SEO is the foundation of any website, but getting to the top results on Google requires more than just fast page speeds. For many website owners, conducting a technical SEO audit is intimidating, but it’s essential to take the leap! Understanding the problems in a technical SEO audit gives you the power to thoroughly analyze your site and develop a comprehensive strategy. In this guide, our experts walk you through a step-by-step process for a successful tech audit so you can see the wood for the trees. We’ll also explain what each issue is and where it should lie on your priority list.
1. Addressing Site Architecture Issues
The first step in doing technical SEO audit is to understand how search engines interact with your website. This includes looking at site architecture, URL structure, and navigation. You want to ensure that Google can properly crawl and index your website so users can easily find the content they’re looking for.
Some common issues in this category include:
- Orphaned pages: Pages that can’t be found by following links from other pages on your website
- Duplicate content: Content that is exactly the same or very similar to other content on your website
- Broken links: Links that lead to 404 error pages
- Poorly organized sitemaps: Sitemaps that are difficult to navigate or don’t include all of your website’s pages
To fix these issues, you must ensure that your site is well-organized and easy to navigate. You can do this by:
- Creating a sitemap that includes all of your website’s pages
- Adding internal links to help users find related content
- Eliminating duplicate content by canonicalizing or 301 redirecting pages
- Fixing broken links
2. Finding and Fixing Site Security Issues
The next step in a technical SEO audit is to check for any security issues affecting your website. This includes looking for malware, SSL certificates, and other potential threats. You want to ensure that your website is safe for users and search engines so that you don’t get penalized in the SERPs.
Some common security issues include:
- Malware: Malicious code that can harm your website or infect visitors’ computers
- Insecure SSL certificates: SSL certificates that are expired, self-signed, or not from a trusted authority
- Hacked content: Content that has been added to your website without your knowledge or consent
To fix these issues, you need to take measures to secure your website. You can do this by:
- Scanning your website for malware and removing any that you find
- Installing an SSL certificate from a trusted authority
- Restricting access to your website’s admin area
- Keeping your content management system and plugins up-to-date
- Backing up your website regularly
3. Improving Site Speed and Performance
Third technical SEO audit step is to improve your website’s speed and performance. This includes optimizing images, minimizing code, and using a content delivery network. You want to ensure that your website loads quickly so that users don’t get frustrated and leave before they’ve had a chance to explore your content. After all, 39% of people will stop engaging with a website if images won’t load or take too long to load!
Some common speed and performance issues include:
- Slow page loading times: Pages that take more than three seconds to load
- Unoptimized images: Images that are too large or not in the correct format
- Too much code: Code that is bloated or unnecessary
- Lack of a content delivery network: Content that isn’t being delivered quickly enough to users
To fix these issues, you need to optimize your website for speed and performance. You can do this by:
- Optimizing images by compressing them and using the correct file format
- Minimizing code by removing any unnecessary or bloated code
- Using a content delivery network to improve content delivery times
- Testing your website’s speed regularly
4. Making it Mobile-Friendly
Then, make sure your website is mobile-friendly. This Technical SEO audit process includes making sure your website is responsive, using mobile-friendly URLs, and optimizing for mobile search. You want to ensure that users can easily access your content on their smartphones and tablets so that you don’t lose out on traffic or rankings. After all, 85% of adults think that a company’s website should be as good or better on mobile than on desktop.
Some standard mobile-friendliness issues include:
- Unresponsive design: A website that isn’t designed to adjust to different screen sizes
- Mobile-unfriendly URLs: URLs that are long and difficult to type on a mobile device
- Lack of mobile search optimization: Content that isn’t optimized for mobile search engines
To fix these issues, you can:
- Start with a fluid grid and set appropriate responsive breakpoints
- Use mobile-friendly URLs that are short and easy to type
- Optimize your content for mobile search engines
- Test your website on different devices regularly
Related Reading: Here’s How to Take Advantage of Google’s 2022 Algorithm Update
These are just a few of the many technical SEO issues that you may find on your website during a technical SEO audit. By following these steps, you can perform a thorough technical SEO audit and create a plan to fix any issues that you find. As always, if you need any help, our team of SEO experts is here to answer any questions you may have.
