Search engine optimization (SEO) refers to the process which involves making changes in the website. It is done so that the search engine ranking of the website gets improved. It is very important to make the website good enough to attract visitors. To perform SEO, an SEO strategy is prepared. It is the result of continuous SEO analysis.
Importance of SEO analysis:
SEO proves to be helpful for all those who want to have a good website ranking. SEO strategy will help them to overcome their mistakes.
Be it expanding traffic, guiding the audience and keeping them engaged everything is feasible with the help of SEO analysis. It reduces a lot of time and energy.
To improve the website traffic and rankings it is very important to make informed decisions. SEO analysis helps the website owner to take strategic decisions which lead to an increase in the visibility of the website on Google.
Some key elements of good SEO reports:
1. Traffic
Traffic refers to the visitors or the viewers one experiences on the website. If it is the priority of the client, one must include the traffic in the report. It should be clearly mentioned what kind of traffic generally a website gets. It helps in making decisions regarding money, time and energy. Make sure to mention full details but precisely. It can be a good sign to know how many viewers are being attracted to the website. It is one of the key elements of good SEO report. It can be included anywhere in the report and something every client quests for. So, it should be included for sure.
2. Conversion of traffic into customer
It is good to have a large number of visitors. But it is more important to have customers who are to pay for the website. The best way to impress the client is to show them the conversion rate the website has. The conversion rate refers to the percentage at which the visitors get converted into customers. It is a sign of a website having good search engine ranking. To include the conversion rate at the beginning of the SEO report can boost it up. It helps in expressing the rest of the report easily. So, make sure to have a good conversion rate. Don’t forget to include it as well.
3. The stoppage of users
Many websites know the kind the visitors who surf their website. The generally don’t pay attention to where they go. This should not happen. It is important to know where the visitor came. It is possible to know with the help of Google organic search. But it equally important to know where did they end. The SEO report should include the analysis of trends. It will help in showcasing the performance brilliantly. One should what is it actually that is attracting more and more customers to the website. This analysis will help in knowing what kind of improvement is required to be done.
4. The concept of Page Speed Insights.
Page Speed Insights is a sort of a free tool. It is used to show the speed of the pages to the client. Uploading a video or an image may waste a lot of time. Sometimes the slow speed of the page also steals many users. It is very important to know critical technical issues that are actually harming the SEO performance. If the page suffers from regular slowdowns, it needs to be amended. But if it gets good speed, it is worth mentioning in the report. One should try the best way to get good page speed.
5. Time on Site & Bounce Rate
Bounce rate refers to the number of visitors a website gets. These visitors only come for some time and go away. It should be included in the SEO report. It shows the capacity of the website to pull more visitors to the website. These visitors can be easily converted into customers. It will improve the conversion rate too. Time on Site refers to the actual time taken by the visitors to be on the website. It is the time visitors have spent on the website. If time on site is good, it is advantageous. It is proof that the website has something relevant and valuable for the users.
6. Various links and related keywords
Many agencies prefer to include various links and related keywords in the report. Various people commit this mistake. They record the wrong ranking in the report. One thing to be noted over here is the basis on which the website is given rank. Google uses a variety of factors to rank different websites. Those factors include the history of the website, personalization, and the kind of users the website gets. To include keywords and links will help in recording overall performance. Some websites have a large number of links which make it more attractive. It is proof that the presence of links makes the report satisfactory. One should definitely go through the competitor’s SEO report to have an idea.
7. Future Plans
Being futuristic is always accepted. When it comes to preparation of SEO report, objectives and future goals should be definitely included. It will help in taking the first mover advantage and will make the report relevant. It will help the client to be interested in the project. Experts generally suggest having a “recommendation” section at the end of every section. It will show future plans regarding various things which have been included in the report. Everything will show the past performance of the website. But only “recommendation” section will showcase the future course of action. Isn’t it obvious that it should be included?
Essentials to Make Perfect SEO Reports for Your Clients.
1. Duplicate Title Tags
Sometimes different pages have the same title tag. It creates difficulty for search engines rank each page. The website owners should have unique titles for each page. It increases the chances to appear in search engine results. While preparing an SEO audit report, various URLs with duplicate title tags should also be mentioned. The client should know about title tags being included on the website.
