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Technical SEO-audit of the site. Check-list

Table of contents

Site logic

It is necessary to work out the logic of the site, the presence of categories and subcategories, pages, filters, blog pages, etc. Based on this, you can build the level of nesting url addresses on the site and the nesting of site pages, and in general build a hierarchy of the site. If there is such a picture, for example, in an exel table, it will be much easier to work with the site.

CNC (Human-Comprehensible URL)

It is correct to use human-understandable URL on the site, that is, when the contents of the address bar is clear in which section of the site is the user. But now it is not a mandatory item, so it can be neglected. The emphasis is on brevity.

*In our work we adhere to this recommendation partially, category and subcategory uses CNC, but the product does not. Example – https://tehno-master.com.ua/ru/komplektuyuschie-dlya-konditsionerov/truba-drenazhnaya-sifony/p460

But again, everything is individual. The main thing to adhere to the main rules: use only Latin letters in url, letters only in lower case, as a word separator symbols, including “-“, “_”, “.”. Do not use a space.

HTTPS security protocol

HTTPS – this data transfer protocol provides security by supporting encryption and is an improved version of HTTP. It is important to properly configure redirection from HTTP to HTTPS, and for less load on the server, within the site to use relative url, and where it is not possible, for example, in the file robots.txt, specify absolute url using https. Example Sitemap: https://domain.com/sitemap.xml

Main mirror

When developing or redesigning the site, it is very important to indicate to the search engine what version of the site is or will be the main, that is, which of the versions to take the search bot to work.

In what cases this question arises:

  • The site is accessible with and without www;
  • The site is accessible both via http and https;
  • Identical content available at different addresses, for example, when the main site is available, and its updated version is not closed from indexing;
  • Identical sites available on different domain names.

This service https://apollon.guru/duplicates/ will be convenient for checking.

Duplicate content

The search engine loves new and unique content, and if it is optimized for the search query, it’s a beauty. But what it definitely does not like is plagiarism or duplication. That needs to be checked.

Robots.txt

Robots.txt is a text file that resides in the root directory of a website and is used to control the behavior of web scanners (bots). It contains instructions on which pages or sections of the site should be scanned or ignored. This is important to optimize site indexing in search engines and prevent server overload.

404

A 404 error means that the requested page or resource on a website was not found. This occurs when a user or search bot tries to access a URL that does not exist on the server.

404 errors are undesirable because they can degrade user experience, lead to loss of traffic and negatively affect a website’s SEO. Regular link management and creating custom 404 pages with useful information help minimize the negative effects.

301

A 301 redirect is a permanent redirect from one URL to another. Minimizing the number of 301 redirects is important for several reasons:

  • Load Speed: Each redirect increases page load time, which degrades the user experience.
  • SEO: Excessive redirects can reduce the “link weight” passed to the landing page, negatively impacting search engine rankings.
  • Errors and Loops: Multi-level redirects can lead to errors and loops, which degrades site accessibility.

Keeping 301 redirects to a minimum improves site performance and SEO. Of course, if it is a necessary measure, it should be applied, for example, the address of the promoted page or category has changed. It is important to check both internal and external redirects.

Hreflang

The hreflang attribute is used in HTML to indicate the language and regional version of a page. It helps search engines understand which language and audience the content is intended for. This is especially important for sites with multilingual support, as it allows pages to be properly displayed in search results for users from different countries and with different language preferences.

It consists of 2 parts:

  • Language code: Indicates the language of the page in ISO 639-1 format (e.g. en for English, ru for Russian).
  • Country code (optional): Indicates a region or country in ISO 3166-1 format (e.g. US for USA, RU for Russia). It is specified after the language code with a hyphen, for example, en-US or ru-RU.

For work in the Ukraine segment, for Russian and Ukrainian languages the country is not specified.

Outbound links

The nofollow attribute is used for external links to tell search engines not to pass the “weight” of the link to the target site.

This is important for:

  • SEO: Helps prevent “link juice” leaks and protect the site from associations with untrustworthy or spammy resources.
  • Control: Reduces the likelihood of a negative impact on a site’s ranking due to associations with potentially malicious or irrelevant external resources.
  • In addition to nofollow, I recommend adding a target= function to open the external link in a new browser tab.

