Would you like your small website to rank well on Google?
If your website has a maximum of 500 subpages, you can check it quickly and for free for SEO errors using the Screaming Frog tool. In this post, I’ll explain how to check your site for 3 key SEO mistakes and how to fix them.
If you want your website to rank highly on Google, your foundation needs to be solid. This foundation consists of many different building blocks (parameters) that together make up your website. Google’s algorithm assesses the quality of your website when determining its place in the search results. If your site is well structured, it will achieve better rankings – and you will get more out of your link building efforts.
If your website is not well structured, you will have less visibility on Google. This means your site will attract fewer visitors. And if you run an online shop, this can lead to less revenue than you might otherwise achieve.
More than 200 parameters
Google’s algorithm considers over 200 different parameters when ranking your website in the search results. This is far more than we will cover here. To get the full benefit of your SEO efforts, you need a patient and persistent approach. It may seem overwhelming, but fortunately, some effort is better than none! By following the advice in this article, you will at least be getting started – and you will get an introduction to 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 have installed and opened Screaming Frog on your computer, you are ready to let the programme analyse your website.
How to crawl your site with Screaming Frog
- Copy your homepage URL from your browser (to get the complete address).
- Paste your website address into Screaming Frog.
- Click “Start” and wait until the crawl is 100% complete.
Once your site has been crawled 100%, you are ready to check your site for SEO errors.
#1 Page titles
The page title plays a significant role in determining where a page appears in the search results. Most websites have many subpages, so it’s not just the homepage title you need to consider, but also the titles of all your subpages.
Example:
A website selling shoes – let’s call it skotildig.dk – typically has many different categories, with URLs like:
- 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 these categories, there are various products, each with its own page. For example:
- skotildig.dk/bootstar-comfort-400
All these different categories and product pages should have relevant and unique page titles, so that Google and your users can clearly see what each page is about. This is where Screaming Frog is useful, as it quickly gives you an overview of potential 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 be found on Google, it is 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 in this filter, your website does not have issues with missing page titles.
Duplicate page titles
Next, check to see whether your website has duplicate page titles – in other words, whether different subpages have identical titles. Duplicate content should be avoided when optimising your website for SEO. Google uses your page content – in this case, the title – to determine which keywords a page should rank for. For example, if you have two subpages both titled “Men’s Winter Boots – High Quality at Low Prices”, Google will not know which one should rank for the phrase “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, review them carefully. If there are any pages you want to be found on Google, you should optimise the page titles so that each one is unique.
Optimising page titles – how to do it
The first step is to create a short piece of text that will:
- Attract users searching for what you offer.
- Convince Google that your page should be shown to these users when they search.
Here is an example of how this could look in Google’s search results:
When creating your page title, you can use this tool to preview 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 the word as far to the left as possible – as shown in the image above.
When you have created a page title that is relevant for both users and Google, you can add it to your website’s CMS.
#2 Missing meta descriptions
Meta descriptions are important because – just like page titles – they can persuade users to click through to your website. To check whether 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 generate traffic for, it’s a good idea to add optimised meta descriptions to those 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 available, 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 will make the word appear in bold in the search results when a user searches for, for example, “winter boots”.
When you have created a meta description that you believe will attract the right visitors, you are 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, defined in the HTML code as an H1 heading. Most CMS systems allow you to format a heading as “H1” without having to write any HTML code yourself.
Missing H1 headings
To check if any of your subpages are missing H1 headings, follow these steps:
- Click on the “H1” tab
- Select the “Missing” filter
If there are pages you want to rank on Google that are missing H1 headings, it is well worth adding them. The pages may already have a visible heading, which just needs to be formatted as an “H1 heading” in your CMS. At the end of this section, I’ll share some tips on writing an SEO-optimised H1 heading.
Duplicate H1 headings
- Click on the “H1” tab
- Select the “Duplicate” filter
Duplicate H1 headings can confuse Google, as they signal that several different pages are about exactly the same topic. For example, if you have two different pages both titled “Winter Boots”, Google will not know which page to rank for the keyword “Winter Boots” – just as with duplicate page titles.
If Screaming Frog’s list of duplicate H1 headings includes subpages you want to be found on Google, it’s worth optimising them.
Optimising H1 headings – how to do it
Your H1 headings should be unique and include the keywords you want each page to rank for on Google. Again, Google reads from left to right, so place the keyword as far to the left as possible. For example, an H1 heading on a subpage you want to rank for the keyword “Winter Boots” could be: “Winter Boots for Children and Adults”.
