A technical SEO audit will reveal hidden roadblocks that might be hurting your rankings.
In this blog, Jen Cornwell, VP of SEO, will describe what technical SEO is and provide you with a list of factors that could be negatively impacting your rankings.
What You’ll Learn
- What is Technical SEO?
- How Does Technical SEO Work?
- 40 Common Technical SEO Mistakes
- FAQs About Technical SEO
What is Technical SEO?
Technical SEO is the way you’ve configured certain parts of your website so that it can be indexed for the web. It covers all the nitty-gritty, behind-the-scenes aspects, such as crawling, indexing, site structure, migrations, page speeds, core web vitals, and more.
If you’re at all concerned with how your site is ranking (and if you’re here, you probably are) it’s something that simply can’t be overlooked. Technical SEO plays a pivotal role in shaping your website’s online visibility and search engine rankings.
My Expert Opinion on Technical SEO
Picture this—your website is officially live. You’ve invested time and energy creating valuable content, but if search engines can’t find it, then potential customers won’t see it either. That’s where a technical SEO audit comes in.
Think of it like giving your website a thorough checkup. Go beyond the surface to identify any technical issues holding you back. These could be things like slow loading times that frustrate visitors, broken links that lead search engines nowhere, or even a website structure that’s confusing.
By removing these technical barriers, search engines will understand your website better, which means greater visibility and a wave of organic traffic coming your way.
Pro-Tip: Streamline your website’s structure for search engines and human visitors, tackle slow loading times to keep users engaged, and fix broken links so search engines can find all your valuable content.
How Does Technical SEO Work?
Ever wondered how search engines like Google understand and rank your website? Mastering technical SEO is key to unlocking online success.
Let’s break down two crucial parts: indexing and crawling.
Process of Indexing and Crawling the Web
Indexing
Imagine indexing as the library card catalog for search engines. It’s essentially a massive database where search engines store information about web pages they’ve encountered. This determines whether your web pages even show up in search results.
Here’s how it works—search engines send out special bots (like automated researchers) that crawl your site (which we’ll cover next). These bots gather information about your content, categorize it by topic, and add it to the search engine’s index. This allows search engines to find the right pages to display when users search for relevant terms.
Crawling
Crawling is how search engines find and explore all the pages on your website. Back to our library analogy: Think of it as the bots following every hallway and room in a library. These bots navigate your site by following the links between your pages.
The more efficiently your site is structured, the easier it is for search engine bots to crawl everything. This is why technical SEO practices like clear URLs and well-organized internal linking are important.
Google typically crawls websites based on various factors, including their size and how often content is updated. While the exact frequency can vary, it’s important to optimize your site for crawling to ensure all of your valuable content gets noticed.
Common Technical SEO Mistakes
Mistake #1: Duplicate Content
If there’s one thing Google loves, it’s unique content.
That means that duplicate content is a huge problem if you’re trying to rank on the first page of the search results.
Use tools such as Screaming Frog, Deep Crawl, or SEMRush to find out if you have a duplicate content issue. These tools will crawl your site, as well as other sites on the internet, to find out if your content has been re-posted anywhere.
To combat this problem, make sure every page is unique. Every page should have its own URL, title, description, and H1/H2 headings. Your H1 heading should be a visible headline that contains your primary keyword. Be sure to put a direct keyword in every section of your page to capitalize on the strength of your keywords.
You should even be careful when you reuse images and the alt-tags that accompany those images. While these tags should contain keywords, they can not be identical. Come up with ways to incorporate the keywords while being different enough that your tags don’t get indexed as duplicate content.
Also, look for duplicate content in your structured data or schema. This is often an overlooked website aspect that can negatively impact your ranking. Google has a great Schema Markup tool that will help you make sure that duplicate content is not appearing in your schema.
Mistake #2: Rel=canonical Issues
You can use rel=canonicial to help consolidate duplicate content, telling the search engines which page should be indexed.
However, if used in the wrong place, it could cause some confusion and lead search engines to not rank your page at all.
Mistake #3: Title Tag Issues
Title tags can have a variety of issues that affect SEO, including:
- Duplicate tags
- Missing title tags
- Too long or too short title tags
Your title tags, or page titles, help both users and search engines determine what your page is about.
