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Why You Need an SEO Audit — 4 Quick Wins That’ll Save You Thousands in Lost Sales

A man wearing a green cap and glasses looking at a computer screen in a modern office. The person appears to be conducting a detailed SEO audit, surrounded by various tech equipment and a wall decorated with pinned photos.

Key takeaways

  • An SEO audit allows you to fix broken links, speed up your site, and keep visitors happy, which in turn boosts your search rankings and sales.
  • Better user experience (UX) means people stick around longer, making them more likely to buy.
  • Knowing what keywords and strategies your competitors use helps you outdo them and grab more traffic.

Your site might have everything — stunning design, killer content, and all the right bells and whistles. 

But, if search engines can’t find you, none of that matters.

That’s where an SEO audit can make a difference.

Think of it as a check-up for your website. 

It shows how well your site’s doing and what needs fixing. 

And a good audit will be comprehensive as hell, covering everything from on-page SEO and off-page SEO to technical tweaks. 

But why should you care? What can you actually gain from it?

Well, doing an SEO audit is like putting a magnifying glass over your site and seeing all the little things that are costing you money. 

All those pesky problems that are driving potential customers (and their wallets) away.

Below, we break down four quick ways an SEO audit can prevent sales from slipping through the cracks and boost your bottom line.

How an SEO audit helps your business

Sometimes, it’s the small changes that make the biggest difference. 

Digging deeper into your SEO lets you find the hidden issues that are holding your website back, no matter how small they may be. 

Quick win #1 – fixing broken content 

Website not ranking well? 

It’s likely because of broken links, duplicate content, and slow page loading times. 

Sure, these might seem minor. 

But search engines take them as seriously as a heart attack.

They pick up on things like this — and might push you further down in search engine results pages (SERPs) because of it.

serp example

Broken links, for example, create a poor user experience (UX). 

When people click on a link and land on a dead page, they’ll leave your site faster than you can say, “Whoops.”

Duplicate content is another red flag. 

If your website has identical content across many pages, Google struggles to decide which one to rank.

We call this “cannibalisation”. 

And it can lead to lower visibility for all those pages, making it harder for people to find you.

And slow site speed? That’s a no-go. 

If someone clicks on your link only to see the loading wheel of death…

They’ll click off before they even see your content. 

And you don’t have much time to work with.

One in four people say they would abandon a website if it took more than 4 seconds to load. 

See what I mean? Every second counts.

why you need an seo audit site load speed

Fortunately, an SEO audit can help you know what’s causing the sluggishness — and speed things up.

This will not only make your site more user-friendly. 

It’ll also impress search engines. 

The faster your website is, the higher it’ll rank in search results. 

The higher it ranks, the more visible you are. 

The more visible you are, the more clicks you get. These clicks can eventually lead to sales (aka money in your pocket). 

And the data doesn’t lie. 

The further down you are on the first SERP, the lower your click-through rate (CTR) will be. 

And it’s not a small difference — we’re talking a lot lower.

According to research, the average CTR for the #1 spot is around 28%…

But if you’re down in the #10 spot, you’re looking at a CTR of only 2.4%.

And if you’re not on the first page? 

Well, you’re almost invisible at that point.

why you need an seo audit ctr stat

Quick win #2: improving people’s experience on your site

SEO and user experience (UX) are now basically the same thing. 

Because search engines like Google will now reward you for having an amazing website.

If your site is slow, clunky, and hard to use…it’s not just frustrating for visitors. 

It’s also bad for your search rankings.

And, if you lose people due to bad UX, you might never get them back.

It’s kind of like eating a bad meal at a restaurant. You’ll probably never go back. 

Studies show a whopping 88% of people are less likely to visit a website again if they have a bad experience. 

Pardon my French but that’s a sh*t ton of wasted potential revenue.

So, what makes or breaks UX?

Well, there are loads of moving parts to think about. 

For example, mobile-friendliness is a big one.

why you need an seo audit mobile search stat

So, your site needs to look and work well on smaller screens if you want to make money. 

Your site also needs to be easy to navigate. 

Like, so easy even your 95-year-old grandfather could do it. You know, if he had a smartphone. 

The point is that people should be able to find what they’re looking for without getting lost in a jumble of menus and links.

Maybe your website is like a clunky old car that’s hard to drive. 

Maybe your navigation is confusing. 

Whatever they might be, once you find these problems, you can fix them. 

And when you do, you’ll see people sticking around and spending more time on your site.

And the longer they spend on your site, the likelier they are to engage with your content and become paying customers. 

Quick win #3: increasing organic site traffic

Keyword optimisation plays a big role here to get more organic traffic. 

