81 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/06\/how-to-do-a-website-audit-in-5-steps-checklist\/#Step_1_Review_Your_Site_Architecture_and_Navigation\" >Step #1: Review Your Site Architecture and Navigation<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/06\/how-to-do-a-website-audit-in-5-steps-checklist\/#Analyze_Your_Sites_Navigation\" >Analyze Your Site\u2019s Navigation<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/06\/how-to-do-a-website-audit-in-5-steps-checklist\/#Map_Your_Site_Structure\" >Map Your Site Structure<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/06\/how-to-do-a-website-audit-in-5-steps-checklist\/#Check_Your_Internal_Links\" >Check Your Internal Links<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/06\/how-to-do-a-website-audit-in-5-steps-checklist\/#Step_2_Check_Technical_Foundation\" >Step #2: Check Technical Foundation<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/06\/how-to-do-a-website-audit-in-5-steps-checklist\/#Check_Your_Sites_Indexability\" >Check Your Site\u2019s Indexability<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/06\/how-to-do-a-website-audit-in-5-steps-checklist\/#Look_for_Crawlability_Issues\" >Look for Crawlability Issues<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/06\/how-to-do-a-website-audit-in-5-steps-checklist\/#Check_Your_XML_Sitemap\" >Check Your XML Sitemap<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/06\/how-to-do-a-website-audit-in-5-steps-checklist\/#Analyze_Your_Page_Speed\" >Analyze Your Page Speed<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/06\/how-to-do-a-website-audit-in-5-steps-checklist\/#Measure_Your_Page_Performance\" >Measure Your Page Performance<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/06\/how-to-do-a-website-audit-in-5-steps-checklist\/#Prioritize_High-Impact_Fixes\" >Prioritize High-Impact Fixes<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/06\/how-to-do-a-website-audit-in-5-steps-checklist\/#Step_3_Analyze_Your_Backlink_Profile\" >Step #3: Analyze Your Backlink Profile<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/06\/how-to-do-a-website-audit-in-5-steps-checklist\/#Check_Your_Backlink_Profile\" >Check Your Backlink Profile<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/06\/how-to-do-a-website-audit-in-5-steps-checklist\/#Analyze_Link_Quality\" >Analyze Link Quality<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/06\/how-to-do-a-website-audit-in-5-steps-checklist\/#Monitor_Your_Link_Profile\" >Monitor Your Link Profile<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-16\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/06\/how-to-do-a-website-audit-in-5-steps-checklist\/#Step_4_Evaluate_Your_Content\" >Step #4: Evaluate Your Content<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-17\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/06\/how-to-do-a-website-audit-in-5-steps-checklist\/#Evaluate_the_Quality_of_Your_Content\" >Evaluate the Quality of Your Content<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-18\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/06\/how-to-do-a-website-audit-in-5-steps-checklist\/#Review_Your_Meta_Elements\" >Review Your Meta Elements<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-19\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/06\/how-to-do-a-website-audit-in-5-steps-checklist\/#Step_5_Assess_the_User_Experience\" >Step #5: Assess the User Experience<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-20\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/06\/how-to-do-a-website-audit-in-5-steps-checklist\/#Check_the_Mobile_Experience\" >Check the Mobile Experience<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-21\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/06\/how-to-do-a-website-audit-in-5-steps-checklist\/#Take_a_Look_at_Your_Visual_Hierarchy_and_Readability\" >Take a Look at Your Visual Hierarchy and Readability<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-22\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/06\/how-to-do-a-website-audit-in-5-steps-checklist\/#Test_Calls_to_Action_CTAs\" >Test Calls to Action (CTAs)<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-23\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/06\/how-to-do-a-website-audit-in-5-steps-checklist\/#Step_6_Review_Your_Analytics_Conversion_Data\" >Step #6: Review Your Analytics &amp; Conversion Data<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-24\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/06\/how-to-do-a-website-audit-in-5-steps-checklist\/#Analyze_Search_Performance\" >Analyze Search Performance<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-25\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/06\/how-to-do-a-website-audit-in-5-steps-checklist\/#Check_Your_Traffic\" >Check Your Traffic<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-26\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/06\/how-to-do-a-website-audit-in-5-steps-checklist\/#Take_Action_on_Your_Website_Audit_Findings\" >Take Action on Your Website Audit Findings<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-27\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/06\/how-to-do-a-website-audit-in-5-steps-checklist\/#Prioritize_Your_Fixes\" >Prioritize Your Fixes<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-28\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/06\/how-to-do-a-website-audit-in-5-steps-checklist\/#Create_an_Action_Plan\" >Create an Action Plan<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-29\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/06\/how-to-do-a-website-audit-in-5-steps-checklist\/#Ready_to_Do_Your_Own_Website_Audit\" >Ready to Do Your Own Website Audit?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Step_1_Review_Your_Site_Architecture_and_Navigation\"><\/span>Step #1: Review Your Site Architecture and Navigation<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A clear site structure and intuitive navigation help both users and search engines find what they\u2019re looking for. This means it can affect your rankings AND your bottom line.<\/p>\n<p>After all, if your visitors can\u2019t find your products or services, how will they buy them?<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how to audit your site\u2019s architecture:<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Analyze_Your_Sites_Navigation\"><\/span>Analyze Your Site\u2019s Navigation<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Check how easily users can move through your site. Your navigation menu structure should be intuitive, and your site architecture should be logical.<\/p>\n<p>Here are some questions to ask about key areas of your navigation:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Is your main navigation easy to find, and do the labels clearly describe where they lead?<\/li>\n<li>Does your site search function return accurate, relevant results?<\/li>\n<li>Do you use internal linking for related content to help users naturally explore your site?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For example, this furniture store, Terra Outdoor, ticks all the boxes:<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-wistia-embed  remove-click-to-play image-border w-75-md-up\">\n<div><\/div>\n<p>                            <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wistia_thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/embed-ssl.wistia.com\/deliveries\/075117aa3544683cb218d7a57de327f5b6916b95.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"wistia_embed wistia_async_gwjs8j779m googleAnalytics=false\" data-embed=\"gwjs8j779m\" data-thumb=\"075117aa3544683cb218d7a57de327f5b6916b95\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>What do they do right?<\/p>\n<p>The site has a clean drop-down design that organizes items by product groups, materials, and collections.<\/p>\n<p>This kind of organization lets shoppers easily browse the products they\u2019re looking for.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-quote alert blue-box font-georgia type-normal transparent-img-bg\">\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-sm-down\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-further-reading.