Technical SEO Audit: How to Identify and Fix Common Technical SEO Issues on a Website ~ Anuradha Vats

Technical SEO is a critical aspect of search engine optimization that involves analyzing and improving the technical aspects of a website to improve its visibility and ranking in search engines. An SEO audit is a comprehensive evaluation of a website's technical SEO performance, which helps identify common issues that may be affecting the website's ranking.

In this blog, we'll be discussing the most common technical SEO issues and how you can fix them to improve your website's SEO performance.

Crawlability and Indexability

The first step in an SEO audit is to check if the website is crawlable and indexable. This means making sure that search engine robots can access and understand your website's content. If search engines can't crawl your website, your website won't be indexed, and it won't show up in search results.

To check your website's crawlability and indexability, use the robots.txt file and the Google Search Console. The robots.txt file is a file that tells search engines which pages on your website they should crawl and which they should not. The Google Search Console is a free tool that helps you monitor your website's performance in Google search results.

Broken Links

Broken links can negatively impact your website's SEO performance. Search engines use links to crawl and index your website's content, and broken links can interfere with this process. Additionally, broken links can be frustrating for users, which can lead to a higher bounce rate and a lower conversion rate.

To check for broken links on your website, use a website crawler tool like Screaming Frog or Ahrefs. These tools will scan your website and generate a list of broken links, which you can then fix by updating or removing the links.

Duplicate Content

Duplicate content is another common issue that can negatively impact your website's SEO performance. Search engines consider duplicate content as spam, which can lead to lower rankings or even penalties.

To check for duplicate content on your website, use the Google Search Console or a plagiarism checker tool like Copyscape. These tools will scan your website and identify any duplicate content, which you can then fix by either removing the duplicate content or adding canonical tags to indicate which version of the content is the original.

Mobile Optimization

Mobile optimization is becoming increasingly important in today's mobile-first world. With more and more people using mobile devices to access the internet, it's critical that your website is optimized for mobile devices.

To check your website's mobile optimization, use Google's Mobile-Friendly Test tool. This tool will analyze your website and indicate whether it's optimized for mobile devices. If your website is not optimized for mobile devices, you can fix this by using responsive design, which adjusts the website's layout to fit the screen size of the device being used.

Page Speed

Page speed is another critical aspect of technical SEO that can affect your website's ranking in search engines. Slow-loading pages can lead to a higher bounce rate and a lower conversion rate, which can negatively impact your website's SEO performance.

To check your website's page speed, use Google's PageSpeed Insights tool. This tool will analyze your website's page speed and provide recommendations on how you can improve it. Some common fixes for slow-loading pages include optimizing images, minifying CSS and JavaScript files, and using a fast and reliable web hosting service.

In conclusion, an SEO audit is a critical aspect of technical SEO that can help you identify and fix common issues that may be affecting your website's ranking in search engines. By fixing these issues, you can improve your website's overall SEO performance and increase its visibility in search results. However, technical SEO is a continuous process, and you should perform regular audits to keep your website up-to-date and maintain its ranking in search engines. If you're not familiar with technical SEO, it's recommended to seek the help of a professional SEO consultant or agency to ensure that your website is optimized to its fullest potential.