When our #SEMrushchat participants join in for a real-team site analysis, they share some amazing insights and strategies for our community to learn from.
Last week, our industry experts and chat participants conducted a real-time site analysis of CT Home comfort Showroom’s website. They broke down what they would do to improve the site and its performance using real-time analysis from SEMrush tools. They also gave their opinions on what the site was doing right.
This chat recap will show you different aspects you should consider when doing an analysis on your website, so keep it bookmarked for your next site audit.
Q1. After the first glance, what is one thing you would definitely change about cthomecomfortshowroom.com?
First impressions can make or break you, and that is particularly true online, where users can click away and find a competitor in three seconds or less. Ensuring that your home page registers well is important, so we asked our chat participants what they would do to change CT Home Comfort Showroom’s site. Here are their thoughts and recommendations.
It Is Overwhelming
A1.1) Where's the story? Information overload on homepage #SEMrushchat
— Nathan Driver (@natedriver) March 7, 2018
A1: Too many different CTA's - phone numbers, showroom invites, contact us, request a quote, footer contact. Focus your conversion pathway. #semrushchat
— Jacques Bouchard (@jacquesbouchard) March 7, 2018
A1 for #SemRushChat There should only be one H1 tag on the page. There are two & the second one is not useful.
— Knucklepuck (@KnucklepuckDC) March 7, 2018
The Design Isn’t Intuitive
It is important to have a clean, simple site design that feels intuitive for users. You want your site to be easy to navigate so that users move through the funnel you have designed for them online. The homepage should typically funnel users towards a second page where they are given more information.
A1: Focus. Where should users eyes go first, second, third? If you had three seconds to grab attention what's the first thing you hope users see and react to? Because that's about all you have. To sum it up: simplify design to focus on key conversion goals. #semrushchat
— Kayla Tarantino (@kayla_tarantino) March 7, 2018
On this site the further down you scroll, the more cluttered the page becomes. There is a large number of different brand logos that appear on the page, without any explanation as to what they mean or how they are connected with the brand. This is commonly seen on many websites; always make it clear why you are showing other logos.
A1: The site needs a complete design overhaul. I'd argue it was never professionally designed. It has not layout, looks super noisy, images look stocky, doesn't explain what it's about, and is way overloaded. #semrushchat
— Kevin_Indig (@Kevin_Indig) March 7, 2018
The Logo Doesn’t Fit
And when it comes to logos, several chat participants were put off by the brand’s logo. Some felt it didn’t look professional, and others thought that it didn’t fit in with the site’s other branding at all to the point where it looked like an advertisement for another site instead.
A1 Advert top right - looks like its an advert for someone else - its actually the logo… #SEMRushChat
— Simon Cox (@simoncox) March 7, 2018
A1: Hamburger-Menu should be at the left corner totally.
Texts are overlapping on the images. #SEMRushChat
— Saad AK (@SaadAlikhan1994) March 7, 2018
A1. Logo, robots.txt in sitemap and encourage people to scroll down by showing a bit of text that slider is way to big on the homepage #semrushchat
— Craig Campbell (@craigcampbell03) March 7, 2018
A1: Logo and the reach out form could be designed well. #SEMrushchat
— Shafi Khan (@KhanShafi_) March 7, 2018
A1: The left banner is really not in sync with the overall site, only a Google+ SoMe account? There is definitely a highlight of the phone number so not sure the contact us form at the bottom gets any traffic #semrushchat PS: Sorry that I am late
— Cristina Dumitrache (@CMDumitrache) March 7, 2018
The Domain Name
One participant even brought up the domain name, which is long and a little complicated. This can make it difficult for users to remember your domain address or to type it correctly; both of these should be considered when choosing a domain.
A1: The domain name 🤦♂️ #SEMRushChat
— Val Vesa | Social Media & Travel Photography (@adspedia) March 7, 2018
The SEO Could Be Improved
Another chat participant noticed early on that they hadn’t optimized the meta title, description, and web design for SEO, or for social shares, to the point that it was easy to detect from the user’s perspective. We will look at this a bit more closely in the next section.
