MODULE 5: TECHNICAL SEO BASICS

Practical Exercise: Run a Basic Technical SEO Audit Using Free Tools

A technical SEO audit helps you identify and fix issues that might be affecting your website's performance and visibility in search engines. This practical exercise will guide you through a simple, non-technical audit using free tools like Google PageSpeed Insights.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Gather Your Website Information

  • URL: Note the web address of the site or page you want to audit.
  • Site Builder/Host Information: Knowing the platform (e.g., WordPress, Wix) and hosting provider can be helpful for implementing fixes.

Step 2: Test Your Page Speed

Visit Google PageSpeed Insights:

Go to Google PageSpeed Insights.

Enter Your URL:

Type in the URL of the webpage you want to test and click "Analyze."

Review the Results:

  • Note your speed score for both mobile and desktop.
  • Scroll down to review the recommendations for improvement.

Key Metrics to Look At:

  • First Contentful Paint (FCP): How long it takes for the first piece of content to load.
  • Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Time it takes for the largest element to load.
  • Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Measures visual stability.
  • Speed Index: Average time for the page to become visually complete.

Step 3: Optimize Images

Check for Image Optimization Suggestions:

PageSpeed Insights will often recommend optimizing images if they are too large or not compressed.

Compress Images Using TinyPNG:

  • Go to TinyPNG.
  • Upload your images to compress them.
  • Download the compressed images and replace the existing images on your website with these smaller versions.

Tools for Technical SEO Audit

  • Google PageSpeed Insights:

    Enter your URL to get an analysis of your page speed and actionable suggestions.

  • TinyPNG:

    Compress images to improve loading times without sacrificing quality.

  • Cloudflare:

    Use it to implement a global CDN to speed up content delivery.

  • W3 Total Cache:

    Plugin for WordPress to enable browser caching and optimize site performance.

  • Autoptimize:

    Plugin for WordPress to minify CSS and JavaScript files, improving load times.

Actionable Insight

Perform a simple technical SEO audit on your website using Google PageSpeed Insights. Compress images with TinyPNG and enable browser caching through a plugin like W3 Total Cache if you use WordPress. Implement a CDN using Cloudflare and simplify your page design to remove unnecessary elements. Regularly check your website's performance and address any issues promptly to maintain a fast and efficient site. By following these steps, you can enhance user experience, improve search engine rankings, and attract more clients to your real estate business.