Really need some input, help, suggestions

[byebyebaby]

This is a bit of a long story maybe, but please see if someone can help.

I have my website for several years now and it was getting decent traffic, also from Google.
Then the site crashed and was offline for months. So of course I wasn't getting any traffic from Google and other search engines.

Now the site has been online again for 1,5 to 2 years. I update very regularly. Have added a sitemap, also added it to Google.
But somehow Google just indexed a very small amount of pages. Also doesn't seem to add newly added posts, which are new slot release posts most of the time, so like news posts.

And I am getting zero traffic from Google.

I have no idea what might be wrong? I believe my sitemap is correct, my website is correct, I have Cloudflare for protection, use an SSL, or HTTPS or whatever it's called.
Can someone please maybe check for me, look at my website, or maybe my sitemap? https://www.heaven4netent.com/sitemap_index.xml.

 

[AussieDave]

I found your site to be slow... Which, if your using cloud-flare it shouldn't be an issue:
hXXps://pagespeed.web.dev/analysis/https-www-heaven4netent-com/z0xh33uwjy?form_factor=mobile

Your images and other resources are taking way too long to load. Which will not only extended TTFB (time to first byte) delays BUT more importantly, contextual paint load delays. 1.9 sec is the largest delay.

I don't use Mercury Theme but I heard the theme is a bit bloated.
But I can't say for sure because I don't use it.

The above speed-issues tend to be a mix of theme coding and probably your hosting provider too.

I pulled the coding but you don't seem to be running any type of cache. You need to implement a cache.

All of these factors WILL play a part in your site speed issues and ranking(s).

 

[AidanLCFC]

From a quick look, your sitemap suggests about 1200 pages, and google suggests it is indexing about 300 of those. Check there are no issues in google search console first, and then look at improving those pages that aren't indexed

 

[AussieDave]

Remove your version-numbers on your CSS and JS scripts, can help improve SEO, as well as give a slight speed increase too. I do this via coding, however there's a free-plugin:

No Version Tags

Description: Upon activation, this plugin will automatically eliminate the annoying '?ver=x.x' signs from your perfect code :)

wordpress.org

Edit:
Personally, I'm getting a little peeved with Wordpress lately. Well, truthfully, over the last few years.

The limited number of plugins I used for years (no more than 7), worked really well, most, decided to break that mold and add additional options. Problem is, X-plugin now has what plugin-Y has doubled up on. AIOSEO, Yoast were both decent SEO plugins. Now they're both bloatware.

Next site wont be WP, instead, I'm going back to bespoke php.
Much more control, and definitely not bloated!

 

[edgarf76]

Have you tried to submit the pages for manual indexing in GSC?

 

[AussieDave]

the site crashed and was offline for months.
So of course I wasn't getting any traffic from Google and other search engines.

When your site was down for months, what error code was it giving?

As a point of reference, dodgyonlinecasinohistory.net was also down but not for months, instead, 2+ years. However, I issued 403 error (access denied). When the site came back online, in its new design etc., I had no issue getting ALL my pages re-indexed. My guess, the 403 saved my ass

If however, it was returning a 404 (not found) error, I'd probably be in the same situation as you are now.

 

[DaftDog]

This AI-generated response may help:

When using WordPress, whether to index category and tag pages depends on several factors related to your site's structure, content strategy, and SEO goals.

Indexing Category Pages​

Pros:

1. Improved Navigation and User Experience: Category pages help users find related content, which can increase time spent on your site and improve user experience[3][4].
2. SEO Benefits: If category pages are well-structured and contain unique excerpts or descriptions, they can rank well in search engines and drive traffic to your site[5][6].

Cons:

1. Duplicate Content Risk: If category pages simply list excerpts from posts without unique content, they may be seen as duplicate content by search engines, which can harm your SEO[5].
2. Link Equity Distribution: Improperly managed category pages can dilute link equity, affecting the ranking of individual posts[2].

Indexing Tag Pages​

Pros:

1. Enhanced Discoverability: Tags can help users discover related posts, potentially increasing engagement and time on site[3].

Cons:

1. Thin Content Issues: Tag pages often contain little unique content, which can be seen as low-quality by search engines[3][4].
2. Duplicate Content Risk: Similar to category pages, tag pages can create duplicate content issues if not managed properly[1][5].
3. SEO Complexity: Managing a large number of tags can complicate your SEO strategy and may not provide significant benefits[1][3].

Best Practices​

1. Categories:
   • Index if Well-Structured: Index category pages if they are well-organized, contain unique descriptions, and add value to your site’s navigation[3][4].
   • Noindex if Duplicate: If category pages do not offer unique content or are simply lists of post excerpts, consider marking them as noindex to avoid duplicate content issues[5][6].
2. Tags:
   • Noindex by Default: Generally, it is recommended to mark tag pages as noindex because they often do not provide substantial unique content and can lead to duplicate content issues[1][3][6].
   • Use Sparingly: Use tags sparingly and ensure they are relevant and useful for navigation[3][4].

Conclusion​

In summary, index category pages if they are well-structured and provide unique content, but consider noindexing tag pages to avoid duplicate content issues and maintain a clean site structure. Always evaluate the specific needs and structure of your site to make the best decision for your SEO strategy.