Craft clear, concise title tags (50-70 characters) with relevant keywords to inform users and search engines. Include modifiers like “Best” or “Guide” for better visibility.
Optimize your titles with a keyword research tool: To ensure your titles are truly optimized, consider using a tool like DinoRANK keyword research tool.
This tool can help you identify the most relevant and effective keywords to include in your titles, enhancing both the visibility and SEO impact of your pages.
Mistake #4: H1 Tag Issues
While title tags appear in search results, H1 tags are visible to users on your page. The two should be different.
Each page needs a unique H1 tag (ideally under 60 characters) that reflects your target keyword and content.
Mistake #5: Not Using Meta Descriptions
A page’s meta description is a short snippet that summarizes what your page is about.
Search engines generally display them when the searched-for phrase appears in the description.
Write compelling meta descriptions (120-160 characters) that summarize your page and include relevant keywords.
Mistake #6: You’re Using Meta Refresh
Meta refresh is an outdated way of redirecting users to another page.
Google does not recommend using the meta refresh and notes that it will not have the same benefits as a 301. Use proper 301 redirects instead for a smoother user experience and SEO benefits.
Moz has this to say about them: “They are usually slower, and not a recommended SEO technique. They are most commonly associated with a five-second countdown with the text “If you are not redirected in five seconds, click here.” Meta refreshes do pass some link juice, but are not recommended as an SEO tactic due to poor usability and the loss of link juice passed.”
Mistake #7: Low Word Count
Aim for content that comprehensively addresses user needs. While word count isn’t a direct ranking factor, longer content typically performs better as it aids search engines in understanding user intent.
Aim for at least 300 for regular posts and 900 words for cornerstone content. Product pages can manage 200 words. However, the sweet spot for blog length appears to be between 1,760 and 2,400 words, with posts over 1,000 words, consistently delivering stronger results.
Mistake #8: Hidden Text
Avoid hidden text that bloats page size and hurts user experience.
Things like terms & conditions or location info can be meant for a single page, but end up embedded in all site pages.
Make sure to scan your site using a tool like Screaming Frog to make sure there’s no hidden text.
Mistake #9: Incorrect Language Declaration
Ideally, you want your content delivered to the right audience, which also means reaching those that speak your language.
Declare your website’s default language clearly to help Google deliver your content to the right audience and improve international SEO.
To check whether you’ve done this properly, use this list when verifying your language and country inside of your site’s source code.
Mistake #10: Missing Alt Text Tags
Alt-text is great for two reasons.
1. They make your site more accessible. People who visit your site who are visually impaired can use these tags to know what the images on your site are and why they are there.
2. They provide more space for text content that you can use to help your site get ranked.
You’ll want to add alt text to images for accessibility and SEO. Describe the image content and incorporate relevant keywords.
Mistake #11: Broken Images
Broken images are common and often occur due to site or domain changes or a change in the file after publishing.
Fix broken images promptly to prevent higher bounce rates and negative SEO impact (search engines may view broken images as a sign of a poorly maintained website).
If you come across any of these on your site, make sure you troubleshoot fast.
Mistake #12: Poor Internal Linking Structure
Internal linking ranks high in effective SEO strategies.
Strategically link your website’s pages using relevant anchor text to improve navigation and SEO (search engines consider internal linking an indicator of how well your content is organized).
Mistake #13: Broken Internal Links on Your Website
When crawling your website for indexing purposes, Google depends on the internal links within your page. If these links are broken, it won’t know where to go next.
Broken internal links also tank your credibility. Why would users want to use your website if it’s full of 404 error messages?
Use SEO tools to find and fix broken internal links to prevent search engines from crawling issues (broken internal links can lead to search engines getting stuck and not indexing all your important content).
Mistake #14: Broken External Links on Your Website
Just link internal links, you’ll want to ensure all external links are working too. Broken external links can hurt your credibility and make your site look outdated.
Use SEO tools to identify and fix broken external links. Unfortunately, fixing broken backlinks isn’t quite as easy. Because these are hosted on outside sites, your first line of defense should be to contact the site the link came from and ask them to remove it.
Mistake #15: Questionable Link-Building Practices
While link building itself gives an obvious boost in search rinks, doing so in a questionable manner could result in penalties.
Beware of “black hat” strategies like link exchanges. Yes, they’ll get you a lot of links fast, but they’ll be low quality and won’t improve your rankings. Instead, focus on high-quality backlinks from reputable sources.
