Search engine optimization can feel like a complex, moving target. But before you dive into the deep end of backlinks and content strategies, it’s often best to start with a solid foundation: your own website.
A technical SEO audit might sound daunting, but you don’t need to be a developer to check some of the most common issues. Here are six key areas you can review on your site right now to improve your search engine visibility and user experience.
1. Core Web Vitals: The User Experience Trio
Google uses a set of metrics called Core Web Vitals to measure the real-world user experience of your pages. Think of them as a health check for loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability.
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Measures loading performance. Ideally, your main content loads within 2.5 seconds.
- First Input Delay (FID): Measures interactivity. Your page should respond to a user’s first click or tap within 100 milliseconds.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Measures visual stability. You want to avoid elements like images or buttons shifting around as the page loads.
How to Check It: Use Google’s free PageSpeed Insights tool. It will give you a score for both mobile and desktop and offer specific recommendations on how to improve each metric.
2. On-Page SEO Elements: Titles and Meta Descriptions
These small snippets of code are your first impression in the search results. A well-crafted title tag and meta description can significantly improve your click-through rate (CTR), which is a positive signal to search engines.
- Title Tag: This appears as the clickable headline in search results. It should be unique for every page, accurately describe the content, and include your primary keyword, ideally near the beginning.
- Meta Description: This is the short blurb of text under the title. While not a direct ranking factor, it’s your chance to “sell” the page to the searcher. Keep it under 160 characters, include relevant keywords, and make it compelling.
How to Check It: You can view these by right-clicking on any page, selecting “View Page Source,” and searching for <title> and <meta name="description">. Alternatively, your CMS or an SEO plugin can help you manage them.
3. Header Structure: Organizing Your Content
Headers (H1, H2, H3, etc.) are the outline of your content. They help readers navigate your page and help search engines understand the hierarchy and main topics.
- H1 Tag: You should have only one H1 per page. This is the main title of that specific page or post.
- H2, H3 Tags: Use these for subheadings and sections. It creates a logical flow and helps break up large blocks of text, making it easier for everyone to read.
How to Check It: Look at the text on your webpage. The title is likely an H1, and subheadings should follow a clear, nested structure. Don’t skip levels (e.g., going from H2 to H4).
4. The Power of Schema Markup
Schema markup is a type of structured data (or code) that you add to your website to help search engines understand your content better. It’s like providing a detailed glossary to search engine bots.
When you implement schema, your pages can qualify for “rich snippets” – enhanced search results that display extra information like star ratings, prices, or event dates. This can make your listing stand out and attract more clicks.
How to Check It: For a local business, the “LocalBusiness” schema is essential. An “Article” schema is great for blog posts. You can test your implementation using Google’s Rich Results Test tool.
5. Crawlability: Can Search Engines Find You?
If search engines can’t find and process your content, it can’t rank. The robots.txt file tells search engines which parts of your site they can or cannot crawl. While often used to block unimportant areas (like admin pages), a misconfigured file can accidentally block your entire site.
How to Check It: Go to yourdomain.com/robots.txt. You should see a file with “allow” or “disallow” directives. Also, check your site’s XML sitemap to ensure it lists all your important pages and is updated regularly.
6. Mobile-Friendliness: A Non-Negotiable
With the majority of web traffic now coming from mobile devices, a site that isn’t mobile-friendly is a major problem. Google uses mobile-first indexing, meaning it predominantly uses the mobile version of your site for ranking and indexing.
This goes beyond just fitting on a small screen. It includes readability (text size), tap targets (buttons being easily clickable), and content parity (mobile users seeing the same content as desktop users).
How to Check It: Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to see if your page passes. Pay close attention to the results on your own smartphone to check for any user experience issues.
Making a Plan
Starting with a thorough check of these six areas will give you a clear picture of your website’s technical health. Once these foundational elements are solid, you have a strong base from which to build your broader SEO strategy, including content creation and authority building.