Citations: [1] https://moz.com/community/q/topic/68981/should-i-disable-the-indexing-of-tags-in-wordpress [2] https://www.reddit.com/r/SEO/comments/w74hvv [3] https://robpowellbizblog.com/categories-and-tags-in-wordpress/ [4] https://www.elegantthemes.com/blog/wordpress/wordpress-categories-tags [5] https://moz.com/community/q/topic/8969/wordpress-should-i-no-index-categories-archives-pages [6] https://www.wpbeginner.com/beginner...practices-which-one-is-better/comment-page-1/

 

[Strider1973]

Also, please don't link directly to the affiliate program. The links don't look nice, you forget about adding "rel="nofollow"" and... you don't have one single place to change them if you have to change the links (due to aff program or because you just want to redirect them).

You can either use a redirection plugin or just do it through a folder and add the redirects in .htaccess (and then block that folder in robots.txt).

 

[AussieDave]

Also, please don't link directly to the affiliate program. The links don't look nice, you forget about adding "rel="nofollow"" and... you don't have one single place to change them if you have to change the links (due to aff program or because you just want to redirect them).

You can either use a redirection plugin or just do it through a folder and add the redirects in .htaccess (and then block that folder in robots.txt).

I tried a couple of them, and gave up. heaven4netent.com/bonus/shazam-casino/ - link from home page goes to a non existent banner/page. When I finally managed to track the actual link down, I redirected to a dedicated landing page BUT the promo-code is either outdated or broken.

Not good for return players to your site.

Your problems seem to stem back to your poor linking hierarchy. Frankly, it's a mess.

Way too many blog posts to list on your home page. But you could include a footer link to ALL your blog categories. Yes, these posts are in your sitemap(s) BUT these need to also be on your home page.

Sorry but your linking hierarchy is a dog's breakfast.

No surprise your having indexing issues!

 

[byebyebaby]

I tried a couple of them, and gave up. heaven4netent.com/bonus/shazam-casino/ - link from home page goes to a non existent banner/page. When I finally managed to track the actual link down, I redirected to a dedicated landing page BUT the promo-code is either outdated or broken.

Not good for return players to your site.

Your problems seem to stem back to your poor linking hierarchy. Frankly, it's a mess.

Way too many blog posts to list on your home page. But you could include a footer link to ALL your blog categories. Yes, these posts are in your sitemap(s) BUT these need to also be on your home page.

Sorry but your linking hierarchy is a dog's breakfast.

No surprise your having indexing issues!

Do you mean the No Deposit bonus part and the review part. I noticed that now that claim and play now doesn't direct to the casino but to a page on my website. Weird.

If you are saying it's a mess, it must be. You helped me a lot a long time ago ;-)

I will have to go make some changes, check some things and see what I can do.

 

[byebyebaby]

When your site was down for months, what error code was it giving?

As a point of reference, dodgyonlinecasinohistory.net was also down but not for months, instead, 2+ years. However, I issued 403 error (access denied). When the site came back online, in its new design etc., I had no issue getting ALL my pages re-indexed. My guess, the 403 saved my ass

If however, it was returning a 404 (not found) error, I'd probably be in the same situation as you are now.

With me it was I believe 404

 

[byebyebaby]

I found your site to be slow... Which, if your using cloud-flare it shouldn't be an issue:
hXXps://pagespeed.web.dev/analysis/https-www-heaven4netent-com/z0xh33uwjy?form_factor=mobile

Your images and other resources are taking way too long to load. Which will not only extended TTFB (time to first byte) delays BUT more importantly, contextual paint load delays. 1.9 sec is the largest delay.

I don't use Mercury Theme but I heard the theme is a bit bloated.
But I can't say for sure because I don't use it.

The above speed-issues tend to be a mix of theme coding and probably your hosting provider too.

I pulled the coding but you don't seem to be running any type of cache. You need to implement a cache.

All of these factors WILL play a part in your site speed issues and ranking(s).

I now added the Hummingbird plugin for speeding up. If that helps? I hope so.
I am so sorry, I've had a couple of websites for years, but somehow am still such a noob with all this coding, seo, Google, linkbuilding, masking, caching etc. etc.

 

[AussieDave]

I now added the Hummingbird plugin for speeding up. If that helps? I hope so.
I am so sorry, I've had a couple of websites for years, but somehow am still such a noob with all this coding, seo, Google, linkbuilding, masking, caching etc. etc.

It's not an easy task, especially not these days.

I'm going to send you a DM...

 

[Grogu]

Hey, from what I see on your site, perhaps some pages could be eliminated, I mean, to reduce the huge amount of posts that will never get updated. Cheching the sitemaps, I do understand the blogs (news) most of the time will remain the same. But, for example, this game: /game/aliens/ - it is not available anymore and current text is not a long/deep review. So perhaps you could create a page named "discontinued Netent games", redirect 301 and add archive information there. Other examples: /game/big-bang/ and game/beach/

This category, Huge Wins: /category/huge-wins/ doesn´t have many posts, so perhaps move them (change tag) to /category/general-casino-news/ and remove the category?

Another point: is it worthy to keep posts from 10 years ago?/ huge-wins-on-new-wms-gaming-slots/ Since the state of your website is already not giving a good performance, bringing freshness and leaving only relevant content is something to think about.

=> added partial URLs because I am a baby and can´t add full links