If you want to level up your SEO game seriously and get that organic traffic flying in, this is the guide for you. Here’s the go-to process for auditing a site and finding every single opportunity to snag better rankings. Whether working with a small local business or managing a big site, these steps are the perfect fit for anything on deck. Once the right notes are hit, the site’s going to shine like the star it was always meant to be. Let’s get this!
Step-By-Step Guide on the SEO Audit Process
Step 1: Audit the Keyword Profile
To begin the SEO audit, use SEMrush to analyse the target domain (e.g., rsblawfirm.com). Start by reviewing the organic keyword trend to identify if there are consistent or growing trends. Then, dive into low-hanging fruit keywords (positions 2-15) as they offer the best opportunities for quick improvements. These are keywords close to ranking on page 1, so slight optimisations, like better on-page content or link-building, can drive significant traffic.
Focus on high-transactional, local keywords like “St. Louis criminal defence lawyer.” Next, examine keywords ranked between positions 16-50 important but require more effort. Finally, cluster keywords from positions 51-100 for deeper optimisation opportunities, ensuring content aligns with the correct search intent (transactional vs. informational).
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIR4Kn62bLQ)
Step 2: Perform a Technical Audit
Start by running the site through SEMrush’s Site Audit tool to uncover technical issues. Key areas to focus on include crawlability, ensuring Google can efficiently crawl the site (aim for pages no deeper than 3 clicks from the homepage). Next, check that critical pages are indexed and not mistakenly blocked by “noindex” tags. Review crawl depth to ensure important pages aren’t buried too deep in the site structure.
Pages deeper than 3 clicks can harm SEO. Also, look for thin content that could negatively impact rankings. Finally, tackle any issues with keyword cannibalisation in the URL structure (e.g., the overuse of “St. Louis personal injury attorney” across multiple pages).
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIR4Kn62bLQ)
Step 3: Investigate Content Opportunities
Running a site through SEMrush’s Content Audit tool is always important to assess the quality and significance of existing content. Pages with low traffic, high bounce rates, and short page durations need to be identified. If a page’s not pulling its weight, it’s time to decide whether to upgrade or remove it.
That said, many businesses still ask is hiring an SEO expert still worth it in 2025? — especially when trying to revamp old content. The truth is, even outdated articles can turn into goldmines if approached with a solid audit and intent-based updates.
Some pages aren’t just for SEO, they could be part of the branding, marketing, or some bigger plan. Upgrading old content is a total game-changer, though. A little SEO magic can make things pop and stay trendy, like bringing back a high school outfit with a fresh twist and watching everyone notice.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIR4Kn62bLQ)
Step 4: Analyse On-Page SEO
The secret to optimising pages? Start with SEMrush’s On-Page SEO Checker. Just pop in the page and the keyword(s) to rank for, and get all the interesting SEO suggestions it spits out. From there, tweak things like adding more keyword variations, improving readability, and adjusting those meta tags. Focusing on content relevance is key. It’s all about matching the search intent behind the keywords.
And don’t forget about engagement! Boosting time on page and interactions helps push rankings up. Make these changes, and the SEO queen crown is just around the corner!
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIR4Kn62bLQ)
Step 5: Conduct a Backlink Audit
Start by running the site through SEMrush’s Backlink Audit tool. It’s like a detox for your backlinks. Check for all those shady, low-quality links that are just sitting there, ready to drag your reputation down. Things like spammy links or those useless Web 2.0 links? Time to disavow those. Now, here’s the fun part: getting good links.
