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Originally Posted On: https://www.sanechoice.cloud/seo/using-google-lighthouse-to-check-your-seo-basics/
Using Google Lighthouse to check your SEO basics
Learn how to leverage this invaluable resource for better search engine rankings and increased organic traffic.
Search engine optimisation can be expensive. If it is not expensive, it gets pretty complex. However, it all starts with ensuring that your website’s basics are SEO compliant. There is no better way to check this than with the Google Lighthouse SEO analyser tool built into Chrome. This article will explain how to ensure your website has all the basics right.
Understanding Google Lighthouse SEO Audit
Google Lighthouse is a free, open-source tool designed to help website owners improve their sites’ performance, accessibility, best practices, and SEO. The SEO audit feature evaluates various aspects of a website to ensure it meets the standards search engines like Google set.
- Assesses on-page elements such as meta tags, headings, and keyword usage.
- Checks for mobile responsiveness and page loading speed.
- Identifies opportunities for improvement in content quality and user experience.
You can run the tool in two ways: using Google’s online tool or what is built into the Google Chrome browser. At SaneChoice, we always use the feature in Chrome. You can use the online tool if you do not have Chrome (why not?! It’s the world’s most used browser!).
By running an SEO audit through Google Lighthouse, you can gain valuable insights into how well your website is optimised (at a basic level) for search engines and identify areas that need attention.
Accessing the Google Lighthouse SEO Audit in Google Chrome
As mentioned above, Google Lighthouse is integrated directly into the Google Chrome browser, making it easy for anyone to perform basic SEO audits on any webpage. Here’s how to access and access the Google Lighthouse SEO Audit feature:
- Open Google Chrome: Launch the Google Chrome browser on your computer. Ensure you have the latest version of Chrome to access Lighthouse’s most updated features.
- Navigate to the Desired Page: In the address bar, enter the URL of the webpage you wish to audit, and let the page fully load.
- Access Developer Tools: Once on the webpage, open Chrome’s Developer Tools by either right-clicking on the page and selecting “Inspect” or by pressing `Ctrl + Shift + I` on Windows (`Cmd + Option + I` on macOS).
- Select the Lighthouse Tab: In the Developer Tools interface, locate and click the “Lighthouse” tab. This tab might be listed among other tabs such as “Elements,” “Console,” “Network,” etc.
- Configure Audit Settings: In the Lighthouse tab, you can choose the type of audit you want to perform. To focus specifically on SEO, ensure that only the “SEO” checkbox is selected. You may also choose to run the audit for mobile or desktop versions of the page.
- Run the Audit: Click the “Generate Report” or “Analyse Page Load” button to begin the audit. Lighthouse will then run its checks, which might take a few seconds to complete.
- Review the Results: Once the audit is complete, Lighthouse will provide a comprehensive report detailing the webpage’s SEO performance. This report includes insights and suggestions for improvements across various SEO parameters.
How Google Lighthouse SEO Audit Looks
As always with Google, everything looks clean and easy to read. You can see from the image below that it gives you (at the time of writing) about 10 practical measures of essential SEO readiness. The aim is to ensure all these are green before considering advanced optimisation.
What is the SEO Audit Checking for?
The SEO audit within Lighthouse comprises several specific checks, each aimed at reinforcing different aspects of SEO best practices. Here’s a breakdown of the ten checks Google Lighthouse performs during its SEO audit:
Viewport Meta Tag
Lighthouse verifies the presence of a viewport meta tag. This tag is crucial as it enables responsive web design, ensuring web pages render well on various devices, particularly mobile ones. Pages without a proper viewport meta tag may not display correctly on mobile devices, adversely affecting user experience and SEO rankings.
Title Element
The audit examines if each page has a meaningful `<title>` element. This is a critical on-page SEO factor as the title tag appears in search engine results and influences click-through rates. It should be unique, relevant, and adequately reflect the page’s content.
Meta Description
Google Lighthouse checks for a meta description tag. This tag, while not a direct ranking factor, provides descriptive text that can appear in search engine results. A well-crafted meta description can improve click-through rates by enticing users to visit the page.
HTTP Status Code
The tool verifies that the page returns a successful HTTP status code (200). Successful codes indicate that the page is live and functional, whereas error codes (like 404 or 500) can negatively impact search engine indexing and user experience.
Links with Descriptive Text
This check ensures that links on the page contain descriptive and concise text. Proper anchor text is essential for users and search engines to understand the link’s context, improving accessibility and SEO efficacy.
Crawlable Page
Google Lighthouse assesses whether search engines can crawl the page effectively. This involves checking for the presence of a `robots.txt` file that could potentially block search engines and ensuring that essential resources aren’t being obscured.
Page Load Speed (not direct SEO check)
While not traditionally part of an SEO audit, Lighthouse touches on this due to its impact on user experience and subsequent SEO performance. Pages that load quickly can improve user engagement and reduce bounce rates, indirectly influencing SEO.
Valid hreflang Attributes
Lighthouse checks the `hreflang` attributes for multilingual sites to ensure they are correctly implemented. These attributes help search engines understand a webpage’s language and geographical targeting, aiding in proper indexing and search appearance.
Canonical Links
The audit examines the presence and correctness of canonical tags, which help prevent duplicate content issues by indicating the preferred version of a webpage. Proper implementation ensures that link equity is consolidated to the canonical page.
Structured Data
The tool inspects whether structured data is implemented correctly on the page. Structured data helps search engines understand the content better and can qualify the webpage for rich results, enhancing visibility in search results.
Get Optimising Your Website with Google Lighthouse
Utilising Google Lighthouse’s SEO audit feature can help you make informed decisions to boost your website’s search engine rankings and attract more organic traffic. Addressing the issues highlighted in the audit report can enhance your site’s visibility and user experience, leading to better online SEO performance.
The tool is only the start of an SEO journey, but it is both a fundamental and important start – one that cannot be ignored. Don’t miss the opportunity to leverage Google Lighthouse’s SEO audit feature to take your website to the next level regarding SEO optimisation and overall digital presence. It’s free, and it helps you get a great start.
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