Identify server files affecting SEO with an audit
There are a number of files that are stored on your server and which need to be properly configured in order to facilitate your website being crawled and indexed. These have a vital role to play on the way in which spiders access the content on your site, and in turn how high it then ranks in searches.
These files include:
.htaccess
.htaccess, which directs search engines to specific pages on your site
robots.txt
robots.txt, which prevents crawlers from searching specified folders
sitemap.xml
sitemap.xml, which not only helps visitors view all of the content on your site, but also prioritises pages and hierarchies for web crawlers
In addition, a SEO audit will also identify other files, like 404 error pages, that affect how your site is crawled and which, if not configured correctly, can mean that your site does not rank as well as it should. It will also help to determine page loading speeds, so that there can be optimised.