Before you can drive your education business forward online, you need to know where you are.

What is an SEO audit?

Search engine optimisation (SEO) analysis is about evaluating the overall optimisation of your website – what’s working well and what isn’t. By knowing what’s getting results, you can do more of the same. And by ascertaining areas for improvement, you’ll be able to devise a comprehensive SEO strategy.

It’s important to conduct SEO audits regularly. There is little point investing in one-off audits, as they are, in effect, a map of your online journey. If you’re veering off track, an SEO audit will highlight why, giving you the information you need to get back on the route to success; so you can achieve your digital marketing objectives, like higher rankings or more conversions, etc. All with a view to you achieving your business goals, whether that’s having full classes or securing sell-out courses.  

The fundamentals of an SEO audit?  

When planning your SEO audit, key areas to include are:

• Technical SEO audit - checking for technical issues is prudent. It’s vital your website is working efficiently so interested potential learners can easily access the information they need. Identifying 404 error pages or broken links means you can fix them. Doing so can also improve search engine ranking.
• Website content audit (or on-page SEO audit) - make sure all individual website pages are optimised for content quality that’s relevant and without duplication. Content needs to be of a high standard, helpful, informative, engaging and compelling for potential learners and other stakeholders arriving on your website. Even the smallest of points, like a missing ALT tag can make a big difference. And look at:
  -    Title tags: Each page needs a unique, informative, keyphrase-rich title tag. Avoid titles that are too short as even this can affect rankings. 
  -    Meta descriptions: These should be captivating, summarising the content with target keywords. 
  -    Header tags (H1, H2, H3): These should be used to structure content so users and search engines can better understand it.
  -    Internal links: Check they are serving you well. 
• Keyphrase optimisation - keyphrase research will establish which words and phrases to blend seamlessly with your content. 
• Off-page SEO audit - this is for non-website related activities that affect your rankings, and include:
  -    Backlink audit: Evaluate the effectiveness of links to your website and establish opportunities. The importance of reviewing the quality, quality and relevance of links should not be underestimated. Links from reputable brands’ high-ranking websites are priceless. 
  -    Social signals: These are the human interaction metrics we see on social platforms, typically likes, shares, views, etc. Measure your social media presence and how it affects your SEO. Your search engine rankings can be impacted by levels of engagement on your social media accounts. 
• SEO competitive analysis - gauging how your website compares to your closest competitors’ is an invaluable exercise. If you’re missing a trick or two, an SEO competitor audit will highlight this, giving you the perfect opportunity to put that right. Audits that look at direct competitor research, to identify their high-ranking keyphrases, are superb as you can build your own content around these words and phrases in a bid to overtake them. So, if a competing college provides a regular blog which talks all things course and qualifications-related, and you don’t, introduce one. When analysing your content performance, page views, average time spent on page and bounce rate give you crucial information. Remember to record your strengths too, so you know what sets you apart from competitors.  
• Local SEO audit - these are essential for organisations with a local presence. Check that your Google My Business listing is accurate with positive reviews, that your contact information is consistent across directories and that your content is optimised with local keyphrases.

Why does my website need an SEO audit?

There are many reasons why your education website will benefit from one, including:

• Improved rankings, which can bring increased and more relevant traffic
• Revealing issues, such as site speed, missing meta data, redirect requirements, error pages, content errors, broken backlinks, etc. Giving you the information you need to be able to fix them.
• Identifying where you stand online in relation to your competition 
• Provides the opportunity to build a trusted, authoritative online presence with backlinks to respected companies within your sector
• Gives actionable measures for improvement

FAQs

How do I know if my website needs an SEO audit?
If you want to heighten your education website rankings, take it as red. In this instance, it really is as important as regular reporting.

How long does an SEO audit take?
This can vary, depending on the size and intricacy of the website.

When is the optimum time to take an SEO audit?
They can be conducted at any time. Though, the sooner you start, the better. It’s not an overnight fix. It’ll take time for you to start seeing a difference. Doing them regularly means you can refine them as necessary, to continually improve and maintain results.

Who should conduct an SEO audit? 
Whilst it’s possible to conduct your own SEO audit, using SEO and digital marketing experts could be a shrewd move. Even better, a company that specialises in SEO for the education sector. A professional audit will be comprehensive, clear and contain actionable measures.

What tools do you need for an SEO audit?
SEMrush or Ahrefs are widely used for evaluating website performance and highlighting areas that need work. But, SEO specialists often use a wide range of tools that are specifically designed for different SEO auditing tasks.