How often should SEO audits be conducted?

Look, I’m gonna be straight with you about SEO audits because that’s what matters when you’re running a business.

You know how you take your car in for a service every 6 months? Well, your website needs the same kind of regular check-ups. Except with SEO audits, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer.

## **Here’s what I tell my clients**

For most local businesses — and I’m talking about the plumbers, the dentists, the retail shops — you should be doing a proper SEO audit **every 3-4 months**. Not because I want to sell you more audits. But because Google changes things. All. The. Time.

Your competitors aren’t sitting still either. They’re updating their sites, building links, creating content. If you’re only checking your SEO once a year, you’re basically driving blindfolded.

## **When you need to audit more often**

Some businesses need to check things monthly. Yeah, monthly. If you’re in a super competitive industry (think real estate in Sydney or legal services), you can’t afford to wait 3 months to find out something’s broken.

Here’s when you absolutely need an audit ASAP:
– Your traffic suddenly drops off a cliff
– You’ve just redesigned your website
– Google announces a major algorithm update
– You’ve changed your business focus or services
– New competitors are eating your lunch in search results

## **What actually happens in these audits**

Let me break this down simply. An SEO audit isn’t just running your site through some tool and calling it a day. We’re looking at:

**Technical stuff** — Is your site loading fast? Are pages getting indexed properly? Any broken links killing your rankings?

**Content quality** — Are you actually answering what people are searching for? Or just writing fluff?

**Your competition** — What are they doing that’s working? What can we do better?

**Links** — Who’s linking to you? Are they helping or hurting?

## **The reality check**

I’ve seen businesses spend thousands on a beautiful website then wonder why nobody finds it. They did one SEO audit when they launched and… that’s it. Two years later they’re still on page 5 of Google.

Meanwhile their competitor who does quarterly audits? They’re dominating the local search results.

Here’s the thing — SEO isn’t a set-and-forget deal. It’s more like tending a garden. You need to keep checking, adjusting, improving.

## **My recommendation for local businesses**

Start with a comprehensive audit. I mean really comprehensive. Not some free tool that gives you a score out of 100. Get someone who knows what they’re doing to really dig into your site.

Then:
– **Quarterly audits** for most businesses
– **Monthly check-ins** if you’re in a competitive market
– **Emergency audits** when something goes wrong

And between audits? Keep an eye on your Google Analytics. If you see traffic dropping or rankings slipping, don’t wait for the next scheduled audit.

## **The bottom line**

You wouldn’t run your business for months without checking your bank balance. Don’t do it with your SEO either.

Regular audits aren’t an expense. They’re an investment in making sure people can actually find your business online. And in 2023, if people can’t find you online, do you even exist?

Get that first audit done. See where you stand. Then put a reminder in your calendar for 3 months time. Your future self (and your bank account) will thank you.