Cognition24 - Website Report

Summary

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the website’s performance, technical SEO, and technology stack, highlighting key areas that can significantly impact performance and conversions. The primary focus is on optimising loading times, enhancing security, improving search engine visibility, and refining the overall user experience. By addressing the identified issues and implementing the recommended strategies, the website can achieve better performance, increased organic traffic, and improved conversion rates.

Key Findings

1. Reduce Unused CSS and JavaScript: There are substantial amounts of unused CSS and JavaScript, leading to inefficient loading times. Removing or deferring these can enhance performance.

2. Implement HTTPS: The absence of HTTPS poses security risks. Transitioning to HTTPS is crucial for secure data transmission and improved user trust.

3. Optimise Image Delivery: By serving images in next-gen formats and ensuring they are properly sized, significant load time improvements can be achieved.

4. Crawlability and Indexability: Addressing broken links and redirect chains can enhance search engine indexing, while fixing duplicate content and missing meta descriptions will improve SEO.

5. Backlink Acquisition: With low competition in targeted keywords, strategic backlink building can enhance domain authority and improve rankings.

6. JavaScript Libraries Update: Updating libraries like jQuery and Moment.js will improve security and performance.

7. Improve Caching and Compression: Implementing efficient caching policies and enabling text compression can considerably reduce load times for repeat visitors.

8. Reduce Layout Shifts and DOM Size: Minimising layout shifts and excessive DOM elements will improve rendering performance and user experience.

9. Enhance Internal Linking and Content Structure: Improving internal linking and ensuring pages have unique <h1> tags will boost SEO and accessibility.

10. SEO Strategy Enhancement: Leveraging advanced SEO tools and strategies can refine keyword targeting and improve search engine rankings.

Summary

This report provides an analysis of the website’s performance based on key metrics and offers recommendations for improvement. The main areas of concern include inefficient use of CSS and JavaScript, lack of HTTPS, unoptimised images, and issues with caching and compression. By addressing these issues, the website can achieve faster load times, better user experience, and improved security.

Key Issues and Recommendations

1. Reduce Unused CSS and JavaScript

• • Issue: There are 49 KiB of unused CSS and 871 KiB of unused JavaScript.
  • Recommendation: Remove or defer unused CSS and JavaScript to reduce unnecessary bytes. This will enhance load times and decrease the amount of data transferred over the network.

2. Implement HTTPS

• • Issue: The website does not use HTTPS, with one insecure request found.
  • Recommendation: Transition the website to HTTPS to ensure secure data transmission. This will protect user data and is essential for HTTP/2 support.

3. Improve Caching Policy

• • Issue: The website serves three resources with inefficient cache policies.
  • Recommendation: Implement a long cache lifetime for static assets to improve page load speed for repeat visitors.

4. Enable Text Compression

• • Issue: Potential savings of 93 KiB can be achieved via text compression.
  • Recommendation: Use compression methods like gzip or brotli for text-based resources to reduce the size of data transferred.

5. Optimise Image Delivery

• • Issue: Images are not served in next-gen formats, with potential savings of 242 KiB. Additionally, proper sizing and optimisation could save 1,638 KiB and 9 KiB, respectively.
  • Recommendation: Use modern image formats like WebP or AVIF and ensure images are appropriately sized and optimised for faster loading times.

6. Avoid Large Layout Shifts and Excessive DOM Size

• • Issue: There are 15 large layout shifts and an excessive DOM size with 1,248 elements.
  • Recommendation: Minimise layout shifts by reserving space for elements and reduce the DOM size to enhance rendering performance and reduce reflows.

7. Address Render-Blocking Resources

• • Issue: Render-blocking resources delay page rendering with potential savings of 1,450 ms.
  • Recommendation: Inline critical CSS/JS and defer non-critical resources to improve initial page load performance.

8. Enhance JavaScript Execution

• • Issue: JavaScript execution time is high, with 1.4 s spent on booting up.
  • Recommendation: Reduce and optimise JavaScript payloads to decrease execution time and improve interactivity.

9. Improve First Contentful Paint and Largest Contentful Paint

• • Issue: FCP is at 2.1 s, and LCP at 2.6 s, indicating slow initial content rendering.
  • Recommendation: Optimise server response times, reduce resource sizes, and improve client-side rendering to speed up these metrics.

10. Address Total Blocking Time and Cumulative Layout Shift

• Issue: Total Blocking Time is 630 ms, and CLS is 0.467.
• Recommendation: Optimise long tasks and reserve space for elements to reduce blocking time and layout shifts.

