Over the years, we’ve conducted hundreds of search engine optimization audits. In the process, we’ve found that the vast majority of websites have several problems preventing them from ranking well in the search engines. So, we thought it would be helpful to provide a list of several of the factors we review when auditing client websites.
In today’s article, I’m going to address 15 factors for on-page SEO (e.g. optimizing your website for search engines).
1. Title Tags
Your title tags tell Google what your pages are about, and they are one of the most important SEO factors.
Here’s what we check for when reviewing title tags:
Are your title tags unique on all pages?
Do your title tags include well-researched keywords?
Are your title tags well-written (e.g. not over-optimized)?
Are your title tags the appropriate length? (We usually aim for 50-65 characters)
2. Meta Descriptions
Your meta description is the text that shows up below your title tag in Google’s search results. Meta descriptions don’t directly influence your Google rankings, but a well-written meta description can help generate more clicks from your Google rankings.
Here are some things we check for when reviewing meta descriptions:
Do you have unique meta descriptions on all pages?
Do your meta descriptions contain relevant, engaging copy?
Are your meta descriptions the appropriate length? (We aim for 100-155 characters)
3. Header Tags (h1, h2, h3)
Headers are the visible headlines on the page. It’s important to include relevant keywords, but most importantly, write headers for conversion since they are highly visible to website visitors.
Here are some questions we ask when reviewing header tags:
Do you have headers on your web pages? (Many websites we review are missing them)
Do your headers include relevant keywords, without being over-optimized?
4. Website Copy
It’s critical to make sure that your webpage content will satisfy the intent of the searcher. In many cases, this means having a sufficient amount of website copy on your pages. You want to incorporate your keywords, but you also don’t want to force too many keywords into your website copy. It’s important to write for humans, not search engines.
Here are a few of the questions we ask when reviewing website copy:
Do you have sufficient copy on pages you want to rank in Google? We recommend a minimum of 300-500 words of copy.
Does your website copy satisfy the searcher’s intent?
Is your website content unique? (We recommend avoiding duplicate content both across your own webpages, as well as between your website’s pages and other webpages on the Internet.)
5. Website Structure
By “website structure,” I mean having dedicated pages for each core keyword/topic you want to rank for in Google. Google wants to show the most relevant webpage for any given keyword. So if you have a focused webpage for each of your core keywords, you’ll have an easier time ranking in Google.
Here are some questions we ask when reviewing website structure:
Do you have pages for each major product/service/topic you want to promote via SEO?
Are your key SEO landing pages well-integrated into your website’s linking architecture?
6. URL Structure
We recommend making URLs brief and descriptive and integrating keywords into the URL when possible. We recommend avoiding lots of parameters in URLs.
Here are some questions we ask:
Are your URLs short and simple?
Do your URLs contain relevant keywords?
7. Website Load Speed
Website speed is a major ranking factor with Google. Plus, people hate slow-loading websites.
Here’s a free tool provided by Google to check your site speed: http://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/
Another tool we use and recommend is GTMetrix: https://gtmetrix.com/
8. Structured Data
Structured data refers to HTML tags used to help website content be more easily recognized by search engines.
If you are targeting a local area, the most important schema we check for is Local Business schema with your business category and contact details.
Here’s a tool from Google to determine the structured data on your website: https://search.google.com/test/rich-results
9. Contact Information
For local search engine optimization, in particular, it’s very important to have complete and accurate contact information on your website. We recommend putting the full business contact details in the footer of each page on your site.
10. Sitemap
A sitemap helps Google identify all of the pages on your website. It’s important to have an XML sitemap in place and to submit the sitemap to Google Search Console.
11. Blog
A blog is the easiest way to add new content to your website, and more pages of content will provide you with more opportunities to get found in Google. Also, for many topics, Google tends to favor websites with fresh content. In addition, prospects may want to read articles on your blog to gain confidence that you are a knowledgeable, expert provider.
Here are some things we look for when reviewing blogs:
Is your blog located in a directory of your website (e.g. website.com/blog) or on a subdomain (e.g. blog.website.com) or on another website (e.g. on Blogspot)? We recommend locating your blog in a sub-directory of your own website.
Have you been consistently publishing blog entries?
Are your blog posts informative and engaging (not solely promotional)?
12. Mobile Optimization
With the growth in mobile traffic, Google is now putting a greater and greater emphasis on the mobile versions of websites. We strongly recommend optimizing your website for mobile devices, if you haven’t already.
Here’s a free tool from Google to assess how mobile-friendly your website is: https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly
13. Social Media Integration
Social media is having a growing impact on search engine optimization. We recommend getting set up on social media websites, making your company easy to follow, and making your website content easy to share across social media.
Here are some things we look for:
Have you integrated your social profiles on your website?
Have you added social media “share” buttons on your web pages (especially your blog pages)?
14. Google Analytics
Google Analytics is a critical tool for tracking the results of your digital marketing. But you’d be surprised how often we find that Google Analytics either isn’t installed or isn’t installed properly.
Here are some things we look for:
Is Google Analytics installed?
Are there any errors?
Is conversion tracking set up?
Is Search Console linked with Google Analytics?
15. Website Design & Usability
Website design and usability is also a critical factor for SEO, not only in terms of gaining rankings and traffic but for generating conversions from your traffic.
Here are some things we look for:
Is your website design inspiring confidence in your business?
Is the website easy to use and navigate?
Are there any broken links or other usability issues that could hurt SEO rankings or website performance?
Is it clear what actions you want people to take on the website?
If you are curious how your website stands up to this sort of audit, request your Online Visibility Report and we will be in touch to let you know.
If this sounds like a lot of work (spoiler alert…it is)…there is no need to worry as we are here to help. Just drop me an email to dwatts@waynation.com and we will roll up our sleeves and get to work for you.