Would you like your smaller website to rank well on Google?
If your website has up to 500 subpages, you can check it quickly and free of charge for SEO errors using the Screaming Frog tool. In this article, I’ll show you how to identify 3 major SEO issues on your site – and how to resolve them.
For your website to achieve high rankings on Google, it needs a solid foundation. This foundation consists of many different building blocks (parameters) that make up your site. Google’s algorithm assesses the quality of your website when determining its position in the search results. If your site is well structured, it will achieve better rankings – and you’ll get more out of your link building.
If your website lacks good structure, it will be less visible on Google. This means fewer visitors. And if you run an online shop, it will result in lower sales than you might otherwise achieve.
More than 200 parameters
Google’s algorithm evaluates over 200 different parameters when ranking your website in the search results. That’s far more than we’ll cover here. To get the full benefit of your SEO efforts, you need to be patient and consistent. This might seem overwhelming. But the good news is – taking some action is better than doing nothing! By following the advice in this article, you’ll at least be getting started – and you’ll also discover a powerful SEO tool 🙂
Crawl your site with Screaming Frog
You can download Screaming Frog here. With the free version, you can analyse up to 500 pages.
Once you’ve installed and opened Screaming Frog on your computer, you’re ready to let the programme analyse your website.
How to crawl your site with Screaming Frog
- Copy your homepage’s web address from your browser (to get the full address).
- Paste the website address into Screaming Frog.
- Click “Start” and wait for the crawl to reach 100%.
Once your site has been crawled 100%, you’re ready to check it for SEO errors.
#1 Page titles
The page title has a significant influence on where a page ranks in the search results. Most websites have many subpages. So, it’s not only the homepage title you need to consider, but also the titles of all subpages.
Example:
A website selling shoes – let’s call it skotildig.dk – will typically have a range of categories, with URLs such as:
- skotildig.dk/sandaler
- skotildig.dk/klipklappere
- skotildig.dk/stoevler
You might also have subcategories within each category, such as:
- skotildig.dk/stoevler/vinterstoevler
- skotildig.dk/stoevler/sommerstoevler
Within each category, you’ll find various products, each with its own subpage. For example:
- skotildig.dk/bootstar-comfort-400
All these different category and product pages should have relevant and unique page titles, so Google and users can clearly see what your page is about. This is where Screaming Frog is especially useful, as it allows you to quickly get an overview of any issues with your page titles.
Missing page titles
- Click on the “Page Titles” tab
- Select the “Missing” filter
If any pages appear here that you want to rank for on Google, it’s important to add page titles. At the end of this section, you’ll find tips on how to optimise your page titles. If nothing appears here, your website does not have issues with missing page titles.
Duplicate page titles
Next, we’ll check whether your website has duplicate page titles – in other words, whether different subpages have identical page titles. Duplicate content should be avoided when optimising your site for SEO. Google uses your page’s content – in this case, the page title – to determine which keywords the page should rank for. For example, if you have two subpages that both have the title “Men’s Winter Boots – High Quality at Low Prices”, Google will not know which page should rank for the keyword “Men’s Winter Boots”.
How to check for duplicate page titles in Screaming Frog
- Click on the “Page Titles” tab
- Select the “Duplicate” filter
If Screaming Frog generates a list of pages with duplicate titles, you should review them. If there are pages you want to rank on Google, make sure each has a unique page title.
Optimising page titles – how to do it
The first step is to create a concise piece of text that should:
- Attract users searching for what you offer.
- Convince Google that your page should be shown to these users when they search.
Here’s an example of how this might appear in Google’s search results:
When creating your page title, you can use this tool. Here you can see how your title will appear in the search results and how many characters you have available.
Tip: Google reads from left to right, so if you want to rank for the keyword “Winter Boots”, place this word as far to the left as possible – as shown in the image above.
Once you’ve created a page title that you believe is relevant for users and Google, you can add it in your website’s CMS.
#2 Missing meta descriptions
Meta descriptions are important because – just like the page title – they can persuade users to click through to your website. To check if your site is missing meta descriptions, do the following:
- Click on the “Meta Description” tab
- Select the “Missing” filter
If there are subpages here that you want to receive traffic, it’s a good idea to add optimised meta descriptions to these pages.
Optimising meta descriptions – how to do it
When writing your meta descriptions, you can again use this tool to see how many characters you have and how your meta description will look in the search results.
The meta description appears here:
Tip: Be sure to include your keyword in the meta description. This way, the word will be highlighted in bold in the search results when a user searches for, for example, “winter boots”.
Once you’ve written a meta description you believe will attract the right visitors, you’re ready to add it to your website’s CMS.
#3 H1 headings
Google – and your visitors – use your headings to understand what your page is about. Every subpage should have its own main heading, which in the HTML code should be defined as an H1 heading. Most CMS systems allow you to format a heading as an “H1 heading” without needing to write the HTML code yourself.
Missing H1 headings
To check whether any of your subpages are missing H1 headings, do the following:
- Click on the “H1” tab
- Select the “Missing” filter
If there are pages you want to rank for on Google that are missing H1 headings, it’s definitely worth adding them. Your pages may already have a heading that just needs to be formatted as an “H1 heading” via your CMS. At the end of this section, I’ll give a few tips on writing SEO-optimised H1 headings.
Duplicate H1 headings
- Click on the “H1” tab
- Select the “Duplicate” filter
Duplicate H1 headings confuse Google, as they signal that multiple pages are about exactly the same thing. For example, if you have two different pages with the heading “Winter Boots”, Google won’t know which page should rank for the keyword “Winter Boots”. The issue is similar to duplicate page titles.
If Screaming Frog’s list of duplicate H1 headings includes subpages you want to rank for on Google, it’s worth optimising them.
Optimising H1 headings – how to do it
Your H1 headings should be unique and include the keywords for which you want each page to be found on Google. Again, Google reads from left to right, so it’s a good idea to place your keyword as far to the left as possible. An H1 heading for a subpage you want to rank for the keyword “Winter Boots” could, for example, be: “Winter boots for children and adults”.
