Website Audit Checklist – Service offered by Glixie Media for Optimization of existing sites

Site audit checklist

Based on the provided search results, here is a comprehensive site audit checklist:

Domain Factors

  1. Domain Name: Verify the domain name and its registration details.
  2. Domain Age: Check the domain age and its impact on SEO.
  3. Domain History: Review the domain’s history, including any previous owners or notable changes.
  4. Other Domain Factors: Evaluate other domain-related factors, such as domain extensions, subdomains, and parked domains.

Page-Level Factors

  1. E-A-T: Assess the expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness of the content creators.
  2. Headlines: Review headlines for relevance, accuracy, and optimization.
  3. Keyword Cannibalization: Identify and address potential keyword cannibalization issues.
  4. User Engagement: Evaluate user engagement metrics, such as bounce rates and time on page.
  5. Content Length: Assess the optimal content length for each page.

Content Factors

  1. Schema Markup: Verify the presence and accuracy of schema markup.
  2. Site Architecture: Review the site’s architecture and navigation.
  3. Organic Click-Through Rate (CTR): Evaluate the CTR for each page.
  4. Content Organization: Assess the organization and hierarchy of content.

Technical SEO Factors

  1. Crawlability: Verify that the website is crawlable by search engines.
  2. Indexing: Check the website’s indexing status and identify any issues.
  3. Robots.txt: Review and optimize the robots.txt file.
  4. Sitemaps: Verify the presence and accuracy of sitemaps.
  5. Image Optimization: Evaluate image optimization, including file names, alt tags, and compression.
  6. Website Updates: Monitor ongoing website changes and identify potential issues.

Link Profile Audit

  1. Link Acquisition: Evaluate the quality and relevance of incoming links.
  2. Link Disavowal: Identify and disavow toxic or spammy links.
  3. Link Building: Assess the website’s link building strategy and opportunities.

On-Site Technical SEO Factors

  1. Page Speed: Evaluate page speed and optimize for faster loading times.
  2. Mobile-Friendliness: Verify mobile-friendliness and ensure a responsive design.
  3. SSL Encryption: Check the presence and configuration of SSL encryption.

Additional Tips

  1. Regular Website Audits: Schedule regular website audits to identify and address issues proactively.
  2. Professional SEO Tools: Utilize professional SEO tools, such as Ahrefs or Semrush, to streamline the audit process.

By following this comprehensive site audit checklist, you’ll be able to identify and address various technical, content, and link-related issues, ultimately improving your website’s SEO and search engine rankings.

EXPLANATION OF TERMS USED AS IN VIDEO ABOVE;

My Site Audit Checklist explaining the following steps I will analyze this service is requested.

Robots.txt Explanation:
A search engine bot views the Robot.txt file before crawling a site. It gives directives on how to crawl (or not crawl) the website. For one, it contains instructions about folders or pages to omit and other critical instructions. As a good practice, it should also link to the XML sitemap so the bot can find a list of the most important URLs.

XML sitemap Explanation:
Live list of all the pages on the sites; best practice for Google to maintain a record of pages on the site.

HTTPS Explanation:
For “secure” sites, Google Chrome shows if a site is “secure” or “https” with green lettering a lock image in the address bar.

Mobile Friendly Explanation:
More than 50% of searches come from mobile and Google takes how the website looks on mobile into consideration.

Page Speed Explanation:
Google has found searchers prefer fast websites. Page speed improvements can lead directly to improved visibility on Google.

SEO Tag Health Check Explanation:
A series of “tags” should appear in the section of the website so that Google can properly “index” the website. These include: title, description, canonical, robots.

Crawling Explanation:
Google crawls the web with bots, executing links. It’s important to code the site in a way to make the content accessible. Overuse of JavaScript, broke links, or requiring user action to reveal content are some of the ways that disrupt crawling.

Rendering Explanation:
How Google displays the content on the site.

Indexing Explanation:
Once Google crawls and discovers pages it stores them in its index.

