When coming up with a new SEO strategy for a company, one must have a solid base to start from. A website SEO audit is required, among other things, so that the people in charge of creating the new strategy know what they are dealing with. Also, one person or department should do something other than this task when developing the strategy. That's because it can take time to understand the company's needs and set realistic goals for others. So outside help is usually the best way to go.
Why Does a Business Need a Website SEO Audit?
Entrepreneurs change because the way business is done changes. And that changes because customers and their needs change. This doesn’t happen cyclical, so business owners and managers can’t be prepared for when it will happen again, and simply adjust to the change when it happens. Clients’ behaviors change over time in order to reflect different social and economic evolutions. And companies have to be aware of this and try and keep up. To remain relevant, and to keep up with others from their respective industries, business owners and managers need to be able to adjust to those changes as soon as they happen. Unfortunately, only some of them can. That's because they need the means to do so or to know what that change should be. Luckily, they can make those changes with others. Some may try, but the best thing to do is find help.
For instance, a website SEO audit is a way that a business owner can change himself and how he does business. That's because this audit can help him better understand what his website can do, where he has to improve it, and how. Some owners and managers may need to learn how a website draws clients to their business; this is their most significant chance to learn new things and recognize new opportunities. Sure, there might be those who will not want to get the help they need because they will think that they know better. They are usually the ones that need support to help their companies grow and develop the way they should.
Also, having a website SEO audit can help owners and managers better understand their employees. Some think SEO is just about creating catchy texts and posting cool pictures. Although this is a part of it, it isn't the only part of SEO. Many more things are involved, and many more processes must be carefully planned. An audit can help the employees in charge of this part of the business to work better because they can better understand what they are doing wrong. Also, the company's people will get a clearer image of who is doing what while using resources. This way, they will be able to manage their employees better.
3 Of the Most Common Misconceptions About Having a Website SEO Audit
One of the biggest misconceptions about getting a website SEO audit is that it can solve your problems overnight, which is different from how an audit works. An audit tells you where your weak spots are and lets you better see what you have at your disposal to fix them. Sure, you can use the information you get from the audit to start building your new strategy. But the audit could be more efficient in dealing with any problems you might have. Plus, if the information gained from it needs to be correctly used, then it is almost useless.
Another thing that people usually think when they hear about a website SEO audit that isn't real is that it slows down your entire activity. Granted, some processes may be more sluggish than normal. But that isn't a permanent situation. An audit can last for quite some time, depending on the data. But that's just because professionals must properly check the data. Also, even if the website is active, it won't have less traffic than before. That's because these audits are created so that the inconvenience to the employees and the overall activity of the company being audited is minimal.
Also, when getting a website SEO audit, some may think that the people doing it can poke around and do more damage to the website. This is more plausible. Yes, people can mess with your website if they want to harm you intentionally or do not know what they are doing. But professionals will never do such a thing. That's because their reputation is very important to them and they don't have any interest in harming a customer. But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't care when picking out the people you will be letting check out your website and do some proper research about them and what they are going to do.
Do I Have to Give Them Complete Access to My Website?
Only if you want them to do a complete and accurate audit of it. Some business owners and managers may be skittish about simply handing over control of their websites to strangers. Well, they can rest assured that professionals will never do anything to hurt their company. Also, it isn't about handing over control as much as giving access. You can always have someone from your team keep track of what is being done, and you can deny access whenever you feel like it. It may sound scary, especially the first time you do it. But in time you will come to realize that this is the best way to solve your SEO related problems.
How to Never Start an SEO Strategy?
Developing an SEO strategy can take time for many business owners and managers. That's mainly because they might need help figuring out where to start. Many have a vague understanding of what SEO is, much less of how to strategize it. So they can make quite a few mistakes along the way. One of them is basing their strategy on unattainable goals. That means some may want their companies to become efficient in a week since the strategy is implemented. Setting unrealistic goals can have a pretty bad effect on both the company and the employees. That's why it is essential always to check and see what is a realistic goal before setting it.
Another common mistake many make when sitting down to craft a new SEO strategy is to base their strategy on hunches and opinions rather than facts. Yes, developing firm figures for a company that is just starting can be complicated, and information about other competitors and their actions can be challenging. But one should base his strategy on something different than what he thinks SEO can do for him. The best way to go about it in such a situation is to bring in a specialist who can see the potential of your company and who can come up with a solid plan based on your requirements.
Who Should Be in Charge of Coming Up with a New SEO Strategy?
There are many opinions on who should be in charge of developing a new SEO strategy for a company. Some say the best people for the job will have to implement it. So this falls squarely on the shoulders of Marketing and Salespeople. But they might need some help with such a task. And that's because they might need to learn their available resources and what such a strategy should include. That's usually because they don't handle such things. Yes, they can be consulted on it, but coming up with it can take more work than one may think.
Others may think that it is the job of the business's managers and owners to develop the SEO strategy and then pass it on to the right departments. Well, there are better solutions too. That's because managers and owners may need to be more knowledgeable about SEO than the employees. Sure, they can give their opinion on the matter, but that doesn't mean that what they say is the right stuff. And it shouldn't be. That's because it isn't their job to be up to date with what SEO is and what their company has to do to reach its full potential. Yes, they should be consulted and constantly informed, but they can still devise a strategy independently. They might even end up doing more bad than good.
So Who Should Do the Strategy?
Large companies have dedicated departments and resources that can do this for them in-house. But that isn’t the case for a lot of businesses. That’ because they are smaller and may not have the capabilities necessary to do these things in-house. A solution for many companies is to bring in outside help. There are special agencies like GAMIT that can audit your company and then strategize your next steps to get the most out of the available resources. You will be consulted at all times, but you will have the help of professionals at your disposal. Also, they can even help interpret the results of the audits they do and follow up on the progress of the new strategy.