A1: their only social link is to an outdated G+ page #semrushchat pic.twitter.com/G20Z6WiRr1
— Scott Phillips (@scott_phillips_) March 7, 2018
Q2. SEMrush’s On-Page SEO Checker offers 46 ideas to improve the domain's pages that rank on Page 2 of Google. What would you improve on the site to get it to TOP-10?
Many site analysis reports will flag multiple problems; in some cases, there may only be eight or nine ideas to improve the ranking, while others (like CT Home Comfort Showroom’s) will have significantly more. Understanding how to prioritize fixes for best and fastest results is important.
Our chat participants identified the key issues that the site should address first for the most significant changes. Ultimately, usability and conciseness were the two biggest things that needed to be changed first.
Improve Readability
On this site, the first step would be to fix the alignment bug, which was stacking some text on top of each other. Not only does this keep users from being able to read the text, but it also looks unprofessional, and you risk losing credibility.
A2. Fix the alignment bug. #SEMrushchat pic.twitter.com/sQwHUuJLe5
— Reva Minkoff (@revaminkoff) March 7, 2018
Reduce All Clutter
Some recommendations for this site, which really apply to all sites: removing site clutter, i.e., anything that is irrelevant (including the header photo), adding whitespace to clean up the design, and featuring more of what is important to the customer.
This also means getting rid of content that is clearly doing nothing but keyword stuffing and instead replace it with keyword-conscious content that focuses more on providing value. Even though you’re reducing the number of keywords in a single given area, this will still work in your favor. You should always write for users first, and Google second, especially since Google is smart enough to be able to track synonyms. Cut back, choosing to optimize for only the keywords that are bringing the most traffic, and toss the rest.
A2 for #SemrushChat: Perform an analysis on what keywords the page is ranking for between 7-25 and see how they optimize for those keywords on the page.
— Knucklepuck (@KnucklepuckDC) March 7, 2018
A2 Only 46?
1. Schema Data - JSON-LD.
2. NAP and consistency on local
3. New branding#SEMRushChat— Simon Cox (@simoncox) March 7, 2018
A2: Optimize the meta-title, take out header picture (what's the purpose of that couch?), use much more whitespace, highlight value props + headings, tell a story on the landing page, add social proof elements, show product (more) #semrushchat
— Kevin_Indig (@Kevin_Indig) March 7, 2018
Write Copy for Your Audience
This will give you the opportunity to write more concise copy that clearly explains what the company can provide to their customers and what makes them unique. The copy on your site that it shouldn’t be so full of industry jargon that your customer can’t understand it or relate to it. Since this site could use an update on branding (including the logo and domain name), this would be a good time to evaluate the customer’s pain points and understand what the site can offer them that competitors can’t. Following strong content with a single, strong CTA, can increase CTR and conversions.
A2. What's a mini-split brand? What's a mini-split? #hvac #SEMrushchat
— Reva Minkoff (@revaminkoff) March 7, 2018
A2. Yup. Jargon. Unless your customers know what those words mean (and search for them) don't use 'em. #semrushchat
— Ⓞⓟⓣⓘⓜⓘⓢⓔⓨ (@Optimisey) March 7, 2018
A2 Rethink the meta title, description and alt tags, condense content into more meaningful messages with clear CTA. Internal linking and backlinks need improving too. #semrushchat
— Yellow Mango (@yellmango) March 7, 2018
A2. The CTA should be higher up/more apparent. #SEMrushchat
— Reva Minkoff (@revaminkoff) March 7, 2018
A2 Needs MORE content!#SEMRushChat pic.twitter.com/MKCABVUSZJ
— Simon Cox (@simoncox) March 7, 2018
A2. Sort the domain name out pronto. 👎#SEMrushchat
— Kieran Ledger (@KJLedger) March 7, 2018
Add Social Sharing Buttons
One tiny quick fix that could be done in a matter of minutes and make the site look just a bit more modern would be to add social sharing buttons. This could also increase social proof if customers were to share the site with their friends.