On-Page Optimization Explanation:
The extent that the site utilizes keywords in key on-page areas, like meta and header tags, and content. Keyword research is a prerequisite to this step so you know what you’re targeting.

Relevance Explanation:
Supporting content on category pages help searchers learn more about the product and help choose the best available product for their needs. Consider the user experience of the person coming in from the targeted keywords.

Schema.org Explanation:
Code that gives semantic meaning to the content, e.g. a telephone number, or a “product.” In certain instances Google uses this code to enrich a search listing with Star ratings, event info, etc.

Faceted Navigation Explanation:
For catalog sites, how filter/sort functions are presented.

Accessibility Explanation:
Alt images, text not images, progressive enhancement principles.

Authority Content Explanation:
Content that helps build authority on the topic. Targeted “how to” “best” or “tips” content. Attract searchers during all phases of the “customer journey.”
For catalog sites, how filter/sort functions are presented.

Accessibility Explanation:
Alt images, text not images, progressive enhancement principles.

Authority Content Explanation:
Content that helps build authority on the topic. Targeted “how to” “best” or “tips” content. Attract searchers during all phases of the “customer journey.”

Who Owns My Website? Ownership and Terminology

“I want to own my website” Sooner or later, every web design company needs to address this request. Simple as it sounds, it really is complicated. A website is built with many assembled parts and you may be surprised to learn who legally owns each part.

The following website terminology is a guide of what you really own and what you’re really just leasing.

Web Server – You Don’t Typically Own This

The computer running the Web Server Platform that hosts your website.

  • For most, hosting services opens a new window. The data center owns your web server and leases it to you or your web vendor.
  • Obviously, you will own your website server if you purchase one, but this is usually cost prohibitive to maintain.

Web Server Platform – You Don’t Own This

This is the system software running on the server. Common examples include LAMP (Linux Apache MySql PHP), Windows IIS + ASP.NET, and Microsoft SQL Server.

  • You will never own this.

Content Management System (CMS) – You Don’t Own This

A Web Application that is used to manage the administration of content for your website. Examples include WordPressDrupal, and Shopify.

  • You only own your CMS if you author your own source code and wrote it yourself. This is common to all software. Unless you’re a software company, you don’t own any software on any computer.
  • The CMS (and all software) is owned by the respective creators and licensed to you.
  • Custom programming written on top of a Website Platform might be something you can own. This gets complicated with Open-Source platforms due to the GNU General Public License.

Database Software – You Don’t Own This

Common examples include MySql, Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Access.

  • You will never own the actual database.
  • You own your website data and content stored in the database if you author it.

Source Code (other custom programming) – You Don’t Typically Own This

The programmed code created in the language of the Web Server Platform that contains the logic and connectors to other software running on the server. Source code may also communicate with outside integrated system servers. The source code will generate the HTML/CSS/Javascript for the browser to render to your screen.

  • You will own your website source code if you or your employee authors it.
  • Otherwise, it is owned by the creator and licensed to you.
  • “Work for hire” could be specified in the agreement to ensure you own the website source code upon completion and final payment of the project. This gets complicated with proprietary and Open-Source platforms due to Intellectual Property and the GNU General Public License.
  • Control” of the source code is usually the critical concern with contracting custom development and is usually amenable by using an open-source platform.

HTML/CSS/Javascript – You Should Own This

HTML and CSS are the building blocks of almost all websites. It is a language that browsers understand. The Javascript is programming that may alter the HTML and CSS as one interacts with the website.

  • The website creator should provide an agreement giving HTML/CSS/Javascript ownership to you upon completion and final payment of the project.
  • Otherwise, unless you or your employees authored it, it is owned by the website creator and licensed to you.

Visual Design – You Should Own This

The combination of layout and presentable graphical assets like colors, photography and typography to create the user interface, images and videos, and readable content of the website. The HTML/CSS/Javascript will contain the information to display these assets so the browser can render the website on your screen.

  • The website creator should provide an agreement giving website visual design ownership to you upon completion and final payment of the project.
  • Otherwise, unless you or your employee created the designs, it is owned by the creator and licensed to you.

