How Fixvis's audit works

Fixvis audits three pillars of search performance: Technical SEO (how well search engines can access and understand your site), Content (how effectively your content answers queries), and Off-page signals (how the web references your brand, including AI citations). Every finding is tagged by severity and effort so you know exactly what to fix first.

Our methodology pulls from Google's official documentation, Schema.org standards, Core Web Vitals specifications, and emerging AI engine behavior. Each signal we track links back to its primary source so you can verify our approach and dive deeper into the documentation.

Technical SEO

Pages 7–12 of the 40-page report

Title tag

The HTML <title> element that defines the page's title as shown in browser tabs and search results.

Why it matters: Title tags are the primary ranking signal and directly impact CTR in search results. A well-crafted title can increase organic click-through rate by 20-40%.

Google Search Central - Title links

Meta description

The HTML meta element providing a brief summary of the page's content for search engines and social previews.

Why it matters: While not a direct ranking factor, meta descriptions influence click-through rate. A compelling description can improve CTR by 5-30%.

Google Search Central - Meta descriptions

H1 heading

The primary heading element that identifies the main topic of a page. Only one H1 should exist per page.

Why it matters: H1 tags help search engines understand page content and hierarchy. Proper H1 usage correlates with better keyword relevance signals.

Google Search Central - Headings

LCP (Largest Contentful Paint)

A Core Web Vital measuring the time to render the largest content element visible in the viewport.

Why it matters: LCP directly correlates with user satisfaction. Pages loading under 2.5s have 50% lower bounce rates. Google uses LCP as a ranking signal for page experience.

Web.dev - LCP

INP (Interaction to Next Paint)

A Core Web Vital measuring responsiveness by tracking the delay between user interaction and visual feedback.

Why it matters: INP replaced FID in 2024. Poor INP (<500ms) frustrates users and signals poor user experience to search engines.

Web.dev - INP

CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift)

A Core Web Vital measuring visual stability by tracking unexpected layout shifts during page load.

Why it matters: High CLS (>0.1) frustrates users and can cause accidental clicks. Google uses CLS as a ranking signal for Core Web Vitals.

Web.dev - CLS

robots.txt

A text file at the root of a domain that instructs search engine crawlers which pages to crawl or exclude.

Why it matters: Incorrect robots.txt configuration can block critical pages from indexing or allow crawling of thin/low-value content, wasting crawl budget.

RFC 9309 - robots.txt protocol

XML sitemap

An XML file listing all important URLs on a site to help search engines discover and index content efficiently.

Why it matters: Sitemaps improve indexation speed and completeness. They also communicate lastmod dates and priority to search engines.

Google Search Central - Sitemaps

Canonical URL

An HTML element indicating the preferred version of a URL when multiple versions exist (HTTP/HTTPS, www/non-www, parameters).

Why it matters: Canonicals prevent duplicate content issues and consolidate ranking signals to a single URL, improving overall SEO performance.

Google Search Central - Canonical

Open Graph tags

Meta tags (og:title, og:description, og:image) controlling how content appears when shared on social platforms.

Why it matters: OG tags control social sharing appearance and can significantly impact click-through rates on social platforms, driving referral traffic.

Open Graph Protocol

Twitter Card tags

Meta tags controlling how content appears when shared on Twitter/X (twitter:card, twitter:title, twitter:image).

Why it matters: Twitter Card tags optimize social appearance specifically for Twitter, which can drive significant referral traffic for newsworthy content.

Twitter Developer Docs

Schema.org structured data

Machine-readable markup using Schema.org vocabulary to help search engines understand page content and context.

Why it matters: Structured data enables rich results (star ratings, FAQs, how-to steps) that increase CTR by 30-150%. Google recommends structured data for qualifying content.

Schema.org

FAQPage schema

Structured data markup for pages containing frequently asked questions, enabling rich snippets in search results.

Why it matters: FAQPage schema can trigger expanded listings in search results, increasing visibility and CTR. Each Q&A becomes a direct answer opportunity.

Schema.org FAQPage

BreadcrumbList schema

Structured data identifying the hierarchical path of categories leading to the current page.

Why it matters: Breadcrumbs appear in search results and improve user navigation. BreadcrumbList schema can trigger rich result display with category labels.

Schema.org BreadcrumbList

Organization schema

Structured data identifying the company behind a website, including name, logo, contact info, and social profiles.

Why it matters: Organization schema helps search engines verify business legitimacy and can trigger Knowledge Panel display in search results.

Schema.org Organization

Product schema

Structured data for e-commerce pages containing product name, price, availability, reviews, and images.

Why it matters: Product schema enables rich product listings with price and availability, potentially qualifying for Google Shopping placements.

Schema.org Product

Mobile responsiveness

Assessing whether pages render correctly and are usable on mobile devices.

Why it matters: Google uses mobile-first indexing. Non-mobile-friendly pages may not rank well for mobile searches, which comprise 60%+ of searches.

Google Search Central - Mobile

HTTPS / SSL

Checking whether sites use HTTPS encryption, signaled by padlock icon and TLS certificate.

Why it matters: HTTPS is a confirmed ranking signal. Non-HTTPS sites are flagged as 'not secure' in Chrome, reducing trust and conversions.

Google Security Blog

Broken links (404 errors)

Identifying URLs that return 404 Not Found responses, indicating deleted or moved content.

Why it matters: Broken links create poor user experiences and waste crawl budget. They may also indicate site maintenance issues.

Google Search Central - Crawl errors

Redirect chains

Identifying sequences of 301/302 redirects that add latency and may leak link equity.

Why it matters: Each hop in a redirect chain loses 5-15% of ranking signals. Long chains (4+ hops) can significantly dilute SEO value.

