Google updates its search algorithms at regular intervals, makes it more important to check the factors affecting your website & update it accordingly.

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Essential Parameters to Gauge Your Website
Health

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How healthy is your website? We ask because it’s as crucial a factor as any external
ranking factors, given all the Google algorithm changes we have seen in past years.
The recent Google Panda 4.2 update is still rolling out and the effect of that change has
yet to land.
When it comes to the overall health of a website there are a few things that you need to
monitor on a regular basis. And by doing so, the website is more likely to rank better
and not lose presence on search engine ranking results.
Keep a close watch on these important points to maintain the overall health of a
website:
1. Domain Age of a website
Is your website expiring in a year or so? Better renew your domain age as soon as
possible. This is one of the factors that underscores the authority of the website. Long
term ownership indicates long term intent and this can have an impact on search
engine performance. If it’s possible, have at least 5-10 years of domain ownership.

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2. Temporary redirects (302 redirects to 302 redirects)
Set up permanent redirects (301 redirects) immediately after pages are removed or
page names are changed on your website, particularly if you continually make
changes to the site. You need a proper redirect to the newly created page when you
have removed pages or changed existing pages. ‘Not Found’ is the epitome of bad
user experience.
3. XML and HTML Sitemap presence
A sitemap tells search engine spiders about the various pages of your website
content. It’s a file listing your web pages. Keep a close eye on Sitemap update on
Webmaster Tool for faster indexing of website pages (when new pages are added). It
allows search engine web crawlers to read the file and more intelligently crawl your
site. XML sitemap targets search engine crawlers.
HTML sitemap delivers better user experience. It helps visitors easily navigate
through the contents of a website. HTML sitemap link contains organized lists of
various pages of a website which visitors can click, helping them find the pages they
are looking for.

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4. Error pages and broken links check (404 – Not Found)
Pages that fail to load, broken links and error URLs are dead-ends to search engines.
And they make for unhappy users who are more likely to bounce away from the
website. A site free of broken links and error URLs significantly increases the site
crawling rate and the frequency at which search engine bots visit the site. So, check
and fix those error URLs and broken links on regular basis.

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5. Page Load Time of the website
Everyone hates waiting. Visitors will bounce away to competing websites that load
faster if your site takes too long to display. People tend to want what they are looking
for right now, not 10 seconds from now. Sounds crazy, but it’s true. Pay attention to
your page load speed or suffer the loss of potential customers and loss of revenue.
Website speed is also affected by such factors as the user’s geographical location,
network speed, the browser and device used by the visitor. On an average, page load
time should ideally be 1.5 to 2.0 seconds. Faster page load time is advantageous to
user experience and search engine crawlers. Keep track of page load speed. Google
considers page load speed a ranking factor.

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Continuously monitor your website’s health, and consider the points listed above.
Keep close watch on Google Webmaster Search Console to see how a website has
been doing. You’ll get specific details about the areas where improvements can be
made.
Have you looked at the health of your website recently? How healthy was it then,
and how healthy is your website now?
Contact Position2 to optimize your website and keep your website healthy all the
time.