What is an SEO analysis?
An SEO analysis lays the foundation for every SEO campaign.
It analyzes the current state of the website in terms of technical, on-page, and off-page aspects.
SEO analysis will be used to identify opportunities for optimization and determine appropriate SEO measures.
What does an SEO analysis include?
As mentioned earlier, an SEO analysis generally covers three areas: technical, on-page, and off-page.
Below, I will explain in more detail what an SEO analysis entails.
Components of a technical SEO analysis
At my SEO agency, the technical analysis includes the following components, among others.
Crawling the entire website
Using Ahrefs and Screaming Frog, we crawl the entire website and use the software to identify potential technical issues.
Advanced filtering in Screaming Frog identifies additional SEO issues that are not covered by the software's standard features.
Drawing on our own expertise and experience, we then compile and prioritize all technical issues.
Page Speed Test
As part of our technical analysis, we also conduct a page speed test. For this, we use various tools such as PageSpeed Insights and Pingdom.
We also conduct tests for both the mobile and desktop versions.
Based on the findings of the tests, we identify potential measures for optimizing loading times.
Components of on-page analysis
The on-page analysis includes the following components.
SEO Keyword Analysis
A keyword analysis is part of every basic SEO audit.
Keywords are the terms your target audience types into Google to find information.
Using SEO analysis tools such as Google Search Console, Ahrefs, or SEMrush, businesses can identify keywords that have high search volume and lower competition.
These keywords should then be incorporated into the content optimization process.
Regularly reviewing and updating keywords is important for responding to changes in search behavior and achieving consistent SEO success.
You should identify relevant keywords based on your competitors’ keyword rankings, your own positioning, services, and key topics.
Generally speaking, there are four types of keywords:
- Informal keywords: These cover a search query looking for information on a specific topic.
- Navigational keywords: Keywords used to search for a specific brand or a specific page.
- Commercial keywords: These are keywords that suggest an intention to purchase, even though the user is still in the decision-making phase.
- Transactional keywords: These are keywords that clearly indicate an intention to purchase a specific product or service.
The following key questions can be helpful in identifying relevant keywords:
- Does my website rank for industry-related keywords in my region?
- Does my website rank for industry-related keywords in my country?
- What search terms do the market leaders in my industry rank for?
Keyword Ranking Analysis
In addition to keyword research, a keyword ranking analysis is also conducted.
Tracking your keyword rankings helps you understand how well your keywords are currently optimized and how many keywords you’re already covering.
In addition, your current rankings can help you identify quick wins for an SEO campaign.
In particular, it’s a good idea to focus on keywords at the start of a campaign where your website currently ranks between positions 11 and 20 (page 2)
Why? With these keywords, you only need to move up a few spots to make it to page 1. Once you’ve made it to page 1, you’ll start driving traffic.
Keyword Gap Analysis
With keyword gap analysis, you can identify potential keyword opportunities based on your competitors.
A keyword gap analysis looks at which keywords your competitors are ranking for and where your website isn't ranking.
This type of analysis is particularly valuable if you have competitors who offer a very similar range of products or services.
Content audit
A content audit is a process in which each URL is manually reviewed and evaluated, and a course of action is determined.
As a general rule, you should decide for each page whether to improve it, redirect it (301 redirect), or delete it entirely.
Pages that have no traffic, no backlinks, and no strategic relevance to your business should be removed.
Even though people often hold onto old blog posts and articles. From Google’s perspective, pages that don’t generate traffic aren’t relevant to the search engine and drag your website’s ranking down.
Too many pages with no traffic do more harm than good.
Topical Map and Keyword Clustering
Google wants to see that you cover a topic in depth and breadth.
Why?
If you have a lot of different, helpful content on a given topic, users are more likely to find the information they're looking for.
From Google's perspective, it's a good thing when users find the information they're looking for, because that means they'll continue to use the search engine, and Google can charge higher prices for ads.
If a website has a lot of content on a specific topic, the SEO community attributes a high level of topical authority to it.
A thorough SEO analysis should assess whether or not your competitors have already established themselves as authorities in their respective fields.
As a result, steps can then be taken to establish your own thematic authority.