Go for those high-quality, editorial links that actually matter, especially ones relevant to the niche and location. And don’t even get started on anchor text, it’s got to be diverse and natural, no overusing the exact match stuff or Google will come knocking. Cleaning up the backlink profile is key to boosting domain authority and getting those rankings up. It’s a total game-changer.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIR4Kn62bLQ)
Step 6: Identify and Fix Keyword Cannibalisation
To avoid keyword cannibalisation, start by using Screaming Frog to scan the site’s URL structure. It can help to identify the pages with similar keywords or titles that may compete against each other in the same search query. When multiple pages target the same keyword, Google may struggle to determine which one to rank, potentially diluting SEO performance. Review the flagged pages and decide whether to consolidate content or refine the pages to focus on distinct aspects of the keyword. For example,
if two pages are both targeting “St. Louis divorce lawyer,” consider merging them into one authoritative page or tweaking the content so each page targets a unique, related keyword. The target keywords are less competitive internally, and each keyword will have a dedicated page to itself, which increases the chances of ranking higher for a specific keyword.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIR4Kn62bLQ)
Step 7: Monitor Core Web Vitals
To optimise site performance for better SEO and user experience, start by checking Core Web Vitals in SEMrush or Google Search Console. These metrics focus on key aspects like page speed, mobile responsiveness, and visual stability (ensuring pages don’t shift unexpectedly as they load). If there are any issues, prioritise fixing page speed, as slow-loading pages can harm user experience and rankings. Improve mobile responsiveness to ensure the site performs well on all devices, especially since mobile-first indexing is now standard.
Tackle visual stability by limiting layout shifts that can frustrate users, such as images or ads that jump to another spot on the page. Optimising these core metrics makes a better experience for the user and, at the same time, affects SEO directly since Google uses Core Web Vitals as one of its ranking factors. Regularly monitor these areas and optimise as needed to keep your site fast, stable, and mobile-friendly.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIR4Kn62bLQ)
Step 8: Formulating a Strategy Based on Findings
Here’s how to tackle the whole SEO audit thing. Once the audit is done, the next step is making a plan, with the key being ranking opportunities by impact and effort. Focus on what’ll give the most bang for the buck with the least amount of sweat.
Fixing crawlability, link profiles, and keyword overlap lays the groundwork, but it’s also important to recognize why SEO seems harder than ever for most businesses. Between algorithm updates and content saturation, the game has changed — but having a tailored strategy helps beat those odds.
it’s time to get down to business with those technical issues: crawlability, keyword cannibalisation, and backlink quality. Fix these, and a solid foundation is set. Then, once the immediate stuff is handled, it’s all about the long game: creating killer content and snagging those quality backlinks. A mix of quick wins and long-term goals is the way to go. The SEO will look good for both now and in the future.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIR4Kn62bLQ)
SEO Audit Case Study: 1.4M Visitors in 6 Months
Client Overview
A financial services site offering real-time market data, news, and trading tools lost 30% of its organic traffic overnight. Can you believe that? 30%, gone in a flash! The client was freaking out, asking, “What’s going on?” Traffic fell out of nowhere, and the SEO drama began. There was no quick fix; it was time to dive into some serious work to get that visibility back. (https://www.searchlogistics.com/case-studies/4-step-seo-audit-results/)
Challenges Identified
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Several key challenges were identified for the financial services website:
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Hundreds of Low-Quality Indexed Pages: The website had a significant number of irrelevant or poor-quality pages indexed, which was not helping its SEO. These pages contributed to index bloat and wasted valuable crawl budget.
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Slow Page Loading Speed: The site was struggling with slow loading times, especially on mobile devices. This created a poor user experience, which is crucial for SEO performance, particularly when considering Google’s focus on Core Web Vitals.
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Lack of Best SEO Practices: There were fundamental gaps in implementing essential SEO strategies, such as proper on-page optimisation, content structure, and technical SEO best practices. This hindered the site’s ability to rank effectively.
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Massive Content Gaps Compared to Competitors: The site was missing out on important topics and content pieces compared to its competitors. This lack of coverage impacted its perceived authority in the financial niche.
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Not seen as a Complete Topical Authority by Google: Given the competitive nature of the financial niche, the site lacked the required topical authority, which is crucial for ranking higher in Google’s search results. Without it, Google wasn’t considering the site as a leading expert in the field.
