Most websites are not bullet proof from a technical point of view and this means that a technical SEO audit can be used to identify errors. You can always do better as far as your website is concerned and you cannot know what issue impact your website’s performance without a proper SEO audit. The sooner you learn what the existing issues are, the faster you can address them. There are numerous websites out there with duplicate content, broken links, slow loading pages and other problems that affect their success.
What to Check During Technical SEO Audit?
Website owners who are convinced that they need a technical SEO audit should know what to expect from it and how much money they should invest in this. Such an audit is quite complex but it can make a great difference as far as your website’s success is concerned and you should not ignore its importance. When it comes to conducting professional audits, some agencies are better than others. This is why it makes sense to do your research and hire an auditor who is specialized in technical audits.
If you are wondering what aspects will be checked during Technical SEO Audit you should know that a competent auditor will do the following:
• Identify crawl errors of your website
• Check https status code- this is important so that search engines and users can access your website
• Check XML sitemap status- crawlers find your pages thanks to this sitemap and this is why you should make sure all your web pages are updated in the sitemap and that this sitemap is submitted to Google Search Console
• Check site load time- you will be surprised to see how many websites have slow page load time. Site speed influences user experience in a positive or negative manner and you should make sure it does not take more than three seconds for your page to load
• Ensure your website is mobile friendly- there are things you can do to make your website mobile-friendly and professionals know how to accomplish that
• Check for keyword cannibalization- you do not want two pages of your website competing for the same keyword.
• Check robots.txt.file- you should make sure all your pages can be crawled by search engines
• Perform a Google site search
• Check for duplicate metadata
• Check meta description length- meta description length has increased from 160 characters to 320 characters
• Check for duplicate content
• Check for broken links
As you can see, a technical audit focuses on the technical elements of your website and experienced auditors have a lot to analyze and to explore. You can use such an audit to make sure there is nothing wrong with the architecture of your site, to make sure Google can find it and index it.
Why SEO Audit for Technical Reasons
The only way to make sure your website is perfect from a technical point of view is to have it audited. Users and search engines should be able to find and access your website without any difficulty. A website that functions properly delivers a great user experience and as a result it improves rankings. Thanks to SEO audit for technical purposes you will have a clear idea of the url structure, page architecture, links and other aspects that are essential to your success in the online environment.
Page loading time is an important issue for search engines and there are different tests that can be performed to see page load speed. If a page takes more than three second to load it is clear that you have a problem. Given the fact that people search online from their mobiles, they expect fast load times. Mobile friendliness is an essential ranking factor and you should make sure:
• Your pages are optimized for mobile devices
• There is a mobile version of the homepage
• Your mobile page experience is satisfactory for users
As you can see, SEO audit for technical reasons covers numerous aspects and all of them are important for they all influence your ranking. Your website needs regular maintenance and optimization to remain in a top condition. If you are worried about your website’s health, you should not hesitate to hire an agency to perform a technical audit. By having the technical aspects of your website reviewed on a regular basis you can improve your visibility in the digital landscape.
Why Hire an Agency for SEO Audit?
There are various tools that are available on the Internet that can help you assess certain aspects of your website. Nonetheless, conducting an audit on your own is a real challenge and you need lots of time and patience to see it through. It is best to leave this task to specialists who have the necessary experience to perform an audit. By doing so, you will be able to rely on the results you obtain and take future actions.
When you hire a specialized agency for an SEO audit you will have peace of mind knowing that you get the best value for your money. Once the audit is complete, you will receive a detailed report that will point you in the right direction as far as your website is concerned. If you are not happy with your search engine optimization results you should see what keeps your website from ranking well.
The smartest way to do that is to invest in a technical SEO audit. Such an audit will give you all the information you need to make the necessary changes and to improve your website’s performance. An effective audit will help you outrank your competitors by focusing on your website’s weaknesses and identifying all the necessary improvements. In fewer words, why should you have your website optimized when you do not have a clear idea of the current condition of your website, when you can have it audited first? Why risk wasting your time with things that do not need improvement when you can do things the smart way?