An SEO audit will show you if your website is using the right keywords (the words people are actually searching for). 

If it’s not, you can edit your content to make sure you’re using those keywords. 

That way, search engines know exactly what your site is about.

And they can then connect you with people who are genuinely interested in what you offer. 

These are called “high-quality leads”, and they’re way likelier to convert (i.e. make a purchase).

An SEO audit can also help you finetune your site content, like blog posts and interactive tools.

Now, don’t get me wrong: I’m sure your content is awesome. 

But even great content can get stale or not be enough.

An audit can reveal which pages are underperforming and why. 

Maybe the information is outdated. 

Maybe it’s just not detailed enough. 

By updating and expanding your content, you can find more of those high-quality leads who are this close to buying from you. 

Let’s take a look at a real-world example: one of our clients, Ascension

An award-winning cosmetic clinic, Ascension is all about making its patients feel and look their absolute best. 

But they weren’t getting nearly as much site traffic as they wanted. 

Although they were showing up in search results, they weren’t at the top

They were getting buried by their competitors.

And that’s why they came to us. 

Here’s what we found: Ascension’s blog posts — which were basically quick snippets — weren’t up to scratch. 

They were too short and didn’t provide enough value, especially in comparison to their competitors’ longer, juicier articles. 

Plus, they weren’t using the right keywords. 

So, we started creating content that counted. 

Think longer, more informative articles with strategically selected keywords sprinkled throughout. 

Each blog post answered people’s burning questions in a way that was both concise and compelling. 

We also made sure the content was easy to navigate and digest by using headings, bullet points, and eye-catching imagery.

The results? 

In the time since we started working together, Ascension has tripled its organic visits. 

In other words, they’re now reaching a whole heap of potential customers for free through their content. 

More sales opportunities for no cost? That’s a pretty big win.

why you need an seo audit ascension case study

Quick win #4: getting a leg-up on your competitors

Let’s be honest: everyone wants to outdo their competitors. 

You want your website to be the go-to choice when people search for your products or services.

And an SEO audit can help you make that happen. 

An audit gives you an edge by showing you where your competitors are winning and where they’re falling short. 

It digs deep into their SEO strategies, giving you a peek at their strengths and weaknesses.

Are they ranking higher than you for certain keywords? 

Are they using backlinks more effectively? 

Is their content better optimised for search engines? 

These are all questions a good audit can answer.

Once you know what your competitors are doing, you can one-up them. 

Target keywords they’ve overlooked or create more thorough content (like we did for Ascension). 

If they have strong backlinks, find out where they’re coming from and see if you can get similar ones.

Think of it as spying — but in an ethical way. 

By understanding what works for them, you can tweak your strategy and leapfrog them in search results. 

And the higher you climb, the fewer sales you’ll lose to them.

How to get started with your own SEO audit

Getting started is easier than you might think.

If you prefer a DIY approach, there are plenty of tools to help you out. 

Google Search Console, Semrush, and Ahrefs are great for identifying common SEO issues. 

These tools can give you a solid overview of where your site stands. 

To keep things simple, here’s a basic checklist to guide you through your first audit:

  1. Check for broken links — make sure all your links work and direct users to the right pages.
  2. Analyse site speed — use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to see how quickly your site loads.
  3. Review keyword optimisation — are you targeting the right keywords? Make sure your content matches user intent.
  4. Evaluate mobile-friendliness — test how your site performs on mobile devices.
  5. Assess content quality — update outdated content and remove any duplicate pages.

Starting with this checklist will help you catch the most common issues. 

why you need an seo audit ahrefs

Want a more in-depth analysis? 

Professional SEO services might be a better fit. 

A professional audit digs deeper, offering customised strategies your site needs. 

Think of it as a more comprehensive option if you’ve got too much on your plate to do it yourself.

Skyrocket your sales with an SEO audit

An SEO audit offers you four quick wins: fixing broken content, improving UX, boosting organic site traffic, and strengthening your performance against competitors. 

Each of these can hugely improve your site’s performance and, in turn, spike your sales. 

By doing audits regularly, you stay ahead of changing algorithms. 

This keeps your site optimised and competitive. 

Not to mention, it helps you spot and fix issues before they become bigger problems. 

Think of these regular check-ins like getting a tune-up for your car. 

It’s much easier to catch small problems before they turn into expensive repairs.

So, stop neglecting your website and give it the TLC it deserves. 

Your visitors (and your bottom line) will thank you.

Rebecca is a seasoned copywriter and content specialist who has worked with brands like Time Out, Sociality.io, and JRR Marketing. From scroll-stopping social media ads to insightful blog posts, she's the go-to for brands seeking words people actually want to read.

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