Technical SEO: The Foundation for Success

In the previous edition, we delved into "8 Key SEO Trends Driving Business Advancements. " Now, let's conduct an in-depth and comprehensive analysis of the initial trend from that series – Technical SEO: The Foundation for Success, positioned as the third installment within the 8-part series.

Technical SEO fundamentals remain paramount. Ensuring your website is mobile-friendly, optimizing for fast loading times, and facilitating proper crawling and indexing are non-negotiable elements for search engine ranking. Ignoring technical SEO can undermine all other optimization efforts.

Note: Before we go deeper in the article, a fair warning - this will be a very long read. If you are looking for name of tools, you can just skip to the end of the article.

What is Technical SEO?

Technical SEO refers to the optimization of a website's technical elements to enhance its search engine visibility and user experience. It involves improving a website's infrastructure and backend components to make it more search engine-friendly and easily accessible to both users and search engine bots.

Did you know, Google holds over 90% of the worldwide search engine market share, 92.96% of global traffic comes from Google Search, Google Images, and Google Maps. 95% of pages have zero backlinks. 68% of online experiences begin with a search engine, and 53.3% of all website traffic comes from organic search. The top organic search result receives an average of 19x more clicks than the top paid search result. Therefore, implementing technical SEO best practices is crucial for a website's overall SEO strategy, as it ensures that search engines can effectively crawl and index web pages, enabling them to appear in relevant search results. By focusing on technical aspects, a website can achieve better rankings, increased organic traffic, and improved user experience.

Importance of Technical SEO

Technical SEO is essential for a website's overall SEO strategy as it ensures that search engines can effectively crawl and index web pages, enabling them to appear in relevant search results. By focusing on technical aspects, a website can achieve better rankings, increased organic traffic, and improved user experience.

Here are some of the most important technical SEO practices for website optimization:

1.?????? Create an XML sitemap and submit it to Google.

2.?????? Optimize your site architecture and URL structure.

3.?????? Use robots.txt to control which pages search engines can crawl.

4.?????? Ensure mobile-friendliness, as it is a Google-confirmed ranking factor.

5.?????? Implement structured data to provide valuable information to search engines.

6.?????? Use HTTPS to ensure a secure connection.

7.?????? Improve page speed to enhance user experience and ranking factors.

8.?????? Check your SEO log files to identify and fix technical issues.

Let’s Discuss all above mentioned points in detail:

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Creating an XML sitemap and submitting it to Google:

Creating an XML sitemap is a crucial step in helping search engines like Google index and crawl your website efficiently. Here's a basic example of an XML sitemap for a website with two pages:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<urlset xmlns="https://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">

??? <url>

??????? <loc>https://www.example.com/page1</loc>

??????? <lastmod>2024-01-05</lastmod>

??????? <changefreq>weekly</changefreq>

??????? <priority>0.8</priority>

??? </url>

??? <url>

??????? <loc>https://www.example.com/page2</loc>

??????? <lastmod>2024-01-05</lastmod>

??????? <changefreq>monthly</changefreq>

??????? <priority>0.6</priority>

??? </url>

</urlset>

In this example:

<loc>: Specifies the URL of the page.

<lastmod>: Indicates the last modification date of the page.

<changefreq>: Describes how frequently the page is likely to change (optional).

<priority>: Specifies the priority of the page relative to other pages on the site (optional).

Make sure to customize the values based on your actual website structure and content.

Once you have created the XML sitemap, you can submit it to Google using Google Search Console:

1. Go to Google Search Console.
2. Select your property (website) if it's already added. If not, add your property and verify ownership.
3. On the left sidebar, click on "Sitemaps."
4. Click on the "Add/Test Sitemap" button.
5. Enter the path to your sitemap (e.g., /sitemap.xml) and click "Submit."

Google will then process the sitemap and start crawling and indexing the pages listed in it. Keep in mind that it may take some time for Google to index your pages. You can check the indexing status and any issues in the "Coverage" section of Google Search Console.

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Optimizing your site architecture and URL structure:

Optimizing your site architecture and URL structure is essential for improving user experience, search engine visibility, and overall site performance. Here are some guidelines to help you optimize these aspects:

Site Architecture:

1. Logical Hierarchy: Organize your content in a logical hierarchy, making it easy for users and search engines to navigate. Consider using categories and subcategories.
2. Homepage Clarity: Clearly communicate the purpose of your website on the homepage. Make it easy for users to understand what your site is about and navigate to relevant sections.
3. Consistent Navigation: Maintain a consistent navigation menu across all pages. This helps users easily find their way around your site.
4. Breadcrumbs: Implement breadcrumbs to show users the path they took to arrive at a particular page. Breadcrumbs also contribute to better search engine understanding of your site structure.
5. Internal Linking: Use internal links to connect related pages. This not only helps users but also distributes link equity and facilitates better crawling by search engines.