This functionality in the Ahrefs service when auditing a site.

Technical and trash pages

Technical pages are pages on the site that are not intended for public access and do not contain content that is useful to users (and therefore to the search engine).

These include:

  • Admin pages: Control panels and site settings.
  • Authorization and registration pages.
  • Search or filtering pages:
  • Internal search or sort results.
  • Test or temporary pages:
  • Used for development or testing.

Closing such pages from indexing is necessary to:

  • Improve SEO: Exclude unimportant pages from indexing so that search engines focus on content that is useful to users.
  • Maintain privacy and security: Prevent access to sensitive information.

Important! Often plugins automatically add to the sitemap all pages (regardless of whether they are closed or open for indexing), this point should be checked that the technical pages and pages closed from indexing are not present in the sitemap.

Garbage pages, – are not useful to the user, but necessary for other reasons, for example, legislation.

You can check which pages are in the index thanks to the operator “site:”

Page Content

For SEO optimization, on-page intent on a website plays a key role. Here’s how it affects SEO:

  • Increasing relevance: Understanding intents helps you create content that answers specific user queries. This increases the relevance of the page to search engines and helps it rank higher in search engine results.
  • Improved user experience: When website pages meet user expectations and queries, it leads to a better user experience. This can reduce bounce rates and increase time spent on the page, which has a positive impact on SEO.
  • Keyword Optimization: Understanding intent helps you use the right keywords and phrases that match user intent. This improves page relevance to user queries and helps pages rank better in search engine results.
  • Reducing competition: Targeting specific intents helps you find niche and less competitive queries, which can improve your chances of ranking high in search results.
  • Creating quality content: Content helps determine what type of content (text, images, video) will be most effective. Quality and relevant content is better received by both users and search engines.
  • Impact on internal link structure: A proper understanding of intent allows you to build a logical internal link structure that helps search engines better understand and index your site’s pages.

Working on intent and creating content that aligns with user intent significantly increases the chances of a site’s successful search engine ranking.

Page content and content quality

Quality content is a key element of a successful SEO strategy and effective web marketing. It plays an important role in attracting and retaining audiences, improving search engine rankings and creating a positive brand image. Here are the main aspects that define quality content:

Relevance and value

Relevancy:

  • Content should answer questions or solve problems for your target audience.
  • Make sure the information is up-to-date and relevant to current trends or user needs.
  • Content should provide useful and practical information that users value.
  • Offer original content that is different from what is already available online. Avoid duplication of information.

Quality of writing:

  • Use simple and clear language. Avoid complex terms unless they are necessary.
  • Organize text using headings, subheadings, lists and paragraphs to make it easier to absorb information.
  • Carefully check text for errors to maintain a professional image.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO):

  • Integrate relevant keywords and phrases naturally into your text, titles and meta tags.
  • Do not over-saturate the text with keywords to avoid compromising readability and getting filtered by search engines.

Visual content

  • Use high-quality images and videos that fit the theme and enhance the content experience.
  • Optimize images and videos for fast loading using appropriate formats and sizes.

Uniqueness and credibility

  • Publish unique content that is not repeated on other sites.
  • Publish content based on authoritative sources and research. If possible, include expert opinions and cite credible sources.

Interactivity and engagement

  • Include calls to action (CTAs) to encourage users to interact, whether it’s to register, subscribe, or purchase.
  • Encourage discussion and user interaction through comments and social media.

Analysis and improvement

  • Use analytics tools such as Google Analytics to track content performance and identify areas for improvement.
  • Gather user feedback and adjust content according to their needs and wants.
  • Regularly update content to keep it relevant and up-to-date with the latest trends and changes in your industry.
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Quality content is the foundation of a successful online strategy. It should be relevant, valuable, well-written, optimized for SEO and include visual elements. Regularly analyzing and updating content helps keep it relevant and effective, improving user interaction and search engine rankings.

