To assess a domain for SEO and web vitals, you can use a combination of free tools that cover various aspects like technical SEO, content analysis, speed, and user experience. Here’s a list of the best free tools to gather the necessary insights for a comprehensive domain assessment:
1. Google Search Console
Use for: Monitoring and fixing SEO issues
- Provides insights into search performance, indexing issues, mobile usability, and Core Web Vitals.
- Key features: Search traffic analysis, keyword performance, and issues like mobile-friendliness or security.
- URL: Google Search Console
2. Google Analytics
Use for: Monitoring user behavior and site traffic
- Tracks website traffic, bounce rates, and user behavior, which are critical for understanding how users interact with your site.
- Key features: Audience segmentation, page load metrics, and real-time tracking.
- URL: Google Analytics
3. Google PageSpeed Insights
Use for: Web Vitals and performance checks
- Provides a detailed breakdown of your site’s performance on desktop and mobile, including Core Web Vitals like Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS).
- Key features: Mobile vs. desktop scores, suggestions for speed improvements.
- URL: PageSpeed Insights
4. Lighthouse (via Chrome DevTools)
Use for: Performance and SEO audits
- An open-source tool integrated into Chrome that audits web performance, SEO, accessibility, and best practices.
- Key features: Audit for performance metrics like First Contentful Paint (FCP), SEO optimizations, and Progressive Web App (PWA) checks.
- Access: Right-click on any webpage > “Inspect” > “Lighthouse” tab in Chrome.
5. Screaming Frog SEO Spider (Free Version)
Use for: Technical SEO audits
- Crawls your website and analyzes issues like broken links, duplicate content, missing metadata, and site structure.
- Key features: 500 URLs on the free version, XML sitemap generation, and crawl analysis.
- URL: Screaming Frog
6. Ahrefs Webmaster Tools (Free)
Use for: Backlink analysis and keyword ranking
- Similar to Google Search Console but provides a bit more in-depth data on backlinks and keyword ranking.
- Key features: Keyword data, backlink profiles, site audit tools.
- URL: Ahrefs Webmaster Tools
7. Ubersuggest (Free Plan)
Use for: Keyword research and content ideas
- Provides basic SEO insights for keywords, content, backlinks, and overall domain health.
- Key features: Keyword ideas, competitor analysis, and backlink data.
- URL: Ubersuggest
8. GTmetrix
Use for: Website performance and speed analysis
- Analyzes page speed and suggests ways to improve load times, providing a detailed report on what impacts your performance.
- Key features: Load time, page size, request breakdown, and suggestions for improvement.
- URL: GTmetrix
9. SEO Site Checkup
Use for: Comprehensive SEO audit
- Gives a report on SEO issues and recommendations, like metadata issues, image optimization, and mobile-friendliness.
- Key features: Full SEO audit, including server-side issues, content, and technical optimizations.
- URL: SEO Site Checkup
10. Pingdom Website Speed Test
Use for: Site speed test and performance grading
- Provides detailed reports on website load times, performance grades, and suggestions for improvements.
- Key features: Response time insights, file size breakdowns, and performance history.
- URL: Pingdom Speed Test
11. Schema Markup Validator (Google)
Use for: Checking structured data
- Validates the structured data implemented on your site, ensuring proper markup to improve search engine understanding and rich results.
- Key features: Schema validation, rich snippets preview.
- URL: Schema Markup Validator
How to Present Findings for Client Improvements:
- Compile the data from all the tools into one report.
- Create sections for technical SEO, performance (web vitals), on-page SEO (content, keywords), and user experience (mobile-friendliness, load times).
- Use screenshots and visualizations from tools like Google PageSpeed, Screaming Frog, and GTmetrix to illustrate problems and suggestions.
- Provide actionable steps for each issue, such as improving meta tags, optimizing images, fixing broken links, and improving Core Web Vitals.
This comprehensive toolkit will give you a holistic view of a website’s health, helping you to create a detailed report for your client and suggest effective SEO and performance improvements.