DEV Community: Dhiraj Jaiswal

How to Perform a Technical SEO Audit for a Website

Dhiraj Jaiswal — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 07:19:31 +0000

A technical SEO audit helps identify issues that prevent search engines from crawling, indexing, and understanding your website. Regular audits can improve site health, user experience, and search visibility.

Technical SEO Audit Checklist

1. Check Crawlability and Indexing

Use Google Search Console to identify indexing issues, blocked pages, and crawl errors. Make sure important pages can be accessed by search engines.

2. Review HTTP Status Codes and Redirects

Find broken pages returning 404 errors, unnecessary redirect chains, and server errors. Fix or redirect URLs where appropriate.

3. Check Canonical Tags

Ensure canonical tags point to the preferred URL to help prevent duplicate-page confusion.
**

Validate Your XML Sitemap**

Check that your sitemap is accessible and contains the correct, indexable URLs. Submit it through Google Search Console.

5. Audit Internal Links

Fix broken internal links and ensure important pages are linked from relevant content. Find orphan pages that have no internal links.

6. Test Website Speed and Core Web Vitals

Use PageSpeed Insights to check loading performance, responsiveness, and visual stability. Optimize images, caching, scripts, and hosting when needed.

7. Check Mobile Usability and HTTPS

Ensure your website works well on mobile devices and uses HTTPS correctly.
**

Review Structured Data**

Validate structured data and correct errors that may prevent eligible rich results from appearing.

Useful Technical SEO Tools

Google Search Console: Indexing, crawling, and search performance.
PageSpeed Insights: Website speed and Core Web Vitals.
Screaming Frog: Crawl analysis, broken links, redirects, and metadata.
Semrush: Technical site audits and SEO issue discovery.
Ahrefs: Site auditing, backlinks, and keyword research.

*How Often Should You Audit Your Website?
*
Run a basic check monthly and perform a deeper audit after major website changes, migrations, redesigns, or unexpected traffic drops.

Final Thoughts

A technical SEO audit is not just about fixing errors. It helps ensure search engines can access your important content and visitors can use your website smoothly.

Start with indexing, broken links, sitemap errors, and performance issues. Fix the most important problems first, then monitor changes in Google Search Console.

Does Web Hosting Affect SEO Rankings?

Dhiraj Jaiswal — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 11:53:06 +0000

Web hosting does not directly guarantee better Google rankings, but it can indirectly affect SEO through speed, uptime, server performance, security, and crawling.
Hosting Can Affect Website Speed
A slow server can increase server response time and contribute to a slower website. Hosting resources, server configuration, caching, and CDN setup can all influence performance.
Hosting and Core Web Vitals
Poor hosting can make it harder to maintain good Core Web Vitals, especially when server response time is high. However, hosting is only one part of website performance.
Uptime Matters
Frequent downtime can prevent users and search engines from accessing your website. A reliable host helps keep your site consistently available.
Can Hosting Affect Googlebot Crawling?
Yes, indirectly. If your server frequently responds slowly or returns errors, Googlebot may have difficulty crawling your pages efficiently.
Is Shared Hosting Bad for SEO?
Not necessarily. Shared hosting can work perfectly well for small blogs and websites. Problems arise when a hosting plan lacks sufficient resources or consistently delivers poor performance.
Does Server Location Matter?
Server location can influence latency for visitors. Using a CDN can help deliver website content faster to users in different regions.
What About HTTPS?
Your website should use HTTPS. While hosting providers can make SSL setup easier, HTTPS itself is an important basic requirement for a modern website.
Hosting Doesn't Replace SEO
Even excellent hosting won't fix poor content, weak search intent, bad internal linking, indexing problems, or technical SEO issues.
How to Know If Hosting Is the Problem
Before changing hosts, check:
Server response time
Core Web Vitals
Uptime
Server errors
TTFB
Resource usage
Performance at different times of day
Final Answer
Web hosting can affect SEO indirectly, but hosting price alone does not determine rankings. Choose reliable hosting that provides good performance, uptime, security, and enough resources for your website.
The best approach is to fix your content, technical SEO, internal linking, and performance together rather than assuming that upgrading hosting will automatically improve rankings.

