Technical Task for Fixing Errors on UkrMedia News
CMS: WordPress
Theme: Newspaper
SEO Plugin: Rank Math Pro
Caching: LiteSpeed Cache / QUIC.cloud
Objective of the Work
It is necessary to fix the technical errors found during the site check in Ahrefs, without changing the design, structure, and addresses of published materials.
Before starting work, a complete backup of the site and database must be created.
What Needs to Be Fixed
1. 404 and 4XX Errors
Ahrefs detected 26 inaccessible pages.
It is necessary to:
- check each address;
- restore the page if it was deleted by mistake;
- set a direct 301 redirect if there is a corresponding new page;
- remove non-working addresses from the sitemap and internal links;
- not redirect all 404 errors to the homepage.
2. 5XX Server Errors
Four pages with server errors were found.
It is necessary to:
- determine the exact cause of the error;
- check server and WordPress logs;
- check for plugin conflicts, memory shortages, and timeouts;
- fix the cause, not hide the error with a redirect;
- check if the site opens normally for Googlebot and AhrefsBot.
3. Redirects in Sitemap
Ahrefs found 2143 addresses with redirects in the sitemap.
It is necessary to:
- remove from the sitemap addresses that return 301 or 302;
- replace them with final addresses with a status of 200;
- remove from the sitemap pages with errors, duplicates, and URLs closed from indexing;
- regenerate the sitemap through Rank Math;
- check
sitemap_index.xml and news-sitemap.xml.
The sitemap should only contain accessible pages allowed for indexing.
4. Broken Redirects
Ahrefs detected two non-working redirects.
It is necessary to:
- find them;
- eliminate loops and chains;
- make one direct transition from the old address to the final one;
- not delete redirects from old pages if there are external links to them.
5. Internal Links to Non-Working Pages
75 pages containing links to inaccessible addresses were found.
It is necessary to:
- find these links;
- replace them with current addresses;
- remove links if the corresponding page no longer exists;
- not leave internal links that go through multiple redirects.
What Cannot Be Changed
Without separate agreement, it is prohibited to:
- change the Newspaper theme;
- change the design, logo, colors, fonts, and menus;
- change the structure of permalinks;
- change the URL and slug of published articles;
- delete articles, pages, categories, and media files;
- change texts, titles, dates, and SEO metadata of articles;
- remove or replace Rank Math;
- change canonical without explanation;
- change robots.txt without agreement;
- close the site or categories from indexing;
- block Googlebot, AhrefsBot, or UkrnetBot;
- change Google Analytics and Search Console;
- remove confirmation codes of services;
- disable RSS, WP Telegram, or Newsletter;
- change the air raid alert page;
- install unlicensed plugins;
- massively clean or change the database;
- turn off LiteSpeed Cache on a permanent basis;
- update the theme, WordPress, or plugins without a backup;
- redirect all 404 pages to the homepage.
Order of Execution
- Make a backup of files and the database.
- Provide a list of identified issues and proposed fixes.
- If possible, check changes on a test copy.
- After approval, transfer changes to the main site.
- Clear the cache.
- Recheck the site in Ahrefs.
- Ensure that the site, mobile version, alert map, RSS, and automatic publication in Telegram are working.
Report After Completion
The freelancer must provide:
- a list of fixed URLs;
- a list of established redirects;
- a list of changed files and settings;
- information about optimized images;
- results of re-scanning in Ahrefs;
- a list of remaining issues;
- a brief instruction for rolling back changes.
Main Condition: the appearance, content, and addresses of published materials must remain unchanged. The task concerns only the technical errors of the site.
