Case Study: SEO Performance for azwaaj.com Using Google Search Console

As an SEO expert, optimizing a website like azwaaj.com for better search engine performance requires strategic tools and tactics. Google Search Console (GSC) is one of the most essential tools for tracking, diagnosing, and enhancing a website’s SEO performance. This case study outlines the process of using Google Search Console to improve azwaaj.com’s rankings, visibility, and user engagement in search results.

Initial Site Audit and Challenges

When we first began optimizing azwaaj.com, several key challenges emerged:

• Low Search Visibility: The site had limited visibility on Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs), which meant fewer potential users were discovering it.
• Indexing Issues: Only a portion of the pages were indexed by Google, limiting the reach and engagement with searchers.
• Mobile Usability Problems: A significant number of pages had mobile usability issues, reducing user satisfaction and increasing bounce rates.
• Missing Structured Data: The site lacked structured data, which is essential for rich snippets and improving search result appearances.

With these challenges in mind, we used Google Search Console to identify, address, and resolve the underlying issues.

Step 1: Setting Up Google Search Console for azwaaj.com

To begin, the website was registered in Google Search Console, and ownership was verified using a DNS TXT record. This granted access to GSC’s powerful features, enabling comprehensive tracking of the site’s performance.

Key Features of Google Search Console:

1. Performance Report: Provides data on impressions, clicks, click-through rates (CTR), and average position in Google search.
2. Coverage Report: Highlights indexing issues, showing which URLs are successfully indexed or blocked by errors.
3. Mobile Usability Report: Detects mobile-specific issues, ensuring the site is user-friendly on all devices.
4. Sitemaps: Allows submission of XML sitemaps, ensuring Google can efficiently crawl and index site pages.
5. Core Web Vitals: Measures user experience through metrics like page load speed, interactivity, and visual stability.

Step 2: Performance Analysis and Keyword Strategy

Performance Report Insights:

The performance report showed that azwaaj.com had a relatively low average CTR and position on important keywords related to its niche. By analyzing the most common queries, we identified the highest potential keywords, focusing on those with moderate competition and high search intent.

Actions Taken:

• Keyword Optimization: By revising the site’s content and meta tags to target relevant keywords, we enhanced the site’s relevance for specific searches.
• CTR Optimization: We rewrote title tags and meta descriptions to be more compelling, driving up the click-through rates.

Results:

• A noticeable increase in clicks and impressions within the first three months.
• Improvement in average position for primary keywords like “marriage matchmaking” and “Muslim matrimony,” increasing the site’s visibility on SERPs.

Step 3: Resolving Indexing Issues

The Coverage Report in GSC revealed indexing problems. Several pages were not being indexed due to:

• Crawl errors: Broken links and redirect loops.
• Noindex tags: Unintentional use of noindex tags on important pages.

Actions Taken:

• Fixing Crawl Errors: We addressed broken links, corrected the redirect loops, and ensured that all important pages were easily accessible to search engine crawlers.
• Removing Noindex Tags: We identified and removed noindex tags from key pages to ensure they could appear in Google search results.

Results:

After resolving these issues, a significant number of pages were reindexed, and the site’s total indexed pages increased by 20%. This directly contributed to an uptick in organic traffic.

Step 4: Enhancing Mobile Usability

As more than half of web traffic comes from mobile devices, ensuring mobile usability was critical for azwaaj.com. The Mobile Usability Report in GSC identified several issues, including:

• Text too small to read.
• Clickable elements too close together.
• Content wider than the screen.

Actions Taken:

We revamped the mobile version of the site using responsive design principles. Key improvements included:

• Font resizing: Increasing the font size for better readability on smaller screens.
• Adjusting clickable elements: Ensuring buttons and links were appropriately spaced.
• Responsive layout: Modifying the layout to ensure all content fit well on mobile devices.

Results:

• Mobile usability issues dropped to zero, as indicated in the GSC report.
• Improved mobile bounce rate, as users were more satisfied with the mobile experience.

Step 5: Implementing Structured Data for Rich Results

Google encourages the use of structured data, such as schema markup, to better understand the content and display rich results in SERPs (e.g., stars, reviews, or event details). azwaaj.com lacked structured data, which was a missed opportunity for improved visibility.

Actions Taken:

• We implemented schema markup for product listings, reviews, and events, ensuring that azwaaj.com could benefit from rich snippets.
• Validated the structured data through the Rich Results Test in GSC to ensure correct implementation.

Results:

• Improved search result appearance with rich snippets, leading to higher CTRs and increased user engagement.
• Greater search visibility, as users were drawn to enhanced listings with visual elements.

Step 6: Monitoring and Improving Core Web Vitals

The Core Web Vitals Report in GSC provided insights into page speed, interactivity, and visual stability. azwaaj.com had some poor scores, particularly in Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), which impacted user experience.

Actions Taken:

• We optimized image sizes and implemented lazy loading to improve LCP.
• Fixed layout shifts by specifying image dimensions and ensuring ads did not cause unexpected shifts in content.

Results:

• Significant improvements in Core Web Vitals metrics.
• Better user engagement and dwell time, contributing to higher rankings.

Step 7: Continuous Monitoring and Adjustments

SEO is an ongoing process, so we consistently monitor azwaaj.com using Google Search Console. Regular reviews of performance, coverage, and other reports allow us to:

• Identify new issues: GSC notifies us when new crawl issues, mobile usability problems, or coverage errors arise.
• Adapt to algorithm updates: By monitoring performance fluctuations, we ensure that azwaaj.com adapts to changes in Google’s search algorithm.
• Content updates: Regularly updating and optimizing content to ensure it remains relevant, targeting new keywords, and aligning with user search intent.

Conclusion

By utilizing the full range of features in Google Search Console, we were able to significantly improve azwaaj.com‘s search performance. From resolving indexing issues and improving mobile usability to enhancing structured data and Core Web Vitals, each aspect contributed to the overall success of the site. Today, azwaaj.com ranks higher in search results for its target keywords, enjoys better user engagement, and continues to grow its organic traffic.

This case study highlights how powerful and essential Google Search Console is for managing and improving SEO, offering detailed insights and actionable recommendations that can lead to sustained growth for any website.