Jessica Bowman’s Post

Technical SEO audits are not about saying "We need to get all this stuff done". It is about prioritization and understanding what are the things that are most likely to 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐥𝐞.  It's easy to get overwhelmed by the laundry list of "issues" that tools like SF spit out - they are great but a human brain is needed to make it work. 🎓 Think about it: 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐢𝐱 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞, 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐥𝐞? Sometimes, it's about identifying the low-hanging fruit that can make the biggest impact. I love using the Eisenhower Matrix. This is how it works--> Ask yourself 2 questions about each issue you want to deliver in the audit: - Is it urgent? Does it need immediate attention? - Is it important? Will it significantly impact your SEO? 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐲: 1️⃣ Do (fix): Urgent and important issues. 2️⃣ Schedule: Important but not urgent issues. 3️⃣ Delegate: Urgent but not important issues. 4️⃣ Delete: Issues that are neither urgent nor important. By focusing on what truly matters, you can maximize your SEO efforts and achieve better results. What approach do you use when it comes to prioritization of SEO issues? #SEO #SEOAudit #Prioritization 𝘐𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵: 𝘩𝘵𝘵𝘱𝘴://𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘣.𝘤𝘰𝘮/𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘨/𝘦𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳-𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘹/

Large technical SEO audit docs are a waste of time. Why? Because they'll never get implemented. Instead of spending time on detailed reports, the goal should be to make sure your recommendations get put into action. Here's how: - Start with the result: Work backwards from what you want the client to do. The goal is implementation, not just delivering a report. - Get buy-in from the right people: Big changes need executive approval, so make sure your recommendations align with their business goals. Smaller tasks? Hand them off to junior stakeholders with clear, actionable steps. - Speak their language: Developers want technical details. Executives want to know the business impact. Marketers want to know the cost and results. Tailor your message to what matters to them. - Keep it simple: Clients get overwhelmed by long lists of issues. Focus on a few high-impact recommendations that will make a real difference. - Use tools to work smarter: Don’t try to fix everything. Use tools to find the biggest issues and focus there—less time wasted, more progress made. By simplifying and focusing on what matters, you'll get better results from your audits. #SEO

"I got an audit, but it was just a bunch of spreadsheets. I didn't know what to do with it." Every good SEO strategist I know has had a client come in feeling confused and overwhelmed by an overpriced click-and-export audit. An audit by itself isn't meant to fix anything, but a good audit will give you a sense of what your opportunities are and what to do next. We know that amount of information is overwhelming. An expert will organize and prioritize the findings of an audit according to factors like - the nature and severity of the problems - your available resources, - your business goals

Website Rankings Tanked? This In-Depth Audit Will Get You Back on Top Overview of Website Rankings Loss Audit - A Website Rankings Loss Audit is essential for identifying the reasons behind a drop in search engine rankings and for formulating a recovery strategy. - Common causes of ranking drops include algorithm updates, technical SEO issues, failed migrations, content changes, competitor improvements, and manual penalties. Key Steps in Conducting the Audit 1. Rule Out Technical Issues: Begin by checking for technical SEO problems or reporting glitches that could affect rankings. 2. Identify Affected Keywords: Determine which keywords and pages have lost rankings and assess the significance of these drops. 3. Check for Algorithm Updates: Investigate if recent Google algorithm updates correlate with the timing of the rankings drop. 4. Analyze SERPs: Examine search engine results pages to understand what competitors are doing better and how content types may have shifted. 5. Evaluate Competitor Strategies: Compare your site’s performance with competitors to identify gaps in content quality, authority, and backlinks. 6. Create a Recovery Plan: Develop a detailed plan addressing identified issues, tailored to the specific needs of the website. Importance of Professional Expertise - Conducting an effective audit requires expertise in SEO; hiring an experienced consultant can lead to quicker identification of issues and more effective recovery strategies. P.S. Want to stay informed on the latest in marketing trends ? Join my free newsletter. 👉 kingdigest.com

