Technical SEO, often referred to as website optimization or technical optimization, refers to the practice of ensuring a website meets all of the technical requirements for being crawled, indexed, and displayed in search engine results.

It involves optimizing various technical aspects of a website like the site architecture, URL structure, page speed, crawlability, indexability, mobile-friendliness, and more. Technical SEO lays the crucial groundwork for higher search visibility by eliminating barriers that block search engines from easily accessing and understanding a site’s content.

While on-page SEO factors like keywords and content optimization matter, even the most well-optimized content won’t rank well if there are major technical issues holding the site back from being properly crawled and indexed.

That’s why mastering the SEO fundamentals and best practices around technical optimization is so essential – it creates the ideal conditions for search engines to accurately discover, interpret and rank your site.

What Is Technical SEO?

Technical SEO encompasses all of the behind-the-scenes elements related to how a website is built, structured and coded. It focuses on ensuring web pages meet search engine standards for:

Crawlability: Can search engines easily discover, crawl and access all content on the site?
Indexability: Does the site structure, code and directives allow content to be appropriately indexed?
Rendering: Do pages display and function correctly for both users and search crawlers?
Serving: Is the site serving the appropriate versions of content based on device, location, etc.?

The goal is to identify and resolve any barriers related to these core areas so that search engines can smoothly crawl a site, interpret its content and layout, and include it in relevant rankings.

Properly handling technical SEO helps maximize the crawl budget usage, ensures no duplicate content issues, prevents soft 404 errors, maintains a strong site architecture, and upholds overall technical SEO health.

Why Is Technical SEO Important?

Technical SEO optimization is absolutely crucial for several key reasons:

1. Laying the Foundation

You can have great content, but without technical SEO in place, search engines may not even be able to find, access or accurately interpret that content. Fixing technical issues first provides the scaffolding for other SEO efforts to be effective.

2. Improving User Experience

Many technical SEO best practices like fast page speeds, mobile-friendly design, clean URLs, etc. directly impact usability and the overall experience for website visitors.

3. Preventing Penalties

Major technical issues with areas like duplicate content or security could potentially lead to manual actions or ranking penalties from search engines.

4. Increasing Crawl Efficiency

By optimizing crawlability and addressing wasted crawl budgets, more of a site’s content can get crawled and indexed.

5. Enabling New Technologies

Keeping up with technical SEO allows utilizing advanced capabilities like rich results, dynamic rendering, mobile-indexing firsts, and structured data enhancements.

Neglecting core technical SEO aspects can severely hamper even the best content optimization efforts. That’s why conducting regular technical SEO audits is so important.

Understanding Crawling and How to Optimize for It

One of the most fundamental aspects of technical SEO is ensuring search engine bots can properly discover and access all of the desired content on a website. This process is called “crawling.”

Here are some key best practices around optimizing a site for crawling:

1. Create an SEO-Friendly Site Architecture

The way a website is structured and organized has a huge influence on crawlability. Some tips for SEO-friendly site architecture:

Use a flat, shallow website hierarchy with a logical siloing of content
Limit number of clicks from the homepage to most important pages
Utilize clear navigation with internal linking between related content
Avoid bottlenecks and isolated site sections with no pathways
Keep URLs concise and descriptive of the content
Use clear folder/subfolder structures to organize content topically

The goal is a well-organized site architecture that gives search bots easy access paths to all of the most important pages on the site while communicating content relationships.

2. Submit Your XML Sitemap to Google

An XML sitemap file lists out all of the URLs and key metadata for a website in a format easily readable by search engines. Creating and submitting one provides a virtual roadmap to help find all pages.

Some tips around XML sitemaps:

Generate via plugins/tools or manually code
Keep file updated as content/URLs change
Follow standard protocols for sitemap structure
Use sitemap.xml naming convention
Submit via Google Search Console

Additionally, you can create image, video, news, and other specialized sitemaps depending on the type of content.

Utilizing an XML sitemap helps search engines discover new and updated content faster while understanding a site’s most important pages and hierarchy.