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">        <\/figure>\n<div class=\"media-body\">\n<blockquote class=\"sc-quote\">\n<p><strong>Useful resource:<\/strong> Use this <a title=\"Menu-Design Checklist: 17 UX Guidelines\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nngroup.com\/articles\/menu-design\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">menu design checklist<\/a> to make your site\u2019s navigation more user-friendly.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-md-up\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-further-reading.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">                <\/figure>\n<p>                                <cite class=\"sc-name media-body media-middle\"><br \/>\n                                    <\/cite>\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Map_Your_Site_Structure\"><\/span>Map Your Site Structure<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Your content needs proper organization on each page so readers AND search engines can understand it easily.<\/p>\n<p>Start with your heading hierarchy:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__visual-chart backlinko-image\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"H-tags structure\" alt=\"H-tags structure\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.53714285714286\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/h-tags-structure.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>Your <a title=\"H1 Tags: Best Practices, Examples &amp; Tips for SEO\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/h1-tag\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">H1 tag<\/a> is the main title of your page. So it should be unique and properly describe the content of each specific page.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how an H1 tag appears on your page:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__visual-chart backlinko-image\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"H1 tag example\" alt=\"H1 tag example\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.52142857142857\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/h1-tag-example.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>Meanwhile, H2s and H3s should logically break down your topic.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-quote alert blue-box font-georgia type-normal transparent-img-bg\">\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-sm-down\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-further-reading.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">        <\/figure>\n<div class=\"media-body\">\n<blockquote class=\"sc-quote\">\n<p><strong>Further reading:<\/strong> Learn more about creating a user-friendly site structure with our <a title=\"How to Setup an SEO-Friendly Website Architecture\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/hub\/seo\/architecture\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">website architecture guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-md-up\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-further-reading.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">                <\/figure>\n<p>                                <cite class=\"sc-name media-body media-middle\"><br \/>\n                                    <\/cite>\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Check_Your_Internal_Links\"><\/span>Check Your Internal Links<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Internal links help readers navigate your site. They also signal to search engines that your content is all connected.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s why proper internal linking can help boost your topical authority.<\/p>\n<p>So, check if you link to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Important product\/service pages<\/li>\n<li>Related blog posts<\/li>\n<li>High-converting pages<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>One thing to consider: do you use descriptive <a title=\"What Is Anchor Text? An Overview + Best Practices\" href=\"https:\/\/www.semrush.com\/blog\/anchor-text\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">anchor text<\/a> that includes relevant keywords naturally?<\/p>\n<p>This tells readers where your link will take them. Plus, it gives Google helpful context about that page.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s what useful internal linking looks like:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__visual-chart backlinko-image\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Use descriptive anchor text to link pages\" alt=\"Use descriptive anchor text to link pages\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.88571428571429\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/use-descriptive-anchor-text-to-link-pages.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<div class=\"sc-quote alert blue-box font-georgia type-normal transparent-img-bg\">\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-sm-down\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-further-reading.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">        <\/figure>\n<div class=\"media-body\">\n<blockquote class=\"sc-quote\">\n<p><strong>Next steps:<\/strong> Put these insights into action with our <a title=\"Internal Linking for SEO: The Complete Guide\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/hub\/seo\/internal-links\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ultimate guide to internal linking<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-md-up\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-further-reading.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">                <\/figure>\n<p>                                <cite class=\"sc-name media-body media-middle\"><br \/>\n                                    <\/cite>\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Step_2_Check_Technical_Foundation\"><\/span>Step #2: Check Technical Foundation<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>With a technical site audit, you can check how easily search engines can access, crawl, and index your pages.<\/p>\n<p>You could have the best content in the industry, but technical issues could still hold your rankings back.<\/p>\n<p>For example, a <a title=\"Technical SEO: The Ultimate Guide\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/technical-seo-guide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technical SEO<\/a> audit helped BetterVet, a mobile veterinary service, fix critical site errors affecting the crawling and indexing of their content. Which resulted in a <a title=\"Semrush &amp; BetterVet SEO case study\" href=\"https:\/\/www.semrush.com\/company\/stories\/bettervet\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2,002%<\/a> <strong>boost in organic traffic<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>So this kind of audit can get REAL results for your business.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how to do it:<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Check_Your_Sites_Indexability\"><\/span>Check Your Site\u2019s Indexability<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>First, you need to know if search engines can actually find and understand your pages.<\/p>\n<p>To check this, head over to <a title=\"Google Search Console\" href=\"https:\/\/search.google.com\/search-console\/about\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google Search Console<\/a> and check if Google is indexing your important pages. You\u2019ll see this under \u201c<strong>Indexing<\/strong>\u201d &gt; \u201c<strong>Pages<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"GSC \u2013 Page indexing\" alt=\"GSC \u2013 Page indexing\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.82\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/gsc-page-indexing-1.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<div class=\"sc-quote alert blue-box font-georgia type-normal transparent-img-bg\">\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-sm-down\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-tip.