How I perform an SEO quick scan within one hour

Optimizing your website is the focus of an SEO quick scan . In addition, evaluation is important to improve a Web site. One of the tools used for this purpose is the SEO quick scan. In this article, I share how I perform an SEO quick scan within an hour.

What is an SEO quick scan?

An SEO quick scan is a short scan performed on your website. The goal is to globally evaluate the website. During this evaluation, any opportunities, pitfalls and opportunities for improvement are identified.

It may be the case that the results of the quick scan are grounds for even more extensive research. To emphasize this: An SEO quick scan will not ensure that you have a complete, thorough strategy ready to use. It can give a rough idea of where you stand, though.

How do I perform an SEO quick scan?

SEO consists of content, technical SEO and link building. Below is how I get started on each section.

Content quick scan

I like to start by taking stock of the current state of the content. Here I check the most important pages for SEO (often you know yourself well what the top 5 pages of your website are).

  1. is the main keyword enough in the text (about 1% of the text);
  2. is the page title and meta description optimized from the page;
  3. are the headers optimized for the keyword;
  4. would I let a customer read the content of the page (is it qualitative enough for that);
  5. there are grammatical errors in the text;
  6. Does my content really provide value or is the content written just to get higher in Google;
  7. I have enough landing pages to rank higher in Google for all my important search terms.

Inventory this on a page-by-page basis to get an overall picture of content quality.

Technique quick scan

In terms of technical SEO, you need a fair amount of knowledge to do this properly and completely. This also requires some more tools (I’m happy to give them). Some more basic things you can think about:

  1. check website speed via Lighthouse (above 80/100 is OK);
  2. check for a Robots.txt set;
  3. check if there is an XML sitemap in the website;
  4. check for duplicate content (this can be done on the website itself);
  5. check for breadcrumbs on the website;
  6. check for structured data on the website;
  7. check for non-working pages on the website.

As I said; this section is a bit more complicated and I can write a separate article about each mentioned section (which I have probably already done).

Quick scan on link building

For this part, I personally use the tool Ahrefs, but you can also use SEMrush for this (this will be slightly different in terms of how it is written, but you can achieve similar things with it).

domain authority of referring websites;
The subdivision of anchor texts and relevance;
Number and quality of backlinks;
Distribution of do-follow and no-follow links;
geographic location of referring websites (ideally you should have NL links for NL);
course of links obtained (natural growth versus sudden spikes);
relevance of the referring sites relative to your niche;
Distribution of backlinks to different pages on the site.

For this, read my article on the backlink profile, where I go into a little more detail.

Conclusion

Performing a quick scan for SEO gives a good picture / a basic baseline of where you are now with your website. To really get to work on this I am happy to help you of course, please fill out the contact form to do so.

Usually I bring together all the data I have collected in a spreadsheet summary in order to draw a conclusion. For example, this conclusion could be; in terms of content, we are doing well, but in terms of technical SEO, there is work to be done. Then I get to work on further figuring out what we could do in terms of technical SEO.

Resources

  1. In-Depth Guide to How Google Search Works | Google Search Central | Documentation | Google for Developers. (s.d.-d). Google For Developers. https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/how-search-works

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a QuickScan?

A QuickScan is a brief analysis of a Web site. We as SEO specialists use this to get a good picture of a website within a short time and base a further strategy on it.

What is the impact of QuickScan on SEO?

By having quick insight into what improvements are needed, you can also take immediate action on them. This will increase Google’s rating, ultimately resulting in more organic traffic.

What insights does a quick scan provide?

A quick scan is a quick and concise analysis of a particular issue, problem or situation. The purpose of a quick scan is to quickly understand key aspects of the issue, and to determine what further steps need to be taken to solve the problem or achieve the goal.