Text Content – You Own This

The formatted, readable, search engine indexable, copy and pastable website text that is rendered in the browser.

  • You will own your website text content if you or your employee authors the content.
  • Otherwise, the creator of the website is the legal “author” of the website text content.
  • The website creator should provide an agreement giving website content ownership to you upon completion and final payment of the project.

Photography – You Own This… If You Took The Pictures

The entire or part of a digitized photograph used on a website as either part of the logo, user interface, slideshow, gallery, video or other visual design asset.

  • You will own your website photography if you or your employee captures the photographs
  • Otherwise, you are only given a license to others’ photography. Keep a record of that license.

Browser – You Don’t Own This

A browser is the computer software we use to look at websites. Examples are Internet Explorer, Safari, Chrome, Firefox and Opera. A browser will display the rendered website which includes the HTML/CSS/Javascript and all visual design assets.

  • You will never own this.

Domain Name – You Don’t Own This Either. Surprised?

The Domain Name appears in the address bar of the browser. It is the humanly memorable, identifiable part of the website URL that is indexed by search engines, displayed in most marketing, and remembered as part of the brand.

  • You do not actually own a domain name even though you are a registered domain owner.
  • You have a contract with the domain registrar giving you “ownership” of the domain much like a contract with a telephone company for a phone number.
  • From Wikipedia: “…domain name registration with a registrar does not confer any legal ownership of the domain name, only an exclusive right of use.”

The Legal Reality of Owning a Website

  • You will never legally own the domain name, web server platform, CMS, web platform, database software, or language used to build your website.
  • You will usually never own the web server that hosts your website.
  • You are be granted a license to use the Intellectual Property of the website creator and/or the web platform used to build it.
  • Only if you program the website yourself or have a “work for hire” agreement, you will own the website source code.
  • If you author your own content, design the interface, take your own photographs, and create your own graphics, you will own all of the website “visual design” and content.

Own Your Website “Finished Assembled Work”

The website terminology that matters most is the “finished assembled work.” I define this as the HTML/CSS/Javascript, visual design, and the text content that is rendered by the Browser. The entirety of finished assembled work can be saved and stored by you, and can be rebuilt with any website platform. Look for contractual terms defining “finished assembled work” and stating you own the website “finished assembled work” upon completion and final payment of the project.

Article via: Barrett Lombardo, Co-Founder / Chief Operating Officer of Orbit Media Studios

Barrett Lombardo is the Co-Founder and COO at Orbit Media Studios. Barrett has been developing websites since 1995.

What Criteria are Used by Google to Rank Reviews Most Relevant?

Wondering how Google decides which reviews show up first in search results? Here’s a breakdown of the factors that determine “most relevant.”

Google does not show reviews based on chronological order but by “Most Relevant.” This is called dynamic review, as it is based on specific criteria. So, what criteria are used by Google to decide if a review is more relevant?


Top Factors

Length

Word count significantly impacts how relevant Google considers the review. Generally, the longer the review, the more relevant.

Keywords

When a customer uses the business’s name in the review, it can increase the relevancy of the review.

Specificity

Customers who tell their story or example with the product or service rank higher for relevancy than generic text.

Local

Customers who have done reviews in the local area in the past are more relevant than customers with no review history or customers who reside in a different location than the business.

Time

The more time that goes by, the less relevant the review.


Top Nonfactors

Likes

Unless the review becomes viral, the likes it receives will not impact the relevancy.

Responses from Owners

Even though it is considered good business, owners responding to reviews do not impact the relevancy of reviews.

Negative Reviews

Google does not rank negative reviews higher than positive reviews. They both rank on the criteria listed above.

Nathan Maas – https://lapraim.com/insights/criteria-for-relevant-google-reviews

Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content

Google’s automated ranking systems are designed to present helpful, reliable information that’s primarily created to benefit people, not to gain search engine rankings, in the top Search results. This page is designed to help creators evaluate if they’re producing such content.

