betterworks.com

These are the core on-page elements search engines read first. A well-crafted title and description directly affect click-through rates from search results, while the H1 and canonical URL help search engines understand page structure and avoid duplicate content.

Search engine optimisation determines how visible your site is in organic search. These checks cover the technical signals Google and other engines use to crawl, index, and rank your pages. Issues here directly impact how much free traffic your site receives.

AI-powered answer engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overview are increasingly the first touchpoint for users. This section checks whether your content is structured so AI systems can confidently extract, cite, and recommend your site in their responses.

Page speed is a confirmed Google ranking factor and has a direct impact on conversions — even a one-second delay can significantly reduce user engagement. This section measures real network timing and highlights the bottlenecks slowing your site down.

WHOIS data shows who owns a domain and when it was registered and expires. Expiring domains lose their search authority and history overnight — many strong domains are lost simply because owners forget to renew. Registrant details also signal trust and legitimacy to search engines.

DNS records control how the world reaches your domain — they point to your server, configure your email, and enable security features like SPF and DMARC. Misconfigured DNS can cause email deliverability problems, downtime, or make your domain vulnerable to spoofing.

Understanding what technology stack a site runs on reveals performance characteristics, security exposure, and capabilities. Outdated software is the leading cause of website compromises, while the right tools — analytics, SEO plugins, CDN — are markers of a professionally maintained site.

Being listed on a blacklist means email providers, browsers, and security tools will block or warn users about your domain. This section checks major DNS-based blacklists used by ISPs and mail servers — being flagged here can silently destroy email deliverability and user trust.

Malware infections and poor reputation scores cause browsers to show red warning screens to visitors and get domains de-indexed by Google. These checks scan your domain against dedicated malware databases and web reputation services to surface any active threats.