In this article, we’ll explore the 8 fundamental steps for performing a technical SEO audit. By the end of this process, you’ll be able to identify and fix technical issues that are hindering your website’s visibility in search engines. You’ll learn how to detect indexing issues, site structure problems, meta tags, speed, security, and internationalization issues, and create an action plan to improve user experience and SEO optimization. I’m ready to help you take your SEO skills to the next level!
Steps for a Technical SEO Audit
Step 1: Website Crawling
The first step in a technical SEO audit is to crawl the website. This involves using tools like Ahrefs Site Audit, Screaming Frog, or SEMrush to analyze the site and identify issues. These tools can detect link errors, duplicate pages, HTTP errors, and other problems that might affect the website’s optimization.
Step 2: Identifying Indexing Issues
Once the website has been crawled, it’s important to verify if search engines can index all the pages on the site. This can be done using tools like Google Search Console or Bing Webmaster Tools. If indexing issues are detected, the website might not be visible in search results.
Step 3: Analyzing Site Structure
The site structure is crucial for SEO optimization. It’s important to verify if the site structure is logical and easy to navigate for users. This can be done by reviewing the sitemap, checking if the categories and subcategories are well-defined, and if the pages are organized logically.
Step 4: Reviewing Meta Tags
Meta tags are fundamental for SEO optimization. It’s important to verify if the meta tags are complete and appropriate for each page on the website. This can be done by reviewing the title, description, and keywords on the site’s pages.
Step 5: Checking Site Speed
Site speed is crucial for user experience and SEO optimization. It’s important to verify if the website loads quickly and without issues. This can be done using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or Pingdom.
Step 6: Reviewing Site Security
Website security is critical to avoid malicious attacks and protect user information. It’s important to verify if the website is protected against HTTP and HTTPS attacks and if secure authentication protocols are used.
Step 7: Checking Site Internationalization
If the website is targeted at an international audience, it’s important to verify if it is compatible with different languages and regions. This can be done by checking if the site uses internationalization (I18N) and localization (L10N).
Step 8: Creating an Action Plan
Once the issues have been identified in the technical SEO audit, it’s important to create an action plan to address them. This can be done by prioritizing the most critical issues and creating a timeline to implement solutions. By following these steps, you can conduct an effective technical SEO audit and improve your website’s visibility in search engines.
Crawling and Indexing: The Foundation of Search Engine Visibility
In the first step of a technical SEO audit, it’s essential to analyze how the website behaves in terms of crawling and indexing. Crawling refers to the process by which search engines (like Google) explore and gather information from the website to create a content index. Indexing, on the other hand, refers to the process by which search engines organize and classify the collected information in their index.
Why is it Important?
Crawling and indexing are fundamental for a website to be visible in search engines. If the site cannot be crawled correctly, it cannot be indexed, which means it cannot be found in search results. On the other hand, if the site is not indexed properly, it cannot retrieve the necessary information to improve its ranking and visibility.
How to Perform a Crawling and Indexing Analysis
To perform a crawling and indexing analysis, tools like Ahrefs Site Audit or Screaming Frog can be used. These tools allow you to analyze the website and detect crawling and indexing issues, such as non-indexed or non-crawlable pages.
What Problems Can Arise?
Common problems that can arise with crawling and indexing include:
- Non-indexed pages: If the site’s pages are not being indexed correctly, they cannot be found in search results.
- Non-crawlable pages: If the site’s pages cannot be crawled correctly, they cannot be indexed.
- robots.txt or meta robots issues: If the robots.txt or meta robots file is configured incorrectly, it can prevent search engines from crawling and indexing the website.
Crawling and indexing are fundamental for search engine visibility. It is important to perform a detailed analysis of how the website behaves in terms of crawling and indexing and to resolve any issues that arise to improve its ranking and visibility.
Analyzing Site Structure
The site structure is fundamental for the success of any SEO strategy. A logical and easy-to-navigate structure can significantly improve the user experience and the site’s visibility in search engines. In this step, it is important to analyze the content organization, page hierarchy, and navigation between them.
A good website should have a clear and concise structure that allows users to quickly find what they are looking for. This is achieved through intuitive design and easy-to-use navigation, with clear and descriptive links. It is also important to consider page hierarchy, as this helps search engines better understand the site’s structure and assign greater relevance to the most important pages.