Mistake #16: Incorrect Use of 301 & 302 Redirects
Know the difference between a 301 redirect and a 302 redirect and when to use each of them. Incorrect redirects can confuse search engines and lead to indexing issues.
- Use 301 redirects for permanent page replacements, redirecting a page to another location, and letting search engines know they can stop crawling or indexing this page.
- Use 302 redirects for temporary situations, letting the indexers know this page is undergoing some changes but it will be back online soon.
301 Redirects vs 302 Redirects
Mistake #17: You’re Not Using Using Custom 404 Pages
Someone might link to your site with an invalid URL. It happens to the best of us, and unfortunately, causes SEO problems in the process.
When that does happen, don’t show the visitor a generic 404 error message with a white background.
Instead, deliver a user-friendly 404 error message. Consider your audience. If they’re tech-savvy, keep 404 explanations concise. For others, explain the error in a friendly manner.
Graphics are great but include essential info in copy or alt-text. Provide homepage links, a search bar, and a clear CTA. You can also provide a link to your home page so users can search for the article or page they were hoping to access.
Mistake #18: Using Soft 404 Errors
When a search engine sees a 404 redirect, it knows to stop crawling and indexing that specific page.
However, if you use soft 404 errors, a code 200 is returned to the indexer. This code tells the search engine that this page is working as it should. Since it thinks that the page is working correctly, it will continue to index it.
Mistake #19: There are Too Many Nofollow Links
Formerly, Google treated Nofollow links as commands, refraining from crawling or indexing them. Now, Google considers Nofollow as a hint.
These links, marked with a rel=”nofollow” HTML tag, instruct search engines to disregard them and not pass PageRank, potentially not affecting rankings.
Common scenarios for Nofollow links include:
- Not endorsing a linked page (use rel=”nofollow”)
- Sponsored or paid links (use rel=”sponsored”)
- Affiliate links (use rel=”sponsored”)
- User-generated content (use rel=”ugc”)
Too many nofollow links can prevent search engines from following important links on your site.
Mistake #20: There are Too Many Nofollow Exit Links
Two incorrect uses of nofollow include applying it to all external links (ineffective and possibly detrimental) and using it on internal links (inferior to other methods like robots meta tags for controlling crawling and indexing).
Overall, it can negatively impact SEO. Unnecessary nofollow tags can signal to search engines that you don’t want them to crawl or index valuable pages.
Mistake #21: Upper Case vs. Lower Case URLs
Ensure consistency in URL casing (use lowercase) to avoid potential indexing issues.
Search engines may treat uppercase and lowercase URLs differently.
Use this rewrite module to fix the problem.
Mistake #22: Messy URLs on Webpages
Clean up URLs and include relevant keywords for better readability and SEO. Messy URLs can be confusing for both users and search engines.
Don’t end up with messy, unintelligible URLs like “index.php?p=367595.” Try cleaning them up and adding relevant keywords to your URLs.
Mistake #23: Your Server Header Has the Wrong Code
While you’re performing your technical SEO audit, be sure to check your Server Header. Multiple tools on the internet will serve as a Server Header Checker.
The server header code sends information to search engines about your website, so ensure it’s accurate.
These tools will tell you what status code is being returned for your website. Pages with a 4xx or 5xx status code are marked as problem sites and search engines will shy away from indexing them.
If you find out that your server header is returning a problem code, you’ll want to go into the backend of your site and fix it so that your URL status code is a positive one.
Mistake #24: Low Text to HTML Ratio
Increase text content and reduce unnecessary code to improve page load speed and crawlability for search engines. Search engines analyze the content on your website, so having a healthy balance of text and code is important.
If you have too much backend code on your site, it causes it to load too slowly. Make sure that your text outweighs your HTML code.
This problem has an easy solution — either remove unnecessary code or add more on-page text content. You can also remove or block any old or unnecessary pages.
Mistake #25: There are Query Parameters at the End of URLs
Familiar with the overly-long URL?
This often happens when certain filters are added to URLs such as color, size, etc. Most commonly it affects ecommerce sites.
Clean up URLs by minimizing query parameters to avoid duplicate content and wasted crawl budget. Excessive query parameters can create thin or duplicate content, which can hurt your SEO.