Understanding Indexing and How to Optimize for It

Even after content is successfully crawled, webpages still need to be properly indexed by search engines in order to be ranked and displayed in search results. Technical SEO also plays a big role in optimizing for indexing.

1. Use the Noindex Tag Carefully

The `noindex` meta tag is used to prevent search engines from indexing a specific page. When used properly on pages like login portals or staging environments, it prevents clutter in the index.

However, be very careful about using noindex unnecessarily, as it can lead to vast sections of a site unintentionally dropping out of search engine indexes entirely.

2. Implement Canonical Tags Where Needed

The `rel=canonical` tag helps indicate to search engines the preferred singular version of a page that should be prioritized in rankings if there are duplicates, pagination sections, or other alternate versions around.

For example, if a page can be accessed via `https://example.com/product` or `https://example.com/product?ref=123`, using a self-referencing canonical tag (`<link rel=”canonical” href=”https://example.com/product”>`) consolidates ranking signals to the preferred URL.

Using canonical tags properly prevents duplicate content dilution while helping search engines understand the authoritative version to index.

ALSO READ : Mastering On-Page SEO: Optimizing Your Website Structure For Higher Rankings

Additional Technical SEO Best Practices

Here are some other essential technical SEO tips and best practices to optimize websites for visibility:

1. Use HTTPS/SSL for Website Security

HTTPS encrypts data, authenticates websites, and is a confirmed Google ranking factor
An SSL certificate must be implemented to enable HTTPS on a site
Browsers and search engines overwhelmingly favor and prioritize secure HTTPS sites over HTTP

2. Find & Fix Duplicate Content Issues

Duplicate or similar content spread across multiple URLs can lead to split signals/metrics
Use canonicalization and advanced strategies to indicate the preferred master version
Monitor and consolidate duplicate content through 301 redirects, parameter handling, etc.

3. Make Sure Only One Version of Your Website Is Accessible

Ensure search engines aren’t indexing both www and non-www versions (e.g. example.com and www.example.com)
Set the preferred version in Google Search Console, implement 301 redirects, and use rel=”canonical”

4. Improve Your Page Speed

Prioritize optimizing for faster page load times through compression, minification, caching, and other tactics
Utilize tools like PageSpeed Insights, WebPageTest, and Lighthouse to analyze and identify areas for improvement
Page speed is a confirmed search ranking factor and dramatically impacts user experience

5. Ensure Your Website Is Mobile-Friendly

Having a responsive, mobile-optimized site is critical with the mobile-first index in place
Prioritize speed, usability, and functionality for mobile as much as desktop
Test with Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test and other mobile UX analysis tools

Breadcrumbs provide a trail showing where the current page lies in the site’s hierarchy
Helps users better understand a site’s structure while improving internal navigation
Structured data markup further reinforces the breadcrumb path for search engines

7. Use Pagination

For long category/archive sections, implement proper pagination instead of loading all items on one page
Ensures search engines can access all items without hitting resource limits
Include `rel=”next”` and `rel=”prev”` between pagination components

8. Review Your Robots.txt File

This file provides instructions for crawlers on what areas should/shouldn’t be accessed
Audit regularly to ensure important sections aren’t being unintentionally blocked
Also leverage rules like `Disallow: /`

9. Implement Structured Data/Schema Markup

Structured data markup in formats like JSON-LD helps search engines better understand content and entities on pages
Enables richer results like Featured Snippets, Knowledge Panels, carousels and other SERP enhancements
Follow guidelines from schema.org to properly markup key elements like product info, FAQs, reviews, events and more

Structured Data Example (JSON-LD):

“<script type=”application/ld+json”>

{

“@context”: “https://schema.org/”,

“@type”: “Product”,

“name”: “Executive Anvil”,

“image”: [

“https://example.com/photos/1×1/photo.jpg”,

“https://example.com/photos/4×3/photo.jpg”,

“https://example.com/photos/16×9/photo.jpg”

“description”: “Sleeker than ACME’s classic anvil, this anvil is perfect for the upwardly mobile construction worker.”,