Self-assess your content

Evaluating your own content against these questions can help you gauge if the content you’re making is helpful and reliable. Beyond asking yourself these questions, consider having others you trust but who are unaffiliated with your site provide an honest assessment.

Also consider an audit of the drops you may have experienced. What pages were most impacted and for what types of searches? Look closely at these to understand how they’re assessed against some of the questions outlined here.

Content and quality questions

  • Does the content provide original information, reporting, research, or analysis?
  • Does the content provide a substantial, complete, or comprehensive description of the topic?
  • Does the content provide insightful analysis or interesting information that is beyond the obvious?
  • If the content draws on other sources, does it avoid simply copying or rewriting those sources, and instead provide substantial additional value and originality?
  • Does the main heading or page title provide a descriptive, helpful summary of the content?
  • Does the main heading or page title avoid exaggerating or being shocking in nature?
  • Is this the sort of page you’d want to bookmark, share with a friend, or recommend?
  • Would you expect to see this content in or referenced by a printed magazine, encyclopedia, or book?
  • Does the content provide substantial value when compared to other pages in search results?
  • Does the content have any spelling or stylistic issues?
  • Is the content produced well, or does it appear sloppy or hastily produced?
  • Is the content mass-produced by or outsourced to a large number of creators, or spread across a large network of sites, so that individual pages or sites don’t get as much attention or care?

Expertise questions

  • Does the content present information in a way that makes you want to trust it, such as clear sourcing, evidence of the expertise involved, background about the author or the site that publishes it, such as through links to an author page or a site’s About page?
  • If someone researched the site producing the content, would they come away with an impression that it is well-trusted or widely-recognized as an authority on its topic?
  • Is this content written or reviewed by an expert or enthusiast who demonstrably knows the topic well?
  • Does the content have any easily-verified factual errors?

Provide a great page experience 

Google’s core ranking systems look to reward content that provides a good page experience. Site owners seeking to be successful with our systems should not focus on only one or two aspects of page experience. Instead, check if you’re providing an overall great page experience across many aspects. For more advice, see our page, Understanding page experience in Google Search results.

Focus on people-first content

People-first content means content that’s created primarily for people, and not to manipulate search engine rankings. How can you evaluate if you’re creating people-first content? Answering yes to the questions below means you’re probably on the right track with a people-first approach:

  • Do you have an existing or intended audience for your business or site that would find the content useful if they came directly to you?
  • Does your content clearly demonstrate first-hand expertise and a depth of knowledge (for example, expertise that comes from having actually used a product or service, or visiting a place)?
  • Does your site have a primary purpose or focus?
  • After reading your content, will someone leave feeling they’ve learned enough about a topic to help achieve their goal?
  • Will someone reading your content leave feeling like they’ve had a satisfying experience?

Avoid creating search engine-first content

We recommend that you focus on creating people-first content to be successful with Google Search, rather than search engine-first content made primarily to gain search engine rankings. Answering yes to some or all of the questions below is a warning sign that you should reevaluate how you’re creating content:

  • Is the content primarily made to attract visits from search engines?
  • Are you producing lots of content on many different topics in hopes that some of it might perform well in search results?
  • Are you using extensive automation to produce content on many topics?
  • Are you mainly summarizing what others have to say without adding much value?
  • Are you writing about things simply because they seem trending and not because you’d write about them otherwise for your existing audience?
  • Does your content leave readers feeling like they need to search again to get better information from other sources?
  • Are you writing to a particular word count because you’ve heard or read that Google has a preferred word count? (No, we don’t.)
  • Did you decide to enter some niche topic area without any real expertise, but instead mainly because you thought you’d get search traffic?
  • Does your content promise to answer a question that actually has no answer, such as suggesting there’s a release date for a product, movie, or TV show when one isn’t confirmed?
  • Are you changing the date of pages to make them seem fresh when the content has not substantially changed?
  • Are you adding a lot of new content or removing a lot of older content primarily because you believe it will help your search rankings overall by somehow making your site seem “fresh?” (No, it won’t)

What about SEO? Isn’t that search engine-first?

