Why Is Technical SEO Important?

What Is Technical SEO?

Technical SEO refers to the optimization of the backend of a website rather than its content or off-page factors. It involves implementing various technical practices and strategies to ensure that search engines can easily access, understand, and index your website’s content. 

The main point of technical SEO is making sure your website is healthy for search engines to crawl and for users to interact.

Why Is Technical SEO Important?

Technical SEO is important if you want to build and maintain visibility in search engines. Proper technical SEO will raise your domain authority and increase credibility with search engines.

Without proper technical SEO you can have a fantastic website with top-notch content, but it will get lost in the depths of the internet. That’s where Technical SEO swoops in. It’s the art and science of optimizing your website’s technical elements to boost its visibility and rank higher in search engine results.

Content SEO Vs. Tehcnical SEO

Imagine Content SEO as the creative writer who crafts engaging stories, while Technical SEO is the meticulous editor who ensures everything is in perfect order. 

Content SEO focuses on creating high-quality and relevant content, while Technical SEO ensures that content gets the visibility it deserves by fine-tuning the technical aspects. They are like Batman and Robin, a dynamic duo that works together to achieve SEO greatness!

 

Technical SEO Tools

Every superhero needs their trusty gadgets, and Technical SEO is no different. Get ready to meet your arsenal of tools that will make your SEO journey a breeze!

From Google Search Console to powerful tools like Screaming Frog, SEMrush, Moz, and Ahrefs, they will help you analyze your website’s performance, identify issues, and optimize like a pro. These tools are our most trusted and our tools I use daily for my SEO campaigns.

Common Technical SEO Issues

Duplicate Content

Why is having duplicate content an issue for SEO? Having identical or substantially similar content across multiple pages or domains can confuse search engines and result in lower rankings. Duplicate content issues can arise from URL variations, content syndication, pagination, or poor canonicalization. 

Implementing canonical tags, 301 redirects, using hreflang tags for international content, and avoiding content duplication can resolve this issue.

Slow Page Speed

Slow loading times can negatively impact user experience and search engine rankings. Factors such as large image sizes, excessive server requests, lack of browser caching, or inefficient code can contribute to slow page speed. 

Optimizing images, minifying CSS and JavaScript files, leveraging browser caching, and using content delivery networks (CDNs) can help improve page load times, which will improve your domain authority and overall organic search presence.

Improper URL Structure

URLs that are long, contain irrelevant characters, or lack keyword relevance can confuse search engines and users. A clean and descriptive URL structure helps search engines understand the content and improves click-through rates. 

Using relevant keywords, separating words with hyphens, removing unnecessary parameters, and ensuring consistent URL formats across the site can enhance SEO.

Missing or Incorrect Meta Tags

Meta tags, such as title tags and meta descriptions, provide crucial information to search engines about a webpage’s content. Missing, poorly optimized, or duplicate meta tags can hinder search engine visibility and user click-through rates. 

Each page should have unique, concise, and keyword-rich meta tags to accurately represent the content and improve search visibility.

Duplicate Title Tags

Duplicate title tags, where multiple pages have the same title tag, can confuse search engines and hinder search visibility. Each page should have a unique and descriptive title tag that accurately represents its content. 

Ensuring that title tags are concise, keyword-rich, and unique across all pages helps improve search engine rankings and click-through rates.

Duplicate Meta Descriptions

Similar to duplicate title tags, duplicate meta descriptions can impact search visibility and user click-through rates. Each page should have a unique and compelling meta description that summarizes its content. 

Writing unique meta descriptions that accurately reflect the page’s content and incorporate relevant keywords helps improve search engine rankings and entices users to click on the search result.

Broken Links

Broken links, both internal and external, can negatively impact user experience, hinder search engine crawlers, and lead to indexing issues. Broken links may occur due to page deletions, URL changes, or website migrations. 

Broken internal and external links not only effect search engines, but also halter a user’s experience on your website. Broken links can play a huge part to an overall digital user experience.

Regularly auditing and fixing broken links using tools like Screaming Frog, Google Search Console, or website crawlers helps maintain a healthy website structure.

Non-Responsive or Non-Mobile-Friendly Design

With the increasing use of mobile devices, having a responsive design is crucial. Websites that do not adapt to different screen sizes, provide a poor mobile experience, or have mobile-specific errors may face lower search engine rankings. 

Employing responsive design principles, using mobile-friendly testing tools, and fixing mobile usability issues optimize the website for a better user experience.

Improper Use of Canonical Tags

Canonical tags help specify the preferred version of a webpage when duplicate or similar content exists. Incorrect implementation of canonical tags, such as self-referencing or missing canonical tags, can confuse search engines, leading to indexing issues and diluted page authority. 

Ensuring the correct usage of canonical tags prevents duplicate content problems and consolidates link equity.

Issues with XML Sitemaps or Robots.txt Files

XML sitemaps help search engines discover and index webpages, while robots.txt files instruct search engine crawlers on which pages to crawl or exclude. Errors in these files, such as incorrect directives or incomplete sitemaps, can prevent proper indexing and hinder website visibility. 

Regularly checking XML sitemaps for errors, ensuring accurate instructions in the robots.txt file, and submitting sitemaps through Google Search Console are essential. Assure that sitemaps are not including any redirects or non-canonical URLs, as well as broken URLs.

Poor Site Architecture

A well-structured website hierarchy facilitates better crawling and indexing by search engines. Complex or shallow site structures, excessive use of subdomains, or poor internal linking can result in poor indexing and uneven distribution of link authority. 

Employing a logical and hierarchical site structure, creating user-friendly navigation, and optimizing internal linking helps search engines understand the website’s content and improves user experience.

Missing Alt Text for Images

Alt text provides descriptive text for images and helps search engines understand the content of the image. Alt text is extremely important when dealing with healthcare clients, but also has a huge role in SEO. Missing alt text or using generic descriptions can lead to missed opportunities for image search rankings, accessibility issues, and hindered user experience. 

Providing descriptive and keyword-rich alt text for images improves search engine visibility, enhances user experience, and ensures accessibility compliance.

SSL/HTTPS Issues

Having a secure website with an SSL certificate is crucial for user trust and search engine rankings. SSL/HTTPS issues, such as mixed content warnings, expired certificates, or improper redirects, can result in security warnings and lower search rankings. 

Ensuring the proper implementation and maintenance of SSL/HTTPS protocols is essential for website security and SEO.

For SEO best practices make sure you are using https:// for all your websites and canonical tags.

Structured Data Markup

Implementing structured data markup, such as Schema.org, helps search engines understand the content and context of the webpage. Missing or incorrect structured data markup can result in missed opportunities for rich snippets, featured snippets, and enhanced search results. 

Implementing structured data markup correctly can enhance search visibility and improve click-through rates.

How Much Should a Technical SEO Audit Cost?

The cost of a technical SEO audit can vary depending on several factors, including the complexity and size of the website, the level of depth and analysis required, and the expertise of the SEO agency or professional performing the audit. Generally, the cost of a technical SEO audit can range from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars.

Alex’s Standard offers a free technical SEO audit to strictly help you identify the current issues with your website. If your wondering “Will AI replace SEO?” what can a free SEO audit hurt?

Conclusion

To be frank, it is necessary for any SEO campaign. If you are armed with knowledge and a playful spirit, you are now ready to optimize your website’s technical elements like a pro. Remember, while Technical SEO may have its complexities, it doesn’t have to be intimidating. Embrace the fun side of SEO, experiment with different strategies, and always keep learning. So go forth, conquer the search engine rankings, and let your website shine brightly in the digital landsca