Patience is limited in today’s rapidly changing digital world. Especially in the online world Studies have shown that 53% of mobile users abandon a website if it takes more than 3 seconds to load. This is where technical SEO becomes an essential foundation step. This ensures that your website is optimized for search engines. But it also provides a smooth experience for your visitors. In this blog, we will understand technical SEO and its importance and share 15 expert tips for better technical SEO techniques.
What is Technical SEO?
Technical SEO is one of the key pillars of achieving top rankings in search engine results. It serves as a critical basis for any website or SEO strategy, ensuring your site is optimized from the ground up. Simply put, Technical SEO involves optimizing your website’s technical elements to improve its search engine visibility and user experience such as:
- Site speed.
- Crawlability.
- Indexability.
- User Experience.
- Mobile Responsive.
To make it easier for search engines to understand and rank your content effectively.
Why is Technical SEO Important?
Think of your website as a house and Technical SEO as the foundation. No matter how beautiful the house looks on the outside (great design and content), if the foundation isn’t strong (optimized technical aspects), the house won’t stand for long. Search engines are like inspectors they assess your website’s structure, ensuring it’s solid, accessible, and functional before recommending it to visitors.
15 Tips for Better Technical SEO to Use in Your Next Plan
If you’re after pro tips to level up your website’s technical SEO, you’ve come to the right place! A well-optimized site isn’t just about adding features it’s also about avoiding critical mistakes that could lower your rankings. From slow page load speeds to misconfigured redirects, small errors can have a big impact. Let’s take a look at these 15 tips for better technical SEO to make your website a well-oiled machine that both users and search engines love!
1. Keep an Eye on Core Web Vitals:
Google cares about your user experience, so they’ve made Core Web Vitals a big ranking factor. These metrics include three key measurements:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): This measures how fast the largest visible element (like an image or headline) loads on your page. Aim for an LCP of under 2.5 seconds.
- First Input Delay (FID): This tracks how quickly your site responds when a user interacts with it, like clicking a button. Keep this below 100 milliseconds for a smoother experience.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): This checks if elements on your page move around while loading. Too much shifting can frustrate users, so aim for a CLS score below 0.1.
Use tools like Google Lighthouse or PageSpeed Insights to monitor these metrics. Aim for fast load times, stable layouts, and quick clicks to keep both users and search engines happy!
2. Optimize Your Images:
Big, bulky images that aren’t compressed or optimized will slow down your page load time and hurt the Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) score we mentioned earlier. To avoid this, make sure your images are the right size for the platform they’ll be displayed on.
For example:
- Use smaller image sizes for mobile devices to save bandwidth.
- Choose larger, high-resolution images for desktop users to ensure clarity.
Also, compress your images without losing quality and use modern formats like:
- WebP
- AVIF
And don’t forget to add descriptive alt text! This not only improves accessibility but also helps Google to understand what the image is for. The right image optimization can make your site faster and more user-friendly.
3. Make Your Website Mobile-Friendly:
With over 60% of internet searches coming from mobile devices, having a mobile-friendly website is essential for staying competitive. A site that works well on mobile keeps users happy and boosts your search engine rankings since Google uses mobile-first indexing to prioritize mobile-friendly sites.
Start by testing your site using Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test. It’ll highlight issues like:
- Buttons that are too small or hard to tap.
- Text that’s difficult to read without zooming in.
- Images that overflow or don’t scale properly for smaller screens.
A mobile-friendly site keeps users engaged and makes it easier for search engines to crawl and index your pages. That’s a win-win for traffic and rankings!
4. Cut Down on JavaScript (JS):
More JavaScript (JS) can slow down your site, delaying page load times and hurting the user experience. Fixing this isn’t a one-person job; it requires collaboration between your developers and SEO specialists to create a faster, more efficient website.
Here’s what each role brings to the table:
The Developer’s Role
Developers are the technical backbone of this process. They focus on cleaning up the code and optimizing how JS interacts with the site. Key tasks include:
- Auditing JS Files: Identifying unnecessary scripts or unused libraries that can be removed.
- Implementing Best Practices: Using techniques like deferring non-critical JS, bundling scripts, and minifying files to ensure faster execution.
- Testing Performance: Run tests to show if JS changes impact loading times and overall performance.
The SEO Specialist’s Role
SEO specialists provide insight into how JS impacts the site’s search engine rankings and crawlability. Their tasks include:
- Prioritizing Critical Content: Make sure essential content, such as headings, text, images, and links, is directly accessible in the HTML.
- Monitoring Search Engine Crawls: Using tools SEMrush or Ahrefs to identify if JavaScript issues are causing errors or affecting rankings.
- Collaborating on Strategy: Advising developers on which elements can be deferred or removed without compromising user experience or SEO.
By working together, developers and SEO specialists can ensure JS is used effectively to improve site functionality without sacrificing speed.