URL Structure:

1. Descriptive URLs: Use descriptive, human-readable URLs that convey the content of the page. Avoid generic or cryptic URLs. For example, use "/category/page-title" instead of "/p=123".
2. Short and Simple: Keep URLs short and straightforward. Avoid unnecessary parameters and complex structures.
3. Hyphens for Spaces: Use hyphens (-) to separate words in URLs. Search engines prefer hyphens over underscores, and it enhances readability for users.
4. Static URLs: Prefer static URLs over dynamic ones. Static URLs are easier to understand and more SEO-friendly. If using dynamic URLs, ensure they are properly rewritten for user and search engine readability.
5. Canonicalization: Choose a preferred URL format (www or non-www) and set up canonicalization to avoid duplicate content issues.
6. Avoid Keyword Stuffing: While it's good to include relevant keywords in URLs, avoid overloading them with keywords. Keep it natural and user-friendly.
7. Remove Stop Words: Consider removing unnecessary stop words from URLs. This can make URLs shorter and cleaner.
8. HTTPS: Ensure that your site uses HTTPS. Apart from security benefits, Google tends to favor secure sites in search rankings.

By optimizing your site architecture and URL structure, you enhance user experience, make it easier for search engines to understand your content, and potentially improve your site's search engine rankings. Regularly monitor your site's performance and make adjustments as needed.

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Using robots.txt to control which pages search engines can crawl:

The robots.txt file is a standard used by websites to communicate with web crawlers and other web robots about which pages on the site should not be crawled or indexed. It's important to note that while robots.txt can prevent crawling, it does not enforce restrictions on indexing, and it's not a security measure. Here's a basic guide on how to use robots.txt to control which pages search engines can crawl:

Creating a robots.txt file:

1. Access your website's root directory: Connect to your server using FTP or a file manager provided by your hosting service.
2. Create a new text file: Create a new text file in the root directory of your website.
3. Name the file robots.txt: Save the text file with the name robots.txt.

Basic robots.txt syntax:

Here's a simple example of a robots.txt file:

User-agent: *

Disallow: /private/

Disallow: /restricted-page.html

In this example:

• User-agent: *: Applies the rules to all web crawlers.
• Disallow: /private/: Instructs crawlers not to crawl pages under the /private/ directory.
• Disallow: /restricted-page.html: Prevents crawling of a specific page.

Common Directives:

• User-agent:: Specifies the web crawler to which the rules apply. The wildcard * means all crawlers.
• Disallow:: Specifies the directories or files that should not be crawled.
• Allow:: Overrides a previous Disallow directive to allow crawling of a specific URL.
• Sitemap:: Informs search engines about the location of your XML sitemap.

Examples:

• Allow all crawlers to access everything:

User-agent: *

Disallow:

·???????? Disallow all crawlers from accessing everything:

User-agent: *

Disallow: /

Always ensure that your robots.txt file is well-structured and accurately reflects your intentions. Incorrect usage can inadvertently block important content from being crawled, affecting your site's visibility in search engines.

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Ensuring mobile-friendliness, as it is a Google-confirmed ranking factor:

Ensuring mobile-friendliness is crucial, as Google considers it a ranking factor. A mobile-friendly website provides a better user experience for visitors accessing your site from mobile devices, and it can positively impact your search engine rankings. Here are some guidelines to make your website more mobile-friendly:

1. Responsive Design:

• Implement a responsive web design that adapts to various screen sizes and resolutions. This ensures that your website looks and functions well on both desktop and mobile devices.

2. Mobile-Friendly Testing:

• Use Mobile-Friendly Test tool to check if your website meets Google's mobile-friendly criteria. These tool provides insights into potential issues and suggestions for improvement.

3. Viewport Meta Tag:

• Include the viewport meta tag in the head of your HTML document to control how your site is displayed on different devices. For example:

<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">

4. Touch-Friendly Design:

• Ensure that your website is touch-friendly, with buttons and links appropriately sized for easy tapping. Avoid elements that are too close together, preventing accidental clicks.

5. Optimize Images:

• Compress and optimize images for faster loading on mobile devices. Large images can slow down page load times, impacting both user experience and search rankings.

