Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is brilliant for a lot of reasons. It will increase your traffic, your business can become an industry leader by using it effectively, and your friends will be impressed that you’re on the first page of Google!
But one thing that you can’t get away from with SEO is that it takes time. Even when doing everything right, sometimes there’s no guarantee that you’ll see results for around 6 months.
During this time, you’ll be juggling on-page, off-page, and technical SEO leaving you with so many tasks to do to help your site rank higher up on the SERPs (search engine results pages). It can get quite overwhelming doing this every day over the long term.
Well, one way that you may be able to give yourself more time in the day is by automating certain aspects of SEO, leaving you free to do the things that matter to you.
But what can and what can’t be automated? Does automating tasks mean that they’ll be done poorly? And does this mean that a robot will be doing all of your work?! Carry on reading to see what our Liverpool SEO agency has to say on this, and more!
Can SEO Be Automated?
Yes, some tasks that are part of SEO can be automated. By using any one of a number of SEO tools on the market, or by using your own piece of code if you are more experienced, you can save time by automating jobs that were previously performed manually.
Some tasks can’t be automated, like coming up with campaign strategies. There are many parts of SEO that rely on human insight to do right. What parts of your business are right for you to push, for example, or how you can design a website that fits the tone of your business.
And there are some tasks that can be automated but it’s probably best if you don’t. For example, writing all of your content. You can find multiple AI content writers on the web, but none of them are able to replicate what a good writer with experience in the subject matter could come up with.
How do I automate SEO?
How you go about automating your SEO will vary depending on what task it is and what your experience level is. Fortunately, there are beginner-friendly ways for you to begin automating most SEO tasks.
For most people, automation will be performed by an SEO tool like SEMrush or Ahrefs. While coming with a hefty price tag, these tools pay for themselves by allowing you to get your work done quicker and make more informed decisions.
Suppose you’re a coding wizard with experience working with Python and JavaScript. In that case, you’ll find that there are some programs you can create to automate otherwise manual-only tasks like competitor analysis.
Should I be automating some SEO tasks?
There are definitely areas of SEO that you should be automating. If you don’t, then you’ll quickly find your days consumed with tedious tasks and wondering “wow I wish there was a way I could get this done quicker!”.
Some of the best examples of tasks you should be automating are:
SERP tracking
Sure, if you want to know how you are performing for a specific search term then you can check this manually and see how you are performing.
But you’ll likely have a load of different search terms that you want to rank for, and your position in the SERPs can change daily. Keeping track of your performance can therefore become very time-consuming.
Position tracking is a common feature on many SEO tools like SEMrush and SERanking. You’ll be able to see how you were ranking for all of your target keywords and if this has changed over time, and you might be able to see how this varies geographically too.
Backlink profiles
You need to know what types of websites are linking to your own. If too many low-quality sites link to your website, then this can negatively skew your link profile and then you can actually be punished as a result.
Provided that you have not bought these low-quality links, then you might feel a bit hard done by if this happens! Fortunately, there is something that you can do to avoid any penalisation.
Google Search Console allows you to see all of the domains that are linking to your site. There, you can also choose to disallow links to your website, which means that these links will no longer count toward your link profile and you won’t receive an action from Google.
Manually tracking every single domain that links to your site would make it impossible to get anything else done. Fortunately, SEO tools include backlink overviews that provide you with an insight to the quality of the domains linking to your site. This makes it immediately clear whether you have a problem or are smooth-sailing.
Site audits
Depending on how many pages your site has, performing an audit yourself can be a mammoth task. Manually checking every page for any URL issues, response codes, metadata issues, and other factors is not something you need to spend your day doing.
We like to use Screaming Frog to run our site audits. It’s a great tool for crawling sites and showing you where the problems lie if any.
You can even export the data from your crawl to a .csv file so you can display the information however you like, create workflow tasks, or make reports easier. Speaking of which…
Reports
Automated SEO reports are brilliant. They are quick, accurate, and look presentable. If you are giving this report to someone with SEO experience, they’ll be able to see exactly what they need, but someone with no SEO experience will need an overview from yourself to understand what’s it all means.
When you use an SEO tool to track your progress, you can automatically create a pdf report that shows your SEO data across the week or the month. Most tools allow you to automate these reports so that they are compiled at recurrent intervals that you set.
When combined with a human touch, these types of reports can’t be beaten. You can offer your interpretation of the data and sum up the technical jargon, but the data is there too if the person viewing your report is interested.
SEO Automation Tools
Here are some popular SEO automation tools and their key features:
SEMrush
SEMrush is an all-in-one SEO and digital marketing platform designed to enhance online visibility and drive traffic through various strategies.
Main Features:
- Explore and analyse keywords for SEO and PPC campaigns, including search volume and competition metrics.
- Perform comprehensive audits to identify technical issues, such as broken links, duplicate content, and missing tags.
- Monitor your backlink profile and analyse competitors’ backlinks to identify opportunities.
- Track keyword rankings over time and analyse fluctuations in SERP positions.
- Receive actionable recommendations to improve content quality and relevance based on target keywords.
Ahrefs
Ahrefs is a powerful SEO toolset known for its robust backlink analysis and keyword research capabilities.
Main Features:
- Gain deep insights into competitors’ websites, uncovering their top-performing content and backlinks.
- Generate keyword ideas with detailed metrics like search volume, difficulty, and potential traffic.
