How do you test your website for SEO updates?

1 Check your site health

The first thing you need to do is to check your site health using a tool like Google Search Console or Bing Webmaster Tools. These tools can help you monitor your site's performance, crawlability, indexability, and errors. You can also use them to submit your sitemap, request indexing, and see how your site appears in search results. You should check your site health at least once a month and after any major changes to your site.

2 Analyze your keywords and content

The next thing you need to do is to analyze your keywords and content using a tool like Google Analytics or SEMrush. These tools can help you track your site's traffic, bounce rate, conversion rate, and user behavior. You can also use them to see which keywords and pages are driving the most organic visits, how long users stay on your site, and what actions they take. You should analyze your keywords and content at least once a quarter and after any significant content updates.

3 Test your site speed and mobile-friendliness

Another thing you need to do is to test your site speed and mobile-friendliness using a tool like Google PageSpeed Insights or Lighthouse. These tools can help you measure your site's loading time, responsiveness, and usability on different devices and browsers. You can also use them to get suggestions on how to improve your site speed and mobile-friendliness. You should test your site speed and mobile-friendliness at least once a year and after any major design or technical changes.

4 Audit your site structure and navigation

One more thing you need to do is to audit your site structure and navigation using a tool like Screaming Frog or Sitebulb. These tools can help you crawl your site and identify any issues with your URLs, titles, meta tags, headings, links, and images. You can also use them to see how your site is organized, how easy it is to navigate, and how well it supports your SEO goals. You should audit your site structure and navigation at least once a year and after any significant structural or navigational changes.

5 Review your site security and accessibility

The last thing you need to do is to review your site security and accessibility using a tool like SSL Server Test or WAVE. These tools can help you verify your site's encryption, certificates, protocols, and vulnerabilities. You can also use them to check your site's compliance with web standards, guidelines, and best practices for accessibility. You should review your site security and accessibility at least once a year and after any major security or accessibility updates.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?