“mpn”: “925872”,

“brand”: {

“@type”: “Brand”,

“name”: “ACME”

“review”: {

“@type”: “Review”,

“reviewRating”: {

“@type”: “Rating”,

“ratingValue”: “4”,

“bestRating”: “5”

“author”: {

“@type”: “Person”,

“name”: “Amanda Cohen”

}

“offers”: {

“@type”: “Offer”,

“priceCurrency”: “USD”,

“price”: “699.00”,

“priceValidUntil”: “2025-04-07”,

“itemCondition”: “https://schema.org/UsedCondition”,

“availability”: “https://schema.org/InStock”

}

</script>

10. Find & Fix Broken Pages

Pages that return a 404 error or soft 404 deliver a poor user experience
Use site crawlers and Google Search Console to identify and resolve broken internal/external links
Set up 301 redirects from old URLs to the new/working destination

11. Optimize for Core Web Vitals

Google’s Core Web Vitals like LCP, FID, and CLS directly factor into search rankings
Focus on optimizations like fast server response times, minimal layout shifts, and quick load times
Test scores with tools like PageSpeed Insights and aggressively improve underperforming pages

Core Web Vitals Overview:

Metric	Measurement	Good Threshold
LCP (Largest Contentful Paint)	Load time of the largest content element visible in the viewport	<2.5 seconds
FID (First Input Delay)	Time from first user interaction to when browser can process the event	<100 milliseconds
CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift)	Movement of visible page content after it has loaded	<0.1

Source: web.dev/vitals

12. Use Hreflang for Content in Multiple Languages

If a site offers content in different languages, hreflang tags indicate the language/regional targeting
Helps search engines serve the correct language/localized version in results
Implement as link tags in the `<head>` or via XML sitemaps

13. Stay On Top of Technical SEO Issues

The SEO landscape is constantly evolving with new standards and best practices emerging
Keep learning about updates to mobile indexing, rendering requirements, new markup opportunities and more
Make ongoing technical SEO maintenance and optimizations an integral part of the overall strategy

Technical SEO Audits

Conducting comprehensive technical SEO audits on a regular basis is crucial for identifying and resolving any lurking issues that could be undermining a site’s performance in search results.

How to Run a Technical Audit:

Utilize site crawl tools like Screaming Frog, DeepCrawl, URL Profiler, etc.
Analyze server logs to understand crawl behavior
Review reports in Google Search Console
Run tests for mobile-friendliness, page speed, security, etc.
Check for status codes, redirect issues, crawl errors, duplicate content, etc.
Document all findings in a comprehensive audit report

Common Technical Issues to Look For:

Crawl errors like 400+ status codes, redirect chains/loops
Duplicate content across URLs, subdomains, http vs https, etc.
Mobile usability problems like blocked assets, viewport issues
Slow page speeds and poor Core Web Vitals performance
Improper directives in robots.txt excluding proper resources
Broken internal links creating dead ends
Missing or improper use of directives like hreflang, canonical
Security vulnerabilities or lack of HTTPS implementation
Accessibility barriers like missing alt text, improper heading structures
Sitemap errors and issues discovered in Google Search Console

Once identified, these issues should be prioritized based on severity and impact, with critical problems resolved first through a detailed remediation plan.

Log file analysis is also invaluable for understanding exactly how search engine crawlers are interacting with a site to further optimize crawl efficiency.

Advanced Technical Concepts

As you deepen your technical SEO knowledge, here are some more advanced areas to explore:

JavaScript Rendering and SEO Implications

If a site relies heavily on client-side JavaScript, content may initially be invisible to traditional crawlers
Requires implementing rendering solutions to properly execute and reveal JS content

Dynamic Rendering/Pre-Rendering Solutions

Dynamic rendering serves a pre-rendered HTML snapshot to search engines first, then allows JS to take over client-side
Pre-rendering fully builds out all content on the server side before sending to search engines

Log File Analysis for Deep Crawl Insights

Server log files record detailed data on every visit and interaction with a site including search engine crawlers
Analyzing log data surfaces incredibly granular information on crawl behavior, issues, prioritization and more

Enterprise SEO and Scaling for Large Implementations

Technical SEO challenges are amplified for large, enterprise sites with sprawling codebases and content
Requires baking in technical optimization from ideation, through development workflows and QA processes

Technical SEO for E-Commerce Sites

In addition to standard technical optimizations, e-commerce sites require specialized tactics covered later.

