Feb. 16, 2021
10 min reading time
10 min reading time
Site audit issues and technical changes can be difficult and incredibly time-consuming to identify and implement. Nine prominent problems and tips.
After conducting thousands of site audit activities across various industries and site sizes, some prominent problems emerge that recur repeatedly.
Certain CMS platforms have their drawbacks and repeatedly cause the same technical problems. However, these problems are usually caused by websites being managed by multiple people, gaps in knowledge, and simply the time factor.
We tend to use two crawlers at Zazzle Media, which are mentioned in this post. The first is Screaming Frog, which we use when we need raw exports or have to be very specific about what we're crawling. The second is Sitebulb, which is more of a site audit tool than a crawler. We use Sitebulb more because it allows us to manage projects and track overall progress. Website achieve.
So let's start with the problems we see time and time again.
One of the simpler problems, but something that can be overlooked if you're not paying attention. Broken links can disrupt the user journey. For the search engines This prevents crawler bots from linking to content.
Internal links are primarily used to connect content. In terms of Google's algorithm, internal links facilitate the distribution of link equity from one page to another. A broken link can disrupt this process, as if the link itself were broken, and the transfer of equity from one page to another failed. Regarding PageRank, Google's algorithm evaluates the number of high-quality links to a page to determine its authority.
Simply put, a broken internal link can negatively affect page authority and stop the flow of link equity.
The extent of this problem depends heavily on the type of site you are running. However, most websites contain broken links.
A simple crawl will pick up these. If you run a tool like Screaming Frog with a basic configuration, a complete list of broken links will be displayed alongside the parent URL.
Based on the frequency with which this occurs, it could be a very minimal problem or something that can dramatically change an entire company.
Short meta titles could indicate a lack of targeting, while long titles would lead to abbreviations and thus lower click-through rates.
To write the perfect meta title and descriptions that maximize pixel usage and the CTA, we recommend using the Sistrix SERP generator tools.
Redirecting internal links can cause problems for your site architecture, as it takes users and search engines slightly longer to find content. If content changes or products are sold out, either a permanent (301) or a temporary (302) redirect is used. A 302 redirect instructs a search engine to keep the old page, as it is only a temporary measure. 301 redirect The search engine is instructed that the page has been permanently moved and will be replaced at the new location.
Redirect loops occur when your browser instructs the search engine to redirect you to a page, which in turn instructs your browser to redirect you to yet another page. This can happen repeatedly until the final destination is reached. Redirect loops should be avoided at all costs, as they increase crawl time and can send mixed signals to search bots.
The problem isn't redirecting a URL (if that was done correctly), but rather the links that point to the URL redirect. For example, URL A redirects to a new URL B. However, URL C still points to URL A – which is incorrect.
Sitebulb can crawl and find all URLs currently linked to the redirecting URL. There, you can change the href target so that it points to the new URL via the CMS.
Redirecting URLs should be avoided where possible, as this can increase the crawl time of search bots and may cause the website's URL to be skipped within the allocated crawl.
XML sitemaps don't have to be static, as continuously updating the XML file directory is very time-consuming for larger websites. It's recommended to use a dynamic XML sitemap, as this ensures your CMS automatically updates this file directory whenever content or media is added. A Sitebulb audit will detect that your website has a Sitemap is missing.
It is very important to use dynamic XML sitemaps correctly, as in some cases the dynamic sitemap may add URLs that you do not want in the sitemap.
If you are using a standard CMS such as Wordpress Using `search / sitemap.xml` up to the end of your domain should display your website's sitemap.
Orphaned pages, also known as "floating pages," are URLs that are indexed and published but cannot be found by users or search engines via internal links. This means that an orphaned page may never be crawled. A typical scenario for an orphaned page could be a winter sale website where the page was previously needed but is now obsolete due to the season.
Having a few links is generally not harmful. However, a large number can bloat your website. This results in poor link equity distribution and cannibalization of existing links. keywords (for which we have a separate section here) have a guide ) and a bad experience with internal links for both search bots and users.
