A website audit should be the foundation for determining how you will proceed with your search engine optimization efforts and/or a website redesign. Read this first if you are about to embark on a redesign and make sure you have the following in place first.

What is this for– To define content more clearly for your users (usability) and search engines (SEO).

Why do you want this– To inspect the framework and architecture of your website for both users and the search engines. So you will be examining some technical issues, infrastructure and the overall robustness of your website.

Who is involved – Your web developers and/or IT team will play an integral part in help marketers get this done. What if you don’t have those resources – then you will want to work with a consultant to help you get this done.

• Keyword Analysis
  Review Key Phrase Performance
  Number of pages currently indexed by the major search engines
  Number and quality of inbound links
• Current SEO Analysis
  Page Title review
  Meta Description review
  Content review
  Current Stats Analysis (if historical “pre-optimization” information is available)
• Keyword Research
  Analysis and suggestions for best key-phrases to target
  Identify target market/key buyer personas
• Usability Study
  Navigation/menu review
  Design and layout recommendations
  Page load time check
  Browser compatibility check
  Conversion path and/or shopping cart or checkout process review
  Accessibility issues
  Review for errors, bad copy, broken links
• Copywriting/Marketing Analysis
  Appeal to target audience
  Writing style and content overview
  Additional content recommendations – such as call to actions etc

In short the goal is to assess how friendly your website is to search engines and look for any common pitfalls and room for improvement. There is always room for improvement. The goal should be an actionable list of items for your team to implement to help increase traffic and get more qualified leads.