5. Optimize for Multilingual Websites:
Optimizing for multiple languages is crucial for better SEO and user experience if your website serves a global audience. Here’s how to do it effectively:
Use the Hreflang Attribute:
Implement the hreflang tag to signal to search engines which language and region each version of your content targets. For example:
- <link rel=”alternate” hreflang=”en-us” href=”https://example.com/us/” />
- <link rel=”alternate” hreflang=”fr-fr” href=”https://example.com/fr/” />
Create Separate URLs for Each Language:
Avoid using automatic language detection. Instead, create distinct URLs for each language, such as:
- example.com/en/ for English
- example.com/es/ for Spanish
Avoid Machine Translation:
Poor translations can harm user trust and SEO rankings. Invest in professional translation services or tools like Weglot or Lokalise for accurate localization.
Localize Content Beyond Language:
Adapt visuals, currencies, date formats, and cultural references to align with regional preferences. For example, using euros (€) instead of dollars ($) for European audiences.
Submit Separate Sitemaps:
Generate and submit language-specific XML sitemaps to help search engines crawl and index each version efficiently.
By implementing these strategies, you can create a seamless multilingual experience that caters to diverse audiences while boosting your global SEO rankings.
6. Keep URLs Clean and Simple:
Your URL should be short, clear, and easy to read. Include your keywords and skip random numbers or symbols. For example, example.com/tips-for-better-technical-seo is way better than example.com/p1234x3. Which one do you think is obvious to the user and clearer to Google?
7. Make Accessibility a Priority:
Your website should work for everyone, including users with disabilities. Accessibility improves usability and may boost your search engine rankings since Google favors user-friendly sites. Focus on:
- Proper Heading Tags: Use headings (H1, H2, etc.) in a logical hierarchy to structure your content.
- Descriptive Links: Instead of generic text like “Click here,” use meaningful phrases like “Download our guide.”
- Color Contrast: Ensure text is readable against its background, especially for visually impaired users.
These small changes make a big difference in user experience and inclusivity.
8. Use XML Sitemaps:
An XML sitemap is a roadmap for search engines, listing your site’s key pages to improve crawling and indexing. How to Use It:
- Generate a Sitemap: Use CMS plugins (e.g., Yoast SEO).
- Submit to Google Search Console: Add the sitemap URL in Index > Sitemaps for better crawl efficiency.
- Keep It Updated: Reflect site changes and exclude non-indexed or irrelevant pages.
A well-maintained XML sitemap ensures search engines easily navigate your site, boosting visibility.
9. Add Canonical Tags:
Duplicate pages confuse search engines and weaken your rankings. Canonical tags tell search engines which version of a page is the main one, helping you avoid duplicate content issues. For example, if both example.com and www.example.com are live, a canonical tag points to the preferred URL.
10. Secure Your Site with an SSL Certificate:
If your website doesn’t use HTTPS, Google considers it less secure and may lower its rankings. SSL certificates encrypt user data, protect against attacks, and eliminate browsers’ dreaded “Not Secure” warning. They’re vital for both SEO and user trust.
11. Fix Redirects the Right Way:
Broken links or endless redirect chains frustrate users and slow your site. Use 301 redirects to guide users and search engines to the correct page. Regularly check for issues using tools like Screaming Frog and clean up outdated redirects to maintain a smooth experience.
12. Create a Useful 404 Page:
404 error pages don’t have to disappoint visitors. Instead, use them to guide users back to valuable content. Include:
- A friendly message like, “Oops! This page doesn’t exist.”
- Add a button that links to your homepage or popular sections.
- A search bar for easy navigation.
This keeps users engaged instead of driving them away.
13. Don’t Forget Robots.txt:
Your robots.txt file instructs search engines on which parts of your site to crawl or skip. Misconfigurations can block essential content from being indexed. Double-check that important pages aren’t accidentally blocked, and use tools like Google Search Console to test your robots.txt settings.
14. Do Regular Site Audits:
Think of site audits as health checkups for your website. They uncover broken links, duplicate content, missing metadata, and other issues. Use tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, or Screaming Frog to scan your site regularly. Fixing these problems keeps your site optimized and SEO-friendly.
15. Use the Right Tools:
Technical SEO is easier with the right toolkit. Some must-haves include:
- Google Search Console for tracking indexing and search performance.
- Screaming Frog for finding broken links and SEO issues.
- Ahrefs for monitoring backlinks and rankings.
These tools help you find problems, fix them, and stay ahead of SEO challenges.
- SEMrush: A versatile tool that combines site audits, keyword research, and competitor analysis to help you identify and fix SEO issues.
- Yoast SEO (for WordPress users): Simplifies technical SEO with features like XML sitemap generation, meta tag management, and readability analysis.
By implementing these tips, you’ll create a website that ranks higher, works better, and keeps users coming back!
Technical SEO is a continuous process that lays the foundation for better rankings, faster load times, and a seamless user experience. Whether you’re optimizing Core Web Vitals, managing redirects, or ensuring your site is mobile-friendly, these steps are essential to staying competitive in today’s digital landscape.
Contact Dot IT for professional technical SEO services and take your website to the next level!