Because it's a specific type of crawl, Zazzle Media uses Screaming Frog to crawl the sitemap data. Simultaneously, we perform another crawl using Screaming Frog or Sitebulb to find orphaned pages by comparing the two sets of data.
Read our quick guide to orphaned URLs and how they deal with them, in order to obtain a more detailed approach.
Google previously stated that the Website speed is a crucial ranking factor. Website speed is a crucial factor, particularly in search engine ranking algorithms. This is because website speed is closely linked to user experience. Slow websites tend to have high bounce rates due to slow content loading times. Improving your website's speed can enhance the user experience and potentially reduce bounce rates.
Since website speed is directly related to reducing the bounce rate, this in turn should increase sales, as users will remain active on your website for longer.
To check the speed of your website, we recommend using Google's own tool. Tools for inspecting page speed , which not only gives you a page speed rating, but also a range of recommendations on how to best improve your website's speed and compare it to the search competition!
The hierarchical structure of a website, also known as information architecture, is essentially how your website's navigation is presented to a search engine or user. The fundamental problem that most websites suffer from is the distribution of page rankings.
The main pages of a website, or the most profitable pages, should be within three clicks of the homepage. Pages that are more than three clicks away from the homepage subsequently receive a lower page rank distribution and are only crawled occasionally (if at all) in other scenarios.
Without an effective hierarchy, crawling budget can be wasted. This can mean that pages deep within your website (more than three clicks away from the root) may rank poorly, as Google is unsure of the page's importance and link equity may be insufficient.
At a SEOUser-friendly website architecture is about enabling search bots and users to navigate your website seamlessly. By simplifying your website architecture, you can improve indexing, achieve better keyword rankings, and increase organic traffic.
Internal links are an important feature of a website, as they allow users to navigate the site and, more importantly (from an SEO perspective), enable search engine crawlers to understand the relationships between content. An effective internal linking strategy can have a significant impact on search engine ranking.
It's no surprise to us when a Sitebulb audit reveals that your internal linking strategy needs review, as complex websites with thousands of pages can become cluttered. Typical examples of a messy internal linking structure might include anchor text that doesn't contain a keyword, URL linking inconsistencies in volume (affecting PageRank distribution), and links that don't always point to the canonical version of a URL. Issues like these can generate mixed signals for search engine crawlers and ultimately confuse them when it comes to indexing your content.
Sitebulb can perform an audit that highlights link distribution issues, identifies which pages receive the most internal links, displays broken or misused internal links, and much more. We then process this data to develop a strategy for optimizing your website's internal linking strategy.
Writing unique content that provides value to users can be incredibly challenging and, above all, time-consuming! Therefore, this is one of the most common problems we consistently encounter during website audits. In particular, thin content directly violates Google's guidelines and, in the worst-case scenario, can lead to a penalty.
Search engines crawl your website for functional content to understand your business services and product offerings. Search engines don't just look for functional content, though; search bots also want to see your expertise, quality, and trustworthiness. Google has a massive 166-page document outlining search quality guidelines that explain what constitutes search quality. We recommend familiarizing yourself with this document to ensure you're creating high-quality content for your website that adheres to Google's search guidelines.
This is a common problem that many websites overlook, but it's a crucial path to organic success.
A Sitebulb audit identifies URLs with thin content and prioritizes the severity of the problem. Aim for approximately 350 to 500 words per page to communicate your information concisely. However, the quality of this content remains a crucial factor.
These are just some of the most common problems identified during an SEO audit. Implementing technical changes can be difficult and time-consuming. Conducting a technical audit of your website and fixing any issues can lead to improved keyword rankings and organic traffic. When your products/services are on point, you can generate more revenue.
The sky's the limit when it comes to Search Engine optimization This is a superior strategy to gain a long-term competitive advantage in the digital landscape, as the landscape is constantly changing.
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