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Data science is a growing field, and Python is the most popular programming language used by data analysts. Did you know that even without knowing a lot of Python, you could learn how to use Python for SEO with almost no time-investment?
Here are 3 python scripts for those unpleasant SEO tasks you would rather not do yourself.
In this article, we’ll cover:
- What is python? How do data scientists and data analysts use it for SEO?
- What python rules do you need to know?
- How to use python for SEO? Can using python save you time?
- 3 python scripts for SEO
What Is Python? How Is It Used For Data Analysis And Data Science?
Python is a very useful language to know and implement if you’re interested in optimizing your business. Since you’re reading this article, I’m going to assume you understand the basics of SEO.
To clarify, not many data scientists/analysts deal with SEO — that’s usually reserved for the digital marketing team. However, since I utilize data science in my SEO processes, I’ll be talking about how to use python for SEO today.
Python Basics: The Bare Minimum You Need To Know For SEO
Though I will give you copy and paste templates for these SEO automations, you will need to know the Python basics for SEO.
Python basics for SEO:
- Understand what an API is and how to get the code.
- Basic understanding of its syntax. (For instance, variables don’t need to be initialized.)
- How to handle files, booleans, loops, functions, etc. (Python language fundamentals.)
You don’t need to know everything off the top of your head though, and here is a useful Python reference sheet I found in case you need a refresher.
Can You Use Python For SEO? Can Using Python Save You Time?
Python is one of the most used languages worldwide, and especially so in data science and data analysis. Its wide variety of libraries and Python’s main advantages are that it’s excellent for automating repetitive tasks and it has simple syntax.
This automation is what I’ll be giving you today.
3 Python Scripts: Automate Your SEO Processes
1. Check For Broken Links
This python script, called pylinkvalidator, will crawl your website and check for broken links.
Please note that the script hasn’t been updated in several years, so you may need to update a few syntax errors.
Though you can easily double check for broken links via a site audit, using this tool is very useful if you have hundreds of URLs and you wish to use your SEO tool for another SEO task.
2. Reorganize XML Sitemaps
Though you will need to have access to several third-party libraries, this article on reorganizing XML sitemaps is useful if you have any repetitive work regarding sitemaps.
This article goes in depth (and gives you the script) for several sitemap tasks:
- Reading sitemap URLs from XML sitemap indices
- Reading URLs from XML sitemaps
- Reorganizing sitemaps by popular words
- Creating a word cloud
- Breaking the 1k URL Index Coverage limit
- Reorganizing sitemaps by bestsellers
- Write XML sitemaps
Personally, I use the script for creating a word cloud the most often.
3. Python SEO Analyzer
This Python SEO Analyzer is the best script I’ve found so far for warning about potential technical SEO issues. There is a little HTML involved, but you don’t need to understand HTML to use this script.
This code is up to date as of publishing this article.
The Takeaway
Python is a language that can save you so much time. How does it sound to not have to do the repetitious but necessary SEO checks? Pretty good, right?
Python can have a big learning curve, especially if you haven’t been exposed to computer science before. But, if you take the time to familiarize yourself with the basics, Python is an excellent tool to add to your SEO repertoire.
Check out my services page to learn how I can help your small business with SEO.