- Identify technical SEO issues that may be hindering your website’s performance through detailed audits.
- Monitor and track keyword rankings across various locations and devices over time.
- Discover popular content within your niche to inspire new ideas and identify content gaps.
Moz Pro
Moz Pro offers a comprehensive suite of tools focused on improving search engine visibility through effective SEO strategies.
Main Features:
- Find and prioritise high-value keywords based on search volume, difficulty, and opportunity metrics.
- Perform site crawls to detect SEO issues and provide actionable insights for improvement.
- Continuously monitor your website’s rankings and compare them against competitors in your niche.
- Analyse your backlink profile and identify potential link-building opportunities by evaluating competitors’ links.
- Receive tailored recommendations to optimise individual pages for improved search performance.
Screaming Frog SEO Spider
Screaming Frog is a website crawler that helps identify SEO issues through a detailed analysis of site structure and performance.
Main Features:
- Crawl websites to find critical SEO issues such as broken links, redirects, and missing metadata.
- Integrate with Google Analytics, Search Console, and PageSpeed Insights for enhanced analysis.
- Use XPath or regex to extract specific data from web pages for tailored insights.
- Create visual reports and site structure visualisations to understand site hierarchy and issues at a glance.
Serpstat
Serpstat is an all-in-one SEO platform that provides a variety of tools for keyword research, site analysis, and competitor tracking.
Main Features:
- Conduct extensive keyword research for both SEO and PPC strategies, including keyword difficulty and trend analysis.
- Execute thorough audits to uncover SEO issues and provide actionable recommendations for fixes.
- Analyse competitors’ strategies, including their top keywords and backlink profiles.
- Monitor keyword rankings across different regions and devices to track SEO performance over time.
- Evaluate your backlink profile and find new link-building opportunities by analysing competitors’ backlinks.
BrightEdge
BrightEdge is an enterprise-level SEO platform that leverages AI to optimise content and improve search performance.
Main Features:
- Access extensive datasets to analyse market trends and derive actionable insights for SEO strategies.
- Utilise AI-driven insights and recommendations to enhance SEO performance and content strategy.
- Measure content impact and optimise for SEO effectiveness based on real-time data.
- Benchmark your website’s performance against competitors to identify growth opportunities.
- Generate and schedule detailed SEO performance reports to keep stakeholders informed.
Surfer SEO
Surfer SEO specialises in content optimisation by providing data-driven insights to improve SERP rankings.
Main Features:
- Optimise content in real-time with specific recommendations based on competitor analysis and keyword targeting.
- Analyse the top-ranking pages for any given keyword to understand ranking factors and content structure.
- Generate keyword ideas and assess their difficulty in finding optimal targets for your strategy.
- Perform content audits to evaluate how your pages stack up against top competitors in your niche.
Ryte
Ryte is an all-in-one platform that focuses on improving website quality through technical SEO and content optimisation.
Main Features:
- Conduct comprehensive audits to assess website health and identify SEO performance issues.
- Optimise content based on data-driven insights and best practices for improved visibility.
- Monitor search performance and visibility metrics to assess the effectiveness of SEO strategies.
- Evaluate technical aspects of a website, including site speed, mobile usability, and crawlability.
The Benefits of Automating SEO
Here are the key benefits of automating SEO:
Time Efficiency
Automating repetitive tasks allows SEO professionals to focus on strategic planning and creative efforts rather than manual data collection and analysis.
Improved Accuracy
Automation minimises human error, ensuring that data analysis, reporting, and optimisations are consistent and precise.
Scalability
Automated tools can easily handle larger websites or multiple projects simultaneously, making it easier to scale SEO efforts without a proportional increase in resources.
Real-Time Data and Insights
Automated tools provide real-time monitoring and updates, enabling quicker responses to changes in website performance or search engine algorithms.
Consistent Reporting
Automating reporting processes ensures regular, consistent updates, allowing for better tracking of progress and results over time.
Enhanced Competitive Analysis
Automation tools can continuously monitor competitor performance, providing insights into their strategies and identifying new opportunities.
Comprehensive Auditing
Automated SEO audits can quickly identify a wide range of issues (e.g., technical, on-page, off-page), allowing for timely fixes and optimisations.
Content Optimisation
Automation can analyse existing content and suggest improvements, helping to maintain high-quality content aligned with SEO best practices.
Keyword Tracking and Analysis
Automated tools facilitate continuous tracking of keyword rankings, helping to refine strategies and identify new keyword opportunities.
Data-Driven Decisions
Automated SEO tools provide actionable insights based on extensive data analysis, enabling more informed decision-making and strategy adjustments.
Enhanced User Experience
Automation can help identify and fix technical issues quickly, improving website performance and user experience, which are critical for SEO success.
Automate Your SEO with Blaze Media
If you are a business looking to improve your SEO, then one of the best decisions you can make is to hire an experienced SEO agency to do it for you.
Having someone behind the wheel who’s been around the block is invaluable. They know what works and what doesn’t for a business like yours, and know how to respond when Google releases an algorithm update out of the blue.
Sure, if you have the time to sit down and learn all about SEO, put it into practice, and keep on top of the latest industry updates you could save a bit of money, but you won’t get the same results. And your business will suffer as a result of you being pulled in multiple directions.
So get in touch with our team at Blaze Media and we can schedule a consultation. We love meeting people like you who are ready to invest in themselves, and we’ll love working with you even more!