Relinking

Website relinking is the process of creating links between different pages of the same website to improve navigation and link weight distribution. Here are the main types of relinking:

  • Internal relinking: Creating links between pages within a website. This helps users easily find related content and allows search engines to better index the site.
  • Navigational linking: Links placed in menus, sidebars, or footers that help users navigate between major sections of the site.
  • Contextual linking: Links within the content text that lead to other pages or articles on the site. This helps keep users on the site longer and direct them to additional information.
  • Breadcrumbs: Navigational links showing the path from the homepage to the current page help users easily return to previous levels of the site.
  • Links within articles and blogs: Inserting links to related articles or posts within a blog to improve internal navigation and increase engagement.

Effective linking helps improve user experience, facilitates navigation, and promotes better link weight distribution across site pages.

Canonical

The <link rel=”canonical”> tag is used in HTML to direct search engines to the preferred version of a page when there is duplicate content. It helps avoid duplicate content problems by directing search engines to a single, primary version of the page.

What it’s for:

  • Duplicate Elimination: Helps prevent problems associated with multiple URLs leading to the same content.
  • SEO Value Transfer: Ensures that the SEO value and authority of a page is transferred to the main version of the URL.
  • Indexing Simplification: Simplifies the indexing and ranking process for search engines, preventing confusion due to duplicate content.

The tag is added to the <head> section of a page’s HTML code and points to the URL that should be considered the primary URL.

Some of the most significant places to apply the tag, are:

  • Pagination pages;
  • Merchandise items with the same description, feet distinctive characteristic (color, size).
  • URLs with additional parameters or dynamic pages.

Pagination

Customizing your pagination pages from an SEO perspective is important to ensure they are indexed correctly by search engines and improve the overall user experience. Here are a few recommendations:

    • Use <link rel=”canonical”> tag: For each pagination page, provide a canonical link to the main page if the content of the pagination pages duplicates the main content. For example, if you have pagination pages on your blog site, specify <link rel=”canonical” href=”https://example.com/blog” /> on all pagination pages.
    • Apply rel=”next” and rel=”prev”: Use <link rel=”next” href=”next page URL” /> and <link rel=”prev” href=”previous page URL” /> tags to indicate the sequence of pagination pages. This helps search engines better understand the structure and relationship between pages.
    • Create quality content on every page: Each pagination page should contain unique content if possible. For example, on search results or product listing pages, you can add a category description or additional elements to make the content more valuable.
    • Optimize URLs: Pagination page URLs should be readable and logical. For example, use the format example.com/page/2 or example.com/page/2/ instead of example.com?page=2.
    • Add a link to the first page: On pagination pages, it is convenient to have a link to the first page (for example, in the navigation menu or in the footer) so that users can easily return to the top of the list.
    • Pay attention to internal linking: Make sure your pagination pages have links to other important pages on your site so that search engines can better index your site and users can easily navigate.
    • Consider using Ajax to load content: If possible, use Ajax to dynamically load content without changing the URL. This can improve user experience and reduce the number of pagination pages that need to be indexed. However, in this case it is important to make sure that all important pages are searchable.
    • Make sure your robots.txt file and meta tags are properly set up: Set up your robots.txt file and meta tags on your pagination pages so that they do not block important content or interfere with indexing.

These steps will help improve the SEO position of your pagination pages and provide a better user experience on your site. It is important to replace that some use SEO text on the listing page, in this case it should only be present on the first, canonical page and absent on all subsequent pages.

Website loading speed

Loading and consistency of website loading plays a key role in providing a good user experience and SEO optimization.

Importance:

  1. Fast loading:
    – User experience: A fast site reduces bounce rates and improves user interaction.
    – SEO: Search engines such as Google take loading speed into account when ranking sites, especially on mobile devices.
  2. Optimize for Mobile:
    – Mobile Priority: Google uses mobile-first indexing, so it’s important that the mobile version loads quickly and is optimized.
    – User Behavior: A large portion of users interact with websites through mobile devices, making speed and adaptability critical.

Loading Sequence:

  1. Critical Rendering Path:
    – HTML: Loaded and parsed first to form the page structure.
    – CSS: Loaded and applied before the browser renders the page (blocking loading).
    – JS: Scripts should be loaded after CSS, preferably asynchronously or delayed so as not to block rendering.
  2. Lazy Loading for images: delaying the loading of images below the “first screen” improves first rendering speed.
  3. Using CDN: Hosting static content on servers around the world speeds up data delivery to users.
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These aspects are critical to ensure optimal load times on both desktop and mobile devices. Useful service https://www.webpagetest.org/

Headings H1, H2, H3, etc.