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">        <\/figure>\n<div class=\"media-body\">\n<blockquote class=\"sc-quote\">\n<p><strong>How to fix:<\/strong> If your website audit highlights indexing issues, check out <a title=\"How to Get Your Website Indexed by Google\" href=\"https:\/\/www.semrush.com\/blog\/google-index\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">this guide to getting your site indexed by Google<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-md-up\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-tip.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">                <\/figure>\n<p>                                <cite class=\"sc-name media-body media-middle\"><br \/>\n                                    <\/cite>\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Look_for_Crawlability_Issues\"><\/span>Look for Crawlability Issues<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Next, make sure search engines can easily move through your site and find your content.<\/p>\n<p>Look for <a title=\"How to Find (and Fix) Broken Links\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/how-to-find-and-fix-broken-links\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">broken links<\/a>, missing pages, and complex site structures.<\/p>\n<p>Use Semrush\u2019s <a title=\"Site Audit: Improve the SEO of Your Website | Semrush\" href=\"https:\/\/www.semrush.com\/siteaudit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Site Audit<\/a> tool to identify crawled pages and the issues that might be blocking search engines from accessing them effectively.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n<p>Head over to Site Audit and select your project to get an overview of your site\u2019s health.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Site Audit \u2013  Backlinko \u2013 Overview\" alt=\"Site Audit \u2013 Backlinko \u2013 Overview\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.89285714285714\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/01\/site-audit-backlinko-overview.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>Take a look at the \u201cCrawled Pages\u201d section. There, you\u2019ll see your pages broken down into the following categories:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Healthy pages:<\/strong> Pages that are working correctly<\/li>\n<li><strong>Broken pages:<\/strong> Pages returning errors<\/li>\n<li><strong>Have issues:<\/strong> Pages that need attention, but still working<\/li>\n<li><strong>Redirects:<\/strong> Pages sending users to another page<\/li>\n<li><strong>Blocked pages:<\/strong> Pages that can\u2019t be crawled<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Next, click the \u201c<strong>Crawled Pages<\/strong>\u201d tab:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Site Audit \u2013 Backlinko \u2013 Crawled Pages\" alt=\"Site Audit \u2013 Backlinko \u2013 Crawled Pages\" data-aspect-ratio=\"1.0342857142857\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/site-audit-backlinko-crawled-pages.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>This will show you a list of crawled pages on your website.<\/p>\n<p>Click the number in the \u201cIssues\u201d column for any page\u2019s URL to see what you need to fix.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re unsure what one of the errors, warnings, or notices means, click \u201c<strong>Why and how to fix it<\/strong>\u201d for more info.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Site Audit \u2013 Errors \u2013 Backlinko \u2013 Crawled links\" alt=\"Site Audit \u2013 Errors \u2013 Backlinko \u2013 Crawled links\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.62857142857143\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/10\/site-audit-errors-backlinko-crawled-links.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<div class=\"sc-quote alert blue-box font-georgia type-normal transparent-img-bg\">\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-sm-down\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-further-reading.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">        <\/figure>\n<div class=\"media-body\">\n<blockquote class=\"sc-quote\">\n<p><strong>Further reading:<\/strong> Learn about the <a title=\"15 Crawlability Problems &amp; How to Fix Them\" href=\"https:\/\/www.semrush.com\/blog\/crawlability-issues\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">most common crawlability problems<\/a> (and find out how to fix them.)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-md-up\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-further-reading.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">                <\/figure>\n<p>                                <cite class=\"sc-name media-body media-middle\"><br \/>\n                                    <\/cite>\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Check_Your_XML_Sitemap\"><\/span>Check Your XML Sitemap<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Next, make sure it\u2019s easy for search engines to effectively navigate your site structure.<\/p>\n<p>Start by checking your XML sitemap in Google Search Console to confirm you\u2019ve submitted it correctly.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"GSC \u2013 Sitemaps\" alt=\"GSC \u2013 Sitemaps\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.78428571428571\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/gsc-sitemaps.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>Then review it manually to check for issues like missing or duplicate URLs.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Yoast \u2013 Sitemap\" alt=\"Yoast \u2013 Sitemap\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.70571428571429\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/02\/yoast-sitemap.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<div class=\"sc-quote alert blue-box font-georgia type-normal transparent-img-bg\">\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-sm-down\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-further-reading.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">        <\/figure>\n<div class=\"media-body\">\n<blockquote class=\"sc-quote\">\n<p><strong>Further reading:<\/strong> <a title=\"Sitemap: What Is It &amp; Why Your Website Needs One\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/hub\/seo\/sitemaps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sitemap: What It Is &amp; Why Your Website Needs One<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-md-up\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-further-reading.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">                <\/figure>\n<p>                                <cite class=\"sc-name media-body media-middle\"><br \/>\n                                    <\/cite>\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Analyze_Your_Page_Speed\"><\/span>Analyze Your Page Speed<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>A page speed audit helps you identify exactly what\u2019s slowing down your site and how to fix it.<\/p>\n<p>Improving your site speed can potentially help you convert more customers.<\/p>\n<p>How?<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s simple: a fast-loading website creates a smooth user experience.<\/p>\n<p>When your site loads quickly, visitors can easily explore your content, interact with your site, and complete actions\u2014like clicking the buy button.<\/p>\n<p>Want to see the real impact?<\/p>\n<p>Take Agrofy, an agricultural marketplace. After identifying and fixing their performance issues through a page speed audit, their cart abandonment rate <a title=\"Agrofy: A 70% improvement in LCP correlated to a 76% reduction in load abandonment | web.dev\" href=\"https:\/\/web.dev\/case-studies\/agrofy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">dropped by 76%<\/a>:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Improved page speed\" alt=\"Improved page speed\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.57571428571429\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/11\/improved-page-speed.