There are some things you could do that are specifically meant to help search engines better discover and understand your content. Collectively, this is called “search engine optimization” or SEO, for short. Google’s own SEO guide covers best practices to consider. SEO can be a helpful activity when it is applied to people-first content, rather than search engine-first content.

Get to know E-E-A-T and the quality rater guidelines

Google’s automated systems are designed to use many different factors to rank great content. After identifying relevant content, our systems aim to prioritize those that seem most helpful. To do this, they identify a mix of factors that can help determine which content demonstrates aspects of experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness, or what we call E-E-A-T.

Of these aspects, trust is most important. The others contribute to trust, but content doesn’t necessarily have to demonstrate all of them. For example, some content might be helpful based on the experience it demonstrates, while other content might be helpful because of the expertise it shares.

While E-E-A-T itself isn’t a specific ranking factor, using a mix of factors that can identify content with good E-E-A-T is useful. For example, our systems give even more weight to content that aligns with strong E-E-A-T for topics that could significantly impact the health, financial stability, or safety of people, or the welfare or well-being of society. We call these “Your Money or Your Life” topics, or YMYL for short.

Search quality raters are people who give us insights on if our algorithms seem to be providing good results, a way to help confirm our changes are working well. In particular, raters are trained to understand if content has strong E-E-A-T. The criteria they use to do this is outlined in our search quality rater guidelines.

Search raters have no control over how pages rank. Rater data is not used directly in our ranking algorithms. Rather, we use them as a restaurant might get feedback cards from diners. The feedback helps us know if our systems seem to be working.

Reading the guidelines may help you self-assess how your content is doing from an E-E-A-T perspective, improvements to consider, and help align it conceptually with the different signals that our automated systems use to rank content.

Ask “Who, How, and Why” about your content

Consider evaluating your content in terms of “Who, How, and Why” as a way to stay on course with what our systems seek to reward.

Who (created the content)

Something that helps people intuitively understand the E-E-A-T of content is when it’s clear who created it. That’s the “Who” to consider. When creating content, here are some who-related questions to ask yourself:

  • Is it self-evident to your visitors who authored your content?
  • Do pages carry a byline, where one might be expected?
  • Do bylines lead to further information about the author or authors involved, giving background about them and the areas they write about?

If you’re clearly indicating who created the content, you’re likely aligned with the concepts of E-E-A-T and on a path to success. We strongly encourage adding accurate authorship information, such as bylines to content where readers might expect it.

How (the content was created)

It’s helpful to readers to know how a piece of content was produced: this is the “How” to consider including in your content.

For example, with product reviews, it can build trust with readers when they understand the number of products that were tested, what the test results were, and how the tests were conducted, all accompanied by evidence of the work involved, such as photographs. It’s advice we share more about in our Write high quality product reviews help page.

Many types of content may have a “How” component to them. That can include automated, AI-generated, and AI-assisted content. Sharing details about the processes involved can help readers and visitors better understand any unique and useful role automation may have served.

If automation is used to substantially generate content, here are some questions to ask yourself:

  • Is the use of automation, including AI-generation, self-evident to visitors through disclosures or in other ways?
  • Are you providing background about how automation or AI-generation was used to create content?
  • Are you explaining why automation or AI was seen as useful to produce content?

Overall, AI or automation disclosures are useful for content where someone might think “How was this created?” Consider adding these when it would be reasonably expected. For more, see our blog post and FAQ: How Google Search views AI-generated content.

Why (was the content created)

“Why” is perhaps the most important question to answer about your content. Why is it being created in the first place?

The “why” should be that you’re creating content primarily to help people, content that is useful to visitors if they come to your site directly. If you’re doing this, you’re aligning with E-E-A-T generally and what our core ranking systems seek to reward.

If the “why” is that you’re primarily making content to attract search engine visits, that’s not aligned with what our systems seek to reward. If you use automation, including AI-generation, to produce content for the primary purpose of manipulating search rankings, that’s a violation of our spam policies.

Info via: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content

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