Mistake #26: Improper Move to New Website or URL Structure
Updating and moving websites is an important part of keeping a business fresh and relevant, but if the transition isn’t managed properly, a lot could go wrong.
Manage website migrations carefully to avoid traffic loss. Use 301 redirects to point to the new URLs.
For more on how to migrate your site and maintain your traffic, check out the full guide here.
Mistake #27: Your Sitemap is Outdated, Broken or Missing
Sitemaps act as a roadmap for search engines, helping them discover and index all the important pages on your website.
They are super easy to make — in fact, most web design or hosting sites will prepare one for you. But this is also an aspect where your technical SEO can fail.
If your sitemap is outdated or missing, search engines might miss crucial pages, hurting your ranking.
Mistake #28: Too Many Plugins
While plugins can enhance functionality and design, an excess of them can bloat your website and slow down its performance.
Each plugin adds code and potential compatibility issues, impacting page load times and user experience.
A sluggish website frustrates users and can negatively impact your SEO. Regularly review your plugins and remove any that are unnecessary or have lighter alternatives.
Mistake #29: Ignoring Schema Markup
Schema markup is a way to provide search engines with more information about your content. This can lead to rich snippets in search results, which are more visually appealing and can significantly improve click-through rates.
Ignoring schema markup means missing out on a chance to stand out in the search results, particularly when it comes to product details, reviews, events, and other structured content.
Mistake #30: A Robots.txt File Error
A robots.txt file instructs search engines on which pages to crawl and index.
Something as seemingly insignificant as a misplaced letter in your robots.txt file can do major damage and cause your page to be incorrectly indexed.
A misplaced “disallow” is another thing to be on the lookout for. This will signal Google and other search engines to not crawl the page containing the disallow, which would keep it from being properly indexed.
You can test the health of your robots.txt file by using the test tool inside of the Google Search Console.
Mistake #31: Poor Core Web Vitals
Core Web Vitals (loading speed, responsiveness, and stability) impact both user experience and SEO.
Optimize your site by reducing code, using a CDN, and optimizing images to ensure a smooth user experience and search engine boost.
This Google tool will tell you essentially how your website is performing, so use it to your advantage.
Mistake #32: Your Website Has a Slow Load Time
If your website takes a long time to load, visitors will get impatient and bounce. This not only hurts user experience but also sends negative signals to search engines.
Google itself has said:
“Like us, our users place a lot of value in speed — that’s why we’ve decided to take site speed into account in our search rankings. We use a variety of sources to determine the speed of a site relative to other sites.”
Some ways to increase site speed include:
- Enabling compression – You’ll have to talk to your web development team about this. It’s not something you should attempt on your own as it usually involves updating your web server configuration. However, it will improve your site speed.
- Optimizing images – Many sites have images that are 500k or more in size. Some of those pics could be optimized so that they’re much smaller without sacrificing image quality. When your site has fewer bytes to load, it will render the page faster.
- Leveraging browser caching – If you’re using WordPress, you can grab a plugin that will enable you to use browser caching. That helps users who revisit your site because they’ll load resources (like images) from their hard drive instead of over the network.
- Using a CDN – A content delivery network (CDN) will deliver content quickly to your visitors by loading it from a node that’s close to their location. The downside is the cost. CDNs can be expensive. But if you’re concerned about user experience, they might be worth it.
Mistake #33: Poor Mobile Experience
These days, this one’s a no-brainer.
With most web searches now happening on mobile devices, Google prioritizes websites that offer a great mobile experience.
Make sure your website is responsive and easy to navigate on smartphones and tablets. To properly optimize for mobile, you must take everything from site design and structure of your page to page speed into consideration.
Mistake #34: Your Website Has Poor Navigation
Confusing website navigation frustrates users and makes it difficult for search engines to understand your website structure. A clear and simple navigation menu is essential for both user experience and SEO.
Mistake #35: Still Using HTTP
Since web security is always on everyone’s minds, all indexed sites now use HTTPS.
Websites without HTTPS encryption are flagged as insecure by search engines. This can deter users and damage your SEO. Switching to HTTPS protects your website and improves your search ranking potential.
Mistake #36: You’re Not Using Local Search and Structured Data Markup
Local searches drive a lot of search engine queries, and Google certainly recognizes that.
