What are the most important technical SEO issues to fix?

Duplicate content is when the same content appears on other pages of your site or other sites. This can confuse search engines and make it difficult for them to correctly index and rank your website. Broken links on your site point to pages that no longer exist. This can frustrate users and damage your website's reputation with search engines. Canonical tags tell search engines which version of a page is the original or preferred. This is useful for pages with multiple versions, such as product pages with different colors or sizes. The robots.txt file tells search engine robots which pages they can crawl and index on your site. Configure this file correctly to help search engines discover and accurately index your pages.

Well technical SEO makes your website structure robust and smooth so that your website/online store can perform on the top with relevant user perspectives & Google terms. Although there is a lot to explore when it comes technically, here are some that we can focus on prior, - Crawling & Indexing Metrics - Sitemap & Robots optimisation - Schema Markup - Broken & Dead Links - Core Web Vital Metrics - Website Structure - Mobile Friendliness So with the help of Google Search Console ( webmaster tool) you can more easily detect and optimise your site health & technical aspects.

Crawling and indexing are foundational aspects of technical SEO, determining how search engines understand and display your website content. When crawling doesn't work well, search engines might only see some of your site's info, missing essential parts. If indexing isn't correct, some pages might not appear in search results. Common issues leading to crawling and indexing problems include: 1- Robots.txt restrictions prevent search engine bots from accessing parts of the site. 2- Incorrect use of meta robots tags, inadvertently blocking pages from being indexed. 3- Slow website loading times, which deter efficient crawling. 4- Duplicate content and confusing indexing. 5- Website architecture and internal linking inconsistencies.

Crawling and indexing issues can act as roadblocks to any successful SEO strategy. Open your Google Search Console and check for pages that aren't indexed. Identify the root cause of the issue and ask your web developer to take appropriate action. If you're unsure about the issue, simply search for it on Google to find numerous case studies. For instance, as an SEO professional, you may have encountered this error many times: 'indexed but blocked by robots.txt.' This occurs when Google attempts to index a page, but an issue with our robots.txt file prevents crawling. To resolve this, use the robots.txt tester to identify the rule that's blocking the page from crawling and indexing. Upon removing, your page will get indexed on Google.

If Google can't crawl and index your site then nobody will see it organically. Make sure to fix these errors ASAP when you see them.

The best tool to tell your site speed is Google's PageSpeed Insights. It'll share your overall site speed and suggest changes you can make to speed up the site.

I would just add a few things: Test your site regularly. There are a number of free and paid tools available. This will help you identify any areas that need improvement, and track your progress over time. Use a caching plugin. A caching plugin can store static copies of your site's pages, which can significantly improve load times. Keep your site up to date. Outdated software can often be the cause of performance issues. Make sure to keep your CMS, plugins, and themes up to date with the latest versions. Consider using a CDN. A CDN can deliver your site's content from servers that are located closer to your users, which can improve load times. Best way to identify and fix performance issues is to get feedback from your users.

Image resolution, colors and image formats are hidden leachers of bandwith. Do not use more resolution and colors than needed. There are easy ways to optimize. And formats are important. PNG is larger than JPEG for example. And you can consider WEBP for even more control.

Site speed is one of the crucial factors to consider in SEO nowadays. Google's core web vitals update is entirely focused on site speed, and every website should adapt accordingly to stand out on search engines. All the websites should meet the key core web vitals metrics thresholds, including LCP, CLS, and INP. Consider using a high-end web server that loads quickly and gathers data effectively, with the help of a CDN. Test your code manually and remove unnecessary scripts, CSS files, and plugins from your CMS. Always compress and use optimized images. Avoid using pop-ups because they can negatively impact your website's user experience. As for tools, I highly recommend Google's Page Speed Insights, GTmetrix, and Lighthouse.

Google's PageSpeed Insights is the top tool for assessing your site's speed. It provides your site's overall speed rating and offers recommendations for improving its performance.