One way to establish yourself as an authority on a topic is to create what’s known as a topical map.
A topical map shows how all the topics and their respective subtopics relate to one another.
In doing so, you form keyword clusters using semantically identical or related terms and create new entities for topics with a different search intent.
Where appropriate, topics are organized into content silos that are cleverly linked to one another.
The goal is to end up with a comprehensive overview of all the topics and how they are connected.
Components of off-page analysis
The following components are included in our off-page SEO analysis.
Link Gap Analysis
In a link gap analysis, you quantify the difference in the number of links pointing to your domain compared to those of your competitors.
A link gap analysis can be performed at the domain or page level.
It is important to consider not only the sheer number of links, but also their quality.
I typically perform link gap analyses using Ahrefs software.
Analysis of Link Speed
If you want to catch up with the competition when it comes to link building, simply quantifying the link gap isn't enough.
You also need to factor in how quickly your competitors are building up their backlinks over time.
You need to factor the link-building time into the link gap, since it takes time for you to build those links yourself.
Here’s an example to illustrate this: The link gap between you and your main competitor is 350 links. You can see that your competitor has built 100 links over the past 6 months.
That means if you want to close the gap in 6 months, you'll need 450 links (350 + 100).
Anchor Text Analysis
Anchor text is the text that appears in an internal or external link.
Anchor text should not be chosen at random, but rather based on an anchor text analysis.
This type of analysis identifies the proportion of different anchor text types based on the top 3 competitors.
We generally distinguish between five types of anchor text:
- Branded anchors: Include the brand name in the anchor text
- Target anchors: Include the target page's focus keyword
- Thematic anchors: These include an overarching theme of the landing page.
- URL anchor: Includes the URL of the destination page in the anchor text.
- Other anchors: Empty anchor texts
Anchor text analysis must be performed individually for each page, because Google evaluates anchor text at the page level.
Why is an SEO analysis important?
Without analysis, no SEO strategy can be developed, and a lack of strategy leads to haphazard implementation.
An SEO analysis assesses the current state of the website in terms of technical, on-page, and off-page factors and serves as the basis for determining appropriate SEO measures.
An SEO analysis thus provides a data-driven foundation for developing an SEO strategy.
SEO analysis is of fundamental importance because, for long-term SEO success, it is crucial to make decisions not based on personal judgment or gut feelings, but rather rationally, based on solid data.
However, an SEO analysis isn’t a one-time task. It’s not as if, once you’ve done the analysis, the job is done. No, an SEO analysis should definitely be conducted at regular intervals—that is, every 6 to 12 months.
Why? SEO is dynamic, and user search behavior, the algorithm, and the competitive landscape are constantly changing.
Different Types of SEO Analysis
There are two approachesto SEO analysis : automated and custom analyses.
In practice, SEO analysis often consists of a combination of automated processes and manual, human input.
Agencies that completely forego smart AI tools in the field of SEO today are not only making life difficult for themselves, but are also operating with tremendous inefficiency.
Agencies that delegate every aspect of SEO analysis to AI will not be able to deliver satisfactory results for their clients. Even today, human intellect and SEO expertise remain crucial for conducting a thorough SEO analysis.
AI doesn't know your company's specific circumstances, goals, and target audience any better than you do. On the contrary, AI often makes generalizations, which isn't helpful when it comes to an SEO analysis.
The following section breaks down the degree of automation in an SEO analysis into three main areas: technical analysis, on-page analysis, and off-page analysis. These three main areas of SEO analysis are explained in more detail below.
Automation Options – Technical Analysis
Technical analysis relies heavily on tools like Ahrefs and Screaming Frog, which handle a large portion of the work.
From my own experience, I can say that when it comes to technical analysis, SEO tools handle 60% to 70% of the work. Tools like Ahrefs and Screaming Frog are particularly useful in this regard. These tools identify technical issues on their own and prioritize the existing technical errors.
The remaining 30–40% of the work consists of human input. This primarily involves properly prioritizing all technical errors identified by SEO tools, which are sometimes incomplete or incorrect. Another task not handled by the tools is post-crawl filtering. As a result, certain SEO issues must be identified using custom filters that need to be configured manually.