Using headings with proper hierarchy makes your content more accessible, structured and understandable for both users and search engines.

  1. Logical and consistent: Headings should follow a logical hierarchy and not skip levels (e.g., don’t go from H2 to H4 without using H3).
  2. Readability: A hierarchy of headings helps users easily scan and understand the structure of the content.
  3. SEO: Search engines use headings to understand page structure and highlight key topics.
  4. Keywords should be used in the header, with the same prioritization as the titles. It is important that the H1 heading does not coincide with the Title.

Read more – Optimizing H1-H6 headings

Alt attribute and image format

The alt (alternative text) attribute for images is important for both content accessibility and SEO.

  • Search engines can’t see images: Search engines can’t “see” images, they rely on alt text to understand the content of the image. This helps search engines properly index images and use them in image search results.
  • Improving page relevance: Proper use of alt text can improve a page’s visibility in search results, as it helps search engines better understand the page’s content.
  • Preserving context: If an image contains important information, alt text helps the user understand what would be in the image if it had loaded correctly.
  • User-centered: Users who have disabled image loading in their browser (e.g., to save traffic) can still understand the content of the page through alt text.

Examples:

  1. Meaningful content: For images that carry important meaning, the alt should describe the content of the image. <img src=”conference.jpg” alt=”People at a conference discussing a new project” />
  2. Decorative images: If the image is used solely for decoration, you can leave the alt blank (alt=””) so screen readers will skip it. <img src=”decoration.jpg” alt=”” />

Spelling alt text is a necessity for all images on a website. It improves accessibility, helps search engines index images properly, and enhances the quality of the user experience. Ignoring this attribute can degrade the user experience and reduce the visibility of the site in search engines. It is important to note that often one image is used for several language versions of the site, it is important that the alt language of the picture coincides with the language version where this picture is used.

Google recommends using different image formats depending on context and requirements. The main formats that Google supports and recommends include:

  • JPEG is one of the most common formats for photos and images with multiple colors. It supports 24-bit color and provides a good balance between quality and file size.
  • PNG is a format that supports transparency and does not lose quality when saving. It supports 8-bit and 24-bit color.
  • WebP is a modern image format developed by Google. It provides better compression than JPEG and PNG while maintaining high quality.
  • AVIF is a new image format based on the AV1 codec. It offers excellent compression and image quality.

Sitemap

A sitemap is an important element of a website’s structure, especially from an SEO and usability perspective. Here are the key aspects that explain its importance:

  • Improved indexing: A sitemap helps search engines (e.g. Google, Bing) efficiently find and index all pages on your site, including those that may not be accessible through normal navigation. This is especially important for large sites with deep levels of nesting.
  • Content updates: If you add or change content on your site, the sitemap notifies search engines of these changes. This promotes faster indexing of new pages.
  • Page prioritization: In the sitemap file, you can prioritize pages and how often they are updated, which can help search engines determine which pages are more important and need to be visited more often.

It is important to note that the sitemap can be used not only for pages, product cards, articles, etc., but also for media and file content:

  • Videos and Images: A sitemap can include information about multimedia content such as videos and images, helping search engines better understand and index this content.
  • Files and Documents: It can also include links to documents (such as PDFs), making them easier to index.

The map must necessarily be dynamic and be added to the search console.

Broken backlinks

Broken backlinks are links that lead to non-existent or deleted pages. Such links can negatively affect the site for several reasons:

Harm to the user experience:

  • User frustration: When users click on a link and are taken to a non-existent page (404 error), it causes dissatisfaction and can lead to abandonment. This is especially critical if users come from external links expecting to find valuable information.
  • Loss of trust: If a site has a lot of broken links, it can undermine user trust by giving the impression that the site is not properly maintained or is outdated.

Lower search engine rankings:

  • Search engines such as Google evaluate the quality of links pointing to your site. Broken links can be taken as a sign of low quality content or lack of relevance, which can negatively affect a site’s ranking.
  • Loss of link weight: Backlinks play an important role in transferring link weight (PageRank) and strengthening a site’s position in search engines. Broken links do not transfer this weight, which reduces the overall effect of SEO.
  • Indexing difficulties: Search engine crawlers may have trouble indexing a site if many links lead to non-existent pages. This can make it difficult to index properly and reduce the visibility of the site.

