SEO Content Audits Improve Chances of Better Rankings

An SEO content audit is a periodic review of some or all content on a website to determine if it has the best possible search engine optimization.

There is no such thing as perfect content in any publishing environment, and that includes websites. So the first version of an article always has potential for better quality, more length or improvements in SEO.

Content Audit Purpose

The purpose of an SEO content audit is three-fold. The audit reviews:

1. Existing optimization for effectiveness, such as the frequency of existing keywords. WordPress SEO plugins such as Yoast emphasize the frequency of keywords.
2. The content for new opportunities such as synonyms, related links or more graphics that enhance the SEO with alt tags and captions.
3. Opportunities to add more content and related subjects with the potential for greater authority and new keywords.

Tactics

It is easy for busy publishers to lose track of periodic work such as an audit because of more pressing day-to-day activities.

An audit is much easier to do if it is scheduled via an electronic calendar or other means. For example, this company reviews at least three articles every day for the major site it publishes. The review also offers another opportunity.

Related Concepts

An SEO content audit is a specific form of a content audit. It has a narrow purpose, which is simply to focus on the search engine optimization of an article.

But given enough time, the SEO audit also is an opportunity to focus on short-form version long-form content.

The addition of new content not only creates the potential for new keywords but also for the development of long-form content. It may target as much as 750 to 1,000 words or more in an article for the sake of greater authority and reader engagement.

Ultimately, a content audit that focuses on both SEO and long-form development will greatly improve the chances of better search engine rankings.