A quick scan can offer different insights, depending on the topic being investigated. Here are some examples:

  1. Understanding the current situation: a quick scan can provide insight into the current state of an organization, project, product, or service. For example, it can reveal where the bottlenecks are, what the strengths and weaknesses are, and where there are opportunities and threats.
  2. Understanding customer needs: a quick scan can help to quickly understand customer needs and wants, such as through a customer satisfaction survey.
  3. Understanding the feasibility of a project: a quick scan can quickly reveal whether a particular project is feasible, such as by conducting a cost-benefit analysis.
  4. Insight into possible solutions: a quick scan can help to quickly identify possible solutions to a particular problem, for example through brainstorming sessions or expert interviews.
  5. Understanding the necessary next steps: a quick scan can help to quickly determine the necessary next steps to solve the problem or achieve the goal, such as by creating an action plan.

In general, then, a quick scan provides insight into the most important aspects of the issue being investigated, and can help to quickly determine the appropriate next steps.

Can I perform a quick scan myself?

Of course, you can do a quick scan yourself without extensive expertise. To conduct a quick scan, you need to be structured and clearly define the topic or problem you want to investigate.

Then you compile a list of the most important questions you want answered. This gives direction to the research and ensures that you collect targeted information.

Then you gather information about the topic or problem you want to research. This can be done through various methods such as desk research, interviews, surveys or observations. Once you have gathered the information, analyze it and identify key findings. This can be done through the use of a SWOT analysis, identifying trends, or identifying possible solutions.

You then draw conclusions based on the findings and identify key next steps. This can be done, for example, by creating an action plan. Remember that a quick scan is not a comprehensive study and therefore the findings may not be complete or detailed. Therefore, it may be useful to verify findings or conduct additional studies before making important decisions.

What can a quick scan be used for?

A quick scan can be used in several ways, depending on the subject being investigated and the specific situation. Below are some examples of applications of a quick scan:

  1. Companies can use a quick scan to get a quick picture of their organization’s strengths and weaknesses, the biggest challenges they face, and the opportunities and threats that arise. This can help develop a strategy for the future.
  2. For projects, a quick scan can help provide quick insight into the project’s feasibility, major risks, and possible solutions. This can help in making quick decisions about project progress.
  3. A quick scan can also provide a quick picture of customer needs and wants. For example, a survey or interview can quickly reveal what the biggest obstacles are and where there are opportunities for improvement.
  4. Governments can use quick scans to quickly understand policy problems or social issues. This can help develop effective policies or make important decisions.
  5. A quick scan can also provide quick insight into the performance of individuals or teams. For example, by conducting a performance evaluation, it can quickly become clear where strengths and weaknesses lie and where improvements can be made.

In short, a quick scan can be used in several ways to gain quick insight into specific issues, problems or situations. This can help in making important decisions or developing effective strategies.

What are the next steps once a quick scan has been performed?

Once a quick scan has been performed, it is important to carefully analyze the findings and determine follow-up steps based on the results. Below are some possible next steps:

  • Verify the findings: it may be helpful to verify the findings to make sure they are correct and that no important information is missing. This can be done, for example, through additional studies or by consulting other experts in the field.
  • Formulate recommendations: based on the findings, recommendations can be formulated for solving the problem or achieving the goal. It is important to formulate concrete and achievable recommendations that fit within the organization’s strategy and goals.
  • Develop an action plan: an action plan is a plan that describes the concrete steps and responsibilities to implement the recommendations. It is important to make the action plan detailed and realistic and take into account the organization’s available resources and capabilities.
  • Implementation and evaluation: after the action plan is developed, it must be implemented. During implementation, it is important to closely monitor progress and make adjustments as needed. Upon completion of the plan, an evaluation can take place to determine if the objectives were achieved and what was learned from the process.

It is important to properly plan and execute follow-up steps to ensure that the quick scan actually contributes to solving the problem or achieving the goal.

Are there other ways to analyze a website?