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>Here\u2019s how to check if your site is as fast as it could be:<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Measure_Your_Page_Performance\"><\/span>Measure Your Page Performance<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Start by checking your page speed using Google\u2019s free <a title=\"PageSpeed Insights\" href=\"https:\/\/pagespeed.web.dev\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">PageSpeed Insights<\/a> tool.<\/p>\n<p>This tool shows you detailed performance data and actionable insights, which can help you identify areas that you need to improve.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"PageSpeed Insights \u2013 Backlinko results\" alt=\"PageSpeed Insights \u2013 Backlinko results\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.79857142857143\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/01\/page-speed-insights-backlinko-results.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>Pay special attention to the <a title=\"Core Web Vitals: Essential Guide to Better Site Performance\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/hub\/seo\/core-web-vitals\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Core Web Vitals<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>These are part of Google\u2019s page experience ranking factors.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"PageSpeed Insights \u2013 Backlinko\" alt=\"PageSpeed Insights \u2013 Backlinko\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.70571428571429\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/pagespeed-insights-backlinko.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>Here\u2019s why they matter and how to improve them:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__visual-chart backlinko-image\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Core Web Vitals\" alt=\"Core Web Vitals\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.56\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/core-web-vitals.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)<\/strong> reflects how quickly your main content loads for users. A good LCP score (under 2.5 seconds) means your visitors are less likely to abandon your page before it loads.<\/p>\n<p>To improve your LCP, compress bulky resources like hero images or animations.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Interaction to Next Paint (INP)<\/strong> measures how quickly your site responds when users interact with it.<\/p>\n<p>Keep INP under 200 milliseconds by minimizing JavaScript execution time. Also remove unnecessary third-party scripts that could slow down interactions.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Cumulative layout shift (CLS)<\/strong> tracks the visual stability of your page as it loads. For example, if ads load in and push content down the page as they do so, that will affect your CLS score.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__visual-chart backlinko-image\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Cumulative layout shift example\" alt=\"Cumulative layout shift example\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.54\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2020\/07\/cumulative-layout-shift-example.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>Aim for a CLS score below 0.1 by setting proper image dimensions, reserving space for ads, and using consistent fonts.<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Prioritize_High-Impact_Fixes\"><\/span>Prioritize High-Impact Fixes<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>When auditing your site\u2019s page speed, focus on changes that can bring the biggest improvements, like:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Compressing and properly sizing all images<\/li>\n<li>Minifying and combining CSS and JavaScript files<\/li>\n<li>Removing unnecessary code and plugins<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you\u2019re not sure where to start, follow the list of issues and fixes PageSpeed Insights suggests.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"PageSpeed Insights \u2013 Diagnostics\" alt=\"PageSpeed Insights \u2013 Diagnostics\" data-aspect-ratio=\"1.0657142857143\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/pagespeed-insights-diagnostics.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<div class=\"sc-quote alert blue-box font-georgia type-normal transparent-img-bg\">\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-sm-down\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-further-reading.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">        <\/figure>\n<div class=\"media-body\">\n<blockquote class=\"sc-quote\">\n<p><strong>Next steps:<\/strong> Learn all about why this matters in our guide to <a title=\"Page Speed and SEO: The Complete Guide\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/hub\/seo\/pagespeed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">page speed and SEO<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-md-up\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-further-reading.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">                <\/figure>\n<p>                                <cite class=\"sc-name media-body media-middle\"><br \/>\n                                    <\/cite>\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Step_3_Analyze_Your_Backlink_Profile\"><\/span>Step #3: Analyze Your Backlink Profile<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A <a title=\"How to Conduct a Backlink Audit: Tips, Tools, &amp; Examples\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/step-by-step-backlink-audit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">backlink audit<\/a> helps you understand your site\u2019s backlink profile and identify opportunities for improvement.<\/p>\n<p>Strong <a title=\"What Are Backlinks in SEO? &amp; Why You Need Them\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/hub\/seo\/backlinks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">backlinks<\/a> from reputable sites can boost your rankings, while poor quality links (or a lack of links) might hold you back.<\/p>\n<p>Let me show you how to evaluate your link profile:<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Check_Your_Backlink_Profile\"><\/span>Check Your Backlink Profile<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>First, get an overview of your backlink profile with a tool like Semrush\u2019s <a title=\"Backlink Analytics: Backlink Checker for Any Website | Semrush\" href=\"https:\/\/www.semrush.com\/analytics\/backlinks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Backlink Analytics<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Take a look at the total number of backlinks, referring domains, and overall toxicity score:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Backlink Analytics \u2013 Backlinko \u2013 Overview\" alt=\"Backlink Analytics \u2013 Backlinko \u2013 Overview\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.9\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/backlink-analytics-backlinko-overview.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>Watch out for any sudden spikes in new, low-quality backlinks. This could signal that you\u2019ve been attacked by spam, which could harm your SEO.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-quote alert blue-box font-georgia type-normal transparent-img-bg\">\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-sm-down\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-tip.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">        <\/figure>\n<div class=\"media-body\">\n<blockquote class=\"sc-quote\">\n<p><strong>Free tool:<\/strong> Use our <a title=\"Free Backlink Checker (+ What&#039;s the BEST Paid Tool)\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/tools\/backlink-checker\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">free backlink checker<\/a> to quickly analyze your site\u2019s links (or your competitor\u2019s).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-md-up\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-tip.