6. Readable Font Sizes:

• Use readable font sizes and ensure that text is easily readable without zooming. Aim for a font size that is comfortable for mobile users.

7. Consistent Content:

• Keep content consistent across devices. Avoid hiding or displaying different content on mobile versions of your site, as this can affect your search rankings.

8. Avoid Flash:

• Avoid using Flash, as it's not supported on many mobile devices. Instead, use HTML5 and CSS3 for interactive features.

9. Fast Page Load Speed:

• Improve your website's loading speed on mobile devices. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to identify and fix performance issues.

10. Mobile-Friendly Navigation:

·???????? Opt for a simple and intuitive navigation menu that is easy to use on smaller screens. Consider using a hamburger menu for mobile devices.

11. Test Touch Targets:

·???????? Make sure that buttons and links are easily tappable. Test your website on various devices to ensure a smooth user experience.

12. Structured Data for Mobile:

·???????? Implement structured data markup that is compatible with mobile devices. This can enhance the display of rich snippets in mobile search results.

13. Google AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages):

·???????? Consider implementing Google AMP for faster-loading mobile pages. While not mandatory, it can improve the mobile experience.

Regularly monitor your site's mobile performance using tools like Google Search Console and make adjustments as needed. Prioritizing mobile-friendliness contributes to a positive user experience and can positively impact your site's visibility in search engine results.

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Implementing structured data to provide valuable information to search engines:

Structured data, often implemented using Schema.org markup, allows you to provide explicit information about the content on your website to search engines. This can result in enhanced search engine results with rich snippets, making your content more visible and informative. Here are steps to implement structured data on your website:

1. Understand Schema.org:

• Visit Schema.org to explore the different types of schema markup available. Schema.org provides a vocabulary that search engines understand and use to present rich snippets in search results.

2. Identify Relevant Schema Types:

• Identify the most relevant schema types for your content. Common types include "Article," "Product," "Organization," "Event," and more.

3. Add Schema Markup to HTML:

• Integrate the appropriate schema markup directly into your HTML. Place it in the <head> section or within specific HTML elements.

For example:

<script type="application/ld+json">

? {

??? "@context": "https://schema.org",

??? "@type": "Article",

??? "headline": "Your Article Title",

??? "datePublished": "2024-01-05",

??? "author": {

????? "@type": "Person",

????? "name": "Author Name"

??? },

??? "image": "url-to-your-image.jpg",

??? "publisher": {

????? "@type": "Organization",

????? "name": "Your Organization",

????? "logo": {

??????? "@type": "ImageObject",

??????? "url": "url-to-your-logo.png"

????? }

??? },

??? "description": "Description of your article."

? }

</script>

4. Use Google's Structured Data Testing Tool:

• Test your structured data using Google's Structured Data Testing Tool. This tool helps identify any errors or warnings in your markup.

5. Implement Breadcrumbs:

• If applicable, include breadcrumb markup to help search engines understand the structure of your site. This is particularly useful for e-commerce and content-heavy websites.

6. Local Business Markup:

• If your website represents a local business, include LocalBusiness markup to provide details such as business name, address, phone number, and operating hours.

7. Review Documentation for Specific Content:

• Refer to the documentation on Schema.org for specific content types, such as recipes, events, reviews, etc. Each type has its own set of properties and guidelines.

8. Update Content Dynamically:

• If your content changes dynamically, ensure that your structured data is updated accordingly. For example, if you have upcoming events, make sure the event details in the markup are kept current.

9. Monitor Performance:

• Monitor your site's performance in search results using Google Search Console. Rich snippets may take some time to appear, and monitoring helps you assess the impact of your structured data.

10. Consider JSON-LD:

·???????? Use JSON-LD (JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data) for implementing structured data. It's recommended by Google and is easy to include in your HTML using script tags.

By providing structured data, you help search engines understand the context of your content, leading to improved visibility and a more informative presentation in search results.

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Using HTTPS to ensure a secure connection:

Using HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) is crucial for ensuring a secure connection between a user's web browser and your website's server. HTTPS encrypts the data transmitted between the user and the server, providing a layer of security that is especially important for sensitive information like login credentials and personal data. Here's a guide on implementing HTTPS on your website:

1. Get an SSL/TLS Certificate:

• Acquire an SSL/TLS certificate from a trusted Certificate Authority (CA). Many hosting providers offer free SSL certificates through services like Let's Encrypt. Alternatively, you can purchase a certificate.

2. Install the Certificate:

• Follow the instructions provided by your hosting provider or the CA to install the SSL/TLS certificate on your web server. This typically involves generating a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) and configuring your server to use the certificate.