Q3. What purpose should their blog have? Does the existing blog match it?
Blogs need to serve distinct purposes if they are going to be worthwhile to businesses. And, like the rest of the site, they should also be updated consistently and have clean navigation paths (which this blog was lacking).
A3: Is it a one-page blog? How do you navigate it? #semrushchat
— Warfare Plugins (@warfareplugins) March 7, 2018
Blogs can be a fantastic way to:
1. Target long tail keywords
2. Answer frequent customer questions
3. Share new ideas relating to your product / service
4. Build customer loyalty and maintain engagementA3. #semrushchat #seo #bloggingtips pic.twitter.com/GGkOuWbfOx
— AccuraCast (@AccuraCast) March 7, 2018
a3) They need to ask: What do I want someone to do after reading this? Is it a share (no share icons)? Newsletter signup? #semrushchat
— Ryan Johnson (@rsj8000) March 7, 2018
A3: Really it should be a pull/draw for a human, to engage, inform, convert #SEMrushchat #SiteAudit @semrush
— Alexis Huddart (@Flexoid) March 7, 2018
A3. At the mo', it's not a blog. It's one post. One post ain't jack.
Blog should be useful content to interest audience. Answer their questions.https://t.co/vVyOweIpDg says:
* Which is the best ductless AC
* does ductless ac work
* how ductless ac works etc. #semrushchat— Ⓞⓟⓣⓘⓜⓘⓢⓔⓨ (@Optimisey) March 7, 2018
A3. So there's only one article in the blog? #SEMrushchat
— Reva Minkoff (@revaminkoff) March 7, 2018
This blog’s purpose is clearly designed to sell, but the brand didn’t go about it in the right way. Posts are too long and overwhelmingly salesy to the point where it can be off-putting to readers. Because the posts read like a forced sales pitch instead of genuine relationship building or offering valuable content, the posts unlikely to be effective.
A3: the blog is baseless, and does not match with website. For blog title plays very role. Make sure to choose title wisely and add longer post (in-dept content) which can attract customers. #semrushchat
— Ashok Sharma (@Ashok83) March 7, 2018
A3 worse i think its a press release! There is a link to the site at the end…#SEMRUSHChat
— Simon Cox (@simoncox) March 7, 2018
A3. They probably only have one blog post and they are not being consistent with putting out quality articles #semrushchat
— Cheval John (@chevd80) March 7, 2018
A3: And I'm popping back in for the last 20 mins!
Just looked at the "blog". Oh dear. I think everyone else has said what needs to be said here.
I think the main point here is to include VALUE to the reader, not an in-your-face sales approach.#SEMrushchat— Heather Harvey (@Fizzle_Up) March 7, 2018
Write For Your Audience
A company’s blog is a chance to show potential customers insight into the company’s value and experience while slowly introducing them to the products or the brand. That being said, the focus should always be on the readers themselves.
This even includes choosing topics that aren’t just sales-focused, but customer-oriented, like “How to Lower Your Winter Heating Bill.” Just like with copy, you should also be using the same language that your customers are familiar and comfortable with; this site continually uses industry-specific jargon like “ductless” that isolated our chat participants.
A3: What the hell is "ductless" and why do they sound as if they've patented it? They should talk about stuff people can connect to—features are fine, but how does ductless (which they don't define) serve my interests?
Tell me that on your blog. #SEMRushChat— Narmadhaa (@s_narmadhaa) March 7, 2018
A3 Blog stories like: 20 uses for left over duct tape after an installation.
1. draft exclusion
2. Split handles
3. bedroom run
4. kidnap duties
5.etc#SEMRushChat— Simon Cox (@simoncox) March 7, 2018
Developing topics that your readers are interested in is very effective; relevant topics keep readers on your site longer, and readers will come back for more information moving forward. From an SEO standpoint, you gain readers that find you while searching for similar content, and they are likely to engage with it and to share after reading.