ALSO READ : What Are Google’s Core Web Vitals And Why They Matter For SEO

Technical SEO for E-Commerce

E-commerce websites present unique technical SEO challenges around faceted navigation, product inventory management, category/catalog organization, and more. Here are some key areas to focus on:

Product and Category Page URL Structures

Follow logical hierarchies and semantic URL conventions like:

example.com/category/subcategory/product-name

Avoid Session IDs, parameter overuse, default.aspx, etc.
Implement product schema and review markup

Faceted Navigation Handling

Faceted search filters should be “crawlable” links or track changes via JavaScript
Consolidate facet URLs via rel=canonical to a single version
Avoid static link creation for every product variation

Out-of-Stock and Discontinued Product Handling

Don’t simply 404 or noindex discontinued products, as the pages still hold ranking value
Instead, use canonical tags pointing to the root category or implement 301 redirects

XML Sitemaps for E-Commerce

XML sitemaps become even more crucial for informing search engines of new products, availability changes, etc.
Keep updated via automated feeds and ensure major product sections are included
Video, Image, and News sitemaps may also be relevant for some e-commerce businesses

Proper technical optimization is critical for allowing search engines to access, understand and retrieve relevant product inventory to match queries. Regular monitoring and maintenance is a must.

Conclusion

Technical SEO forms the bedrock that allows search engines to effectively interact with and interpret web content. Overlooking these foundational elements essentially undercuts all other SEO efforts.

From defining a solid site architecture to enhancing crawl efficiency, resolving indexing barriers, and ensuring issue-free rendering, conscientious technical optimization uplifts overall organic search visibility.

If you need assistance conducting a comprehensive technical SEO audit, implementing recommendations, or developing an enterprise-level technical SEO strategy, the experts at Tanya Digital Agency have extensive experience. We can help identify and resolve even the most complex technical issues holding your site back.

Contact Tanya Digital Agency today to schedule a consultation and get your website’s technical optimization on the right track. With our technical SEO services, you can establish a strong foundation that allows your other marketing efforts to truly shine.

FAQ

What is the difference between technical SEO and on-page SEO?

Technical SEO focuses on the behind-the-scenes elements that affect how search engines can discover, crawl, and interpret a website and its content. On-page SEO, on the other hand, deals with optimizing the actual content and elements visible on a webpage through tactics like targeting keywords, utilizing header tags, image optimization, etc.

Why is technical SEO important for rankings?

No amount of great content or on-page optimization will matter if search engines can’t properly access, crawl, render, and index your website in the first place. Technical SEO ensures there are no barriers preventing search bots from accurately understanding and ranking your site’s pages.

What are some common technical SEO issues?

Some frequent technical SEO problems include site architecture flaws, crawl errors and blocked URLs, duplicate content issues, poor page speeds, lack of mobile optimization, broken links, improper use of directives like canonical tags, and security vulnerabilities.

How often should I run a technical SEO audit?

It’s advisable to conduct a comprehensive technical SEO audit at least every 6 months. However, large or e-commerce sites may need audits even more frequently. It should also be done after any major site redesign, platform migration, implementation of new technologies, etc.

What are the core web vitals?

The core web vitals are three user-experience metrics that directly impact search rankings: largest contentful paint (LCP), first input delay (FID), and cumulative layout shift (CLS). Optimizing for good LCP, FID and CLS scores can provide a ranking boost.

How can Tanya Digital help with technical SEO?

Tanya Digital’s team of certified technical SEO experts can conduct in-depth audits, identify issues through log file analysis, implement optimization recommendations, and develop enterprise-level technical SEO strategies. We have extensive experience resolving even the most complex technical barriers.