3 Compelling Reasons Why Site Audits Should Be in Your Portfolio
By Su Burton-Griffiths

When was the last time you scrolled past the first screen of a search engine listing?

I’m guessing your answer might be never. Most people when searching only look at the results on the first page.

Research by Backlinko found only 0.63% of people clicked on the second page of a Google search result. That’s a big problem for businesses — they need to be found online.

And attracting the attention of visitors is only part of the problem … keeping their attention once they visit the site is another.

For instance, a Forbes report highlighted that 90% of online visitors — that’s 9 out of 10! — won’t revisit a website if they’ve had a bad experience. That might include things like difficulty in finding what they’re looking for, out of date or incorrect data, or a slow-loading page.

Businesses invest a lot of money setting up their websites, and many find they don’t get the traffic or conversions they expected. Yet most of them don’t know why.

That’s why a Site Audit can be extremely valuable for businesses in any industry.

What Is a Site Audit?

When I first heard about Site Audits, I thought it was something technical I wouldn’t be able to do. In fact, they sounded kind of boring.

While there are IT and web experts who do conduct technical website audits, they’re nothing like the Site Audits I’m talking about here.

These Site Audits evaluate the content of a website and look at how well it’s working in attracting visitors and turning them into sales. And it’s really not complicated.

This information about Site Audits came at just the right moment for me, as I was in the middle of creating my first website, a challenge in itself.

And what I learned helped me avoid a lot of common mistakes — I’ll tell you a bit more about that later.

Now, let’s look at three compelling reasons why Site Audits should be in your writer’s toolkit …

Find Clients on Your Doorstep

Many writers, particularly if they’re new to copywriting, struggle to find prospects. Often writers are introverts and lack confidence, making it difficult to promote themselves to prospective clients.

So offering a Site Audit is a great way to introduce yourself. And the best place to start is in your own neighborhood.

Thousands of local businesses are missing out on sales because their website doesn’t tell people where they are, or even, what they do. This means their sites don’t show up in search results when people are looking for a local business.

Imagine you urgently need a locksmith. That’s going to be a local business. But if their website doesn’t say where they’re based or the area they cover, and include a telephone number, people desperate for a locksmith aren’t going to find them, because the business won’t show up in the search results.

The same applies to a garage or a dentist. If someone is visiting an area and needs their car looked at, or has an urgent dental problem, how are they going to find the business if the address and telephone number aren’t included in their website?

Can you see why including this information in a website is so vital, and how when it’s missing, it opens up huge opportunities for writers like you?

With so many local businesses making this mistake, there are plenty of potential clients all around you.

Be Seen as an Expert in Web Content Creation

When you conduct a Site Audit, you’ll follow a 21-point plan that will help you identify areas of weakness on the client’s website. Then, with the aid of an easy-to-follow template, you’ll write a report identifying the issues you’ve found and present it to the client.

You’ll give them enough information to understand the problem, but not so much that they don’t need your help to fix it.

You’ll move from being seen as just a copy or content writer to being a valued expert website consultant.

Get Paid Twice from the Same Client

Business owners are busy people, focused on their day-to-day work.

But they also want their business to be successful. So, once they’ve read your report on how their website can be improved to increase their customer base, or their Return on Investment, they’re going to want to take action.

And who is best positioned to help them implement the suggestions in your report?

YOU.

Because they see you as the expert, they’ll be happy to pay you to make the changes.

So, you’ll get paid to diagnose the problems and to revise the existing copy as well as writing new pages — getting paid twice from the same client.

And the great thing about websites is — they’re never finished. They constantly need new information to make them relevant and to keep attracting visitors.

And because you’ve built trust with the client, they’ll be happy to pay you to do this work. Plus, in addition to website updates, you’re the most likely candidate when they need help with collateral projects. That might include having you write emails, landing pages, video scripts, maybe a blog. There are so many ways you can enhance the client’s business.

How Did This Help Me in Writing My Own Website?

As I mentioned earlier, finding out about Site Audits came at an opportune time for me.

Applying the information I learned while writing my own website meant I avoided the common mistakes highlighted above.

Instead, I was able to create a professional website visitors can easily navigate and find what they’re looking for. You’ll be able to do the same.

By learning how to conduct Site Audits, you’ll not only be able to find new clients, you can help improve their websites, leading to increased traffic and sales. They’ll see you as not just a copy or content writer, but as a website expert they’re eager to work with.

Check out the details of the Site Audits Made Simple program and find out how you can quickly add this skill to your portfolio to grow your client base and boost profits.

Do you have any questions? Let us know in the comments.