A technical SEO audit is an all-inclusive examination of a website’s technical infrastructure to identify and fix any technical issues hindering its ability to rank in search engine results. The audit covers a wide range of areas, including website architecture, server setup, website speed and performance, mobile responsiveness, and content delivery networks.
During a technical SEO audit, the auditor will use various tools and techniques to analyze the website, including website crawlers, server logs, and Google Analytics data. The auditor will also conduct manual checks to verify that the website meets current search engine optimization (SEO) best practices, such as adequately using headers, meta tags, and structured data.
After completing the audit, the auditor will provide a detailed report outlining the issues found, along with recommendations for how to fix them. Common problems that may be identified during a technical SEO audit include the following:
- Broken links.
- Slow page load times.
- Poor mobile responsiveness.
- Missing or incorrect structured data.
Fixing these issues is crucial for ensuring the website is optimized for users and search engines. A well-optimized website can improve its search engine visibility and provide a better user experience, resulting in higher engagement, more conversions, and increased brand loyalty.
WHAT IS MAJORLY FOCUSED DURING A TECHNICAL SITE AUDIT?
SITE STRUCTURE
Site architecture is an essential aspect of technical SEO that refers to the structure and organization of a website, including the way its pages, categories, and subdirectories are arranged. It can significantly impact a website’s visibility and crawl ability, affecting its ranking on search engines.
Here are some best practices for site architecture in terms of SEO:
- Straightforward and Intuitive Navigation: A clear and intuitive navigation structure helps users and search engines understand the hierarchy and organization of the website, making it easier for both to find the information they are looking for.
- URL Structure: URLs should be organized in a logical and readable format that accurately reflects the content and hierarchy of the website.
- Breadcrumb Navigation: Breadcrumb navigation can help users and search engines understand the context and hierarchy of the pages on a website.
- Categories and Subdirectories: Pages should be logically organized into categories and subdirectories to ensure that related content is grouped together.
- Sitemap: A sitemap is a roadmap of the website that can help search engines understand the structure and organization of the website, making it easier for them to crawl and index its pages.
- Mobile Optimization: With the increasing number of mobile users, it is essential to have a mobile-friendly site architecture optimized for both users and search engines.
PAGE SPEED
Page speed is a critical component of technical SEO as it impacts the user experience, which is an important ranking factor for search engines. A fast-loading website not only provides a better user experience but can also improve the crawl rate and indexation of the website.
Here are some best practices for improving page speed in terms of SEO:
- Minimize HTTP Requests: Reduce the number of elements that need to be loaded on each page to improve the website’s speed.
- Optimize Images: Optimize images by compressing them and serving them in an appropriate format to reduce their size and improve loading speed.
- Use a CDN: A Content Delivery Network can help distribute content and improve the loading speed of a website by caching it in multiple locations worldwide.
- Minimize the Use of Plugins & Third-Party Scripts: Plugins and third-party scripts can slow down a website, so it’s essential to only use the necessary ones and minimize their use where possible.
- Enable GZIP Compression: GZIP compression can reduce the size of the pages served, leading to faster loading times for users.
- Minimize the Use of Redirects: Redirects can slow down a website, so it’s essential to minimize their use and to ensure that they are implemented correctly.
- Leverage Browser Caching: Browser caching allows frequently used resources to be stored in the user’s browser, reducing the quantity of data that needs to be loaded each time they visit the website.
CRAWLABILITY & INDEXATION
Crawlability and indexation are crucial components of technical SEO, as they determine whether or not a website’s pages will be discovered and included in search engine results.
Crawlability refers to the ease with which search engine bots can crawl and access the content on a website. A crawlable webpage will have its pages and content indexed and included in search engine results.
Indexation refers to the process by which search engines analyze and store information about the pages on a website in their databases. The indexed pages will be included in search engine results when relevant keywords are used in a search query.
Here are some best practices for improving crawl ability and indexation:
- Sitemap: A sitemap is a roadmap of the website that can help search engines understand the structure and organization of the website, making it easier for them to crawl and index its pages.
- Robots.txt file: The robots.txt file controls search engine bots’ behavior, allowing you to specify which pages should or should not be crawled.
- Canonicalization: Canonicalization is the technique for referring to the preferred version of a web page to be indexed by search engines. This helps to avoid duplicate content and improves the crawlability and indexation of the website.
- Avoid Broken Links: Broken links can negatively impact the crawlability and indexation of a website, so it is essential to check for and fix any broken links regularly.
- Avoid Duplicate Content: Duplicate content can confuse search engines and negatively impact the crawlability and indexation of a website, so it is essential to avoid creating duplicate content and implement canonicalization where necessary.
- Use descriptive and keyword-rich page titles and meta descriptions: Page titles and meta descriptions are an essential factor in determining the relevance of a page to a search query and can significantly impact the visibility and ranking of a website in search engine results.
CONTENT
While content is typically considered a separate component of SEO, it can also play a role in technical SEO. Here are some ways in which content can impact technical SEO:
- Keyword-rich page titles and meta descriptions: Page titles and meta descriptions are an essential factor in determining the relevance of a page to a search query and can significantly impact the visibility & ranking of a website in SERP.
- Unique and Relevant Content: Search engines favor websites with unique and relevant content and can penalize websites with duplicate or low-quality content.
- Content Structure: The structure of content, including the use of headings, subheadings, and other formatting elements, can impact the crawlability and indexation of a website and can also help to improve the user experience.
- Content-Length: The length of content can impact its visibility and rank on search engines, with longer, more in-depth content typically performing better than shorter, less detailed range.
- Image Optimization: Images can play an essential role in a website’s content, but if they are not optimized for search engines, they can slow down the website and negatively impact its visibility and ranking.
- Internal Linking: Internal linking can help to improve the crawl ability and indexation of a website and can also help to provide a better UX by making it easier for users to navigate the website and find related content.
By paying attention to these content-related technical SEO factors, it is possible to improve the boost website ranking in search engine results while providing a better user experience.