Apex Insurance Brokers - Website Report

Introduction

This summary provides a comprehensive overview of the performance, technical SEO, and technology stack of apexinsurancebrokers.co.uk. The insights highlight the critical areas impacting site speed, user experience, SEO effectiveness, and the overall functionality of the website. Addressing these key findings will significantly enhance performance and conversions.

Key Findings

1. Minify and Optimise CSS and JavaScript: Reducing file sizes through minification and removing unused CSS and JavaScript can enhance loading speeds and user interactivity.

2. Serve Images in Next-Gen Formats: Converting images to formats like WebP could significantly decrease file sizes, improving load times and user experience.

3. Implement HTTPS: Transitioning to HTTPS is essential for security, user trust, and compatibility with modern web technologies.

4. Optimise Network Payload and Caching: Reducing the total network payload and implementing efficient cache strategies will improve load times, particularly for repeat visitors.

5. Improve Content and Meta Tags: Address issues with duplicate content, missing meta descriptions, and non-optimised title tags to improve SEO effectiveness and user engagement.

6. Enhance Image Attributes: Adding alt and title attributes to images will improve accessibility and SEO, boosting image search visibility.

7. Focus on High-Impact Keywords: Optimise content around high-performing keywords and develop strategies for improving the ranking of underperforming keywords.

8. Technical SEO and URL Optimisation: Ensure URLs are concise and implement canonical tags to address duplicate content, enhancing search engine visibility.

9. Upgrade Server and Technology Stack: Consider server enhancements like Nginx for better performance, and ensure all WordPress components are updated for security and efficiency.

10. Leverage Modern JavaScript Practices: Evaluate the necessity of older libraries like jQuery Migrate and consider modern frameworks to enhance site functionality and performance.

By strategically addressing these areas, apexinsurancebrokers.co.uk can improve its site performance, increase conversions, and maintain a competitive edge in the digital space. Regular audits and updates are recommended to sustain and enhance these improvements.

Summary

The website exhibits a range of performance issues impacting load time and user experience. Key areas for improvement include optimising assets like CSS, JavaScript, and images, as well as adopting modern web practices such as HTTPS. Addressing these issues could significantly enhance the site’s speed and interactivity, leading to a better user experience.

Detailed Analysis

Minify CSS

The CSS files are not fully optimised, presenting a potential saving of 13 KiB. Minifying these files can decrease file sizes and enhance loading speeds.

Reduce Unused CSS

There is a significant amount of unused CSS, with a potential saving of 96 KiB. Removing these unused rules will reduce the amount of data transferred over the network and improve page load times.

Serve Images in Next-Gen Formats

Images on the site are currently not in next-gen formats like WebP or AVIF, with potential savings of 1,632 KiB. Using these formats can drastically decrease image sizes and improve loading times.

Avoid Enormous Network Payloads

The total network payload size is 2,808 KiB, which is quite large. Reducing the payload size will lower data costs for users and improve load times.

Speed Index

The Speed Index is reported at 0.8 seconds, indicating that the page content is populated fairly quickly. However, there is still room for optimisation to enhance user experience.

Eliminate Render-Blocking Resources

Render-blocking resources are delaying the first paint, with potential savings of 140 ms. Delivering critical CSS and JS inline and deferring non-critical resources will help improve initial render times.

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)

The LCP stands at 2,900 ms, which is borderline for a good user experience. Optimising the largest visible elements, such as images or text, can improve this metric.

Time to Interactive

The site becomes fully interactive at 2.9 seconds. Reducing this time will improve user experience by making the page responsive more quickly.

Efficiently Encode Images

There is a potential saving of 1,138 KiB by optimising image encoding. Smaller, optimised images will load faster and use less data.

Serve Static Assets with Efficient Cache Policy

42 static resources could benefit from a more efficient cache strategy. Implementing long cache lifetimes for these resources can speed up repeat visits.

Max Potential First Input Delay

The maximum potential First Input Delay is 70 ms, which is within acceptable limits. Nonetheless, optimising this further can enhance interactivity.

Does Not Use HTTPS

Seven insecure requests were identified. Implementing HTTPS is crucial for security and also improves compatibility with new web technologies.

First Contentful Paint

The First Contentful Paint is at 0.8 seconds, which is satisfactory but could be improved by optimising initial load resources.

Reduce Unused JavaScript

There is unused JavaScript, with potential savings of 82 KiB. Deferring non-essential scripts can reduce load times.

Properly Size Images

Images are not properly sized, with potential savings of 78 KiB. Adjusting image sizes to match their display dimensions will improve load times and data usage.