SEO Audit Process
Step 1: Identify and Remove Unwanted Pages
Crawl budget is everything. Google’s like that friend who only has a limited amount of time at your party, and it’s crucial to make sure they spend it wisely. If a site has a bunch of useless, low-quality pages, Google’s going to waste all its time on those, leaving the good stuff in the dust. Going through a site and finding random, useless pages is common. Duplicate content? Thin pages? Just noindex them or redirect them. Don’t waste Google’s precious time. The high-converting pages are the ones that deserve the spotlight.
Step 2: Improve Your Page Speed
Page speed is a total dealbreaker. Ever been on a website that’s slower than a snail on a treadmill? That’s exactly what people think of a site if it’s dragging. Google pays attention to that. Google doesn’t want slow-loading pages in its index. Lazy-loading images is a game-changer. Compressing those big, chunky images? Total lifesaver. Minifying JavaScript and CSS files also helps speed up the site. Faster pages = happy visitors = better rankings. Simple.
Step 3: Find Blog Topics Using Competitors’ Websites
Stop stressing about what to write for a blog. There’s no need to come up with everything from scratch. A great hack is to check out what competitors are doing. You don’t need to copy them, but use them for inspiration. Dive into their blogs, see what topics they’re ranking for, and identify gaps in their content that can be filled. Tools like SEMrush help analyse competitors’ content and show what’s working and what’s missing. Fill those gaps, improve their content, and watch rankings skyrocket. It’s like a cheat code for SEO.
Step 4: Implement a Quality Internal Linking Strategy
Internal linking should not be overlooked. It’s like setting up a roadmap for Googlebot and visitors. If the right pages are linked, search engines can understand what’s important on the site. Internal links also help pass link equity across the site. Linking related content together can make a significant difference. Top blog posts or product pages should have links from everywhere blog posts, guides, and service pages. Keep it natural and helpful. It’ll keep visitors on the site longer and make Google smile.
Following these steps will boost the SEO game, increase traffic, improve rankings, and keep users happy.
Results Achieved
Organic Traffic: Increased by 111.63%, Reaching 1.4 Million Visitors Per Month
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The chart shows a clear upward trend in organic traffic from 2021 to 2023. Initially, traffic dropped significantly (likely from an algorithm update or technical issues), but after implementing SEO improvements, there has been a sharp recovery, ultimately peaking at 1.6 million visitors per month. The rise was steady, with a noticeable spike in the last quarter of 2022 and continuing into 2023, hitting the 1.4 million mark, which aligns with the reported 111.63% increase in organic traffic.
Top 10 Rankings: Achieved 93,914 Top 10 Keyword Rankings
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The chart visualises keyword ranking improvements. As you can see, from the beginning of 2021, there’s a gradual increase in the number of keywords in positions 1-3 and 4-10. The rise in the number of keywords ranked in the top 10 is marked in orange, showing a consistent upward movement. By May 2023, the site had significantly expanded its footprint, with 93,914 keywords ranking within the top 10. This directly contributed to the boost in organic traffic, as higher-ranking keywords generate more clicks and visibility.
Revenue: Boosted by 51.18% Per Month
Though not directly shown in the charts, the traffic and ranking improvements likely contributed to a 51.18% monthly revenue boost. More traffic and more high-ranking keywords typically lead to more conversions and sales, especially if the site is monetised through ads, affiliate marketing, or direct sales.
Final Thoughts
When going all in with an SEO audit, the results are nothing short of magic. Start by diving into keyword profiles, checking the tech stuff, tweaking the content, and cleaning up backlinks because every little thing counts. It’s like hitting both the easy wins and the big goals at once. Sites go from barely noticeable to exploding with traffic and rankings.
That 111% traffic increase and revenue boost? That was the result of executing every move with precision. If you’re looking for a partner to help implement this level of execution, Genzpro brings the tools and team to make it happen.