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">                <\/figure>\n<p>                                <cite class=\"sc-name media-body media-middle\"><br \/>\n                                    <\/cite>\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Analyze_Link_Quality\"><\/span>Analyze Link Quality<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Next, use the <a title=\"Backlink Audit: Analyze Your Backlink Profile | Semrush\" href=\"https:\/\/www.semrush.com\/backlink_audit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Backlink Audit<\/a> tool to get a clear picture of your link profile\u2019s health.<\/p>\n<p>Click through the numbers shown in red (toxic), orange (potentially toxic), and green (non-toxic) to review each category of backlinks:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Backlink Audit \u2013 Backlinko \u2013 Overview\" alt=\"Backlink Audit \u2013 Backlinko \u2013 Overview\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.96\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/09\/backlink-audit-backlinko-overview.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>This breakdown helps you spot opportunities in two ways:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>You can analyze your healthy backlinks and find similar <a title=\"Link Building: The Definitive SEO Guide\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/link-building\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">link-building<\/a> opportunities<\/li>\n<li>You can identify toxic links and send removal requests<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Having a few toxic backlinks isn\u2019t necessarily alarming, and it\u2019s almost inevitable as your site grows. What does matter is the ratio between good and toxic links in your profile\u2014you want the vast majority to be <a title=\"How to Get High Quality Backlinks (7 Top Strategies)\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/high-quality-backlinks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">high-quality links<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-quote alert blue-box font-georgia type-normal transparent-img-bg\">\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-sm-down\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-further-reading.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">        <\/figure>\n<div class=\"media-body\">\n<blockquote class=\"sc-quote\">\n<p><strong>Further reading:<\/strong> <a title=\"Toxic Backlinks: How to Spot and Avoid Them\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/bad-backlinks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Toxic Backlinks: How to Spot and Avoid Them<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-md-up\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-further-reading.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">                <\/figure>\n<p>                                <cite class=\"sc-name media-body media-middle\"><br \/>\n                                    <\/cite>\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Monitor_Your_Link_Profile\"><\/span>Monitor Your Link Profile<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Regularly monitor your backlink profile to maintain it in a healthy state.<\/p>\n<p>Schedule monthly checks to catch harmful links before they tank your rankings.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-quote alert blue-box font-georgia type-normal transparent-img-bg\">\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-sm-down\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-tip.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">        <\/figure>\n<div class=\"media-body\">\n<blockquote class=\"sc-quote\">\n<p><strong>Tool recommendation:<\/strong> Use <a title=\"Link Building Tool: Earn Backlinks from Authority Domains | Semrush\" href=\"https:\/\/www.semrush.com\/link_building\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Semrush\u2019s Link Building Tool<\/a> to monitor your link building efforts. You can manage your outreach and monitor your results in one place:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Link Building \u2013 Backlinko \u2013 Domain Prospects\" alt=\"Link Building \u2013 Backlinko \u2013 Domain Prospects\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.59428571428571\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/link-building-backlinko-domain-prospects.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-md-up\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-tip.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">                <\/figure>\n<p>                                <cite class=\"sc-name media-body media-middle\"><br \/>\n                                    <\/cite>\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Step_4_Evaluate_Your_Content\"><\/span>Step #4: Evaluate Your Content<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A <a title=\"Content Audit: How to Run It in 6 Easy Steps\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/hub\/seo\/content-audits\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">content audit<\/a> will uncover pages you need to update if you want to boost their traffic.<\/p>\n<p>It reveals three key things:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Which pages drive the most value<\/li>\n<li>Which pages you need to improve<\/li>\n<li>Which pages you should remove or consolidate<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Here\u2019s how to audit your content:<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Evaluate_the_Quality_of_Your_Content\"><\/span>Evaluate the Quality of Your Content<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>High-quality content keeps readers engaged and signals to search engines that your page is valuable and deserving of <a title=\"How to Rank Higher On Google (13 Steps)\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/rank-high-on-google\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">higher rankings<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But how do you evaluate content quality?<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Content quality\" alt=\"Content quality\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.70714285714286\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/content-quality.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>High-quality content is generally well-researched, up to date, and provides unique insights.<\/p>\n<p>Other elements of high-quality content include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Clear language<\/li>\n<li>Easy-to-follow format<\/li>\n<li>Short paragraphs<\/li>\n<li>Relevant images, charts, and videos<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"sc-quote alert blue-box font-georgia type-normal transparent-img-bg\">\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-sm-down\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-tip.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">        <\/figure>\n<div class=\"media-body\">\n<blockquote class=\"sc-quote\">\n<p><strong>Pro tip:<\/strong> Use our guide to <a title=\"Quality SEO Content: The QRIES Approach for Better Rankings\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/quality-seo-content\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">quality SEO content<\/a> to learn what it takes to create truly great content (that also ranks well)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-md-up\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-tip.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">                <\/figure>\n<p>                                <cite class=\"sc-name media-body media-middle\"><br \/>\n                                    <\/cite>\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Review_Your_Meta_Elements\"><\/span>Review Your Meta Elements<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Your title tags and <a title=\"How to Write SEO-Friendly Meta Descriptions\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/hub\/seo\/meta-descriptions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">meta descriptions<\/a> are your first chance to impress people in search results.<\/p>\n<p>These elements can determine whether someone clicks through to your content\u2014or scrolls past it.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s what they look like in search results:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"On-Page SEO \u2013 Title &amp; meta tags\" alt=\"On-Page SEO \u2013 Title &amp; meta tags\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.27\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/on-page-seo-title-meta-tags.