3. Update Website URLs:

• Ensure that all internal links on your website use the HTTPS protocol. Update any hardcoded links in your HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files to use "https://" instead of "https://".

4. Update External Resources:

• If your website includes external resources (e.g., images, stylesheets, scripts) served from other domains, make sure those resources are also served over HTTPS. This prevents mixed content issues.

5. Update Content Delivery Networks (CDN):

• If you use a CDN to deliver content, ensure that the CDN supports HTTPS, and update your CDN settings accordingly.

6. Redirect HTTP to HTTPS:

• Configure your server to redirect all HTTP traffic to HTTPS. This can be achieved through server configuration files (e.g., Apache or Nginx) or through your content management system (CMS).

7. Update Robots.txt:

• If you had specific rules in your robots.txt file that restricted crawling of HTTP pages, ensure those rules are updated for HTTPS.

8. Update Google Search Console:

• If your website is registered with Google Search Console, update your property settings to include the HTTPS version of your site. This ensures that Google accurately indexes your secure pages.

9. Update Sitemaps:

• If you have an XML sitemap, update it to include the URLs with the "https://" protocol. Submit the updated sitemap to search engines via Google Search Console.

10. Check for Mixed Content:

·???????? Regularly check your website for mixed content issues using browser developer tools or online tools. Mixed content occurs when secure and non-secure elements are loaded on the same page.

11. HSTS (HTTP Strict Transport Security):

·???????? Consider implementing HSTS to instruct browsers to always use HTTPS. This helps prevent man-in-the-middle attacks by enforcing a secure connection.

12. Regularly Monitor and Renew Certificates:

·???????? Set up alerts to notify you when your SSL/TLS certificate is approaching expiration. Renew certificates before they expire to ensure continuous security.

Implementing HTTPS not only secures data transmission but is also a factor considered by search engines like Google in their ranking algorithms. It contributes to a safer and more trustworthy online environment for your users.

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Improving page speed to enhance user experience and ranking factors:

Improving page speed is crucial for enhancing user experience and positively impacting your site's ranking in search engines. Faster-loading pages not only keep users engaged but are also favored by search engines. Here are several strategies to improve your website's page speed:

1. Minimize HTTP Requests:

• Reduce the number of elements on a page, such as images, scripts, and stylesheets. Each element requires a separate HTTP request, and minimizing these requests can significantly speed up page load times.

2. Optimize Images:

• Compress and optimize images to reduce file sizes without sacrificing quality. Use modern image formats like WebP, and consider lazy loading images to load them only when they come into the user's viewport.

3. Browser Caching:

• Leverage browser caching to store static resources (CSS, JavaScript, images) on the user's device. This reduces the need to download these resources every time a user visits your site.

4. Enable Compression:

• Enable gzip or Brotli compression on your server to reduce the size of your CSS, HTML, and JavaScript files. This can significantly reduce the amount of data transferred over the network.

5. Minify CSS, JavaScript, and HTML:

• Minify your CSS, JavaScript, and HTML files by removing unnecessary spaces, comments, and line breaks. Smaller file sizes lead to faster load times.

6. Reduce Server Response Time:

• Optimize your server configuration, use a content delivery network (CDN), and consider upgrading your hosting plan to reduce server response times.

7. Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN):

• Distribute your static content across servers located in different geographic locations. This reduces latency and speeds up content delivery to users around the world.

8. Prioritize Above-the-Fold Content:

• Prioritize the loading of above-the-fold content to ensure that users see the most critical part of your page quickly. Lazy loading can be used for non-essential content below the fold.

9. Optimize Critical Rendering Path:

• Optimize the critical rendering path by ensuring that the most important resources are loaded and rendered first. This includes prioritizing the loading of CSS and deferring non-essential JavaScript.

10. Minimize Redirects:

·???????? Minimize the use of redirects, as they add additional HTTP requests and increase load times. Ensure that your site's structure and links are optimized to minimize the need for redirects.

11. Use Asynchronous Loading for JavaScript:

·???????? Load JavaScript asynchronously to prevent it from blocking the rendering of the page. Consider placing non-essential JavaScript at the end of the HTML document.

12. Optimize Fonts:

·???????? Use a limited number of fonts and optimize their delivery. Consider using the font-display property to control how fonts are displayed while they are loading.

13. Monitor and Analyze Performance:

·???????? Regularly monitor your site's performance using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, Lighthouse, or GTmetrix. Identify areas for improvement and implement changes accordingly.