Loss of potential traffic:

  • Missed Opportunities: Broken backlinks can mean a loss of potential traffic from other sites. If users can’t find your content, you lose the opportunity to attract new visitors and convert them into customers or regular readers.
  • Negative brand perception: If reputable resources link to your site, but the links are broken, it can affect the perception of your brand and reduce its credibility.

The Ahrefs service will be useful in finding such links.

Webcache of the site

A cache allows you to see how a search engine “understands” your page. This helps to make sure that important elements such as titles, text and images are indexed correctly.

You can check by using the cache statement:

Schema micropartitioning

Schema.org micro-markup is a standardized format of structured data that is used to add additional information to web pages. This data helps search engines (e.g. Google, Bing, Yahoo and Yandex) to better understand the content of a page and provide more informative search results. Read how to make Schema for a website on WordPress here.

Key aspects of Schema.org:

Improving search engine visibility:

  • Rich Snippets: When you add micro markup to your pages, search engines can display advanced snippets in search results. This can include ratings, images, prices, opening hours, and more. These advanced snippets attract more attention and can increase the CTR (clickability) of the page.
  • Featured Snippets: Proper markup helps increase the chances of being featured in featured snippets, which often show up in the first position in search results as an answer to specific user questions.

Impact on SEO:

  • Increased CTR: Enhanced snippets stand out in search results, which can increase the number of clicks to your pages.
  • Improved ranking: While micropagination itself is not a direct ranking factor, it can improve a site’s visibility and relevance, which indirectly affects search positions.
  • Support for voice search: Structured data also helps search engines better interpret content for voice search, which is becoming increasingly important.

Useful links:

Opengraph micropartitioning

Open Graph micro-markup is a protocol developed by Facebook that allows web pages to integrate with social media by providing them with structured data. Thanks to Open Graph, when links to a site’s pages are published on social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and others, the specific content the site wants to show is displayed: title, image, description and other metadata.

The importance of using Open Graph:

  • Improved social media presentation of your content: Open Graph allows you to control how your content will appear when shared on social media, helping to create a more attractive and professional look for your links.
  • Increase engagement: A well-designed post with the right headlines, images, and descriptions increases the chances of catching users’ attention, which can increase click-through rate (CTR) and audience engagement.
  • Display consistency: No matter what social network or messenger is used, Open Graph provides consistency in content display, which is important for maintaining brand image.
  • Optimize for different platforms: Open Graph allows you to create specific content for each platform, which helps tailor the presentation of your content depending on your audience.

FAQ

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) markup is a specialized type of structured data that allows you to designate a section on a web page with frequently asked questions and answers. Using FAQ markup helps search engines better understand and interpret page content, and can improve your visibility in search results.

The main benefits of using FAQ markup:

  • Improved Search Engine Visibility: Enhanced Snippets: FAQ markup can promote enhanced snippets in search results, where users see questions and answers directly in the search engine. This can increase the CTR (clickability) of the page.
  • Q&A positions: Search engines such as Google can use FAQ markup to create special “Q&A” boxes in search results.
  • Simplify search: Users can more quickly find answers to common questions without navigating through pages of a website.
  • Improved user experience: Provides a more structured and accessible presentation of frequently asked questions.

FAQ markup helps structure frequently asked questions and answers, improving search engine visibility and making information more accessible to users. Proper use of this markup can increase CTR and improve user experience, making your site more attractive and informative to search engines.

Pop-ups

Pop-ups – such functionality should be used competently, but Google has a negative attitude towards such things.

  • Pop-ups are windows that appear on top of the main page of a website. They can open automatically when you enter the site, when you click on a button, or through specific user actions.
  • Overlays are elements that cover part of a page, but usually do not block it completely. They are often used to display additional information or to focus on a specific piece of content.
  • Modal windows are pop-up elements that require user action before they can return to the main content of the page. They can contain forms, warnings, or information.
  • Interstitial ads are advertising or information blocks embedded directly into the main content of a page. They can appear between paragraphs of text or within content elements.