Website's performance on mobile devices is not just a convenience—it's a necessity! Responsive Reigns: CSS Media Queries: Adjust styles based on device characteristics. Flexible Grids: Ensure fluid layouts. Scalable Images: Make sure images resize within their containing elements. Content & Navigation Clarity: Headings & Keywords: Make content searchable. Structured Menus: Prioritize essential pages and reduce click depth. UI/UX: Dress for Success: Colors & Fonts: Choose legible, contrasting colors and readable font sizes. Icons & Images: Visual cues enhance comprehension. Feedback Mechanisms: Engage & Guide: Effective CTAs encourage users to take action. Whether it's "Sign Up," "Learn More," or "Buy Now", make your intent clear.

Site Speed: Faster loading times improve user experience and SEO rankings. Mobile Optimization: Ensure a responsive design for mobile users. Crawl Errors: Fix broken links and ensure search engines can crawl your site. HTTPS Security: Secure sites rank higher and build trust with users. XML Sitemap: Helps search engines index your content efficiently. Robots.txt: Properly configure to control search engine access to your site. Canonical Tags: Prevent duplicate content issues and improve indexing. Schema Markup: Enhances rich snippets and click-through rates. Image Optimization: Faster-loading images improve site speed. Structured Data: Helps search engines understand your content. Pagination: URL Structure:

Test your site on different devices and browsers. Make sure to test your site on a variety of devices and browsers to ensure that it looks and works well for everyone. Use a responsive design. A responsive design will ensure that your site looks and works well on any device, regardless of screen size. Use large fonts and buttons. This will make it easier for users to tap and click on elements on your site. Avoid using too much Flash or pop-ups. Flash and pop-ups can be annoying for users on mobile devices. Make sure your site is loading fast. Mobile users have short attention spans, so it's important to make sure your site loads quickly. Optimize your images for mobile.

1. Speed: Faster loading times boost user experience and SEO rankings. 2. Mobile-Friendly Design: Ensure responsiveness for mobile users. 3. Error-Free Crawling: Fix broken links to facilitate search engine access. 4. HTTPS Security: Secure sites rank higher and foster trust. 5. XML Sitemap: Aids efficient content indexing. 6. Robots.txt Configuration: Control search engine access properly. 7. Canonical Tags: Prevent duplicate content issues and enhance indexing. 8. Schema Markup: Improve rich snippets and click-through rates. 9. Image Optimization: Faster-loading images enhance site speed.

? consider these four important areas for improvement: ?? Responsive Design: Ensure your website employs a responsive design that adapts to different screen sizes and devices, providing a seamless and user-friendly experience for mobile visitors. ?? Page Loading Speed: Optimize loading times for mobile users by compressing images, minimizing HTTP requests, and leveraging browser caching to enhance mobile performance and reduce bounce rates. ?? Mobile Usability Errors: Fix mobile usability errors reported in tools like Google Search Console, such as issues related to touch elements, text size. ?? Mobile-Friendly Content: Create content that is easily readable and digestible on mobile devices, with a clear hierarchy, concise text.

One of the most overlooked technical issue SEO issue is your site having more ? toxic/bad backlinks than good backlinks. Toxic backlinks are links from spammy or low-quality websites that can harm your site's search engine rankings. Identifying and disavowing toxic backlinks is a critical aspect if you want your domain authority score to be high. ??

I would add, ensure you're maintaining your schema markup and validating against schema.org. I recently found a couple of errors in my structured data, and if I hadn't tested it, I would have expected a negative impact on impressions.

Technical SEO ensures that a website's technical elements improve search engine crawling and indexing. Some of the most important technical SEO issues to fix include:- Crawl Errors - this involves fixing 404 errors, server errors, and ensuring there's no unwanted blocking of crawlers. Ensure your XML sitemap is correctly structured, up-to-date, and submitted to search engines. Making sure Robots.txt file is correctly configured so that it doesn't unintentionally block important pages from being crawled. Duplicate content can confuse search engines. It's essential to use canonical tags to indicate the preferred version of a page. A logical site structure and effective internal linking helps with page authority and enhances user navigation.

I have seen many SEO specialists ignoring the importance of broken links and optimizing the sitemap. For platforms where Sitemap are not automatically generated, we need to make sure; we regularly update the sitemap with all the latest URLs.

The key technical SEO issues to address include site speed optimization, mobile-friendliness, proper URL structure, XML sitemap creation, canonical tags usage, robots.txt configuration, SSL certificate implementation, and addressing crawl errors. These fixes enhance website visibility and user experience.