15 Common Technical SEO Issues (and How to Conquer Them Like a Pro)

Ever feel like you've optimized your content to the nines, but your website still isn't ranking where you want it to? The culprit might be lurking in the shadows of your website's technical foundation.

Technical SEO is the backbone of any successful SEO strategy. It ensures search engines can easily find, understand, and index your website, ultimately propelling your content towards the top of search results.

But with so many technical aspects to consider, it's easy to miss a crucial step. To help you steer clear of common pitfalls, I've compiled a list of the 15 most frequent technical SEO issues:

15 Common Technical SEO Issues

1. Lack of HTTPS Security:

Ensure your website utilizes HTTPS encryption. This not only bolsters user trust and data security but also earns you brownie points with Google, which prioritizes secure websites in search rankings. To implement HTTPS, contact your hosting provider or consult a web developer.

2. Indexing Issues:

Regularly audit your robots.txt file to verify it's not inadvertently blocking essential pages. Additionally, submit an updated sitemap to search consoles like Google Search Console to ensure search engines can discover all your valuable content. Utilize tools like Screaming Frog https://www.screamingfrog.co.uk/seo-spider/ to crawl your website and identify any indexing issues.

3. Missing or Incorrect Robots.txt:

Create a well-structured robots.txt file that clearly instructs search engines on which pages to crawl and index. Employ online resources or consult a developer to create a robots.txt file tailored to your website's needs.

4. Meta Robots NOINDEX Set:

Meticulously review your website's code for the "meta robots noindex" tag. This tag instructs search engines not to index a specific page. Double-check that this tag isn't unintentionally applied to valuable pages you want to be indexed in search results.

5. Slow Page Speed:

Leverage tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to identify areas for improvement. Implement website optimization techniques like image compression, minifying code, and utilizing a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to significantly enhance page load speed.

6. Multiple Versions of the Homepage:

Choose a consistent URL format for your homepage (e.g., with or without www) and employ 301 redirects to permanently redirect any variations to your preferred version. This ensures search engine authority isn't diluted across multiple URLs.

7. Incorrect rel=canonical:

Employ SEO audit tools like Semrush or Ahrefs to meticulously examine the implementation of the "rel=canonical" tag. This crucial tag specifies the "original" version of a page in cases of duplicate content. Ensure it's used accurately to avoid confusing search engines and hindering your ranking potential.

8. Duplicate Content:

Conduct regular audits using tools like Copyscape to unearth duplicate content on your website. If unavoidable, consolidate duplicate content into a single, authoritative page and utilize 301 redirects to guide search engines to the consolidated version.

9. Missing Alt Tags:

Implement descriptive alt tags for all images on your website. Not only does this enhance accessibility for visually impaired users, but it also provides valuable context to search engines, potentially improving your image search ranking.

10. Broken Links:

Utilize tools like Google Search Console or Broken Link Checker to identify and fix broken links on your website. Broken links not only frustrate users but also signal neglect to search engines, potentially impacting your SEO performance.

11. Not Enough Use of Structured Data:

Leverage schema markup to provide search engines with richer information about your content, potentially leading to richer search results. Utilize tools like Google's Structured Data Markup Helper to generate the necessary code snippets and integrate them into your website's code.

12. Mobile Device Optimization Issues:

Ensure your website offers a seamless and responsive experience across all devices, especially mobile devices. Utilize Google's Mobile-Friendly Test to assess your website's mobile-friendliness and implement necessary adjustments.

13. Missing or Non-Optimized Meta Descriptions:

Craft compelling and informative meta descriptions for each page on your website. These descriptions, displayed in search results beneath your page title, serve as a crucial preview for users, influencing their click-through rate. Keep your meta descriptions concise (ideally under 160 characters), include relevant keywords, and clearly communicate the value your page offers to users.

14. Users Sent to Pages with Wrong Language:

If your website caters to multiple languages, implement a mechanism to ensure users land on the appropriate language version based on their location or preferences. This can be achieved through browser language detection, user selection options, or hreflang tags.

15. Lack of Ongoing Maintenance:

Remember, SEO is a continuous journey, not a one-time destination. Regularly monitor your website's technical health using tools like Google Search Console and SEMrush. Address emerging issues promptly, stay updated on the latest SEO best practices, and continuously strive to optimize your website for search engines and users alike.

By conquering these common technical SEO roadblocks and diligently maintaining a healthy website foundation, you'll be well on your way to boosting your website's visibility, attracting organic traffic, and achieving your SEO goals.

Now, let's leverage the power of community! Share your experiences with technical SEO challenges and the solutions you've implemented in the comments below. Together, we can navigate the ever-evolving SEO landscape and empower each other's websites to thrive!