Loading page resources

In the search console there is an important indicator of page resource utilization. It is important that the search robot does not encounter obstacles, and can fully scan the entire content of the page.

Title + Description

Title and Description are key elements of HTML meta tags that play an important role in SEO and user experience.

Title is the text that appears in the browser tab and in search results. It gives users and search engines an idea of the content of the page.

Recommendations for optimization:

  • Include keywords: Use relevant keywords that reflect the content of the page and match user queries.
  • Be specific: The headline should clearly describe the page content so users can understand what to expect.
  • Create unique headlines: Each headline on a website should be unique and relevant to the specific content on the page.
  • Add brand name: If appropriate, add the brand name at the end of the headline to increase recognition.

Description (Meta Description) is the short text that appears below the title in search results. It helps users understand what the page is about and decide whether to click through to the site.

Recommendations for optimization:

  • Be attractive: Write a description that encourages users to click on the link. Use calls to action such as “Learn more”, “Read now”.
  • Include keywords: Use keywords that are relevant to the page content and user queries, but avoid over-spamming.
  • Maintain consistency: The description should accurately reflect the content of the page so as not to mislead users.
  • Be concise and clear: Avoid long and complex sentences. The description should be easy to read and understand.

Example: Title – “Copper pipe buy in Kiev – copper pipe price per meter | Tehno-Master” and Description – “Copper pipes wholesale and retail in Kiev with delivery throughout Ukraine ➜ Sizes: 1/2, 1/4, 3/4, 3/8. ⭐ Pipes for heating, water supply and air conditioning ➜ In the bay and sections ⭐ Profitable price per meter”

Orphan pages

Orphan pages are pages on a site that have no inbound links or links to other pages on the site. They can be difficult for both users and search engines to access. This can lead to indexing problems and degrade the overall SEO of the site.

SEO issues:

  • Orphan pages may not be indexed by search engines or receive low priority, reducing their visibility in search results.
  • Users may not find the content they are looking for, resulting in a poorer overall experience on the site.
  • Without internal links, orphan pages may not pass link weight, which can worsen their search engine rankings.

The Ahrefs service will be useful for finding such pages.

References to themselves

There are often times when on a particular page of the site, there is one or more links leading to the same page – this is bad for both the user and the search bot.

An example of such a link can be a clickable logo on the main page of the site, a language switch, or in the recommended articles/goods block, the same product on which this functionality is installed is pulled up.

Search-console

Google Search Console is a free tool from Google designed for webmasters and SEO professionals to help track, maintain and improve your website’s presence in Google search results. It provides valuable information about how Google sees and indexes your website.

Mobile version of the site

A mobile version of your website is an optimized version of your website that is designed for comfortable viewing and interaction on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. It is important to check the display of the website on mobile devices with different screen resolutions.

You can check everything in this service https://bluetree.ai/screenfly

Cross-browser

Cross-browsing is the ability of a website or web application to display and function correctly in different browsers and on different devices. It is a critical aspect of web development because users may use different browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, Opera, and others) and devices (PCs, smartphones, tablets) to access the internet.

Site code validity

Site code validity refers to the conformance of HTML, CSS, and other web page code to established standards and specifications. Maintaining code validity is important to ensure correct display, functionality and accessibility of the site.

This service https://validator.w3.org/ will help to check validity.

RSS and Feed

If the site does not use RSS and Feed, their generation should be disabled:

  • Security: Vulnerability mitigation: Inactive feeds can be targeted for attacks, such as DDoS attacks or other types of abuse. Disabling feeds reduces potential attack vectors.
  • Resource optimization: Reduce server load: Generating and updating feeds can consume server resources. If feeds are not used, generating and updating them may be useless and inefficient.
  • SEO and site cleanliness: Avoiding unwanted content: Unwanted feeds can be indexed by search engines, which can negatively impact SEO. Disabling feeds prevents them from being indexed and potentially creating duplicate content.
  • Content Management: Reducing Confusion: If RSS and Feed are not utilized, having them on the site can be confusing to both users and search engines, causing confusion and unnecessary queries.

Read more – How to disable Feed generation on WordPress

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