In the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing, mastering technical SEO is paramount for enhancing your website’s visibility and performance. Conducting a technical SEO audit can help identify critical issues that may be hindering your site’s ranking on search engines. Fortunately, you don’t have to break the bank to access valuable SEO tools. Below, we’ll explore a step-by-step guide using three essential and entirely free tools, including the Google SEO Checker.
Tool 1: Google Chrome Lighthouse
One of the best places to start your technical SEO audit is with Google Chrome Lighthouse, a built-in feature available through the Chrome browser. This tool provides a comprehensive report on various performance metrics, including SEO, accessibility, and best practices.
How to Use Chrome Lighthouse:
- Open Your Website in Chrome: Navigate to the site you wish to audit.
- Access Developer Tools: Right-click anywhere on the page and select "Inspect."
- Run Lighthouse: Click on the Lighthouse tab and select the type of report you want to generate. You can deselect options like "Progressive Web App" if they’re not applicable to your audit.
- Generate the Report: Click "Generate Report" and wait for the analysis to complete, which may take about 30 seconds.
Understanding the Report:
Once the report is generated, you will see several metrics including performance scores, accessibility indicators, and SEO issues. For instance, Lighthouse may highlight missing alt tags for images or non-descriptive link text, both of which are significant for SEO. Reviewing these issues helps you identify actionable changes to improve your site’s SEO.
Tool 2: Ubersuggest
Next on our list is Ubersuggest—a powerful SEO tool that analyzes various aspects of your web pages. While it offers many features, we’ll focus on its ability to conduct in-depth SEO audits.
How to Use Ubersuggest:
- Sign Up for Ubersuggest: Although you can use Ubersuggest without an account, registering with Google unlocks its full potential, providing more detailed reports.
- Enter Your Domain: Head to the "SEO Analyzer" section and enter your website’s domain.
- Review the Audit Results: After crawling your site (which may take around 10 minutes), Ubersuggest will present a comprehensive dashboard with your SEO score, critical errors, and warnings.
What to Look For:
Ubersuggest will display key metrics such as:
- Overall health score (e.g., an SEO score of 82).
- Details on critical errors, warnings, and custom recommendations.
Make sure to address the critical errors as they often have the most significant impact on your site’s SEO performance.
Tool 3: Google Search Console
Finally, Google Search Console is an indispensable tool provided by Google that monitors your site’s presence in search results. It’s particularly useful for tracking how Google views your website.
How to Use Google Search Console:
- Set Up and Verify Your Site: If you haven’t already, you’ll need to verify ownership of your website to access its data on Search Console.
- Review the Dashboard: Once set up, you’ll see a variety of performance metrics, including the number of visitors coming from Google searches.
- Check for Errors: Focus on the ‘Coverage’ section to identify any indexing issues that Google may detect. This section lists any pages with errors, warnings, or those that are successfully indexed.
Monitoring Key Metrics:
- Core Web Vitals: This area allows you to analyze your pages for loading performance, interactivity, and visual stability, all crucial for user experience and a ranking factor.
- Mobile Usability: Ensure that your site performs well on mobile devices, as mobile friendliness is another crucial aspect of SEO.
Additionally, Google Search Console provides more insights into how well your site performs in search results, helping you adapt your strategy accordingly.
Conclusion
Conducting a technical SEO audit doesn’t require a hefty budget. With tools like Google Chrome Lighthouse, Ubersuggest, and Google Search Console, you can effectively identify and rectify a wide array of issues that may be affecting your website’s search engine ranking. By regularly using these free tools, you can maintain optimal SEO health and ensure that your site performs exceptionally well, paving the way for increased visibility and traffic.