XML Sitemap Issues in WordPress: 10 Common Fixes

Dhiraj Jaiswal — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 16:12:57 +0000

An XML sitemap helps search engines discover important URLs on your WordPress website. But when a sitemap returns a 404 error, “Couldn’t fetch” message, outdated URLs, or invalid XML, the problem can come from several places.
Here are 10 practical fixes you can check before repeatedly resubmitting your sitemap in Google Search Console.
1*. Check the Correct Sitemap URL*
WordPress can use its native sitemap:
https://example.com/wp-sitemap.xml
SEO plugins may use another URL, such as:
https://example.com/sitemap_index.xml
First identify which system is generating your sitemap.

Check WordPress Search Visibility Go to: WordPress → Settings → Reading Make sure you haven't accidentally enabled the option that discourages search engines from indexing your site. After changing the setting, save it and test the sitemap again.
Flush Permalinks If your sitemap suddenly returns a 404, try: WordPress → Settings → Permalinks → Save Changes You don't need to change the permalink structure. This can refresh WordPress rewrite rules.
Clear Your Cache Caching can cause WordPress to serve an outdated sitemap. Clear cache from: WordPress caching plugin Hosting/server cache CDN Cloudflare Browser cache Then open the sitemap again in a private browser window. If old URLs are still appearing, caching should be one of the first things you investigate.
Check What the Sitemap Actually Returns Open the sitemap directly. It should return XML content. If you instead see: 404 403 500 error Homepage Login page Security challenge HTML error page then Google may not be able to process the sitemap correctly. Don't assume the XML itself is the problem. Check the actual response first.
Look for Invalid XML If the sitemap opens but reports an XML parsing error, inspect the beginning of the document. Unexpected characters or output before the XML declaration can cause problems. Potential causes include: Plugin conflicts Theme code PHP output Custom sitemap modifications Server configuration Fix the source of the unexpected output rather than repeatedly resubmitting the sitemap.
Check Robots.txt Open: https://example.com/robots.txt Make sure you aren't accidentally blocking important content. Your robots.txt may also contain a sitemap declaration such as: Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap_index.xml Don't copy another site's robots.txt without understanding the rules.
Check HTTPS and Redirects After moving from HTTP to HTTPS, check whether your sitemap redirects correctly. Verify: WordPress → Settings → General Check both: WordPress Address Site Address Make sure they use the correct HTTPS version. Also check whether your CDN or Cloudflare configuration is creating unexpected redirect loops or responses.
Check SEO Plugin Conflicts Avoid having multiple plugins trying to control the same sitemap. For example, you might have: WordPress native sitemap Rank Math Yoast Another sitemap plugin Custom sitemap code Find out which system is actually generating your sitemap. If you recently changed SEO plugins, test the sitemap carefully.
Check Google Search Console Once the sitemap works correctly in your browser, go to: Google Search Console → Indexing → Sitemaps Submit the sitemap URL. Then check: Status Last read Discovered URLs Errors Remember the difference between: Google can't fetch my sitemap and Google fetched my sitemap but some URLs aren't indexed. These are different problems. A working sitemap helps Google discover URLs, but it doesn't guarantee that every URL will be indexed or rank. My Practical Experience While working on my own website, I found that sitemap problems can be confusing because Search Console isn't always the root cause. I had to check the actual sitemap URL, caching, redirects, WordPress settings, and the SEO plugin generating the sitemap. My preferred troubleshooting order is: Open sitemap → identify generator → check response → clear cache → check robots.txt → check HTTPS → check plugins → test again in Search Console. This is much more useful than repeatedly clicking Submit in Search Console. Final Checklist Before resubmitting a problematic sitemap, check: Correct sitemap URL Correct sitemap generator WordPress visibility settings Permalinks XML response HTTP status Cache robots.txt HTTPS Redirects Plugin conflicts Google Search Console status Fix the sitemap first, then investigate indexing. A sitemap is a discovery tool—not a guarantee of indexing or rankings.

How to Find SEO Issues Before Publishing a Blog Post

Dhiraj Jaiswal — Sun, 20 Sep 2026 14:48:43 +0000

Publishing an article without a final SEO check can lead to indexing, ranking, speed, and internal-linking problems.
Here’s a quick pre-publishing SEO checklist you can use before hitting “Publish.”