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>But what should you look out for when auditing your titles and descriptions?<\/p>\n<p>Great titles should:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Include target keywords near the start<\/li>\n<li>Stay under ~60 characters (or 600 pixels\u2014use a tool like <a title=\"Mangools\" href=\"https:\/\/mangools.com\/free-seo-tools\/serp-simulator\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mangools<\/a> to check)<\/li>\n<li>Use compelling language that makes people want to click<\/li>\n<li>Follow a consistent format across your pages<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>And your meta descriptions should:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Include relevant keywords naturally<\/li>\n<li>Accurately describe the page content<\/li>\n<li>Stay under 155 characters\/960 pixels (or ~120 characters\/680 pixels on mobile)<\/li>\n<li>Have a clear call to action (CTA)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Use Google Search Console to see which pages get the most clicks from search. Then, analyze their meta elements to understand what\u2019s working well.<\/p>\n<p>Look for pages with lots of impressions but not many clicks. These are pages with low click-through rates (CTRs), and likely ones you could optimize for better performance.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"GSC \u2013 Performance data\" alt=\"GSC \u2013 Performance data\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.90142857142857\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/gsc-performance-data.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<div class=\"sc-quote alert blue-box font-georgia type-normal transparent-img-bg\">\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-sm-down\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-further-reading.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">        <\/figure>\n<div class=\"media-body\">\n<blockquote class=\"sc-quote\">\n<p><strong>Next steps:<\/strong> You need people to click on your site if you want them to turn into customers. Check out our guide to <a title=\"What Is Click-Through Rate (CTR)?: And How To Improve It\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/what-is-ctr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">click-through rate<\/a> to find out how to further optimize your website content to get more clicks.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-md-up\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-further-reading.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">                <\/figure>\n<p>                                <cite class=\"sc-name media-body media-middle\"><br \/>\n                                    <\/cite>\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Step_5_Assess_the_User_Experience\"><\/span>Step #5: Assess the User Experience<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The goal of auditing your site\u2019s user experience (UX) is to identify friction points and optimize them so users can effortlessly find what they\u2019re looking for.<\/p>\n<p>A great UX keeps visitors engaged with your content and encourages them to take action (like making a purchase).<\/p>\n<p>Plus:<\/p>\n<p>Intuitive experiences also signal to search engines that your site is valuable to users. In fact, <a title=\"Understanding page experience in Google Search results\" href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/docs\/appearance\/page-experience\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">page experience<\/a> is a key <a title=\"Google\u2019s 200 Ranking Factors: The Complete List\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/google-ranking-factors\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ranking factor<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how to audit your site\u2019s UX:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__visual-chart backlinko-image\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"UX audit process\" alt=\"UX audit process\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.56\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/ux-audit-process.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Check_the_Mobile_Experience\"><\/span>Check the Mobile Experience<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><a title=\"Internet Traffic from Mobile Devices\" href=\"https:\/\/explodingtopics.com\/blog\/mobile-internet-traffic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">More than 60%<\/a> of website traffic comes from mobile devices.<\/p>\n<p>So, test your site on different screen sizes to ensure you provide a consistent experience.<\/p>\n<p>Focus on the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Are your buttons and links large enough to tap without zooming?<\/li>\n<li>Do your images scale properly on smaller or larger screens?<\/li>\n<li>Is your text readable without pinching to zoom?<\/li>\n<li>Does your navigation menu work smoothly on mobile?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__visual-chart backlinko-image\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Mobile responsiveness comparison\" alt=\"Mobile responsiveness comparison\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.70714285714286\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/mobile-responsiveness-comparisson.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<div class=\"sc-quote alert blue-box font-georgia type-normal transparent-img-bg\">\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-sm-down\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-further-reading.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">        <\/figure>\n<div class=\"media-body\">\n<blockquote class=\"sc-quote\">\n<p><strong>Further reading:<\/strong> <a title=\"Mobile SEO: The Definitive Guide\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/mobile-seo-guide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mobile SEO: The Definitive Guide<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-md-up\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-further-reading.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">                <\/figure>\n<p>                                <cite class=\"sc-name media-body media-middle\"><br \/>\n                                    <\/cite>\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Take_a_Look_at_Your_Visual_Hierarchy_and_Readability\"><\/span>Take a Look at Your Visual Hierarchy and Readability<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Your design should guide users\u2019 attention to important elements and make your content easy to consume.<\/p>\n<p>Key considerations:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Have you nested your headers properly (H1 &gt; H2 &gt; H3) with clear visual distinctions for skimmers?<\/li>\n<li>Is your text easy to read against the background?<\/li>\n<li>Do you use enough white space to help break up different sections?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__visual-chart backlinko-image\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"visual-hierarchy-and-readability\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.71285714285714\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/visual-hierarchy-and-readability.png\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\"><\/p><\/figure>\n<div class=\"sc-quote alert blue-box font-georgia type-normal transparent-img-bg\">\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-sm-down\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-further-reading.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">        <\/figure>\n<div class=\"media-body\">\n<blockquote class=\"sc-quote\">\n<p><strong>Useful resource:<\/strong> Use <a title=\"Legibility, Readability, and Comprehension: Making Users Read Your Words\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nngroup.com\/articles\/legibility-readability-comprehension\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">this guide from the Nielsen Norman Group<\/a> to boost your content\u2019s readability. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-md-up\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-further-reading.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">                <\/figure>\n<p>                                <cite class=\"sc-name media-body media-middle\"><br \/>\n                                    <\/cite>\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Test_Calls_to_Action_CTAs\"><\/span>Test Calls to Action (CTAs)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Since your CTAs are crucial conversion points, they should be visible, compelling, and easy to click.<\/p>\n<p>Test them to make sure they:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Stand out visually on the page<\/li>\n<li>Use clear, action-oriented text<\/li>\n<li>Appear at logical points in the user journey<\/li>\n<li>Work properly across all devices (desktop and mobile)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__visual-chart backlinko-image\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"CTA design best practices\" alt=\"CTA design best practices\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.71285714285714\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/cta-design-best-practices.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<div class=\"sc-quote alert blue-box font-georgia type-normal transparent-img-bg\">\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-sm-down\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-tip.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">        <\/figure>\n<div class=\"media-body\">\n<blockquote class=\"sc-quote\">\n<p><strong>Pro tip:<\/strong> Use heat mapping tools like <a title=\"Hotjar\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hotjar.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hotjar<\/a> to see if users actually notice and interact with your CTAs.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Hotjar \u2013 Heatmaps\" alt=\"Hotjar \u2013 Heatmaps\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.69857142857143\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/hotjar-heatmaps.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-md-up\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-tip.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">                <\/figure>\n<p>                                <cite class=\"sc-name media-body media-middle\"><br \/>\n                                    <\/cite>\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>These tools show you:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Where users click most frequently (shown in red \u201chot\u201d spots)<\/li>\n<li>How far they scroll down your pages<\/li>\n<li>If they see your CTAs or scroll past them<\/li>\n<li>Whether CTAs in different positions work better<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"sc-quote alert blue-box font-georgia type-normal transparent-img-bg\">\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-sm-down\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-further-reading.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">        <\/figure>\n<div class=\"media-body\">\n<blockquote class=\"sc-quote\">\n<p><strong>Next steps:<\/strong> Get inspiration to boost your conversion rates with this <a title=\"30 Attention-Grabbing Call to Action Examples\" href=\"https:\/\/www.semrush.com\/blog\/call-to-action-examples\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">list of attention-grabbing CTAs<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-md-up\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-further-reading.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">                <\/figure>\n<p>                                <cite class=\"sc-name media-body media-middle\"><br \/>\n                                    <\/cite>\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Step_6_Review_Your_Analytics_Conversion_Data\"><\/span>Step #6: Review Your Analytics &amp; Conversion Data<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Auditing what\u2019s on your website is just part of the overall process.<\/p>\n<p>To find out what the best next steps are, you need to look at the data.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Analyze_Search_Performance\"><\/span>Analyze Search Performance<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Open Google Search Console to check your content\u2019s performance metrics.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"GSC \u2013 Performance report\" alt=\"GSC \u2013 Performance report\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.48142857142857\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/gsc-performance-report.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>Identify the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Pages with zero traffic<\/li>\n<li>Content with low click-through rates<\/li>\n<li>Pages ranking on page 2-3<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Like Brian Dean suggests:<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-quote alert blue-box font-georgia type-normal transparent-img-bg\">\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-sm-down\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2015\/10\/about-brian-dean.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">        <\/figure>\n<div class=\"media-body\">\n<blockquote class=\"sc-quote\">\n<p>\u201cStart by identifying content that gets zero traffic and zero sales. With lots of published content, there\u2019s just too much to analyze at once. When you clear out the junk first, you can focus your energy on content worth improving.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-md-up\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2015\/10\/about-brian-dean.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">                <\/figure>\n<p>                                <cite class=\"sc-name media-body media-middle\"><br \/>\n                                    <\/cite>\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc-quote alert blue-box font-georgia type-normal transparent-img-bg\">\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-sm-down\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-further-reading.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">        <\/figure>\n<div class=\"media-body\">\n<blockquote class=\"sc-quote\">\n<p><strong>Further reading:<\/strong> Use our <a title=\"Google Search Console: The Definitive Guide\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/google-search-console\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">guide to Google Search Console<\/a> to learn how to monitor and analyze your organic traffic data.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-md-up\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-further-reading.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">                <\/figure>\n<p>                                <cite class=\"sc-name media-body media-middle\"><br \/>\n                                    <\/cite>\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Check_Your_Traffic\"><\/span>Check Your Traffic<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Once you get rid of the junk content, check how other pieces are performing.<\/p>\n<p>Brian Dean suggests focusing on one key metric: traffic. It reflects whether or not a piece of content is attracting an audience.<\/p>\n<p>Look for content with declining traffic trends.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Open the \u201c<strong>Performance<\/strong>\u201d tab from the left side menu<\/li>\n<li>Scroll past the main performance chart and open the \u201c<strong>Pages<\/strong>\u201d tab<\/li>\n<li>Select 12-month period (or longer) to clearly show traffic patterns<\/li>\n<li>Select one page to see its individual performance graph<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"GSC \u2013 Page performance\" alt=\"GSC \u2013 Page performance\" data-aspect-ratio=\"1.0571428571429\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/gsc-page-performance.