Yes, there are several ways to do an analysis of a website, in addition to a quick scan. Below are some examples of other methods:

  1. Detailed website analysis: this is an in-depth analysis of a website on various aspects such as technical aspects, content, user experience and search engine optimization. This type of analysis can be performed using various tools, such as Google Analytics, SEMrush and Ahrefs.
  2. User testing: this is a method of understanding users’ experiences while navigating a Web site. This involves asking users to perform specific tasks and observing their behavior and feedback. This can help identify bottlenecks and opportunities for improvement.
  3. SEO audit: this is an analysis of a website’s search engine optimization. This involves analyzing the technical aspects, content and backlinks to determine how well the website is optimized for search engines such as Google.
  4. Content audit: this is an analysis of the content on a website to determine if the content is relevant, valuable and up-to-date. This looks at things like the quality of the content, the structure of the content and its relevance to the target audience.
  5. Web analytics: this is an analysis of a website’s statistics, such as number of visitors, time on the website, conversion rates and bounce rate. This can help identify trends and patterns and improve website performance.

In short, there are several methods for conducting a website analysis, depending on the objectives and type of information needed.

How long does it take to perform a quick scan?

The duration of conducting a quick scan can vary depending on several factors, such as the scope of the topic being researched and the time and resources available. Generally, however, a quick scan is designed to gain quick insight into a specific issue or problem and therefore should not take more than a few days to a week to perform.

It is important to realize that a quick scan is not a comprehensive study and the findings may not be complete or detailed. Therefore, it is important to verify findings or conduct additional studies before making important decisions.

For example, if the quick scan is part of a larger research project or strategic plan, it may take longer to analyze the findings and determine next steps. In this case, more time may be needed to conduct additional research and develop a detailed action plan.

Do I need to prepare my website before a quick scan can be performed?

Basically, there is no need to prepare your website before a quick scan. A quick scan is designed to get a quick overview of key aspects of a Web site and identify any problems or areas for improvement. However, it can help to prepare some things to make the process smoother and the results more accurate. Here are some tips:

  1. Make sure the website is available: it is important that the website is available and working properly during the quick scan. This means that the website should not be offline and that there are no technical problems affecting the operation of the website.
  2. Establish objectives: before the quick scan is conducted, it is helpful to clearly define the website’s objectives. What do you want to achieve with the website? Who is the target audience? By making these objectives clear, the quick scan can be more focused and better determine whether the website is meeting the objectives.
  3. Make a list of important pages: list the most important pages of the website, such as the homepage, product pages and contact page. This can help focus the quick scan and identify key areas for improvement.
  4. List competitors: make a list of the website’s main competitors. This can help compare the site with similar sites and identify opportunities and threats.

It is important to emphasize that it is not necessary to fully optimize the website before performing a quick scan. Instead, the quick scan is designed to provide quick insight into key areas for improvement so that the website can be better optimized for the target audience.

What does it cost to perform a quick scan?

The cost of conducting a quick scan can vary and depends on several factors, such as the size of the subject being investigated, the methods used and resources available. Costs may also vary depending on who performs the quick scan. When hiring outside consultants, fees may be charged for their services and expertise.

If paid tools and software are used to analyze the Web site, there may also be fees associated with this. If the quick scan is conducted internally, costs may be charged for the time and resources expended in conducting the quick scan. To get a clear idea of the cost of a quick scan in advance, it is advisable to inquire about the rates and prices of different providers before awarding a contract.

It is important to emphasize that the cost of a quick scan should be relatively low compared to more comprehensive analyses and studies.

Senior SEO-specialist

Ralf van Veen

Senior SEO-specialist
Five stars
My clients give me a 5.0 on Google out of 78 reviews

I have been working for 12 years as an independent SEO specialist for companies (in the Netherlands and abroad) that want to rank higher in Google in a sustainable manner. During this period I have consulted A-brands, set up large-scale international SEO campaigns and coached global development teams in the field of search engine optimization.

With this broad experience within SEO, I have developed the SEO course and helped hundreds of companies with improved findability in Google in a sustainable and transparent way. For this you can consult my portfolio, references and collaborations.

This article was originally published on 29 March 2024. The last update of this article was on 5 June 2024. The content of this page was written and approved by Ralf van Veen. Learn more about the creation of my articles in my editorial guidelines.

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