Utilize WebPageTest for Technical SEO Website Analysis

Optimize site speed with WebPageTest! Learn how to use this free tool for technical SEO website analysis and improve your online presence.

If you're looking for a free and powerful website performance analysis tool, it's hard to match the efficiency and accuracy of WebPageTest. It offers detailed insights into your website's performance and provides recommendations on how to optimize and improve it.

Webpagetest is one of the most preferred web performance tools by SEOs and developers for its accuracy and ease of use.

In this article, we will walk you through how to use Webpagetest for SEO analysis –

Access WebPageTest

• Visit the website – webpagetest.org
• In the input field, enter your website's URL.
• Choose the data center close to your target audience.
• Choose the number of tests you want to run.
• Press 'Start'.

Analyze Waterfall Chart

• The Waterfall Chart will be available once the test has concluded. This chart visually showcases how your website resources load sequentially, including images, HTML, JavaScript, and CSS.
• The Waterfall Chart will show red bars indicating resources that take a long time to load. Identify and optimize these bottlenecks to improve the site's speed.
• Resources should be optimized for faster loading, including minimizing HTTP requests, image compression, leveraging browser caching, and minifying CSS and JavaScript.
  

Checking Website Performance Metrics

These metrics are helpful in site speed optimization and, subsequently, technical SEO analysis.

Page Load Time – This metric signifies how long it takes for your website to completely load.

First Contentful Paint – This metric signifies the time it takes for your website's first piece of content to render.

Largest Contentful Paint – This metric indicates the amount of time it takes for the heaviest element on the page to load.

Time to Interactive – This metric highlights the time it takes for your website to be fully interactive.

Cumulative Layout Shift – This metric indicates how stable the website loading process is and if the content shifts during the loading process.

Review the Filmstrip

Filmstrip visually represents the loading process of your website.

Make sure to thoroughly analyze the Filmstrip to identify any major shifts of resources while loading, which can negatively impact user experience.

Also, don't hesitate to optimize layout shifts by avoiding dynamic layout shifts, reserving space for faster loading content, and using CSS width and height properties.

Examine The Details Tab

Get a more elaborate breakdown of your website's performance under the 'Details' tab, such as –

Request Headers

Analyzing Request Headers highlights optimization opportunities, including enabling compression, using content delivery networks, etc.

Response Headers

Analyzing Response Headers is vital to ensuring proper caching and content type declarations.

Resource Timings

Check out the timing information for each resource to identify and optimize slow-loading resources.

Conclusion

Webpagetest offers thorough and systematic technical SEO analysis, helping you identify performance bottlenecks.

Addressing the hiccups this web performance tool identifies can positively impact your website's loading speed, user experience, and search engine rankings.

Conduct regular analysis of your website and improve incrementally with time with the help of Webpagetest.

In due course, it will transform your website's technical SEO metrics, improve overall performance, enhance user experience, and boost search engine visibility and ranking.