How to Fix Technical SEO Issues with Ahrefs

TL;DR

To fix technical SEO issues, use Ahrefs' Site Audit tool to conduct a comprehensive audit. Start by setting up a project, define the scope and seeds, and run the audit. Analyze the results to identify errors, warnings, and notices. Prioritize fixing critical issues, such as redirect chains and duplicate content, to improve site health and organic traffic.

Transcript

In this video, I’m going to show you how to do a basic SEO audit step-by-step. Stay tuned. [music] What’s up everyone? Sam Oh here with Ahrefs and I’m super excited because today’s video is going to apply to anyone who runs a website and wants to make sure that their visitors have a great user experience. So everyone. Since your website and my web... Read More

Key Insights

• Ahrefs' Site Audit tool is essential for identifying technical SEO issues on a website.
• Setting the correct scope and seeds is crucial for an effective site audit.
• A health score represents the proportion of URLs with critical issues on a site.
• Broken pages, such as 404 errors, waste link equity and should be prioritized for fixing.
• Meta descriptions and duplicate content are common issues that can affect site performance.
• Redirect chains can be identified and corrected using the audit's actionable advice.
• Scheduled crawls help monitor ongoing SEO health and improvements over time.
• Prioritizing the correction of errors over warnings and notices can improve SEO health faster.

Questions & Answers

Q: How to conduct a website audit using Ahrefs?

To conduct a website audit using Ahrefs, first create a project in the Site Audit tool. Define the scope and seeds to determine which parts of the website to crawl. Run the audit to identify technical issues such as errors, warnings, and notices. Analyze the results to prioritize and fix critical issues to improve SEO health.

Q: What is a health score in Ahrefs' Site Audit?

A health score in Ahrefs' Site Audit represents the proportion of URLs on a crawled site that have critical issues. It is calculated by assessing the number of pages with at least one critical issue against the total number of pages crawled. A higher health score indicates better technical SEO health.

Q: Why are broken pages a problem for SEO?

Broken pages, such as those resulting in 404 errors, are problematic for SEO because they waste link equity and negatively impact user experience. When search engines crawl a site and encounter broken pages, it can lead to reduced rankings. Fixing these pages helps maintain link equity and improves site health.

Q: How can duplicate content affect a website's SEO?

Duplicate content can affect a website's SEO by causing search engines to struggle in determining which version of the content to index and rank. This can dilute the page's authority and reduce its visibility in search results. Addressing duplicate content issues, such as by setting canonical tags, helps improve SEO performance.

Q: What are redirect chains and how can they be fixed?

Redirect chains occur when multiple redirects are linked together, causing longer load times and potential loss of link equity. They can be fixed by simplifying the redirect path, ensuring that each page redirects directly to the final destination. Ahrefs' Site Audit provides insights and best practices for resolving redirect chains.

Q: How does scheduling crawls benefit SEO audits?

Scheduling crawls in SEO audits allows for continuous monitoring of a website's technical health. As changes are made to the site, such as adding or removing pages, scheduled crawls help identify new issues and track improvements over time. This proactive approach ensures consistent site optimization and better search engine performance.

Q: What role do meta descriptions play in SEO?

Meta descriptions play a crucial role in SEO by influencing click-through rates from search engine results pages. A well-crafted meta description can attract more clicks, leading to increased traffic. Ensuring that meta descriptions are unique and relevant for each page helps improve visibility and user engagement.

Q: How can Ahrefs' Data Explorer aid in SEO audits?

Ahrefs' Data Explorer aids in SEO audits by providing access to raw data and customizable reports. Users can apply filters to analyze specific issues, such as broken pages or duplicate content, and prioritize tasks based on metrics like dofollow backlinks. This flexibility enables efficient problem-solving and targeted SEO improvements.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Ahrefs' Site Audit tool is used to identify and fix technical SEO issues. By setting up a project, defining scope and seeds, and running a crawl, users can uncover errors like 404 pages and duplicate content. Prioritize fixing critical issues to boost site health and organic traffic.

• The audit process involves analyzing the health score, identifying broken pages, and correcting redirect chains and duplicate content. Scheduled crawls allow for ongoing monitoring and improvement of a website's SEO health, ultimately enhancing user experience and search rankings.

• Using Ahrefs' metrics and features, such as Data Explorer, users can customize audit reports and prioritize tasks. Exporting data and collaborating with teams or freelancers can streamline the process of correcting SEO issues and maintaining site health.