To develop more content ideas, this brand could use SEMrush’s Topic Research or Answer the Public and find what their audience is most interested in reading and the questions they are asking. Answering questions your target audience has is always a great strategy.
A3: Their blog should focus on answering common questions asked about their products. Help, don't sell.
Can get ideas by:
1) Logging question asked in their showroom, via email, or in workshops.
2) Searching forums like https://t.co/iQ6JuO5Otf
3) Keyword research#semrushchat— Sean Henri (@SeanHenri) March 7, 2018
A3 blogs should be organised into topic groups and long tail keyword lists used for each topic. #semrushchat
— Yellow Mango (@yellmango) March 7, 2018
a3) Blogs are for generating links and shares, not sales. Their bad headlines limit SEO & they don't have sharing options #semrushchat
— Ryan Johnson (@rsj8000) March 7, 2018
Q4. How would you rate their mobile website on a scale from 1 to 10? Why?
Having a responsive mobile site that works just as well as its desktop version is essential in today’s mobile world. Smartphone and tablet traffic have surpassed desktop traffic, and Google's mobile-first indexing for more sites is coming.
When our chat participants were asked to rate CT Home Comfort Showroom’s mobile site out of 10, the average rating came in at about a 4.9.
A4: I'd give them a four, just for giving us a site for today's chat that needs so much work. 👌🏻#semrushchat
— Kieran Ledger (@KJLedger) March 7, 2018
Not Entirely Responsive
Mobile sites often have different issues from the desktop version, but CT Home Comfort Showroom’s two sites had a lot of overlapping problems. This was partially because the mobile version was barely changed at all.
A4: Just as problematic as the desktop site. Recommendations can be pretty much transferred 1 to 1 #semrushchat
— Kevin_Indig (@Kevin_Indig) March 7, 2018
A4: At first glance, it's not as horrible as I thought...that said, it's just the entire "desktop" version crammed onto my phone. That's not how it's done.
So: 4.#semrushchat https://t.co/JDvVOBN3IM
— ThinkSEM (@ThinkSEM) March 7, 2018
Too Much Text
Chat participants immediately flagged the fact that there was too much text. It was to the point where it felt disorganized and messy, and that the text itself wasn’t strong enough to get any results. Mobile copy needs to be concise and to the point. This wasn’t helped by the fact that some users had bugs with alignment or formatting of the text.
A4: Well it's responsive on my Samsung but that's about the only thing that's going for it. I hate to be so harsh but it needs a re-think.
There is no clarity & too many words that aren't actually saying anything.#SEMrushchat
— Heather Harvey (@Fizzle_Up) March 7, 2018
A4: 5/10
-Received an 82/100 on Google's PageSpeed Tool. Pleasantly surprised by the responsiveness, hamburger menu and drop down menus.
-However, thumbs got tired scrolling through the long pages. Plenty of room for improvement!
#semrushchat— Perfect Search Media (@Perfect_Search) March 7, 2018
A4. 5/5 There is an issue with text formatting and the UX is not the best but at least you do not land on a page with oversized banners and popups #semrushchat
— Cristina Dumitrache (@CMDumitrache) March 7, 2018
A4: We don't think it's too bad and would rate it a 5. It loads quickly and everything seems to function. Perhaps it could be a little less text-heavy and elements could be a little bigger so it is easier to click (links/menu). #semrushchat https://t.co/Yb3WstNQ3j
— Warfare Plugins (@warfareplugins) March 7, 2018
Images Need Improvement
The logo and other images either hurt the impression users had or did nothing to help it. Visual components can help a landing page, but only when they seek to advance your brand or help you tell your story. Otherwise, they just clutter a page, and the point you are trying to get across is lost.
A4: -1 Currently.
Tips for the improvements:
1: Make it fully responsives.
2: 14px of the font size.
3: Provide Zoom-in & Zoom-Out options.
4: Resize Option of the font should be available.
5: Put a Video about their Brand.
