Nothing beats a website audit, and even better when it’s free! Check out this week’s extended video where we review 3 different websites, discuss what they’ve done right, what they need to improve and what areas that are just hurting their overall Search Engine Optimization.
Thanks to those who let us review their sites LIVE. This is what Big Red SEO (Kim & Conor) do all day for clients. Of course, they’re much more in-depth, but the free version gives some guidance on where to tackle first.
Below, you can watch the Facebook Live Video which we have uploaded to our YouTube channel. We’ve also included timestamps or jump points so you can skip around the video as needed.
Before We Kick Off The Live Audits
What are Conor’s favorite things about doing a website audit? (2:16)
“It’s not enough to come first, everyone else has to lose”
What are Kim’s favorite things about doing a website audit? (3:50)
“Helping a business learn how to represent themselves”
Is SEO Dying or going away? Is it needed on all websites? (6:30)
If you don’t provide good user experience, Google won’t send you traffic (7:50)
First Website Audit During Our Live Stream
Coaching / Healing type website (11:00)
– Based on the main header, it’s hard to tell what the website is about (13:00)
– Most people will scan a page in an “L” or “Z” pattern when they first land on a page (14:10)
– What is being sold or what should the user buy (15:00)
– Recommend moving the catchphrase higher on the page due to laptop display (16:00)
– Read the book “Story Brand” which talks about what to show a user as soon as they land on a page
– Modify the header menu to add a “BUY” or “SHOP” or “HIRE ME” and make it stand out (18:45)
– Rollover buttons need some help as the color change makes the button disappear (20:40)
– The home page is your main brochure, make sure you have enough text on it (21:30)
– When possible, add pictures of yourself. People do business with people, especially a services type site (22:30)
– Google has a minimum of 250 words on a page. Our recommendation is 450 words per page (23:30)
– Don’t forget about text size and make sure it’s readable. Move the monitor 2-3 feet away and make sure it’s readable.
– Decide if a visitor is supposed to call you, email or use a contact form. Expand the contact form if necessary (28:00)
– Movement on pages will encourage people to spend time on a page – increases Dwell Time (32:00)
– Google Page Speed Insights – use it to measure your site speed on desktop and mobile (36:00)
– Make sure you get Google Analytics installed on your site and use it to track your users’ paths (38:30)
– Title, Meta Tag Descriptions, H1 Tags, make sure you link out to other sites (40:00)
Second Website Audit During Our Live Stream
Design/SEO Agency Website – (41:30)
– Nice agency layout, makes it look like a big group of people
– Video in the slider is always good – as long as it’s fast or a click to play option (44:15)
– A few broken images that need to be fixed. Broken images are a factor with Google (45:00)
– Remove stock photography when possible, especially when showing pictures of a team (45:20)
– Images bouncing when scrolling can be distracting, but since it’s extra code, see what that adds to page load time(46:45)
– Make sure you put your address or at minimum the city/state so people know where you are (47:15)
– If you have a registered trademark, make sure it’s being used correctly (48:15)
– Check the content and make sure that the same word is not being repeated at the start of paragraphs or sentences (49:45)
Third Website Audit During Our Live Stream
Another Website Audit – CPA Business- (51:45)
– We’ve worked with Barb before, and the new website is a breath of fresh air!
– Web Designers often build for designers (pretty) and usually not paying attention to SEO. This can lead to a slowdown (53:00)
– Page Speed Insights show us what’s happening for speed. The page taking 6 seconds on desktop & longer on mobile phones (54:15)
– Time to interaction on a mobile taking nearly 14 seconds. The issue comes down to mainly Images being too big (55:15)
– Use NextGen image formats. Especially on images that are 1 MB in size. In this case, those images should be 15-20kb based on what they’re used in (56:00)
– Looks like an issue with the top menu when you scroll UP on the page it hides the menu (58:30)
– 2500px image width is too big. Use background images at 1920px (usually) and can reduce file size too – (59:25)
Join Us Each Week For A New Facebook Live
Every week, Conor & Kimberly have a Facebook Live that is open to everyone. We usually have a topic pre-planned, but we’re always open to new discussions during the broadcast!
If you have a topic that you’d like us to cover, drop us a note and we’ll do our best to get it added to the schedule!