SEO Glossary: Google Lighthouse

What is Google Lighthouse?

Google Lighthouse is ideal for creating performance audits for one or more websites. At that time, the actual background was to use Lighthouse for Progressive Web Apps. However, since version 2.0, it is now also suitable for SEO and performance analyses.

 

Version 3.0 is now also available and has been given a new design. In addition, developers can now also use Google Lighthouse as a framework. For example, it is integrated into the Google Chrome internet browser.

 

 

What audits does Google Lighthouse offer?

 

Google Lighthouse is suitable for 5 areas:

 

• Best Practices
• Performance
• SEO
• Accessibility
• Progressive Web Apps

 

If developers would like to order one or more audits, they can switch the respective areas mentioned above on and off as required. An appropriate analysis report is created accordingly.

 

All areas of Google Lighthouse are explained in more detail below:

 

Best Practices

 

• The best practices are mainly about the security of a website and web development

 

• If the connection of a website via https is encryptedintegrated resources originate from secure sources and are JavaScript-libraries secure? These and other best practices are checked.

 

• Google Lighthouse also checks whether, for example, a secure connection to databases is established

 

 

Performance

 

• Performance is an important part of creating a positive user experience. For this reason, Performance checks whether a website or app loads reasonably quickly. The tool checks various areas such as "First Contentful Paint".

 

• At the same time, Lighthouse provides suggestions for improvement to increase the performance of a website or app. These include correct caching, file compression and avoiding redirects. redirects.

 

 

SEO

 

• Google Lighthouse checks how well a website or app is rated by BOTS can be crawled. The result is displayed using a score. If this is rather sobering, developers and operators should do their homework and implement SEO measures.

 

• There are currently 13 audits in the SEO area, which are spread across a wide range of categories. For example, correct titles, meta descriptions and use of structured data.

 

 

Accessibility

 

• Google strives to present helpful content to people with disabilities. Accessibility is all about checking websites and apps for such content.

 

• Are individual elements such as links or buttons sufficiently and alternatively described? Do images have alt tags? The audit provides information on this!

 

 

Progressive Web Apps

 

• This audit area was the origin of Google Lighthouse, this is where it all began. Progressive Web Apps (WPAs) are put through their paces here.

 

• Can all content also be accessed offline? Are there no error messages when retrieving content? There are a total of 5 categories to choose from.

 

 

Where can Google Lighthouse be used?/h2>

The Chrome extension is an excellent way to use Google Lighthouse. Developers can install it free of charge in the Google Chrome Internet browser.

 

Immediately after installation, the website to be tested is called up and the test button of the extension is clicked. Website operators and developers then receive a detailed test report.