DIY Search Engine Optimisation Audit

Do you have a website and unsure what search engine optimisation has been completed on it? Well, here is a list of 12 questions which will enable you to complete your own search engine optimisation audit. If you answer no to any of the below questions you have just identified an area you need to address to ensure your website is well optimised:

Did you or your developer choose key phrases for each page? It is ideal starting out to choose 2 or 3 key phrases for each page, this will allow you to optimise for many different phrase or variations of the same phrase throughout the site and maximise your impact in the search engines and have all pages as a possible entry page.
When choosing your key phrases did you use a keyword tool like Google’s Keyword Tool or was it guess work? Why not target terms that you know people search for online.
Are the key phrases repeated in the content two or more times? It is important that your phrases are repeated sufficiently to ensure that Google can easily identify them.
Are you including your key phrases in headings? Headings are an important area and to ensure that your are complying with accessibility guidelines, they should be tagged h1-h6 (you can see the tags in the sourse code of your website)
Do you include, where possible, your key phrases in your page names and url’s?
If you have a deep website, are you using breadcrumb navigation, sample can be seen here - see the navigation at the top Home > Search Engine Optimisation > SEO Packages. This allows users retrace their steps, but it is also another way to get your key phrases on the page if you pages names include them.
Is your meta data individual to each page and contain the phrases specific to that page? Consistency is the key.
Does your meta data include a title, keywords and description? Some say that this makes little difference but in my experience it does. Also, search engines like Google uses it to make up part of your listing and when you create links in sites like Facebook, they pull in the meta data information to make up the link information.
Is your website up to date? Google likes websites that are user friendly and you cannot get more user friendly than having an up to date website.
Does your website contain timely information? Again, Google loves user friendly websites and what’s more user friendly than information that talks about whats happening today and in the future.
Does your website have lots of inbound links from relevant high ranking websites and are you including your key phrases for the landing page on or around the link? If not, why not? If you are listed on relevant sites then the links will drive visitors to your website and if the key phrase is included Google will see it and it will help with your ranking for that particular phrase.
Are you active online e.g. using Social & Business Networking websites. This blog is only 3 weeks old and its already getting a high ranking in Google for chosen search terms through other networking sites.