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<p>When looking at the traffic graph for each individual page, watch for these patterns:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Consistent downward trend over several months<\/li>\n<li>Sudden drops that haven\u2019t recovered<\/li>\n<li>Previously high-performing content that\u2019s lost momentum<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>That means there\u2019s an opportunity to update it and regain the traffic.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-quote alert blue-box font-georgia type-normal transparent-img-bg\">\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-sm-down\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-tip.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">        <\/figure>\n<div class=\"media-body\">\n<blockquote class=\"sc-quote\">\n<p><strong>Next steps:<\/strong> Boost your numbers with our guide to <a title=\"17 Ways to Get More Traffic to Your Blog\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/more-blog-traffic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">driving more traffic to your blog<\/a> (you can use the tips for other types of websites too).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-md-up\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-tip.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">                <\/figure>\n<p>                                <cite class=\"sc-name media-body media-middle\"><br \/>\n                                    <\/cite>\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Take_Action_on_Your_Website_Audit_Findings\"><\/span>Take Action on Your Website Audit Findings<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>After completing your website audit, you\u2019ll likely have a long list of potential fixes.<\/p>\n<p>But how do you take action on these? And how can you best prioritize your resources so you make the highest impact fixes first?<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how you turn these findings into actual improvements:<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Prioritize_Your_Fixes\"><\/span>Prioritize Your Fixes<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Start with issues that have the biggest impact on your SEO and user experience.<\/p>\n<p>Such as:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Critical technical issues like crawlability and indexing problems<\/li>\n<li>Missing meta information on key pages<\/li>\n<li>Slow loading pagesNon-intuitive navigation<\/li>\n<li>Poor mobile experience<\/li>\n<li>High number of toxic backlinks<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Create_an_Action_Plan\"><\/span>Create an Action Plan<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Looking at a long list of issues can feel overwhelming. To make things easier, break them down into manageable chunks based on how quickly you can implement them.<\/p>\n<p>For example, your breakdown might look like this:<\/p>\n<div class=\"table-responsive\">\n<table class=\"table table-primary table-striped table-hover\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"col\">Timeline<\/th>\n<th scope=\"col\">Action Items<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td scope=\"row\" data-before=\"Timeline\"><strong>Quick wins<\/strong> (tasks requiring little effort and less than an hour)<\/td>\n<td data-before=\"Action Items\">\n<ul>\n<li>Add missing meta descriptions<\/li>\n<li>Fix broken internal links<\/li>\n<li>Compress large images<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td scope=\"row\" data-before=\"Timeline\"><strong>Medium-term<\/strong> (tasks that need more planning and resources)<\/td>\n<td data-before=\"Action Items\">\n<ul>\n<li>Improve site structure<\/li>\n<li>Rewrite underperforming content<\/li>\n<li>Fix Core Web Vitals issues<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td scope=\"row\" data-before=\"Timeline\"><strong>Long-term<\/strong> (major changes requiring significant time and effort)<\/td>\n<td data-before=\"Action Items\">\n<ul>\n<li>Site redesign for better UX<\/li>\n<li>Migration to faster hosting<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>This helps you tackle high-impact quick wins immediately, while planning for bigger projects.<\/p>\n<p>Plus, you won\u2019t feel paralyzed by a massive to-do list.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-quote alert blue-box font-georgia type-normal transparent-img-bg\">\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-sm-down\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-tip.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">        <\/figure>\n<div class=\"media-body\">\n<blockquote class=\"sc-quote\">\n<p><strong>Pro tip:<\/strong> Set up regular monitoring in tools like Semrush\u2019s Site Audit to catch new issues early and make timely improvements.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"backlinko-image__screenshot backlinko-image backlinko-has-border\">\n<div class=\"backlinko-img-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Site Audit \u2013 Settings \u2013 Schedule\" alt=\"Site Audit \u2013 Settings \u2013 Schedule\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.72285714285714\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/site-audit-settings-schedule.png\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/p><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"media\">\n<figure class=\"sc-picture media-left hidden-md-up\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/app\/uploads\/2024\/06\/icon-tip.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\">                <\/figure>\n<p>                                <cite class=\"sc-name media-body media-middle\"><br \/>\n                                    <\/cite>\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Ready_to_Do_Your_Own_Website_Audit\"><\/span>Ready to Do Your Own Website Audit?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When doing your first website audit, start small. Pick the SEO aspects or areas of your site that resonate with the biggest challenges you currently face.<\/p>\n<p>For example:<\/p>\n<p>If your rankings are falling, focus on an on-page SEO audit to find out how you can boost their performance.<\/p>\n<p>If your bounce rate is high, do a UX audit to find out why people might be leaving your site without taking action.<\/p>\n<p>Before, during, and after your audit, use our complete <a title=\"The Complete SEO Checklist\" href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/seo-checklist\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SEO checklist<\/a> to keep your optimization efforts on the right track.<\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/website-audit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">How to Do a Website Audit in 5 Steps (+ Checklist)<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Backlinko<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A website audit helps you find what\u2019s holding your site back. It highlights technical issues that affect your rankings and UX problems that hurt conversions. In this guide, I\u2019ll walk you through five essential steps to maximize your site\u2019s performance. And to make it easier, I\u2019ve created a free website audit checklist that you can refer to as you follow along. Note: This post covers the fundamentals of website audits for small to medium sites. Enterprise sites have extra considerations and may need specialized tools and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12252,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"h5ap_radio_sources":[],"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12251","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-backlinko"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/website-audit-checklist-DcR962-600x400.png","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/website-audit-checklist-DcR962-600x600.png","author_info":{"display_name":false,"author_link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/author\/craig\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12251","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12251"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12251\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12252"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12251"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}