Your website might look great on the surface, but if it isn’t performing well in search results, you could be missing out on valuable leads and customers. That’s where an SEO audit comes in.
At NEXTFLY, a trusted Indianapolis digital marketing company, we help businesses identify what’s holding their websites back and create strategies that boost visibility, traffic, and conversions. Let’s break down what an SEO audit is, why it matters, and how it can transform your online presence.
What Is SEO?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of improving your website’s visibility in search engine results. When done right, SEO helps potential customers find your business when they’re searching for the products or services you offer.
SEO consistently delivers one of the highest ROIs in digital marketing—because it brings in organic traffic that continues to perform long after the initial investment.
Strong SEO helps your business:
- Improve website visibility on Google and other search engines.
- Appear higher in search results, driving more qualified visitors.
- Increase sales and leads by reaching customers who are ready to buy.
What Is an SEO Audit?
An SEO audit is a comprehensive evaluation of your website’s performance, structure, and content to determine how well it’s optimized for search engines.
It’s like a digital health check for your website. It analyzes everything from page speed and mobile usability to keyword usage and technical errors.
Professional SEO audits often use tools such as:
- Google Search Console and Google Analytics
- Ahrefs or SEMrush
- Screaming Frog
- PageSpeed Insights
An SEO audit doesn’t just tell you what’s wrong; it provides insights into how to fix issues and strengthen your website’s overall performance.
Even better, a well-maintained SEO strategy can help protect your site from sudden algorithm changes, which can otherwise cause rankings and traffic to drop overnight.
What Can an SEO Audit Uncover?
An SEO audit digs deep into your website’s structure, performance, and content. Some of the most common issues include:
- Mobile Experience Issues: Poor responsiveness can cause users to leave quickly—and Google notices.
- Website Speed Issues: Slow loading times hurt both rankings and user experience.
- Cannibalization and Canonicalization Issues: When multiple pages target the same keyword, they compete with each other instead of helping your site rank.
- Redirect Issues: Improper redirects can break link equity and harm SEO performance.
- Broken Links and 404 Errors: These hurt both user trust and crawl efficiency.
- Orphan Pages: Pages not linked internally may never be indexed by Google.
- Missing Meta Information and Bad Formatting: Missing meta data and alt text can cost you a top spot in the SERP, so can improper H1 and H2 structures can make your content harder to understand.
SEO Is More Than Keywords
While keywords are important, great SEO goes far beyond them. A well-optimized website enhances user experience, accessibility, and navigation.
Here’s how:
- Improved User Experience: Clean layouts, fast load times, and mobile-friendly designs keep users engaged.
- Better Navigation: SEO practices help users and search engines move smoothly through your site.
- ADA Compliance: SEO often overlaps with accessibility improvements, ensuring your website is usable by all visitors.
- Maintaining Authority: When your website is optimized and trustworthy, it ranks higher—helping more people find and rely on your business.
How to Implement the Changes Brought On by an SEO Audit
Once you’ve identified issues, the next step is taking action. Implementation typically includes:
- Technical Fixes: Resolve crawl errors, broken links, duplicate content, and mobile issues. You may need help from a web developer or someone who knows the backend of your website well.
- Optimizing Content: Refresh page copy, update titles and meta descriptions, and strengthen keyword targeting.
- Backlink Audit: Remove or disavow harmful backlinks and build high-quality, relevant ones.
- Directory Audit: Ensure your business information (NAP—Name, Address, Phone) is consistent across all online listings.
Why Every Business Website Needs an SEO Audit
Google’s search algorithms are constantly evolving, and even a small update can cause a sudden drop in your website’s rankings—and your visibility. Businesses that aren’t actively monitoring and maintaining their SEO risk losing traffic, leads, and revenue overnight.
Regular SEO audits and ongoing maintenance help you stay ahead of these changes. By identifying technical issues, content gaps, and optimization opportunities, audits ensure your site remains compliant with best practices and resilient against algorithm shifts.
At its core, SEO isn’t just about rankings—it’s about keeping your website efficient, user-friendly, and authoritative. A well-maintained site ensures visitors find what they need, stay engaged longer, and are more likely to convert and return.
Talk to NEXTFLY® to Perform an SEO Audit on Your Indianapolis Business Website
Whether your site traffic has dipped or you simply want to get ahead of competitors, an SEO audit is the first step to lasting digital success. NEXTFLY specializes in comprehensive SEO audits and strategies for businesses across Indianapolis. We’ll uncover the issues holding your website back, and help you turn search visibility into real results.
Contact NEXTFLY today to schedule your SEO audit and start improving your website performance, rankings, and conversions.