Additionally, it is crucial to review the number of subpages and the content depth. A website with too many subpages can be confusing for users and search engines, while a website with little depth may not have enough valuable content to attract traffic.
Analyzing the site structure is crucial to ensure it is designed to provide a positive user experience and improve visibility in search engines. By reviewing this structure, you can identify opportunities to improve navigation, reduce complexity, and increase content relevance.
Reviewing Meta Tags and Titles
During the technical SEO review, it is essential to ensure that meta tags and titles are complete and appropriate for each page on the website. Meta tags are small HTML tags that provide important information to search engines about the content of a page.
Meta Tags
Meta tags are divided into two categories: meta title and meta description. The meta title is the title displayed in the browser tab and used as the title in search results. It should be short, attractive, and descriptive so that users can understand what the page is about.
The meta description is a brief description of the page displayed below the title in search results. It should be clear, concise, and persuasive to encourage users to visit the page.
Reviewing Meta Tags
During the review, check if the following aspects are complete and appropriate:
- The meta title is short (less than 60 characters) and descriptive.
- The meta description is brief (less than 160 characters) and persuasive.
- Titles and descriptions are consistent across the page.
- Meta tags are written in the correct language for each region.
Tips
Use tools like Google Search Console or Ahrefs to verify the meta tags of your website.
Ensure that titles and descriptions are relevant and attractive to users.
Avoid excessive use of keywords in meta tags, as it may be considered spam by search engines.
By reviewing and optimizing meta tags and titles, you can improve the website’s visibility in search results and increase the likelihood of users visiting the page.
Optimizing Website Speed
Site speed is crucial for user experience and search engine performance. A slow website can lead to a significant decrease in conversion, traffic retention, and user satisfaction. Therefore, it is essential to optimize the website speed to enhance its performance.
To evaluate the website speed, it is recommended to use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix. These tools analyze the page load and provide specific recommendations to improve it. Important aspects to consider include:
- Reducing the size of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files.
- Using optimized images and compressing their data.
- Implementing caching and queueing to reduce server request load.
- Reviewing the number of scripts and styles loaded on each page.
- Considering the use of technologies like CDNs (Content Delivery Networks) or Edge Caching.
By optimizing the website speed, you can significantly improve the user experience and search engine performance. This is especially important for sites that rely on conversion and monetization. Website speed optimization is a key step in the technical SEO audit and should be considered in any SEO strategy.
Verifying Security and Privacy
The verification of security and privacy is a crucial step in the technical SEO audit. It is essential to review if the website is protected against malicious attacks and if user data is being used securely.
To start, it is recommended to verify if the website has SSL/TLS certificates activated. An SSL/TLS certificate (Secure Sockets Layer/Transport Layer Security) is a standard for online security connections that ensures that information is encrypted and protected while transmitted between the server and the user’s browser.
Additionally, you should verify if the website has known vulnerabilities that can be exploited by malicious attackers. Tools like Sucuri Scanner or SSL Labs can be used to analyze the website’s security.
Regarding privacy, it is essential to review if the website uses cookies and third-party scripts that may collect personal information from users without their explicit consent. You should also verify if the website has a clear and visible privacy policy explaining how user data will be used.
Security and privacy verification is a fundamental step in the technical SEO audit to ensure that the website is protected against malicious attacks and that user data is used securely and transparently.
Creating an Action Plan
Once you have identified the issues and opportunities to improve the website’s optimization, it’s time to create an action plan. This plan should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). Here are some steps to create an effective action plan:
- Prioritize issues: Identify the most important and critical problems that require immediate attention. These can be technical errors, indexing issues, or missing meta tags.
- Set objectives: Establish clear and measurable objectives for each identified issue. For example, “Improve website speed by 30% within the next 6 months”.
- Define tasks: Break down objectives into specific tasks that need to be completed. For example, “Optimize CSS and JS files to improve website speed”.
- Set a deadline: Establish a reasonable deadline for each task and objective. This will help you stay focused and measure progress.
- Assign responsibilities: Assign a specific person responsible for completing each task and objective. Ensure that this person has the skills and resources needed to successfully complete the task.
- Monitor and adjust: Monitor the progress of the action plan and adjust as necessary. This will help you identify unforeseen problems or readjust objectives and tasks.
By following these steps, you can create an effective action plan that helps improve website optimization and increase its visibility in search engines. Remember that the technical SEO audit is just the first step towards broader improvement. Let’s get started!