290 lines
5.8 KiB
Markdown
290 lines
5.8 KiB
Markdown
# seo-audit reference
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## Audit Framework
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### Priority Order
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1. **Crawlability & Indexation** (can Google find and index it?)
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2. **Technical Foundations** (is the site fast and functional?)
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3. **On-Page Optimization** (is content optimized?)
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4. **Content Quality** (does it deserve to rank?)
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5. **Authority & Links** (does it have credibility?)
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---
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## Technical SEO Audit
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### Crawlability
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**Robots.txt**
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- Check for unintentional blocks
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- Verify important pages allowed
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- Check sitemap reference
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**XML Sitemap**
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- Exists and accessible
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- Submitted to Search Console
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- Contains only canonical, indexable URLs
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- Updated regularly
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- Proper formatting
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**Site Architecture**
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- Important pages within 3 clicks of homepage
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- Logical hierarchy
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- Internal linking structure
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- No orphan pages
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**Crawl Budget Issues** (for large sites)
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- Parameterized URLs under control
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- Faceted navigation handled properly
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- Infinite scroll with pagination fallback
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- Session IDs not in URLs
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### Indexation
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**Index Status**
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- site:domain.com check
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- Search Console coverage report
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- Compare indexed vs. expected
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**Indexation Issues**
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- Noindex tags on important pages
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- Canonicals pointing wrong direction
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- Redirect chains/loops
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- Soft 404s
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- Duplicate content without canonicals
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**Canonicalization**
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- All pages have canonical tags
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- Self-referencing canonicals on unique pages
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- HTTP → HTTPS canonicals
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- www vs. non-www consistency
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- Trailing slash consistency
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### Site Speed & Core Web Vitals
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**Core Web Vitals**
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- LCP (Largest Contentful Paint): < 2.5s
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- INP (Interaction to Next Paint): < 200ms
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- CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): < 0.1
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**Speed Factors**
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- Server response time (TTFB)
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- Image optimization
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- JavaScript execution
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- CSS delivery
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- Caching headers
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- CDN usage
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- Font loading
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**Tools**
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- PageSpeed Insights
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- WebPageTest
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- Chrome DevTools
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- Search Console Core Web Vitals report
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### Mobile-Friendliness
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- Responsive design (not separate m. site)
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- Tap target sizes
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- Viewport configured
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- No horizontal scroll
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- Same content as desktop
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- Mobile-first indexing readiness
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### Security & HTTPS
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- HTTPS across entire site
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- Valid SSL certificate
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- No mixed content
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- HTTP → HTTPS redirects
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- HSTS header (bonus)
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### URL Structure
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- Readable, descriptive URLs
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- Keywords in URLs where natural
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- Consistent structure
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- No unnecessary parameters
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- Lowercase and hyphen-separated
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---
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## On-Page SEO Audit
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### Title Tags
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**Check for:**
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- Unique titles for each page
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- Primary keyword near beginning
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- 50-60 characters (visible in SERP)
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- Compelling and click-worthy
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- Brand name placement (end, usually)
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**Common issues:**
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- Duplicate titles
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- Too long (truncated)
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- Too short (wasted opportunity)
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- Keyword stuffing
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- Missing entirely
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### Meta Descriptions
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**Check for:**
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- Unique descriptions per page
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- 150-160 characters
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- Includes primary keyword
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- Clear value proposition
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- Call to action
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**Common issues:**
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- Duplicate descriptions
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- Auto-generated garbage
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- Too long/short
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- No compelling reason to click
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### Heading Structure
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**Check for:**
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- One H1 per page
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- H1 contains primary keyword
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- Logical hierarchy (H1 → H2 → H3)
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- Headings describe content
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- Not just for styling
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**Common issues:**
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- Multiple H1s
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- Skip levels (H1 → H3)
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- Headings used for styling only
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- No H1 on page
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### Content Optimization
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**Primary Page Content**
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- Keyword in first 100 words
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- Related keywords naturally used
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- Sufficient depth/length for topic
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- Answers search intent
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- Better than competitors
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**Thin Content Issues**
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- Pages with little unique content
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- Tag/category pages with no value
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- Doorway pages
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- Duplicate or near-duplicate content
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### Image Optimization
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**Check for:**
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- Descriptive file names
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- Alt text on all images
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- Alt text describes image
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- Compressed file sizes
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- Modern formats (WebP)
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- Lazy loading implemented
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- Responsive images
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### Internal Linking
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**Check for:**
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- Important pages well-linked
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- Descriptive anchor text
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- Logical link relationships
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- No broken internal links
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- Reasonable link count per page
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**Common issues:**
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- Orphan pages (no internal links)
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- Over-optimized anchor text
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- Important pages buried
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- Excessive footer/sidebar links
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### Keyword Targeting
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**Per Page**
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- Clear primary keyword target
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- Title, H1, URL aligned
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- Content satisfies search intent
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- Not competing with other pages (cannibalization)
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**Site-Wide**
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- Keyword mapping document
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- No major gaps in coverage
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- No keyword cannibalization
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- Logical topical clusters
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---
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## Content Quality Assessment
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### E-E-A-T Signals
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**Experience**
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- First-hand experience demonstrated
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- Original insights/data
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- Real examples and case studies
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**Expertise**
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- Author credentials visible
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- Accurate, detailed information
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- Properly sourced claims
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**Authoritativeness**
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- Recognized in the space
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- Cited by others
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- Industry credentials
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**Trustworthiness**
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- Accurate information
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- Transparent about business
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- Contact information available
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- Privacy policy, terms
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- Secure site (HTTPS)
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### Content Depth
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- Comprehensive coverage of topic
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- Answers follow-up questions
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- Better than top-ranking competitors
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- Updated and current
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### User Engagement Signals
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- Time on page
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- Bounce rate in context
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- Pages per session
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- Return visits
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---
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## Common Issues by Site Type
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### SaaS/Product Sites
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- Product pages lack content depth
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- Blog not integrated with product pages
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- Missing comparison/alternative pages
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- Feature pages thin on content
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- No glossary/educational content
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### E-commerce
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- Thin category pages
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- Duplicate product descriptions
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- Missing product schema
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- Faceted navigation creating duplicates
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- Out-of-stock pages mishandled
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### Content/Blog Sites
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- Outdated content not refreshed
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- Keyword cannibalization
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- No topical clustering
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- Poor internal linking
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- Missing author pages
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### Local Business
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- Inconsistent NAP
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- Missing local schema
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- No Google Business Profile optimization
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- Missing location pages
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- No local content
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---
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