6: Put User First. (Most Important)#SEMRushChat— Saad AK (@SaadAlikhan1994) March 7, 2018
a4) 5? It loads fast, but I have to wade through a lot of crap to get any answers. Rule #1: Help customers solve problems. #semrushchat
— Ryan Johnson (@rsj8000) March 7, 2018
A4: Google page speed insight show Optimization
Good 82 / 100 speed is not a problem here few points: logo, font style, images #semrushchat— Ashok Sharma (@Ashok83) March 7, 2018
Weak UX Design
While the design was technically functional, the UX was poor. There were oversized banners and pop-ups, neither of which you want to have on a mobile site. There was also a lot of clutter, which can slow down the site loading speed, decrease the effectiveness of SEO, and drive users away at the same time. The headers were also too long, and the navigation felt clunky.
Lacking Mobile-Specific Best Practices
This site is on the right page by having a mobile responsive site, but it would be in much better shape with some updated copy and site design. They should implement mobile-specific best practices, like making phone numbers clickable so users can call with just a touch of a button. The site designers also need to check performance on each individual device, as users with some iPhones didn’t find the site to be responsive at all.
A4. Is it even mobile friendly, im on an iphone and it doesnt appear to be mobile friendly at all? #semrushchat
— Craig Campbell (@craigcampbell03) March 7, 2018
A4: 4/10. Start by making phone numbers click/touch to call. Fix the location of the hamburger menu. Fix the fields in the form (set number fields to show the numbers, etc). Optimize the images to load faster. Arrange the CTA's to fall higher on the page. #Semrushchat
— Jacques Bouchard (@jacquesbouchard) March 7, 2018
Q5. What did you especially like about the overall content and features and how can they utilize it more?
We looked a lot at where there is room for improvement, but looking at what a site is doing well is an important part of the process, too. Despite the copious amounts of constructive criticism revealed in earlier questions, there are some good things to acknowledge about the CT Home Comfort Showroom’s site, too.
Their Knowledge is Solid
Their expertise is clear from the beginning, and it was obvious that they have a lot of in-depth industry knowledge. You can tell they know what they are doing, which is always something you want in a business. They even have plenty of information about their products available to customers, making them more transparent. All that is needed is to present that information in a more customer-friendly way and to consider hiring an SEO specialist to help make sure content is worded in a way that is search engine friendly, too.
A5: They clearly know what their doing as Heating & A/C sellers and installers
Page Body Content is good & Band Logo's reasuring and choice of CTA's at bottom of index pages, Not bad just needs a bitty polishing #SEMrushchat #SiteAudit @semrush— Alexis Huddart (@Flexoid) March 7, 2018
A5: It feels a lot like they're trying but don't know how to do it. That's way better than just putting something out there to have something. They get an A for effort. #semrushchat
— Kevin_Indig (@Kevin_Indig) March 7, 2018
A5 I get the impression that they do have a lot of in-depth knowledge about their products - it's just a case of presenting this to potential customers in a better way. They're not doing themselves justice #semrushchat
— Base Creative London (@basecreative) March 7, 2018
A5: Had to force myself to read the copy—didn't want to at all.
• They're trying to convey some of the benefits. Only, they're not presenting it well. It sure helps to redesign the website.
• They're offering workshops—perhaps give more prominence to that?#SEMRushChat— Narmadhaa (@s_narmadhaa) March 7, 2018
A5 b
They need to organise stuff. An SEO consulting would do most of the job☺️ #SEMrushchat
— Krishna Rg (@krishnarg22) March 7, 2018
A5 Seems like they are going in the right direction and the content says they know a lot about their product but just needs better organising and made clearer. Make the CTA's clearer and obvious for example #semrushchat
— Yellow Mango (@yellmango) March 7, 2018
A5: We give them a +1 for having their phone number front and center so it is easy for someone to find without hunting for it. Same with directions and hours (in the footer). #semrushchat https://t.co/zaK35HF3gW
— Warfare Plugins (@warfareplugins) March 7, 2018
A5: The website "screams" desperation to get a sale done. I would go back to square one - revisit company aim, target audience and do a whole refresh of the brand elements, CTAs and website. They do show the effort to do the best to their ability though #semrushchat
— Cristina Dumitrache (@CMDumitrache) March 7, 2018
A5. They are clearly very knowledgeable about the subject, it just needs to be written in the copy & blogs in a style that the customer would enjoy / learn from #semrushchat
— clockworkTalent. (@clockworkTalent) March 7, 2018
The Theme Is Modern and Clean
The modern theme is also a plus for the site, with the grey/green color scheme being aesthetically pleasing. If they were able to incorporate those themes and colors into their logo and fully integrate the other pages on their site to feel more cohesive, this would make the site appear more professional.