Recommendations

1. Minify and Optimise CSS: Minify CSS files to reduce their size and remove any unused rules to streamline loading.
2. Use Modern Image Formats: Convert images to next-gen formats like WebP to decrease file sizes.
3. Optimise Network Payload: Reduce the overall payload by compressing and optimising resources.
4. Implement HTTPS: Secure the site with HTTPS to protect user data and enhance trust.
5. Cache Static Assets: Use efficient caching strategies to improve load times for repeat visitors.
6. Optimise JavaScript Loading: Defer non-essential JavaScript to reduce initial load times.
7. Properly Size and Optimise Images: Ensure images are responsive and optimised for the web.
8. Address Render-Blocking Resources: Inline critical CSS and JS while deferring non-critical resources.

By addressing these areas, the website’s performance can be considerably enhanced, leading to faster load times and a more seamless user experience.

Overall Feedback Summary

The technical SEO audit of apexinsurancebrokers.co.uk reveals a generally healthy website with a high on-page score of 95.93. The site benefits from a valid SSL certificate and utilises HTTP/2, which is beneficial for security and performance. However, a few technical issues need addressing to further enhance SEO performance and user experience. The main areas requiring improvement include addressing duplicate content, optimising meta tags, and improving content richness across pages.

Technical SEO Issues and Recommendations

Duplicate Titles

• • Issue: There are 4 pages with duplicate title tags, which can lead to confusion for search engines and dilute keyword relevance.
  • Impact: Reduces page differentiation in search results, potentially affecting click-through rates.
  • Fix: Ensure each page has a unique and descriptive <title> tag that reflects the content of the page. Consider including primary keywords and maintaining an optimal length.

Duplicate Content

• • Issue: The site has 12 instances of duplicate content, which can lead to search engine penalties.
  • Impact: Search engines may struggle to decide which version of content to index, impacting rankings.
  • Fix: Use canonical tags to indicate the preferred version of a page or consider consolidating similar pages into a single authoritative page.

Missing Meta Descriptions

• • Issue: 33 pages lack meta descriptions, which are crucial for summarising page content in search results.
  • Impact: Missing meta descriptions can reduce click-through rates as users may not understand the relevance of the page.
  • Fix: Write concise and compelling meta descriptions for each page, incorporating relevant keywords to improve SEO and user engagement.

Title Length Issues

• • Issue: 8 pages have titles that are too long, and 4 have titles that are too short.
  • Impact: Titles that are too long may be truncated in search results, while those that are too short may not fully convey the page’s purpose.
  • Fix: Aim for title tags between 50-60 characters to ensure they display correctly in search results and provide enough information about the page.

Low Content Rate

• • Issue: 37 pages have low content rates, indicating insufficient text content on the page.
  • Impact: Pages with thin content may rank poorly in search results.
  • Fix: Enrich these pages with high-quality, relevant content that provides value to users and aligns with targeted keywords.

Missing Image Alt Attributes

• • Issue: 9 images are missing alt attributes, which are important for accessibility and image search indexing.
  • Impact: Hinders accessibility for visually impaired users and limits opportunities for image-based search traffic.
  • Fix: Add descriptive alt attributes to all images, ensuring they accurately reflect the image content and include relevant keywords where appropriate.

Missing Image Titles

• • Issue: 22 images lack title attributes, which can provide additional context to users.
  • Impact: May reduce user engagement and understanding of image content.
  • Fix: Implement title attributes that complement the alt attributes, enhancing user experience and SEO.

SEO Friendly URL Checks

• • Issue: 33 URLs require optimisation for SEO friendliness.
  • Impact: Non-optimised URLs can be difficult for search engines and users to interpret.
  • Fix: Ensure URLs are concise, descriptive, and include relevant keywords. Avoid special characters and ensure consistency in URL structure.

Additional Observations

• SSL and HTTP/2: The site uses a valid SSL certificate and supports HTTP/2, which is excellent for security and performance.
• Broken Links and Resources: No broken links or resources were identified, indicating a well-maintained site in terms of link management.
• Canonicalisation: The absence of canonicalisation testing may lead to duplicate content issues. Implementing proper canonical tags can help guide search engines to the preferred page version.

Conclusion

By addressing the above technical issues, apexinsurancebrokers.co.uk can improve its search engine visibility, enhance user experience, and maintain a competitive edge in the insurance brokerage market. Regular audits and updates are recommended to sustain and improve SEO health.

Summary

The website is built using WordPress as its content management system, supported by an Apache HTTP Server and a MySQL database. The technology stack includes caching via WP Rocket, and employs various WordPress plugins like Breadcrumb NavXT and Yoast SEO to enhance functionality. The site is managed using Google Tag Manager and utilises jQuery libraries for JavaScript functionalities. Although the current setup is robust, there are opportunities for improvements in the areas of server performance, security, and modern JavaScript practices.

