{"id":11348,"date":"2024-05-17T14:45:41","date_gmt":"2024-05-17T12:45:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/legacy-11348"},"modified":"2026-10-15T23:34:50","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T21:34:50","slug":"using-seo-tools-correctly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kloos.vonblock.com\/en\/blog\/using-seo-tools-correctly\/","title":{"rendered":"Using SEO Tools Correctly: Not Every Problem is Truly a Problem"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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2,561 missing alt attributes, 978 duplicate title tags, 722 pages without H2 headers, 11,243 pages lacking meta descriptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is this the end of my website’s visibility in search results?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

No, not at all. Not every \u201cproblem\u201d flagged by online marketing tools is a genuine issue, and not all data is equally relevant. When you understand how SEO tools work and how to interpret their data, they become powerful allies<\/strong> that significantly aid our efforts. However, if metrics and numbers are misunderstood or taken out of context, they can lead to wrong conclusions, wasting time and money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, we’ll explore some of the most common misconceptions about SEO tools, how to use them effectively, and how to accurately interpret the data they provide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SEO Tools and Their Data<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

SEO tools excel at analyzing various aspects of a website and presenting the results in numerical form. These programs are unmatched in terms of both precision and efficiency. However, they fall short in interpreting these results accurately. It is our responsibility to determine the significance of the numbers and draw the correct conclusions from them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While it is the tools’ job to generate data, it is our job to interpret it.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without context-specific interpretation, the numbers are meaningless and disconnected from reality. Only those who understand the numbers and can evaluate their relevance can make the right decisions for necessary optimization measures. This article will focus on how to derive the right actions from these numbers<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t Panic: Not Every Problem is Truly a Problem<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The primary function of SEO tools is to identify errors<\/strong>. Therefore, they will find errors on almost every website. This can quickly unsettle beginners or website owners without a solid understanding of SEO<\/a>, as they encounter numerous “warnings” and “errors” from various SEO tools. But how significant are these error messages really? Before panicking, take a deep breath and ask yourself:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Which errors are relevant and which are irrelevant?<\/li>\n\n\n
  2. Which problems must be resolved, which are merely cosmetic, and which are not problems at all?<\/li>\n\n\n
  3. What actually impacts rankings and user experience?<\/li>\n\n\n
  4. Lastly, how much effort is required to fix the error? Is it worth it, or is the effort disproportionate to the effect?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Warnings in Google Search Console<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Let’s first look at arguably the most important tool<\/strong> available to webmasters and SEOs: Google Search Console. It is the only tool that provides data directly from Google. We recommend everyone who runs or builds websites to verify them in Google Search Console to access this valuable data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Google Search Console provides information about the indexing status of a website, rankings, clicks from Google Search, and Core Web Vitals. Naturally, the GSC also issues warnings and errors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Some people get alarmed by every warning, while others simply ignore the messages and delete them from their inbox. Reacting to every warning causes unnecessary stress, while ignoring these messages can result in neglecting issues that may significantly impact the website’s performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Among the most common warnings from Google Search Console <\/strong>are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Non-Indexed Pages<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    The GSC provides information on which pages are not indexed and why. Whether this is a problem or not depends on the context and must be assessed individually. Most of the time, there is no need to worry, but sometimes the error messages point to serious issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Is it a problem if 114,000 URLs are excluded from crawling via “noindex”?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Problem:<\/strong> The warning might indicate that a “noindex” tag was accidentally added without your knowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    No Problem: <\/strong>If the pages were excluded from indexing for a good reason, such as preventing Google from wasting resources on crawling and indexing unimportant pages, then everything is fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Are 404-Errors a Problem?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Problem:<\/strong> If important URLs are affected\u2014such as landing pages or articles with many backlinks\u2014significant SEO value can be lost. 404 errors due to faulty internal links are also problematic for users and the overall quality of the website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    No Problem:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you’ve just deleted 500 products from your shop or cleaned out old, unimportant blog posts, numerous 404 errors will naturally appear. After all, the pages were deleted, and a 404 code from the server is the correct response\u2014provided there are no other products that meet the same user intent that you could redirect to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Core Web Vitals<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    It is well known that loading time is a crucial factor \u2014 both for users and for Google. The term \u201cloading time\u201d was long vaguely defined and therefore difficult to measure, which is why Google introduced the \u201cCore Web Vitals\u201d to provide webmasters with clear data on a website\u2019s loading time. These metrics are visible in both GSC and PageSpeed Insights<\/a>. Simply put, they focus on three key factors:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    1. How quickly does a page load?<\/strong> Specifically, how long does it take for the most important and largest element on a page to be displayed so that the user no longer sees a white screen? This metric is called LCP (Largest Contentful Paint).<\/li>\n\n\n
    2. How quickly does a page respond to user actions?<\/strong> In other words, how fast does something happen when users click a link, fill out a form, or perform a search? As of March 2024, this metric, known as INP (Interaction to Next Paint), has replaced the First Input Delay (FID).<\/li>\n\n\n
    3. Lastly, visual stability is measured<\/strong>. This is measured by CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift), which becomes noticeable when you try to click on something, but the element shifts at the last moment, causing you to unintentionally click elsewhere.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      For each of these KPIs, GSC provides three assessment options: Good, Needs Improvement, and bad. PageSpeed Insights additionally gives an overall performance score from 1 to 100, with 100 being the best possible score.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      While a higher score is obviously better, the question remains: How much better? And is the effort worth it? In other words, does the optimization impact the rankings?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      As is often the case with SEO, various factors come into play:<\/p>\n\n\n\n