SEO Roadmap

An SEO audit is a baseline assessment of the starting point of your website regarding search engine optimization. It involves looking at a variety of ranking factors.

When I start an audit—well, everybody does theirs a little bit differently—but the way that I do mine is I start with user experience and the architecture of the website. I go to the website and get that first impression. I click around, see what the hero section looks like, and note conversion rate optimization-type things that I’m looking for, as well as the design, messaging, and overall feel of the website—how fast it is, how clickable it is, that kind of stuff.

The architecture also needs to follow specific SEO best practices, so I’m looking for those types of things. After that, I jump into the technical side. When I do the technical section of the audit, I take your website and plug it into a variety of tools. I use SEMrush, Ahrefs, Screaming Frog, and I also look at your Google Search Console data to check for indexing issues.

I use these tools to see what technical issues might be affecting your rankings. The problem with using those tools yourself is that they show so much data—and not all of it is actually relevant to helping you rank. The key thing is looking at it with an expert eye and knowing what’s actually most important.

For example, I always look for things like broken internal and external links, redirects that aren’t working correctly, and other similar technical issues. If you were to go on Fiverr or even to a big agency and get a free audit, oftentimes you’ll just get the technical portion. They’ll plug your website into one of these tools, export the data, and send it to you as a document listing every single issue.

It’s not super ideal or user-friendly, but it’s part of the process within a larger, more comprehensive audit like the ones I do. After I look at user experience and technical SEO, I start reviewing on-page SEO best practices. For this, I look at the actual content on your website—keywords, headings, the topics you’re covering, and the depth of your content.

Next, I look at off-page indicators: backlinks, your Google Business Profile, competitor analysis, and other appearances across search engines or social media. A comprehensive audit covers all of these factors. Since my service isn’t just an audit but a full roadmap, I take all that information and turn it into a prioritized list of action items—in the specific order I think you should complete them—to actually help increase your rankings.

It’s not just a massive list of “here’s everything that’s wrong.” It’s a focused plan: “Here’s what to do, and here’s the order to do it in,” for the best results and most efficient turnaround. When I deliver the roadmap, I follow it up with a one-on-one video call. We go through the entire audit, discuss the roadmap and action items, and I answer all your questions.

Many clients check in with me later if new questions come up. Sometimes I even send short tutorial videos to show how to implement certain steps. It’s not a one-and-done handover—it’s a supportive system designed to help you actually move forward.

You absolutely need to start any SEO project with an audit and a strategy. I do this with every single client I work with. The first step is always a full, comprehensive audit and strategy—whether you plan to implement it yourself using the roadmap, or have me implement it over the following months.

Let’s say you just jump in and start optimizing your site by adding keywords to your blog posts. If you don’t have that baseline information from an audit, you might be using the wrong keywords, putting them in the wrong places—or worse, optimizing a page that isn’t even indexed yet. That’s why you need to start with a solid foundation before you begin making changes.

Think of it like renovating a kitchen. You wouldn’t start by running out and buying countertops. You might get the wrong amount, wrong size, wrong color—it would be a mess. Before you buy anything, you’d assess the current kitchen, make a plan, and determine what needs to be replaced first. You’d probably replace cabinets, measure for the sink and stove, and only then pick your countertops.

SEO works the same way. You need to start with an assessment—the data—before you start making changes. SEO, like all marketing, is data-based. The data drives all the actions. You need to start with that data so you know what you’re doing—and why.

The whole audit process takes about a week once I have all the assets in place. At the end of the process, I send you the report and we hop on another call to walk through it together. I answer all your questions and make sure you know what comes next.

From there, you have a few options. You could take the roadmap and handle implementation on your own. You could do it yourself but check in with me monthly or quarterly as you make progress so we can review your data and pivot if needed. Or, you could hire me to handle some or all of the implementation for you.

It’s your choice—kind of a “choose your own adventure” situation. If you’re ready to move forward with an SEO roadmap—or just want to learn more—book a call with me. If none of the available times work, fill out the intake form and we’ll find a time that does. We’ll go through your website, your goals, and your next steps.

I’m excited to get started with you. Talk to you soon!