Building Anna's Art Website - Episode 3: Audits

Introduction

Welcome to the third episode of our video miniseries at Wisteria Hill Technologies. In this episode, we dive deeper into Anna's current website by utilising two free auditing tools to identify areas for improvement. Let's explore the insights gained from Google Lighthouse and SEOptimer to enhance the performance, accessibility, best practices, and SEO of the website.

 

Utilising Google Lighthouse

Google Lighthouse, a free and open-source auditing tool available in the Chrome browser, offers a detailed analysis of website performance. By following a few simple steps, like running the audit in incognito mode to eliminate extension interference, we examined Anna's website, AnnaMartin.co.uk, on both desktop and mobile platforms.

Desktop Analysis

The report highlighted specific areas for improvement:

• Performance: The page load speed was subpar, with the largest contentful paint being a significant issue.
• Accessibility: Syntax errors, such as missing accessible names for buttons, needed attention.
• Best Practices: Some HTML code needed proper labelling for improved SEO and user experience.

Mobile Analysis

Similar performance issues were observed on the mobile version, emphasising the need for optimised images and enhanced rendering for smaller devices.

 

Exploring SEOptimer

SEOptimer, a user-friendly SEO auditing tool, offered valuable insights into Anna's website, indicating room for enhancement in various aspects:

• Link Building Strategy: The report suggested executing a robust link-building strategy to enhance website visibility and traffic.
• Usability: The visual demonstration of how the website rendered on different devices indicated a need for improved mobile and tablet optimisation.
• Social Media Integration: Evaluating the presence of social media links and accounts, SEOptimer emphasised leveraging social platforms for wider reach.

 

Conclusion

The audit results from Google Lighthouse and SEOptimer identified critical areas for improvement in Anna's current website. Stay tuned for the next episode, where we will delve into strategies for building a new and improved website for Anna.