By implementing these recommendations, the website’s performance, security, and user experience can be significantly improved.

Overall Feedback Summary

The technical SEO audit of your website reveals several key areas requiring attention to improve search engine visibility and user experience. Addressing issues related to crawlability, indexability, and on-page SEO elements such as metadata and content structure will enhance your site’s performance in search engine results. Implementing the recommended fixes can lead to better organic traffic and improved rankings.

Crawlability Issues

Issue: Broken Links

Impact: Broken links hinder search engine bots from efficiently crawling your website, leading to incomplete indexing and a poor user experience.

Fixes:

• • Conduct a comprehensive link audit to identify all broken links.
  • Update or remove broken links and ensure all internal and external links direct to active pages.
  • Set up 301 redirects for any removed pages to guide users and bots to relevant content.

Issue: Redirect Chains

Impact: Redirect chains can slow down site performance and waste crawl budget, affecting the site’s crawl efficiency.

Fixes:

• • Simplify redirect paths to ensure a single 301 redirect directly points to the final destination.
  • Regularly monitor redirects and update them as necessary to avoid chain formations.

Indexability Issues

Issue: Duplicate Content

Impact: Duplicate content can confuse search engines, resulting in lower rankings due to perceived lack of originality.

Fixes:

• • Implement canonical tags (<link rel=”canonical”>) on pages with similar content to indicate the preferred version.
  • Consolidate duplicate pages where possible or differentiate content to ensure uniqueness.
  • Review and update metadata to be unique across all pages.

Issue: Missing Meta Descriptions

Impact: Missing meta descriptions can lead to reduced click-through rates from search engine results pages (SERPs).

Fixes:

• • Write unique and concise meta descriptions for each page, summarising the content and including relevant keywords.
  • Ensure meta descriptions are within the recommended character limit (typically 150-160 characters).

On-Page SEO Issues

Issue: Missing Alt Attributes

Impact: Missing alt attributes on images can impact accessibility and prevent search engines from understanding the image content.

Fixes:

• • Add descriptive alt attributes to all images, using relevant keywords where appropriate.
  • Regularly audit and update alt text to maintain relevance to the associated content.

Issue: Low Word Count

Impact: Pages with a low word count may not provide sufficient information for search engines to rank them effectively.

Fixes:

• • Expand content on pages with low word counts, ensuring the information is valuable and relevant to the topic.
  • Incorporate target keywords naturally into the content without overstuffing.

Content Structure Issues

Issue: Missing <h1> Tags

Impact: The absence of <h1> tags can make it difficult for search engines to understand the primary topic of a page.

Fixes:

• • Ensure each page has a single, unique <h1> tag that accurately represents the main topic or keyword.
  • Avoid using multiple <h1> tags on a single page to prevent confusion regarding the page’s primary focus.

Issue: Poor Internal Linking

Impact: Inadequate internal linking can affect the site’s structure and limit the distribution of link equity across important pages.

Fixes:

• Develop a strategic internal linking plan to connect related content and guide users through your site.
• Use descriptive anchor text to improve context and relevance for linked pages.

By addressing these technical SEO issues, your website will be better optimised for search engines, leading to improved visibility, user experience, and ultimately, higher search engine rankings. Regular monitoring and maintenance are essential to sustain and enhance your website’s performance over time.

Summary

The website is built on a WordPress platform, leveraging a range of plugins and technologies to enhance functionality, performance, and security. It employs a robust backend infrastructure with WP Engine, Amazon Web Services, and Cloudflare for CDN and security. Key areas for improvement include updating JavaScript libraries, optimising database performance, and enhancing cookie compliance mechanisms.

Technology Stack Analysis

Content Management System (CMS)

• • WordPress: Utilised for content management and blogging capabilities, providing a flexible and user-friendly interface for content creation and management.

WordPress Plugins

• • AddToAny Share Buttons: Facilitates social media sharing, increasing content reach.
  • Ninja Forms: Used for creating and managing forms, allowing for customisable user interaction.
  • Spectra: Enhances block editing capabilities within the WordPress Gutenberg editor.
  • Yoast SEO and Yoast SEO Premium: Provides advanced SEO tools to optimise content for search engines.
  • Gutenberg: The block editor for WordPress, enabling modular content creation.

Server and Hosting

• • WP Engine: Provides managed WordPress hosting, ensuring optimised performance and security.
  • Amazon Web Services (AWS): Offers scalable cloud computing resources.
  • Amazon S3 and Cloudflare: Utilised for CDN to enhance site speed and performance by caching content closer to users.

