Improve Your SEO all the efforts you pour into research , writing and publishing content on your website can be sabotaged by technical SEO problems .
Through years of experience and testing , ToTheWeb has identified 21 issues in 10 categories you’ll want to audit to ensure your web pages are optimized to deliver superior search results .
- ENSURE YOUR PAGES CAN INDEXED
Make sure your important pages aren’t being blocked from Google by mistake .
Check your index status Use the index Status report in Google Search Console to see the number of pages Google has crawled from your domain . You want the data to indicate the page count is increasing over time .
Review site and URL errors Use the site errors and URL errors reports in Google Search Console to locate problems .
Check your robots.txt file Test your robots.txt file by adding/robots.txt to the end of your domain to ensure pages are not “disallowed.”
Review site and URL errors Use the site errors and URL errors reports in Google Search Console to locate problems .
- SECURE YOUR WEBSITE
Google has claimed it now favors websites encrypted with HTTPS .
Switch to HTTPS
Secure your website with HTTPS using SSL .
HTTPS provides encrypted communication with a web server .
- CHECK YOUR META DATA
When pages are crawled , sometimes a NoIndex meta tag is inserted , which will block Google .
Alexa’s technical site audit software makes it easy to see how Meta data can be optimized
Check source code Check the source of the page for the code <meta name = “robots” content =”noindex”> to ensure no such code exists on pages you want indexed .
Run Screaming Frog Use screaming frog , a powerful auditing tool , to test your website and review the current status of all metadata .
- AUDIT YOUR LINK PROFILE
Search success depends in large part on earning links from trusted domains .
Conduct a complete backlink audit Use Google Search Console and Alexa to audit your backlinks and monitor and find new linking opportunities .
- OPTIMIZE SITE SPEED
Search engines favor faster sites and potential visitors are prone to bail on slow-loading websites . Aim to optimize your website so pages load in 3 seconds or less .
- Use speed testing tools Test your site’s speed with Alexa and Google Mobile Friendly .
- Evaluate WordPress plugins Identify bandwidth hogs .
- Reduce image file size for optimum performance
- Remove direct chains
- Speed-up your Javascript
Load Time Comparison
2 seconds = faster than 70% of sites
3 seconds = faster than 54% of sites
6 seconds = faster than only 27% of sites
- DITCH DUPLICATE CONTENT
Duplicate content dilutes the authority tag to let Google know which is the primary URL . Search rankings are negatively affected when duplicate , or similar , content is published on multiple URLs . Use the canonical tag to point to the primary URL for pages containing duplicate , or similar content .
- REMOVE LOW VALUE PAGES
Ensure each Google-indexed page contains original , rich content – with relevant keywords .
De-index low value pages While you may benefit from campaign – specific landing pages , if they are not robust pages , remove them from the index . Redirect these pages to content – rich URLs ( using a 301 redirect )
- CREATE USEFUL LINKS
Your search rankings will benefit from a well-planned internal link structure .
Use descriptive anchor text Make links that feature the same keywords as the page they link to .
- OPTIMIZE FOR MOBILE
Given Google’s modern “mobile first” indexing approach , it’s critical to appear in mobile searches .
Use responsive design Update your website to feature responsive design that creates an optimum experience regardless of screen size .
Use Google testing tool Google Search Console offers a mobility usability report you can use to identify problematic pages . The Google Mobile Test Tool scores them relative to mobile friendliness .
- MASTER THE BASICS
Implement the fundamental optimization techniques to improve your page’s potential to rank in search .
Use unique title tags
- Write unique title tags including a keyword phrase to accurately describe the page’s topic .
- Understand title length has been expanded recently and search engine results may run as high as 75 characters . ( Google counts titles in pixels – use this free tool goo.gl/uL6y3E to calculate length ) .
Emphasize keywords Include the keywords you’ve selected in your headings , subheadings , body copy , and URL appropriately .
Write meta descriptions Indexed pages should include meta descriptions featuring keywords to encourage readers to click-through . Avoid duplicating your page content in your meta description .