14. Mobile Optimization:

·???????? Ensure that your website is optimized for mobile devices, as mobile page speed is a crucial factor. Test your site on various mobile devices and use tools that specifically analyze mobile performance.

15. AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages):

·???????? Consider implementing Google's Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) for faster-loading mobile pages. This is particularly beneficial for content-heavy websites.

Improving page speed requires a combination of strategies, and the effectiveness may vary depending on your website's specific characteristics. Regularly assess and optimize your site's performance to provide a fast and responsive user experience.

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Checking your SEO log files to identify and fix technical issues:

Checking SEO log files can provide valuable insights into how search engines crawl and index your website. Log files contain records of every request made to your server, including those from search engine bots. Analyzing these logs helps identify technical issues, understand crawl behavior, and optimize your site for search engines. Here's a guide on how to check SEO log files and address potential issues:

1. Accessing Log Files:

• Obtain access to your website's server log files. This may involve logging into your hosting account or using FTP to access server files.

2. Identify Search Engine Bots:

• Look for entries in the log files that correspond to known search engine bots, such as Googlebot, Bingbot, or others. Most search engine bots identify themselves in the user-agent string.

3. Crawl Frequency:

• Analyze the frequency of search engine crawls. Regular crawls indicate a healthy relationship with search engines, while sudden spikes or drops may indicate issues.

4. HTTP Status Codes:

• Check for HTTP status codes in log entries. A large number of 4xx or 5xx errors may indicate crawl issues or problems with specific pages.

5. Identify Crawled Pages:

• Identify which pages are being crawled by search engines. Ensure that important pages are crawled regularly and that there are no unexpected exclusions.

6. Crawl Budget:

• Analyze the crawl budget allocation for your site. Search engines allocate a certain amount of resources to crawl your site. Ensure that your important pages receive sufficient crawl budget.

7. Identify Redirects:

• Check for redirects in the log files. While redirects are normal, excessive redirects or redirect chains can impact crawl efficiency.

8. URL Parameters:

• Examine how search engines handle URL parameters. Ensure that parameters are properly configured and that important content is not excluded or duplicated.

9. XML Sitemap Analysis:

• Cross-reference log file data with your XML sitemap. Ensure that all pages you want indexed are being crawled and that there are no discrepancies.

10. Check for Bot Errors:

·???????? Look for specific bot errors. For example, Googlebot may report issues in Google Search Console. Investigate and fix any errors reported by search engines.

11. Bot Behavior:

·???????? Analyze the behavior of search engine bots. Look for patterns, such as deep crawls or repeated crawls of specific sections. This can provide insights into how search engines perceive your site's structure.

12. Security Concerns:

·???????? Monitor the logs for any suspicious or malicious activity. Unusual patterns or requests may indicate security issues that need to be addressed.

13. Log File Size:

·???????? Keep an eye on log file sizes. Large log files may slow down analysis, so consider archiving older files while keeping the most recent ones for analysis.

14. Use Log Analysis Tools:

·???????? Consider using log analysis tools or scripts to automate the process. Tools like Screaming Frog Log File Analyser or server log analysis scripts can help streamline the analysis.

15. Implement Changes:

·???????? Once issues are identified, implement changes on your website or server to address them. For example, fix broken links, resolve crawl errors, or optimize URL structures.

Regularly checking and analyzing SEO log files is an important part of technical SEO. It helps ensure that search engines can effectively crawl and index your site, leading to improved visibility in search results.

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Top 19 Technical SEO tools:

There are many technical SEO tools available to help optimize a website's technical elements. Here are some of the top tools according to various sources:

1.?????? Screaming Frog

2.?????? Google Search Console

3.?????? Google Analytics

4.?????? Web Developer Toolbar

5.?????? Ahrefs

6.?????? Sitechecker

7.?????? SE Ranking

8.?????? Lumar (formerly known as DeepCrawl)

9.?????? SEMrush

10.?? Moz Pro

11.?? Majestic

12.?? WooRank

13.?? Answer the Public

14.?? Page Speed Insights

15.?? Merkle's Free Technical SEO Tools

16.?? Robots.txt Tester

17.?? Sitemap Generator

18.?? Fetch & Render

19.?? Disavow Tool

These tools can help with tasks such as crawling websites to find redirects, meta refreshes, or duplicate page issues, identifying issues on-site like crawling and indexing, diagnosing page speed issues, identifying missing or duplicate text and other elements, and redirect issues. By using these tools, businesses can improve their website's technical SEO and overall search engine visibility.

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