2. Missing Title Tags
As discussed earlier, every page on a website should have a title tag. In the absence of a title tag, the website loses its ranking. The title tag tells about the page. So it plays the role of an assistant for the search engines to rank various pages on the website. One should definitely include URLs with no title tags. The client deserves to know about them.
3. Long Title Tags
The number of characters to be included in a title tag is confined to 65 characters only. The title tag cannot have characters more than 65 characters. If the page has long title tags, it should also be mentioned in the SEO report. It should also be mentioned that all the long title tags will be required to be rewritten. It will help the owner from getting better results from the SEO reports.
4. Hostname
A hostname refers to a label that is assigned to every device which is connected to a computer network. It helps in identifying the device. A website may have hostnames written differently. The hostname can be written as http://domain.com. It can also be used as “http://www.domain.com”). But all of them relate to one same point. The client deserves to know which version is being used on the website. So it should also be included in the SEO report.
5. Reachability
The website should be developed in such a way that it is accessible by users and search engines. When the website is satisfactory for users, the visitors of the website increase. When the website appears on the search engine result, it automatically gets good ranking. In the SEO report, one should include the number of pages the website has. Also, the number of clicks required to get the content should be recorded.
6. Redirects
Redirect links are used to drive the user to other links. Many websites use it to hold the viewer somewhere in the website. But excessive use of redirect links creates difficulty for the search engine to scroll the site. The user should include all the redirect links that a website has. Out of a number of redirect links a website has, the ones needed to be edited should also be mentioned.
7. Anchor Text
Anchor text refers to the clickable text on the page. Various websites use it to identify the home page. It is used to link various pages on the website. It is advised to have the anchor text which says “click-through”. It gives better results than the anchor text saying “click here”. While making an SEO report, all the anchor texts to be included should be included. One should also include the anchor texts which need to be edited.
8. Broken Links
Broken links refer to the improper URL entered for the link. This mistake by website owner causes the search engine to simply get trapped in the page. It adversely affects the website ranking. If the website has broken links, it should be mentioned in the SEO report. It shows the URLs to be rewritten. When any link on the website drives towards a non-existent URL, it is a sign of a broken link.
9. Dead End Pages
A dead-end page refers to the page which does not have any internal links. It prevents users to have a cross-referencing of facts. Users, now, cannot navigate and surf easily. Every website should have some internal links to keep the user engaged. In the making of an SEO report, the dead end pages should also be included. Just after the completion of the SEO report, the owners should fix all the dead-end pages. Links should be added to the web page. It will satisfy users as well as the search engine crawlers.
10. Duplicate Content
To publish the same kind of content on the different pages gives the worst results. Posting the same kind of content is known as duplicate content. It creates a bad impression behind users. While preparing the SEO report, the pages with duplicate content should be listed. To cure the problem one can also mention the ways to be taken. The client will not get disturbed then. It is because he knows that the owner will improve it later.
Steps to Prepare SEO Report:
- Analysis of data and facts is the foremost step. One should know about the client for whom the report is being prepared. There should happen the listing of the client’s goals. The word limit should also be taken into consideration.
- The second step is to have an overview of how the SEO report should look? Then only the preparation will start. The user should know the factors which need to be included. The factors should be arranged on the basis of their priority.
- The third step would gather the information to be included in the report. One can use Google Analytics to arrange data. Social networking channels and search engines will also be helpful. The SEO report should be informative and relevant. This is the reason proper research and collection should happen.
- The fourth step would be to start preparing the report. Include the company’s details along with the client’s information. Include all the details that will impress the client. Having facts in tabular form and details in the proper font is highly appreciable.
After the completion of the SEO report, make sure to have a proper analysis of it. Going through the report will help in understanding it. Mistakes will be observed easily and they will be removed from the report.
Conclusion:
Preparation of an SEO report is not that difficult. But it becomes time-consuming because it has to completely perfect. It does require professionalism and expertise to prepare a good SEO audit report. Many websites hire a specialist who can prepare a good SEO report for them. Have a ken of the factors to be included and the report will be satisfactory.