A5 for #semrushchat: The grey/green modern theme is nice. If they incorporate that into their logo and integrate the pages to be more cohesive visually, it would be a good start!
— Knucklepuck (@KnucklepuckDC) March 7, 2018
A5. They need to implement SEO, Mobile friendly site to drive traffic and sales, there is nothing really there that stands out as amazingly good, it all could be done better IMO #semrushchat
— Craig Campbell (@craigcampbell03) March 7, 2018
A5: it's like a teenager's bedroom - everything is probably in there somewhere - but it just doesn't look very good. A little help with design would go a long way #semrushchat
— Analogy Marketing (@ecomresults) March 7, 2018
A5: They clearly know what their doing as Heating & A/C sellers and installers. Page Body Content is good & Band Logo's reassuring and choice of CTA's at bottom of index pages, Not bad just needs a bitty polishing #SEMrushchat #SiteAudit @semrush
— Alexis Huddart (@Flexoid) March 7, 2018
The Blog Is Headed in the Right Direction
The blog is also headed in the right direction, even though it needs some work. By adding more client-focused content designed to answer questions and educate their audience instead of just selling, their conversions are likely to increase significantly. They could also add and incorporate a YouTube channel, with videos embedded on the blog, to further explain about their business, products, and process of operating.
A5: Content quality is not so impressive. Blog have just one post and that is not relevant. About us page section content is not upto the mark.
Landing page should be proper so that user can attract or read your content. #semrushchat— Ashok Sharma (@Ashok83) March 7, 2018
Their Contact Information is Readily Available
The phone number and contact forms are all front and center, making it easy for site visitors to see how to contact them and get more information. With the right CTAs in place and optimized site design, they would be even more successful at getting customers to get in touch.
A5: As a brick and mortar business CT Home and Comfort Showroom made sure they were reachable! We liked their helpful inquiry and quote forms, contact information, and directions. #semrushchat
— Perfect Search Media (@Perfect_Search) March 7, 2018
A5: I like the Girl in the image, cuddling with the dog. Hahhahaha 😂😂😂. Just Kidding.
Phone number at the top is the only thing I like. #SEMRushChat pic.twitter.com/ymzC4eovlO— Saad AK (@SaadAlikhan1994) March 7, 2018
The Foundations are There
CT Home Comfort Showroom is a brand that has closely considered site design and search engine optimization. A lot of what they are doing is good and allows for a strong foundation; they just need to tweak their execution for better results.
A5. They have Google Tag Manager installed... which means they have the foundations in place to do a lot better. 🙂 #semrushchat
— Ⓞⓟⓣⓘⓜⓘⓢⓔⓨ (@Optimisey) March 7, 2018
A5: The content/tagline of "Heating & Cooling is all about Home Comfort" express the overall product of the website. If the website properly arranged and affix the error. It conveys better. #semrushchat
— Veeraeswari (@VeeraeswariS) March 7, 2018
A5 It is a lovely site that just needs a little TLC and some relevant content in the blog - lots of opportunities to make this really great!
— Simon Cox (@simoncox) March 7, 2018
That is all for today! Make sure to join us this week as we discuss "Local SEO Tips Your Competitors are Neglecting" with special guest, Jesse McDonald!
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