Technical SEO audits aren't just about checking off a list of tasks. They’re about prioritizing and identifying the actions most likely to make a meaningful difference. Tools like SF generate long lists of "issues," but it takes a human touch to interpret them effectively. Consider this: if you address every single issue, will it truly shift the needle? Sometimes, it's more effective to focus on the low-hanging fruit that offers the greatest impact. I find the Eisenhower Matrix particularly useful for this. Here's how to apply it: Ask yourself two key questions about each issue from your audit: 1- Is it urgent? Does it need immediate attention? 2- Is it important? Will it have a significant impact on your SEO? 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐲: 1️⃣ Do (fix): Urgent and important issues. 2️⃣ Schedule: Important but not urgent issues. 3️⃣ Delegate: Urgent but not important issues. 4️⃣ Delete: Issues that are neither urgent nor important. By focusing on what truly matters, you can maximize your SEO efforts and achieve better results. What approach do you use when it comes to prioritization of SEO issues? #SEO #SEOAudit #Prioritization

Not all SEO audits create value for your business. It's about finding someone with the right mix of business sense, technical knowledge, and experience. (measured by what they've done, not just years). #SEO #digitalmarketing

Do people read your SEO reports? Probably not! 👀 One of the hardest lessons I’ve learned working in SEO, (and honestly I’m still growing here) is that not everyone is a detail person. Me, I love data. Give me those spreadsheets – the bigger, the better. I think a lot of SEOs are the same. And in the past I’ve built detailed reports analysing the website performance from every angle 🕵♀️ In almost all cases, it’s too much data. And clients don’t care. Bottom line is that most businesses have 3-5 core KPIs for performance, and they’re rarely SEO metrics anyway. You get much more buy-in for SEO projects when they connect to those metrics. Try stripping out all that lovely data from your reports and just covering the performance that matters to leaders. ⏳ It’s not only time saved 🌞 It’s clarity too Now people actually know how SEO is performing, because it’s in terms that matter to them.

You should have an SEO audit questionnaire you submit to clients before performing an SEO audit. Asking some questions beforehand is valuable as you get some context and information to make your audit more effective. No answer is also an answer: if a client can't answer a question, that also tells you something. Your questions should cover different topics: legal, domain history, technical bits, strategy, KPIs, etc. Andor Palau has a great template you can tweak and re-use. I made a lighter version of his work available here for now: https://lnkd.in/dMfvMk2Q https://lnkd.in/d9ZBwSSb

SEO audits often face heavy criticism for not providing real business value 👎 There are two reasons for this: 1. There's a high skill gap in auditing - so quality and price varies 2. Many agencies use them as retainer bait - so small problems are blown out of proportion When an audit doesn't provide business value, it's because the audit is being used as a sales tool 💸 Shine light on as many problems as you can to scare the business owner into signing a deal, even if they're not affecting revenue. Other times, it's usually because whoever conducted the audit lacks business sense. So the skill gap in SEO audits, in my opinion, can be chalked up to this: 👉 1/3rd business sense 👉 1/3rd technical 👉 1/3rd experience The thing about experience in SEO is that you can't measure it strictly by years. Experience in SEO is about how much you do it, not how long you have. An SEO with 5 years of experience who's had 8 test sites up across 4 niches for the past 3 years probably has better instincts than an SEO with 10 years of experience who's never run a single test. #SEO #TechnicalSEO

What Makes a Good SEO? The answer is simple but often missed 👉 commercial thinking. In SEO, it's not enough to focus on data, technical tasks, or content. What really matters is the ability to link what you're doing to revenue growth. Without this focus, a lot of effort gets wasted. So, what does this mean in practice? Whether you're handling technical SEO or managing a broader strategy, every task should be connected to how it helps the business grow. For example, if a client asks, “What are you working on?” your answer should include both the task and how it leads to more revenue. For those managing SEO, like account managers or strategists, this is even more important. Every action you take should support the client's bottom line. It's not easy, especially in an industry filled with noise and false claims, but it's essential. In the end what makes a good SEO is simple: always keep the focus on driving business growth. That's what clients care about, and that's what SEO is really about.