Check Search Intent Make sure your article actually answers what people are searching for. Look at the current search results and identify the questions and information users expect.
**Optimize the Title & Meta **Description Your title should clearly explain the page topic and include your primary keyword naturally. Write a useful meta description that encourages clicks without keyword stuffing.
Review Your Headings Use a logical structure: H1 → H2 → H3 Each section should cover a specific part of the topic.
Check Keyword Usage Use your primary and related keywords naturally. Don't repeat a keyword just to increase keyword density. Focus on answering the reader's question thoroughly.
Check Internal Links Add relevant links to other articles and tools on your website. Internal linking helps readers discover related content and helps search engines understand your site's structure.
Optimize Images Before publishing: Compress large images Use descriptive filenames Add useful alt text Avoid unnecessarily large dimensions
Test Mobile & Page Speed Check how the page looks on mobile and test its performance. Pay particular attention to layout shifts, large images, and unnecessary scripts.
Check Indexing & Canonical Make sure the page isn't accidentally set to noindex and that the canonical URL points to the correct page.
Check Structured Data If structured data is relevant to your content, validate it before publishing. Don't add schema simply because it exists—use markup that accurately describes the page.
Use Google Search Console After Publishing Once the article is live, inspect the URL in Search Console and monitor: Impressions Clicks Queries Average position Indexing status SEO doesn't end when you publish. Publishing is the beginning of the measurement phase. Final checklist Before publishing, ask: Does this article satisfy search intent? Is the information genuinely useful? Is the page technically accessible? Are internal links relevant? Does it work well on mobile? Can Google understand the page? A simple checklist like this can catch many SEO problems before they become ranking problems. Related: If you want to audit your pages after publishing, try an SEO analyzer to identify technical and on-page issues.

ChatGPT vs Gemini for Content Writing: Which AI Is Better?

Dhiraj Jaiswal — Wed, 09 Sep 2026 05:26:04 +0000

AI writing tools have changed how bloggers and marketers create content. Two of the biggest options are ChatGPT and Google Gemini, but which one is better for content writing?
The answer depends on what you need.
ChatGPT for Content Writing

ChatGPT is particularly useful for:
Blog outlines
Long-form articles
Rewriting and editing
Brainstorming
Tone adjustment
SEO content planning
FAQs and content ideas
Its biggest strength for bloggers is the ability to refine content repeatedly. You can start with a rough draft and improve its structure, readability, tone, and explanations through multiple iterations.
Gemini for Content Writing

Gemini is also capable of drafting, rewriting, summarizing, and researching content.
Its major advantage is its connection with the Google ecosystem. If your workflow revolves around Google Docs, Drive, and other Google Workspace tools, Gemini can be convenient for working with existing documents and reference material.
ChatGPT vs Gemini: Quick Comparison

Feature
ChatGPT
Gemini
Long-form writing
Excellent
Very good
Rewriting
Excellent
Very good
Brainstorming
Excellent
Very good
Google Docs workflow
Good
Excellent
Research workflows
Very good
Very good
SEO content planning
Excellent
Very good
Tone customization
Excellent
Very good
Google Workspace
Good
Excellent

Which Is Better for Bloggers?

For bloggers, ChatGPT gets the overall edge for writing and editing. It is especially useful when you need to develop an article, improve its structure, make the writing more natural, or create multiple versions.
Gemini can be the better choice if you already work extensively inside Google Workspace.
But neither tool should be treated as an automatic content publisher.
Don't Publish AI Content Without Editing

AI can produce polished-looking content that still contains:
Incorrect facts
Generic explanations
Repetition
Outdated information
Unsupported claims
Use AI to speed up your workflow, but add your own experience, examples, opinions, and research.
AI should assist your content—not replace your expertise.
Final Verdict

There is no universal winner.
Choose ChatGPT if your priority is writing, editing, brainstorming, and content structure.
Choose Gemini if Google Workspace integration and document-based workflows are more important.
The best approach is to test both with your actual content workflow and choose the one that consistently helps you produce more useful content with less effort.

Cheap Hosting vs Premium Hosting: Does It Matter for Google Rankings?

Dhiraj Jaiswal — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 11:08:49 +0000

Choosing web hosting is often presented as an SEO decision. Premium hosting providers advertise faster servers, better infrastructure, stronger security, and improved performance, while cheap hosting focuses on affordability.

But does paying more for hosting automatically help your website rank higher on Google?

No. Google does not give a website a ranking boost simply because it uses an expensive hosting plan. However, the quality of your hosting can indirectly affect SEO when it influences speed, uptime, reliability, and user experience.