Automation Options – On-Page Analysis
On-page analysis requires significantly more human input than technical analysis. Based on my own experience from over 50 SEO analyses I’ve conducted, I estimate that 70–80% of the work is done manually.
Why is the percentage so much higher than in technical analysis?
On-page SEO involves evaluating existing pages in terms of their quality, specifically their level of keyword optimization and conversion rate optimization. It also involves analyzing the extent to which the current sitemap is relevant to the target audience and whether relevant content is even available. These aspects are difficult to delegate to AI. Instead, it is often necessary to make informed decisions based on one’s own knowledge regarding focused keywords, taking into account the customer journey and the needs of the target audience.
Nevertheless, certain on-page tasks can also be delegated to AI and SEO tools. For example, tools like SurferSEO can be used to determine the SEO optimization level of existing content. Similarly, tools such as 3M VAS’s Visual Attention Software help quantitatively determine whether the human eye’s visual focus is on the right areas of the website. This is particularly relevant for conversion rate optimization.
Automation Options – Off-Page Analysis
When it comes to off-page analysis , an estimated 50% of the work can be delegated to SEO tools. Tools like Ahrefs allow you to retrieve the backlink profile of any website in a matter of seconds.
However, it takes the knowledge and expertise of an SEO specialist to determine which competitors to analyze and which off-page metrics to focus on. The tools provide only descriptive data, but offer little guidance on how to interpret it. This work must be done manually.
How much does an SEO analysis cost in Switzerland?
The cost of an SEO analysis depends heavily on the size and complexity of your website.
In a market study we conducted in 2024, we identified a price range for SEO analyses of between CHF 790 and CHF 4,990 based on 19 Swiss SEO agencies. Only agencies based in Switzerland were included in the study.
The major differences can also be attributed to varying approaches (automated vs. manual methods) as well as differences in the agencies' service offerings.
It’s clear that a simple 10-page company website requires significantly less work than a complex e-commerce store with 10,000 products and various interfaces.
With semi-automated SEO tools like Ahrefs or Screaming Frog, technical analysis in particular can be carried out relatively quickly and cost-effectively. However, when it comes to on-page and off-page SEO, there are no standard automated processes, and a great deal of manual research is involved, as explained above.
At our agency, SEO analyses start at CHF 2,500. Prices are determined on a case-by-case basis depending on the specific goals, size, and complexity of the website.
Recommended SEO Tools
As an SEO agency, we also use a variety of tools to analyze our clients' websites.
Without these tools, some of these analyses would not be possible at all and would be much more time-consuming.
Depending on the focus of the analysis, different tools are used.
In the following section, I’ll show you a selection of the most important tools I use regularly in the analysis process—tools I’d like to recommend to you as well.
Google Search Console
Google Search Console (GSC) is a free SEO tool from Google that provides important data on a website's performance in search results.
GSC allows you to monitor the visibility and indexing of your site, identify technical errors, and analyze the search queries that drive traffic to your website.
In addition, Google Search Console provides detailed reports on click-through rate (CTR), impressions, and the website’s average ranking for various keywords.
This helps to adjust the SEO strategy and improve the SEO score.
Google Analytics (or alternatives such as Matomo)
Google Analytics (GA) should be viewed as a complement to Google Search Console.
GA can provide you with valuable data on user behavior, traffic sources, bounce rates, time on site, and other metrics.
GA can help you better understand where your website and SEO are performing well and where they aren't.
On which pages do your users bounce more often than average? Which forms or buttons get clicks and which ones don't?
If you don't want to use GA, Matomo offers a GDPR-compliant and privacy-friendly alternative with the same features.
SEO suites (SEMrush, Ahrefs, Sistrix)
SEO suites such as SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Sistrix offer extensive features and analytical capabilities in the areas of technical SEO, on-page SEO, and off-page SEO. These can be of great value during an SEO analysis.
These all-in-one tools can help you with keyword research, backlink analysis, and technical SEO audits, among other things.
You can also use these tools to monitor your keyword rankings, analyze competitors, and generate detailed status reports.
