Think of your website like your health – you wouldn’t ignore regular check-ups with your doctor, so why skip routine site audits? Just as medical screenings catch problems before they become serious, SEJ ThinkTank webinar site audits reveal hidden issues that could be silently damaging your search rankings and user experience.
Search Engine Journal’s expert panel recently delivered invaluable insights during their live site audit session, providing real-world examples and actionable recommendations that website owners can implement immediately.
Expert Panel Breakdown: What Makes a Comprehensive Site Audit
The April 5th SEJ ThinkTank webinar brought together industry veterans for live website evaluations. Chief Social Media Strategist Brent Csutoras guided the session while Founder Loren Baker, Social Producer Caitlin Rulien, and Features Writer Anna Crowe dissected each submitted website.
Their approach combined technical SEO analysis, content strategy evaluation, and social media optimization – proving that effective site audits require a holistic perspective.
Real Website Audits: 5 Case Studies with Actionable Solutions
Grammarly: Technical Foundation Issues
Grammarly’s website dominates grammar-related searches, yet the SEJ panel identified critical technical gaps:
HTTPS Implementation Problems:
- Mixed HTTP/HTTPS protocol usage creates unnecessary 301 redirects
- Footer internal links still using non-secure protocols
- Server performance suffers from redirect chains
Social Media Strategy Concerns:
- Identical content across all platforms reduces follower engagement
- Posting frequency prioritized over content relevance
- Similar images published too close together create duplicate content issues
Quick Fixes: Audit all internal links for HTTPS consistency and diversify social media content calendars across platforms.
Mabel’s Labels: Security and Content Optimization
This children’s label company leads their niche market but needs fundamental improvements:
Technical SEO Issues:
- Complete HTTPS migration required
- Multiple redirect chains slowing page speed
- Missing robots.txt file hampering crawler efficiency
- Duplicate meta titles and descriptions across pages
Social Media Positioning:
- Social icons buried below the fold
- Inactive social profiles creating “ghost town” impression
- Limited content variety across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
Community Engagement Opportunity: Leverage customer-generated content and testimonials to build social proof and increase engagement rates.
GTM Payroll Services: Content Architecture Problems
GTM’s payroll platform offers valuable resources but suffers from structural inefficiencies:
Subdomain Traffic Loss:
- High-quality content hosted on separate subdomain
- Link equity dispersed instead of consolidated
- Main website missing valuable traffic and authority signals
Technical Performance Issues:
- Blog pagination problems affecting search engine crawling
- Page caching not implemented for high-traffic landing pages
- Load time optimization opportunities missed
Content Marketing Expansion: Target mom blogs, family websites, entrepreneur communities, and remote work publications to diversify link portfolio.
Yellow Pages Canada: Security and Content Integrity
Yellow Pages Canada faces serious security and optimization challenges:
Critical Security Breach:
- Subdomain nexthome.yp.ca compromised with spam content
- WordPress installation and plugins require immediate updates
- Black hat link schemes detected in corporate blog
On-Page SEO Problems:
- Extensive duplicate meta descriptions and titles
- Excessive uppercase letters in URL structure
- Social media integration poorly positioned
Content Strategy Fixes: Implement user-generated content from hashtag campaigns and integrate Twitter stories into Facebook feeds for humanized messaging.
Mint State Gold: User Experience Overhaul Needed
This precious metals site requires comprehensive redesign:
Design and Usability Issues:
- Cluttered layout overwhelming visitors
- Font sizes too small for readability
- Footer colors blending with background (appearing like hidden content)
Technical Infrastructure Problems:
- Images hosted externally creating broken links
- JavaScript navigation instead of CSS implementation
- Extensive duplicate content across pages
Social Media Abandonment: Facebook page dormant since 2012, signaling business inactivity to potential customers.
Essential Site Audit Tools: Professional Recommendations
The SEJ panel recommends these industry-standard tools for comprehensive website analysis:
Technical SEO Analysis:
- SEMrush: Competitive landscape analysis and ranking insights
- Screaming Frog: Comprehensive on-site SEO evaluation
- Deep Crawl: Advanced technical issue identification
Performance Monitoring:
- Pingdom: Individual file speed analysis
- GTmetrix: Complete page performance metrics
- jpcache: Lightweight full-page caching solutions
Link Analysis:
- Majestic: Link tracking and topical authority suggestions
Note: Search Engine Journal maintains no affiliate relationships with these tool providers.
Key Takeaways: Site Audit Best Practices
Regular website audits prevent small issues from becoming major problems. Focus on these core areas:
- Security First: Implement complete HTTPS migration and maintain updated software
- Content Quality: Eliminate duplicates and ensure consistent messaging
- Technical Performance: Optimize loading speeds and crawler accessibility
- Social Integration: Maintain active, diverse social media presence
- User Experience: Prioritize readability and intuitive navigation
Access Complete Resources
The full webinar video provides detailed explanations and additional insights beyond this recap. The accompanying slide presentation offers visual examples of each audit recommendation.
Professional site audits require systematic evaluation across multiple disciplines. By following the SEJ ThinkTank panel’s methodology, website owners can identify improvement opportunities and implement changes that drive measurable results.
Regular auditing isn’t optional in today’s competitive digital landscape – it’s essential for maintaining search visibility and user satisfaction.