What Does Hosting Actually Affect?

Your hosting environment can affect several technical aspects of your website, including:

Server response time
Website loading speed
Uptime and reliability
Available server resources
Security and stability
Ability to handle traffic spikes

A cheap hosting plan isn't automatically bad. If your website is small and receives modest traffic, an affordable shared hosting plan may provide everything you need.

Problems can arise when the hosting environment becomes a performance bottleneck.
**
Cheap vs Premium Hosting**

Cheap Hosting

Budget hosting is usually suitable for beginners, personal websites, and small blogs.
**
Advantages:**

Low cost
Easy to manage
Suitable for small websites
Usually includes basic support
**
Potential drawbacks:**
Shared server resources
Slower performance during busy periods
Resource limitations
Less control over server configuration
**
Premium Hosting**

Premium or higher-tier hosting generally provides more resources and better infrastructure.

Advantages:

Faster and more consistent performance
Greater resource availability
Better scalability
More advanced support and management

However, paying more doesn't automatically make a website fast. Poorly optimized images, excessive plugins, inefficient code, and badly configured WordPress sites can still perform poorly on expensive hosting.

Does Server Speed Matter for SEO?

Yes, website performance matters for user experience, and performance can also relate to Google's page experience systems.

But don't confuse premium hosting with good optimization.

A well-optimized website on affordable hosting can outperform a poorly optimized website running on an expensive server.

For WordPress sites, consider the complete performance stack:

Hosting + caching + images + themes + plugins + code + CDN + database optimization
**
What About Uptime?**

Frequent downtime can create a serious problem.

If your website regularly becomes unavailable, visitors can't access your content and search engines may encounter availability issues when crawling your site.

Reliable hosting is therefore more important than simply choosing the cheapest possible plan.

Does Shared Hosting Hurt SEO?

Not necessarily.

Shared hosting means multiple websites use resources on the same server. For a small blog or new website, this can be perfectly adequate.

You don't need a VPS or dedicated server simply because you want to rank on Google.

Consider upgrading when your website consistently experiences:

Slow server response
Resource limits
Traffic-related performance problems
Frequent downtime
Increasing resource requirements

Does Server Location Affect SEO?

Server location can influence latency and therefore website performance for users in different regions.

If most of your audience is located in one country or region, choosing infrastructure reasonably close to that audience can help reduce latency.

A CDN can also help deliver static content from locations closer to visitors.
**
When Is Cheap Hosting Enough?**

Cheap hosting can be a sensible choice when:

You're starting a new blog
Your traffic is relatively low
Your website loads reliably
You don't experience resource limits
Your hosting provides adequate support and security

There's no need to pay for resources you aren't using.

When Is Premium Hosting Worth It?

Premium hosting becomes more attractive when your website has growing traffic, demanding applications, or consistent performance problems.

Consider upgrading when better infrastructure can solve an actual bottleneck rather than simply because a premium plan sounds better.

Before upgrading, test your website and identify whether the problem is actually your hosting.

What Matters More Than Hosting Price?

Instead of asking:

"Is expensive hosting better for SEO?"

Ask:

"Is my current hosting preventing my website from performing well?"

Check:

Server response time
Core Web Vitals
Uptime
Resource usage
Mobile performance
Page loading speed
Traffic capacity

If your current hosting performs reliably, upgrading may produce little SEO benefit.
**
Final Verdict**

Cheap hosting doesn't automatically hurt Google rankings, and premium hosting doesn't automatically improve them.

For most small WordPress websites and blogs, affordable hosting can be completely sufficient.

The important thing is whether your hosting provides the speed, reliability, resources, and stability your website actually needs.

Don't upgrade because hosting companies promise better SEO. Upgrade when your website's real performance data shows that your current infrastructure has become a limitation.

The goal isn't expensive hosting. The goal is reliable hosting that supports a fast, stable, well-optimized website.

Best Content Calendar for Bloggers: Plan Your Blog Like a Pro (2026 Guide)

Dhiraj Jaiswal — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 05:24:49 +0000

Publishing consistently is one of the biggest challenges for bloggers. A well-planned content calendar helps you stay organized, avoid writer's block, and publish content that aligns with your SEO goals.

Why You Need a Content Calendar

A content calendar helps you:
Stay consistent with publishing.
Plan seasonal and trending topics.
Balance informational and commercial content.
Keep track of keyword targeting.
Improve long-term SEO performance.

