10 Common Technical SEO Issues, and Ways to Address Those Issues
Yash Arora
Senior Executive SEO @AGL | SEO Specialist | Google and Facebook Ads Executive | Building Blogging Network - Search Column | MBA'25 | Creator at Yashew Memes By Yash
Technical SEO involves optimizing the technical aspects of a website to improve its search engine visibility and performance.
Here are some common technical SEO issues and suggestions on how to address them:
1. Crawl Errors:
???- Issue: Crawl errors, such as 404 (Not Found) or 500 (Internal Server Error), can hinder search engine crawlers.
???- Solution: Regularly monitor and address crawl errors using Google Search Console or other webmaster tools. Redirect or fix broken links, and ensure server configurations are correct.
2. Slow Page Load Speed:
???- Issue: Slow-loading pages can negatively impact user experience and search rankings.
???- Solution: Optimize images, leverage browser caching, use Content Delivery Networks (CDNs), and minimize HTTP requests. Regularly check page speed using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights.
3. Mobile-Friendliness:
???- Issue: Websites that are not mobile-friendly may experience lower rankings, especially after Google's mobile-first indexing update.
???- Solution: Implement responsive design, optimize content for mobile users, and use Google's Mobile-Friendly Test to ensure compliance.
4. Duplicate Content:
???- Issue: Duplicate content can lead to confusion for search engines and may result in lower rankings.
???- Solution: Implement canonical tags, use 301 redirects for duplicate pages, and ensure a consistent URL structure. Regularly check for duplicate content issues.
5. Improper URL Structure:
???- Issue: URLs that are poorly structured can impact both user experience and search engine crawling.
???- Solution: Use descriptive and SEO-friendly URLs, avoid dynamic parameters when possible, and employ a logical hierarchical structure. Implement 301 redirects for URL changes.
6. Missing or Poorly Implemented Meta Tags:
???- Issue: Missing or poorly optimized title tags and meta descriptions can impact click-through rates and search rankings.
???- Solution: Ensure every page has a unique and descriptive title tag and meta description. Optimize for relevant keywords and maintain a consistent length.
7. Unoptimized Images:
???- Issue: Large or unoptimized images can slow down page load times and impact user experience.
???- Solution: Compress images without sacrificing quality, use appropriate image formats, and implement lazy loading. Include descriptive alt text for accessibility and SEO benefits.
8. Broken Internal Links:
???- Issue: Broken internal links can disrupt user navigation and impact search engine crawling.
???- Solution: Regularly audit internal links, fix broken links, and update links when URLs change. Use tools like Google Search Console to identify internal linking issues.
9. Insecure HTTP Protocol:
???- Issue: Using an insecure HTTP protocol instead of HTTPS may negatively impact rankings and user trust.
???- Solution: Implement an SSL certificate to secure your site with HTTPS. Update internal links and ensure all resources are loaded securely.
10. Inefficient Use of JavaScript:
????- Issue: Search engines may struggle to crawl and index content rendered by JavaScript.
????- Solution: Ensure critical content is accessible without JavaScript, use server-side rendering or pre-rendering techniques, and check how search engines interpret your JavaScript content using tools like Google's Fetch as Google.
Addressing these common technical SEO issues can improve a website's overall performance, user experience, and search engine visibility. Regular monitoring and proactive optimization are key to maintaining a healthy technical SEO foundation.