Databases

• • MySQL: Serves as the primary database management system, supporting data storage and retrieval.

Web Development

• • JavaScript Frameworks and Libraries:
  • Backbone.js: Used for structuring JavaScript-heavy applications.
  • jQuery and jQuery Migrate: Essential for handling DOM manipulation and ensuring backward compatibility.
  • Moment.js: Provides date and time manipulation capabilities.
  • Underscore.js: Aids in functional programming with utility functions for JavaScript.
  • Programming Language:
  • PHP: The primary server-side scripting language used in WordPress development.

Security

• • Cloudflare Bot Management: Protects the website from malicious bots and enhances security measures.

Privacy

• • CookieYes: Handles cookie consent management, crucial for compliance with privacy regulations.

Analytics and Marketing

• Google Analytics: Tracks and reports website traffic for data-driven decision-making.
• Google Tag Manager: Facilitates tag management without modifying code.
• MailChimp: Used for email marketing automation and communication.

Recommendations

1. JavaScript Libraries Update: Review and update JavaScript libraries, particularly jQuery and Moment.js, to their latest versions to address security vulnerabilities and ensure improved performance.

2. Database Optimisation: Regularly optimise the MySQL database to improve query performance and reduce page load times, especially as data volumes increase.

3. Enhanced Cookie Compliance: Evaluate and potentially upgrade cookie compliance solutions to ensure full conformity with the latest privacy laws, such as GDPR and CCPA.

4. Security Measures: While Cloudflare provides a robust security layer, consider additional security plugins or services to further fortify the site against emerging threats.

5. SEO Strategy Enhancement: Leverage the full suite of features provided by Yoast SEO Premium to refine SEO strategies, potentially incorporating more advanced keyword analysis and content insights.

By implementing these improvements, the website can enhance its performance, security, and user experience, maintaining a competitive edge in its digital presence.

Summary

The analysis reveals a number of strengths and weaknesses in the SEO strategy being implemented. The website boasts visibility for a total of 92 ranked keywords, with a noteworthy keyword, “implementation of systems,” achieving the top position. The website captures an Estimated Traffic Value (ETV) of approximately 235.97. However, there is significant room for improvement, especially in increasing visibility for keywords beyond the first page. The average competition level is low, suggesting potential opportunities for higher rankings with targeted strategies. The report delves into key areas, including rankings, keywords, backlinks, and strategies, offering insights and recommendations for further optimisation.

Rankings Overview

• • Total Ranked Keywords: 92
  • Position 1 Keywords: 1
  • Position 2-3 Keywords: 6
  • Position 4-10 Keywords: 5
  • Position 11-20 Keywords: 8
  • Position 21-50 Keywords: 37
  • Position 50+ Keywords: 35

The keyword “implementation of systems” is the strongest performer, holding the top rank. Despite this, a large proportion of keywords are ranked 21 or lower, indicating that many are not appearing on the first page of search engine results.

Keywords Analysis

• • Top Ranked Keyword: “implementation of systems”
  • Keywords with CPC > $1: 56
  • Highest Search Volume: 140

The keyword landscape shows that several high-value keywords have low competition, presenting opportunities for improvement in rankings. Keywords such as “implement a system” and “system implementation” are performing well but are not yet at the top of the search results.

Backlinks and Competition

• Average Competition: 0 (The competition metric is notably low, suggesting less competitive markets for the ranked keywords)

Given the low competition, strategic backlink building could further enhance authority and improve rankings for several keywords, particularly those currently beyond the first page.

Strategy Recommendations

1. Focus on High-Value Keywords: Increase focus on optimising content around high-search-volume, low-competition keywords to improve their ranking positions.

2. Content Enhancement: Develop comprehensive content that targets identified keywords with high potential, ensuring it is optimised for on-page SEO elements such as meta tags, <h1> headers, and keyword density.

3. Backlink Acquisition: Strengthen backlink strategies by acquiring high-quality links to bolster domain authority and support keyword ranking improvements.

4. Monitor and Adjust: Regularly monitor keyword performance and adjust strategies based on the latest data to maintain and improve visibility.

5. Increase Engagement: Enhance user engagement through improved UX/UI on landing pages and encourage longer dwell times, which can positively influence rankings.

By implementing these strategic recommendations, the website can potentially enhance its SEO performance, increase visibility in search engine results, and ultimately drive more organic traffic.