What to Include

A simple blogging content calendar should include:
Publish date
Article title
Target keyword
Search intent
Content status (Draft, Editing, Published)
Internal linking opportunities

Pro Tips

Plan at least one month of content in advance.
Mix evergreen and trending topics.
Update older posts regularly.
Review your calendar every week and adjust based on performance.

Final Thoughts

A content calendar isn't just about scheduling posts—it's a roadmap for growing your blog. With a clear publishing plan, you'll save time, stay consistent, and build topical authority that can improve your search rankings.

Shared Hosting vs VPS Hosting: Which Is Better in 2026?

Dhiraj Jaiswal — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 06:56:44 +0000

Choosing the right hosting is one of the first decisions every website owner makes. The two most common options are Shared Hosting and VPS Hosting, each designed for different needs.

What Is Shared Hosting?

Shared hosting means your website shares server resources with many other websites. It's affordable, beginner-friendly, and ideal for personal blogs or small business websites with moderate traffic.

What Is VPS Hosting?

A Virtual Private Server (VPS) gives your website dedicated resources within a virtual environment. It offers better performance, security, and flexibility, making it suitable for growing websites and online businesses.

Shared Hosting vs VPS

Shared Hosting
Lower cost
Easy to manage
Best for beginners
Limited resources
VPS Hosting
Faster performance
Dedicated resources
Better security
Greater control and scalability

Which One Should You Choose?

If you're starting a new blog or portfolio, Shared Hosting is usually the best value.
If your website is growing, receiving higher traffic, or running an online store, VPS Hosting is a smarter long-term investment because it offers more speed and stability.

Final Thoughts

There's no single "best" hosting type—it depends on your website's goals. Start with the option that matches your current needs, and upgrade as your traffic grows.

How to Fix Broken Internal Links in WordPress (2026 SEO Guide)

Dhiraj Jaiswal — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 05:44:30 +0000

Broken internal links can hurt your website's SEO and create a poor user experience. When visitors or search engines encounter a 404 page, it becomes harder to navigate your site and pass link authority between pages.

Why Internal Links Matter

Internal links help search engines discover your content and understand how your pages are connected. They also guide visitors to related articles, increasing engagement and reducing bounce rates.

Common Causes of Broken Internal Links

Changing a page URL without updating links.
Deleting old posts or pages
Incorrect manual links
Website migration errors
Broken redirects

How to Find Broken Internal Links

You can identify broken links by using:
Google Search Console
WordPress SEO plugins
Website crawling tools
Manual checks for important pages

How to Fix Them

Update the incorrect URL.
Add a proper 301 redirect if a page has moved.
Replace outdated links with relevant pages.
Remove links that no longer have a useful destination.
Regularly audit your website to catch new issues early.

Final Thoughts

Keeping your internal links healthy improves crawlability, user experience, and your site's overall SEO. A quick monthly audit can prevent broken links from affecting your rankings and help visitors find the content they're looking for.

Pillar Page vs Cluster Page: What's the Difference in SEO?

Dhiraj Jaiswal — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 11:33:44 +0000

If you're trying to improve your website's SEO, you've probably heard the terms pillar page and cluster page. While they work together, they serve different purposes.

What Is a Pillar Page?

A pillar page is a comprehensive guide that covers a broad topic.
For example:
WordPress SEO Guide
This page introduces the topic and links to more detailed articles covering specific subtopics.

What Is a Cluster Page?

A cluster page focuses on one specific aspect of the broader topic.
Examples:
How to Optimize WordPress Images
Best WordPress Caching Plugins
How to Reduce TTFB in WordPress
WordPress Internal Linking Guide
Each cluster page links back to the pillar page, creating a strong topical structure.
Why This Matters
Search engines understand your website better when related content is connected logically.
Benefits include:
Better topic authority
Improved internal linking
Easier navigation for readers
Higher chances of ranking for competitive keywords

Simple Example

Pillar Page
Complete WordPress SEO Guide
Cluster Pages
Keyword Research for WordPress
On-Page SEO Checklist
XML Sitemap Guide
Technical SEO Tips
Core Web Vitals Optimization

Final Thoughts

Think of a pillar page as the main book, while cluster pages are the individual chapters. Together, they create a content structure that benefits both users and search engines.