Manual audit vs the automated SEO audit: Which one is right for you?

Ranking on search engines is not possible if you do not have a proper way to track the issues on your website. The search engines tend to use over two hundred metrics for the purpose of determining your position on the SERPs. You should try to identify the flaws before you try to fix them. Some of the most common ranking factors are title tags, image optimization, site structure, load time and so on.

What is an SEO Audit? 

An SEO audit is a thorough procedure that helps one determine how well their site performs online. It also enables you to identify whether it follows the best SEO practices. It assists you in determining whether your website complies with search engine updates. An SEO audit is a very first step in developing a marketing strategy. It reveals the following flaws in your site-

• The On-page SEO issues.
• Content gaps.
• Issues with the page layout.
• Off-site problems.

Why is an SEO audit important?

The website you own reflects the image of your company. SEO audit reveals all the underlying issues which prevent your website from receiving organic clicks. For example, suppose a visitor to your website wants to order a particular product, but he is frustrated by how long your website takes to load; there is a high chance that the product will be ordered from a different site altogether. 

One can also make use of an SEO audit report for improving the page load time. You can also optimize your content and title tags. Planning a strategy to increase your visibility on the search engine is also essential. 

Difference between a manual audit vs an automated SEO audit

An automated SEO audit is one which follows a specific set of rules. This approach is the same regardless of the industry you are in. It is carried out using all the SEO tools which are available in the market. An automated audit can evaluate multiple SEO metrics simultaneously and generate reports accordingly.

The manual SEO audits necessitate the hiring of the SEO experts. The actions performed here are more detailed, and a few explanations accompany them. Manual auditing allows you to choose the order in which the tasks should be completed, and it also provides you with many options of digital marketing opportunities that are not limited to the SEO. 

Advantages of Manual SEO.

We all are no strangers to manual SEO auditing being time-consuming. It also allows you to have a control over your SEO strategy. You can carry out the tasks properly. One can also understand and certify whether or not their SEO team handled the strategy as they planned.

You can also manually select the backlinks for off-page purposes. It is a significant advantage. There are many instances when SEO tools block websites that appear spammy but are not. With a manual SEO audit, you will not have to deal with this particular issue.

Many individuals avail of Best SEO Company, a digital marketing agency that provides different types of SEO services to its clients at lucrative prices.

What are the disadvantages of manual SEO?

If you own many websites, performing SEO for all of them simultaneously can be very difficult. It will take several days to prepare a report for a few flaws. Many website owners who can work on the various algorithms used by the search engine to determine rank can be expensive. Search engine policies also tend to change regularly. The automated tools are the ones which incorporate these changes into their software and perform the tasks accordingly. However, if you do it manually, you might miss out on the updates and be penalized. 

Advantages of automated SEO.

The automated SEO is the type of SEO which refer to the use of digital methods to perform SEO audit services either entirely or partially. It is the type of audit which is far less expensive. Even if you happen to use a paid tool, the monthly subscription fee is much lower than what you would have paid an inexperienced SEO executive.

Automation SEO is the type of SEO which allows you to handle various websites all at once. You can also use automated tools to identify broken links and conduct in-depth competitor analysis. It also helps you identify keyword density and Meta content. It provides you with the real-time data on various critical metrics.

Disadvantages of automated SEO.

Automated SEO is a type of SEO based on tools, and it performs functions which are based on the data fed into it. If you happen to feed any kind of incorrect information, you run a huge risk of creating the low-quality backlinks.

The links which are generated by automation have no chance of driving any type of traffic to your site. As a result, you can say that the automated SEO focuses largely on the quantity rather than quality.

Should one rely on an automated SEO audit?

The automated SEO audit is the one which is helpful if you own multiple number of websites. The reports that are being generated by them provide valuable insights into various common problems that most websites face regularly.You can also integrate manual and automated audits as they save you time as well as money. Their reports are delivered to your inbox on a weekly, biweekly or monthly basis depending on what you choose.

When does one need to perform a proper manual SEO audit?

You should conduct a manual audit before preparing an SEO strategy for any website to better its position on the SERPs. This is the audit which provides insight into the website’s user-friendliness, optimization and visuals, broken links and so on. One can devise a strategy for troubleshooting it once you have a proper and thorough explanation of why these flaws exist in the first place. 

It is advisable to always conduct a manual audit whenever the site owned plans on redesigning the overall structure of the site. 

Conclusion.

Even though a manual SEO Audit is the one which is superior to an automated one, you should also consider incorporating a thorough blend of both the audits.