Moz - Redirects

Duplicate content

Identifying pages with identical or near-identical content that may split ranking signals.

Why it matters: Duplicate content confuses search engines about which page to index, potentially none. Canonical tags or content differentiation is required.

Google Search Central - Duplicates

Image alt text

HTML alt attributes describing images for screen readers and search engines when images cannot load.

Why it matters: Alt text provides keyword relevance signals for images and ensures accessibility compliance (legal requirement in many regions).

WebAIM - Alt text

Content

Pages 13–19 of the 40-page report

Keyword rankings

Tracking which keywords a domain ranks for and their positions in search engine results.

Why it matters: Keyword rankings directly measure organic visibility. Top-3 positions capture 60% of clicks. Tracking reveals SEO performance and opportunities.

Google Search Central - Ranking

Content gap analysis

Identifying topics competitors rank for that your site doesn't, revealing content opportunities.

Why it matters: Content gaps represent easy wins. Creating content for high-volume gaps can generate significant organic traffic without competing on existing content.

Moz - Content Gap Analysis

Definition-first coverage

Checking whether pages provide clear definitions for key concepts before elaboration.

Why it matters: AI engines and featured snippets favor content with clear definitions. Definition-first structure matches how AI systems retrieve and cite information.

Google Search Central - Structure

Content freshness

Assessing how recently content was updated and whether dates are prominently displayed.

Why it matters: Fresh content ranks better for time-sensitive queries. Date stamps signal recency and can trigger date-based filters in search results.

Google Search Central - Freshness

E-E-A-T signals

Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness signals including author bios, credentials, and company about pages.

Why it matters: E-E-A-T is critical for YMYL (Your Money Your Life) content. Strong signals can outrank higher-authority competitors in competitive niches.

Google Search Central - E-E-A-T

Author bylines

Identifying whether content has clear author attribution with links to author bio/credentials pages.

Why it matters: Author bylines establish accountability and expertise. Content with credible author attribution ranks better, especially for YMYL topics.

Schema.org - Person

About page depth

Assessing whether the company About page provides meaningful information about the business, team, and mission.

Why it matters: Deep About pages build trust and demonstrate expertise. They provide content for E-E-A-T evaluation and give AI engines citation-worthy material.

Google Search Central - About page

Internal link structure

Analyzing how pages connect to each other through anchor text and navigation flows.

Why it matters: Internal links distribute ranking signals and help search engines discover content. Strong internal linking improves indexation and page authority.

Google Search Central - Internal links

Off-page & AI Citations

Pages 20–26 of the 40-page report

Backlink profile

Analyzing the quantity and quality of external links pointing to your domain (referring domains, DR/DA scores, anchor text).

Why it matters: Backlinks remain the most important off-page ranking factor. A single high-authority link can outrank hundreds of low-quality links.

Google Search Central - Links

Domain Rating (DR)

A metric (Ahrefs) representing overall link authority on a 0-100 scale based on backlink profile strength.

Why it matters: DR predicts ranking potential. Sites with DR 50+ can rank for competitive keywords; DR 80+ can rank for any term.

Ahrefs - Domain Rating

New/lost backlinks

Tracking newly acquired and lost links over time to identify link-building momentum or issues.

Why it matters: Sudden link loss can signal penalties or content removal issues. New link acquisition indicates improving authority.

Google Search Central - Links

Anchor text distribution

Analyzing the text used in external links pointing to your site (exact match, partial match, branded, naked URLs).

Why it matters: Anchor text provides relevance signals to search engines. Over-optimized exact-match anchors can trigger algorithmic penalties.

Moz - Anchor text

Brand mentions

Identifying unlinked brand references across the web, which may convert to links through outreach.

Why it matters: Brand mentions represent easy link-building opportunities. Reaching out to sites mentioning your brand without linking can generate new backlinks.

Google Alerts

Social profiles

Auditing presence across social platforms (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) for brand consistency.

Why it matters: Social profiles appear in search results and provide E-E-A-T signals. Consistent profiles across platforms build brand trust.

Google Search Central - Brand signals

AI citation rate

Tracking how often and in what context AI engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, etc.) cite your brand in responses.

Why it matters: AI citations represent emerging 'links' for the AI era. Being cited by AI engines drives referral traffic and brand awareness outside traditional search.

OpenAI - ChatGPT

Share of AI voice

Measuring your brand's share of mentions relative to competitors across AI engine responses.

Why it matters: Share of AI voice indicates competitive positioning in the new AI-driven discovery landscape. Higher share = more AI-driven traffic.

Anthropic - Claude

AI Overviews presence

Checking whether your brand appears in Google AI Overviews for relevant queries.

Why it matters: AI Overviews appear for 85%+ of search queries in some categories. Appearing in AI Overviews can drive significant traffic even without traditional rankings.

Google AI Overviews

Citation drivers

Identifying which content types and topics drive AI citations for you and competitors.

Why it matters: Understanding what earns citations enables content strategy optimization. Certain formats (FAQs, definitions, listicles) cite more frequently in AI responses.

OpenAI - Prompt engineering

llms.txt

A text file enabling websites to provide structured instructions to AI crawlers about how to access and cite content.

Why it matters: llms.txt is the robots.txt equivalent for AI engines. Implementing it ensures proper access and can improve AI citation accuracy.

LLMs.txt

AI crawl directives

Meta tags and headers specifically targeting AI crawlers (GPTBot, ClaudeBot, etc.).

Why it matters: AI crawlers have different behaviors than search engines. Specific directives ensure proper access for AI indexing while maintaining search engine visibility.

OpenAI - GPTBot

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