This is why a presence on search data providers like Yelp, Facebook, etc. is essential. Make sure your contact information is consistent on all pages.
Mistake #37: Multiple Versions of Homepage
We’ve discussed previously that duplicate content presents a problem but that problem grows even bigger when it’s your homepage that’s duplicated.
You’ll want to ensure you don’t have multiple versions (www and non-www, .index.html versions, etc.) of your homepage.
If you find out that multiple versions of your site are live, add a 301 redirect to the duplicate page to point search engines and users in the direction of the correct homepage.
Mistake #38: You’re Not Using Breadcrumb Menus
Put breadcrumb links on your web pages. That’s an especially great idea if you’re running an ecommerce site with lots of categories and subcategories.
They look like this: Categories > Electronics > Mobile Devices > Smartphones
Mistake #39: You’re Not Implementing SSL
Neglecting to implement SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) on your website can lead to dire consequences.
SSL encryption not only safeguards the data transmitted between your website and users but is also a ranking signal for search engines. Websites with SSL certificates are trusted more by visitors and search engines alike.
Without SSL, visitors might be greeted with security warnings, which can erode trust and drive them away. By securing your site with HTTPS, you not only protect sensitive information but also bolster your SEO efforts and instill confidence in your online presence.
Mistake #40: Improper Use of a Trailing Slash
A trailing slash is placed at the end of a URL as a forward slash: “/” and is used to help define your website’s directory.
Previously, folders would have trailing slashes and files would not. But as we know, the world of SEO is always changing.
If your content can be seen on versions with and without trailing slashes, then the pages can be treated like separate URLs.
What does this mean for your SEO?
Duplicate content. In most cases, a canonical tag will specify the preferred version, so you won’t have to worry.
However, if different content is showing on trailing slash and non-trailing slash URLs, you’ll want to pick one version to index and redirect the other version to it.
Frequently Asked Questions About Technical SEO
1. What is Technical SEO?
Technical SEO is about making your website search engine friendly. It helps search engines find, understand, and index your site for better ranking and user experience. This includes things like site speed, mobile-friendliness, and clear website structure.
2. What are the basics of SEO?
SEO involves making your website attractive to both search engines and users. This includes having high-quality content, being easy for search engines to crawl, and providing a fast and user-friendly experience.
3. What are some common technical SEO problems?
Common technical SEO problems include:
- Duplicate content
- Errors like blocked pages
- Slow loading speed
These issues can confuse search engines and hurt your ranking. Consider using a technical SEO checklist to avoid making these mistakes in the future.
4. What are the components of technical SEO?
Technical SEO involves several aspects:
- Overall crawl of the website: If Google can’t crawl your website, your rankings will suffer.
- Fixing errors: From crawl errors to XML sitemap status, you want to make sure you can easily identify and fix any errors on your site.
- Page speed: No matter how good your content is, page load speeds can make or break a user experience.
- Mobile and desktop usability: While Google has historically crawled websites from a desktop point-of-view, delivering a mobile-optimized experience can earn you a green mark on Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test.
- Core Web Vitals: These are performance metrics that quantify key elements of the user experience.
- Review HTTPS status codes: If your site still contains HTTP URLs, users won’t be able to access your site, making implementing HTTPS a must.
- Keyword cannibalization: This takes place when you’re optimizing your home page and subpage for the same keywords, a practice most common with local SEO.
5. What are the top technical SEO tools?
The market is saturated with numerous technical SEO tools that can help with everything from keyword research and rank tracking to content optimization and backlink analysis.
6. Are there technical SEO services?
Yes, you can hire a technical SEO consultant or use an SEO company to help you with technical SEO tasks like fixing broken links and optimizing your website for search engines.
7. Why is a technical SEO strategy important?
Technical SEO is crucial because it affects how search engines rank your website, how users experience your site, and ultimately your website’s success.
Ignite Visibility’s Ready to Conduct a Technical SEO Audit!
Struggling with website ranking or traffic? Ignite Visibility can help!
We offer a technical SEO audit and an ongoing technical SEO service to ensure your site is optimized for search engines.
After all, a healthy website needs regular checkups. To ensure you get the organic traffic you deserve, our technical SEO experts will identify and fix issues that could be holding you back.
Ready to see what your website can achieve? Get a free technical SEO audit today!