At Beyondweb, we use SEMrush for keyword research and SurferSEO for on-page competitor analysis. We primarily use Ahrefs for off-page analysis, as the software has the world’s largest backlink database.
In German-speaking countries, Sistrix is popular, particularly for its visibility indices, which also allow users to compare their own website with those of their competitors.
Crawler (Screaming Frog)
A web crawler like Screaming Frog is essential for the technical analysis of your website.
ScreamingFrog's crawler scans every single URL on your website and automatically identifies and prioritizes potential issues.
You also have the option to analyze your website down to the last detail using a wide range of filter options.
With ScreamingFrog, you can identify technical issues such as slow loading times, duplicate content, missing alt text, meta descriptions, orphan pages, meta titles, and more.
SEO Analysis Process
As mentioned above, an SEO analysis involves several steps.
Below, I will explain the chronological sequence of the analysis.
Step #1 – Technical Analysis
A technical audit is typically the first step in an SEO analysis.
Focus of technical analysis
- Crawling the website to identify technical errors and appropriate corrective actions
- PageSpeed test of the mobile and desktop versions and identification of appropriate measures
SEO Analysis Tools Used
- Screaming Frog
- Ahrefs Site Audit
- Google Search Console
Step #2 – On-Page Analysis
The technical section is followed by the on-page SEO check.
Focus of the on-page analysis
- SEO Keyword Analysis
- Keyword Ranking Analysis
- Keyword Gap Analysis
- Content Audit
- Topical Map & Keyword Clustering
SEO Analysis Tools Used
- SurferSEO
- ScreamingFrog
- SEMrush
- Ahrefs
- Google Search Console
Step #3 – Off-Page Analysis
The final part of an SEO analysis is usually the off-page section.
Focus of Off-Page Analysis
- Link Gap Analysis
- Analysis of Link Speed
- Anchor Text Analysis
SEO Analysis Tools Used
- Ahrefs
More tips for SEO analysis
Here are some tips that can help you optimize your SEO efforts and achieve better results.
Conduct regular SEO checks
It’s important to perform regular SEO checks to continuously monitor your website’s health and identify technical SEO issues early on. Use SEO analysis tools like Google Search Console to identify and resolve problems. A comprehensive SEO audit can also help you review technical SEO factors anduncover opportunities for optimization
Optimize keywords strategically
Thorough keyword research is the foundation of successful search engine optimization. Use tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to find relevant keywords and monitor their rankings. Focus on on-page optimization of your content by incorporating keywords into H1 headings, H2 headings, paragraphs, meta titles, meta descriptions, and alt text. I recommend creating an Excel or Google Sheets spreadsheet with a to-do list and working through it systematically.
Review and update content regularly
A content audit helps you assess the quality and relevance of your existing content. You should conduct a content audit every 6–12 months. Update or delete outdated articles as needed, improve the SEO of existing articles, and ensure that all content is up to date. Regular content updates help improve your SEO score.
Regular backlink audits
Backlinks are an important ranking factor. Conduct regular backlink audits to assess the quality and quantity of inbound links to your domain and those of your competitors. Tools like Ahrefs can help you identify valuable links and remove harmful ones.
Regular technical audits
Technical SEO factors such as load times, mobile optimization, and page structure. In my view, these are basic requirements that simply need to be met. If you’re constantly working on your site and publishing new content, it’s important not to lose sight of the technical aspects. To do this, conduct a thorough technical audit every 6–12 months using an SEO suite like Screaming Frog, Sistrix, or Ahrefs to identify and fix technical issues. A well-structured and technically sound website improves the user experience and is a prerequisite for better rankings.
Create user-centered content
Analysis is followed by implementation. If you’ve identified new keywords during your SEO analysis, make sure your content meets the requirements and needs of your target audience. For each keyword, ask yourself what search intent your user has when entering it into Google. Also, take a look at how your competitors structure their content and use your own expertise and experience to offer new perspectives in your content.
I hope this behind-the-scenes look at SEO analysis was helpful and provided you with enough context to conduct a successful SEO analysis on your own. Use this information to develop your own SEO strategies.
