SEO Audit: Key Insights and Opportunities
Introduction to GTA General Contractors
GTA General Contractors is a well-established construction company in Toronto, providing services such as architecture, interior design, engineering, project management, and design-build solutions. Despite their strong reputation, our SEO audit uncovered several areas where their website performance can improve to attract more organic traffic and leads.
Overall SEO Performance
Our audit of www.gtageneralcontractors.com resulted in an overall score of 58/100, indicating a need for both technical and content-related improvements. While some on-page SEO elements are implemented correctly, technical performance, mobile optimization, and backlink structure leave room for significant enhancement.
Key Audit Highlights
On-Page SEO Score: 79/100 (Strong foundation but missing an H1 tag and optimal keyword usage).
Links Score: 25/100 (URL structure and internal linking require improvements).
Usability Score: 21/100 (Mobile PageSpeed and user experience need attention).
Performance Score: 51/100 (Large page size of 7.42 MB is slowing load times).
Social Score: 73/100 (Active social links, but low YouTube engagement and no Facebook Pixel).
On-Page SEO Analysis
Title Tag & Meta Description
The website uses a descriptive title tag:
“GTA General Contractors: Construction, Design & Building Services”
However, at 69 characters, it slightly exceeds the recommended 50–60 character range. The meta description is well-written at 135 characters but could include more local keywords like “Toronto general contractor services.”
Header Tags
One major issue is the absence of an H1 header tag, which is crucial for SEO and keyword targeting. There are multiple H2 and H3 tags, but no clear H1 to tell search engines the primary focus of the page.
Keyword Consistency
The site has good keyword coverage with terms like “construction,” “general,” “GTA,” and “contractors”. However, it could benefit from LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) keywords such as “design-build Toronto,” “commercial construction,” and “industrial projects Ontario.”
Image Alt Attributes
Out of 32 images, 17 lack alt attributes. Adding descriptive alt text is a quick win for improving image search rankings.
Performance & Core Web Vitals
Google’s PageSpeed Insights flagged several performance issues, particularly on mobile:
Mobile score: 36/100
Desktop score: 63/100
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): 18.5s on mobile—far above the 2.5s ideal benchmark.
Page size: 7.42 MB, largely due to heavy images.
Recommended Fixes:
Compress and serve images in next-gen formats (WebP).
Reduce unused JavaScript and CSS.
Enable lazy loading for media assets.
Backlink & Domain Authority Overview
The website has a Domain Authority of 33 and 1,200+ backlinks from 204 referring domains. Some strong backlinks come from sites like Tumblr, PRLog, and Retail Insider. However, many links come from non-relevant sources, suggesting a need for a refined link-building strategy targeting construction and design industry websites in Toronto.
Local SEO Opportunities
Google Business Profile (GBP): The profile is active but has only 22 reviews with a 4.6 rating. Increasing the number of authentic reviews can improve local rankings.
Local Schema Markup: Missing on the website. Adding Local Business schema can help search engines better understand business information.
NAP Consistency: Business details (name, address, phone) appear correct, but cross-checking with local directories is recommended.
Social Media Presence
The company has links to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (X), LinkedIn, and YouTube. While this is positive, YouTube engagement is low with only 52 subscribers. Adding educational or project showcase videos can improve both SEO and brand visibility.
Actionable Recommendations
Add an H1 tag on the homepage and key landing pages.
Optimize page speed by compressing images, reducing unused JavaScript, and implementing caching.
Shorten title tags and add local keywords for better ranking in Toronto-specific searches.
Add alt attributes to all images.
Increase review count on Google Business Profile and other platforms.
Implement Local Business schema markup for improved rich results.
Focus on quality backlinks from construction, architecture, and design-related websites.
Expand content strategy with location-focused blogs (e.g., “Commercial Construction Trends in Toronto”).
Improve YouTube strategy and embed videos on the website.
Conclusion
GTA General Contractors has a strong foundation with solid branding and existing search traffic but is missing critical optimization opportunities that could boost local search visibility and organic leads. By implementing the recommendations outlined above, the company can improve its rankings, user experience, and conversion rates.
