technical site audits
TRANSCRIPT
Technical SEO Audits
Kristine Schachinger | Twitter @[email protected]
Image CourtesyDuane Forester’s Keynote
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Technical SEO?
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Technical SEO is the Foundation for the House that is your
Website.
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Why do we do it?
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And users.. Always users…
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What is Technical SEO?
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Technical SEO is About Best Practices…• Servers
• Scripting/Code• Speed..Speed… and well Speed• Site Architecture• Indexabilty• Crawability• Mobile
That are related to Google’s AlgorithmsTo name a few…
• Hummingbird• Panda• Penguin• Pigeon• Pirate• Page Layout
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Technical SEO is about Measuring the Site Foundation
Against Google’s Guidelines& Their Algorithms
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So where do we start?
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Ask the client for a client history..
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Know the client is almost always
wrong
about that history…or what is is wrong…
The client history is for guidance, not accuracy.
Remember you are the detective.
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And they don’t always tell you theFULL STORY...
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Remember YOU
are the detective!
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Technical SEO Audits
What processes are affecting the site?
• Internally • Externally • Third Party
Process of deductive reasoning!
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First…
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Technical SEO AuditsCHECKPOINT
Is there a Manual Action (penalty)?
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How Do We Know?
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Manual Actions
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Manual Actions
If yes, is it…• Partial? • Or Full Site?
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What Manual Actions Are There?
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Manual Actions
https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/2604824?hl=en@schachin
Algorithmic Devaluations
Technically, algorithm changes such as Panda or Penguin are NOT penalties.
Unlike a manual action, you can gain OR lose with Google algorithms.
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So how do we know, if the site has an algorithm issue?
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Technical SEO AuditsPanguin Tool
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Just because it walks like a duck & talks like
a duck…..
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This looks like a penalty
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Still looks like a penalty…
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When we check year over year
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It is not. That client has a seasonal business.
Do not assume! EVER.
It may walk like a duck & talk like a duck…and not be a duck.
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So what is it?
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EVERY site audit starts with a crawl …
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Let’s check it out
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So much you can do… So Use this SERP for more
https://www.google.com/search?q=screaming+frog+things&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8
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So what are we looking at?
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Technical SEO AuditsThe basics….
• Http vs Https• Robots• SiteMaps• Canonicals• Redirects & 404s• Architecture• Navigation• Code• Meta Tags• Schema Tagging• Google Analytics Tracking
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• Http vs Https• DO they have mixed status? • If they moved to https, did they change it everywhere?• Did they redirect pages?
• Robots• SiteMaps• Canonicals• Redirects & 404s• Architecture• Navigation• Code• Meta Tags• Schema Tagging• Google Analytics Tracking
Technical SEO Audits – The Basics
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Technical SEO Audits – The Basics• Http vs Https• Robots.txt
• Do they have one? • Is it written correctly? (test it) • Are they using it when they should be using no-index?
• Robots.txt blocks the page crawl, but not the URL indexing
• Are they blocking CSS &/or JS? • (can check this also in Search Console)
• SiteMaps• Canonicals• Redirects & 404s• Architecture• Navigation• Code• Meta Tags• Schema Tagging• Google Analytics Tracking
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• Http vs Https• Robots.txt• SiteMaps
• Do they have one? • Is it written correctly? (test it) • Check their sitemaps for
• Limits • Types (video, image, page) • Index Sitemaps (use them!)• TIP Google does not use priority or date modifiers
• Canonicals• Redirects & 404s• Architecture• Navigation• Code• Meta Tags• Schema Tagging• Google Analytics Tracking
Technical SEO Audits – The Basics
@schachin
• Http vs Https• Robots.txt• SiteMaps• Canonicals
• Do they have them?• Are they written correctly? • Do they follow the rules for writing canonicals?
• https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/139066?hl=en• http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2013/04/5-common-mi
stakes-with-relcanonical.html• Redirects & 404s• Architecture• Navigation• Code• Meta Tags• Schema Tagging• Google Analytics Tracking
Technical SEO Audits – The Basics
@schachin
• Http vs Https• Robots.txt• SiteMaps• Canonicals• Redirects & 404s
• Are they using 302 or 301? • Very important in new site launches• TIP Google will convert (in their crawls) 302s to 301s
after about 6 months. • TIP Google Search Console will only remove links for 3-
6 months• How many 404s? Are you bleeding links? Should they be
410?• Architecture• Navigation• Code• Meta Tags• Schema Tagging• Google Analytics Tracking
Technical SEO Audits – The Basics
@schachin
• Http vs Https• Robots.txt• SiteMaps• Canonicals• Redirects & 404s• Architecture
• Is the structure vertical or horizontal?• TIP Google prefers wide and flat over deep and tall• Are you giving Google a proper content outline?
• Think 10th grade English Class• Are you specific, certain and clear?
• Navigation• Code• Meta Tags• Schema Tagging• Google Analytics Tracking
Technical SEO Audits – The Basics
@schachin
• Http vs Https• Robots.txt• SiteMaps• Canonicals• Redirects & 404s• Architecture• Navigation
• Are you using proper navigation?• Are you constructing a contextual view of your site? • Are you throwing in the kitchen sink?
• TIP Users can only process 5-8 piece of information at a time
• Code• Meta Tags• Schema Tagging• Google Analytics Tracking
Technical SEO Audits – The Basics
@schachin
• Http vs Https• Robots.txt• SiteMaps• Canonicals• Redirects & 404s• Architecture• Navigation• Code
• Valid HTML is not a ranking factor, but the things that make up valid HTML are ranking factors. • TIPS Make sure your title tag is the first (after head), use
absolute not relative URLS, alt text in a link is the same as text, use ul/li for navigation and keep your code light/clean.
• Meta Tags• Schema Tagging• Google Analytics Tracking
Technical SEO Audits – The Basics
@schachin
• Http vs Https• Robots.txt• SiteMaps• Canonicals• Redirects & 404s• Architecture• Navigation• Code• Schema Tagging
• Just do it! Really. Microdata is Google preferred. • TIP Any data point can be used in the KG without
copyright violation.• Check Google Search Console for mark-up validity.
• Google Analytics Tracking
Technical SEO Audits – The Basics
@schachin
• Http vs Https• Robots.txt• SiteMaps• Canonicals• Redirects & 404s• Architecture• Navigation• Code• Schema Tagging• Google Analytics Tracking
• Make sure it is implemented correctly, especially UTM parameters
Technical SEO Audits – The Basics
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What else?
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Speed…. You know fast…. Like really fast…
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Two Tests
WebpageTest.organd of course
Google Pagespeed Insights
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@schachin http://www.webpagetest.org/
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And Google….
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https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/?url=whitehouse.gov
You want an 85 min – 90+ is best
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https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/?url=whitehouse.gov
They even give you everything to upload to your site
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https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/?url=whitehouse.gov@schachin
Resources
•Panguin http://barracuda.digital/panguin-tool/•WebPageTest.org•Page Speed Insights (Google)https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/•Screaming Froghttp://www.screamingfrog.co.uk/seo-spider/user-guide/configuration/•Deep Crawlhttps://www.deepcrawl.com/•Google Webmaster Guidelineshttps://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/35769?hl=en•Google Search Console Help https://support.google.com/webmasters/?hl=en#topic=3309469
Technical SEO Audits
Kristine Schachinger | Twitter @[email protected]
Image CourtesyDuane Forester’s Keynote