How to audit your website’s metadata when you're short on time
You run a business so it's safe to assume that you're a busy person. Maybe search engine optimisation (SEO) isn't something you're familiar with, and you don't have the luxury of time to sit with your laptop and figure it out. You could ignore it, but you know that SEO is necessary in today's online-first world.
This situation will sound familiar to most business owners. A lot of people aren't sure where to begin when it comes to SEO. A good starting point when you're short on time is to conduct a metadata audit.
Hold on...what is metadata?
So, when metadata is referred to in the context of SEO, it means the meta title and meta description for every page on your website. You see metadata every time you search for something on Google, you just don't realise it. The blue link in the screenshot is the meta title and the black text underneath it is the meta description.
The meta title is a direct ranking factor so it can help determine where your site is positioned in Google's search results page. The meta description isn't a direct ranking factor, but it helps encourage people to choose your site over a competitor's. When more people click on your site (and don't immediately bounce off), it indicates to Google's algorithms that you have a quality site. That's why meta descriptions indirectly help your site's search engine rankings.
I see, so how do I audit my metadata?
If you have a small to medium-sized website, you can complete an audit reasonably quickly, if you have a large site it'll take longer simply because of the volume of URLs.
Let's jump in! If you want to audit your website's metadata, follow these easy steps.
You could ignore SEO, but you know it’s necessary in today's online-first world
Find a website crawler tool
There are a lot of good free options out there. My favourite is Screaming Frog; there's a free and a paid version. The free version has a limit on how many URLs you can crawl, but it's enough for most small websites. There are plenty of other tools to choose from; before you sign-up, check that it crawls metadata and if you're using a free version, make it covers what you need.
Run a crawl on your site
Once you've signed-up or downloaded your tool of choice, let it do its thing! It'll scan each URL in your website and return information on the metadata on each page.
Identify where to make improvements
Now that you're armed and ready with your website data, go through it to find out if you have:
Missing page titles
Duplicate page titles
Page titles that don't use keywords
Missing meta descriptions
Meta descriptions that don't have a call to action
Every page on your website needs to have a unique page title that ideally uses each page's core keyword(s). Make the most of your meta descriptions by using focused and engaging copy that features the benefits of choosing your brand, and a call to action to help drive traffic to your site.
I've finished my audit, now what?
Now that you know where to make improvements, it's time to roll out the changes. It's tempting to push all of the new metadata live in one go, but since it can, directly and indirectly, impact your site's rankings, it's better to take a measured approach.
Roll out the changes slowly and use a tool like Google's Search Console to monitor the effect. You might not see the impact of new metadata straight away, but keep an eye out for any gains or losses that roughly coincide with when you pushed the changes live. If any of your pages drop-down in the rankings for their core keywords, simply roll back the change and revert to the previous metadata.
If you need a hand to conduct an SEO audit of your website, I can do it for you and talk you through the recommendations. The first consultation is free so get in touch today for a chat.