Server Technologies

• • Web Servers:
  • Current: Apache HTTP Server
  • Recommendation: Consider using Nginx either as a standalone server or in conjunction with Apache (reverse proxy) for improved performance and scalability.
  • Caching:
  • Current: WP Rocket
  • Recommendation: Continue using WP Rocket as it is an effective caching solution. Ensure it’s configured optimally and consider server-side caching solutions like Varnish Cache for an additional performance boost.
  • Databases:
  • Current: MySQL
  • Recommendation: Ensure that MySQL is optimised for query performance. For further improvement, explore the use of a managed database service or consider migrating to MariaDB for potentially better performance in certain scenarios.

WordPress Add-Ons

• • Plugins:
  • Current: Breadcrumb NavXT, WP Rocket, Yoast SEO
  • Recommendation: Regularly update all plugins to their latest versions to patch security vulnerabilities. Audit installed plugins to eliminate any redundancy and reduce load times.
  • Themes:
  • Current: The Theme Foundry Make
  • Recommendation: Ensure the theme is up-to-date and compatible with the latest WordPress version. If design flexibility or performance issues arise, consider a lightweight, custom-built theme.

Analytics and Tag Management

• • Current: Google Tag Manager
  • Recommendation: Regularly audit tags for relevance and performance impact. Ensure tags are loading asynchronously to minimise impact on page load times.

Web Development Practices

• • JavaScript Libraries:
  • Current: jQuery, jQuery Migrate
  • Recommendation: Evaluate the necessity of jQuery Migrate; migrate to the latest jQuery version to avoid reliance on deprecated features. Consider using modern JavaScript frameworks like React.js or Vue.js for improved performance and functionality.
  • Programming Languages:
  • Current: PHP
  • Recommendation: Ensure PHP is updated to the latest stable version (e.g., PHP 8.x) to benefit from performance improvements and enhanced security features.

Content Management

• • CMS:
  • Current: WordPress
  • Recommendation: Regularly update WordPress to its latest version to ensure security and feature enhancements. Implement a robust backup strategy and security measures such as two-factor authentication.

Marketing and SEO

• Current SEO Tool: Yoast SEO
• Recommendation: Use Yoast SEO’s full potential by configuring it for optimal SEO settings. Conduct regular SEO audits to identify areas for improvement, such as metadata, keyword optimisation, and site structure.

By implementing these recommendations, the website can enhance its performance, security, and user experience, ensuring it remains competitive and efficient in delivering content.

Summary

This report provides an analysis of the SEO strengths and weaknesses based on current keyword rankings, search volumes, competition, backlinks, and strategies. The analysis identifies key opportunities and challenges for improving search engine visibility and traffic.

Keyword Rankings

• • Total Ranked Keywords: 118
  • Position 1 Keywords: 3 (`apex insurance`, `apex insurance broker`, `apex insurance brokers`)
  • Position 2-3 Keywords: 0
  • Position 4-10 Keywords: 2 (`ifas insurance`, `insurance brokers bristol`)
  • Position 11-20 Keywords: 10
  • Position 21-50 Keywords: 40
  • Position 50+ Keywords: 63

The top-performing keywords, such as “apex insurance,” demonstrate a strong presence in search results. However, a significant number of keywords rank beyond the 50th position, indicating potential areas for improvement in SEO strategy.

Search Volume and Competition

• • Highest Search Volume Keyword: “apex insurance” with a volume of 140.
  • Estimated Traffic Value (ETV): 249.79
  • Average Competition: Data not explicitly averaged but includes values ranging from low (e.g., 0.01) to relatively high (e.g., 0.7).

The keywords with high search volume and low competition offer strategic opportunities for optimisation and potential traffic increase.

Backlinks and Authority

While this analysis does not provide specific backlink data, improving backlink profiles can significantly enhance keyword rankings and organic traffic. Focus should be on acquiring high-quality backlinks to strengthen domain authority.

SEO Strategies

1. Focus on Content Optimisation:

• • Enhance content around high-performing keywords such as “apex insurance” to maintain and improve top positions.
  • Create targeted content for underperforming keywords with high search volume but low rankings.

2. Competitor Analysis:

• • Analyse competitor strategies for keywords within the 11-20 and 21-50 positions to understand how they achieve higher rankings.

3. Technical SEO Improvements:

• • Ensure website structure, including <h1> and <h2> tags, is optimised for search engines.
  • Improve site speed and mobile compatibility to enhance user experience and rankings.

4. Link Building:

• • Develop a strategic link-building campaign targeting authoritative sites in the insurance industry to improve domain credibility and keyword rankings.

5. Local SEO:

• Optimise for local search terms, such as “insurance brokers bristol,” to capture local traffic and improve visibility.

Conclusion

The current SEO performance shows strengths in specific high-ranking keywords, but there is room for significant improvement across many areas. By focusing on content optimisation, technical improvements, and strategic link building, the site can enhance its overall search engine visibility and drive more organic traffic.