What is Technical SEO?

Intro

SEO isn't just about stuffing keywords or writing great content. There's another side to it - the technical aspect. And if you ignore it, your website might struggle to rank, no matter how good your content is.

Technical SEO helps search engines find + crawl + index your site properly. Without it, even the best-written pages can go unnoticed. A slow, unsecure, or poorly structured website frustrates users - and search engines take note.

From improving site speed to making your website mobile-friendly, technical SEO ensures everything runs smoothly. When done right, it boosts rankings and improves user experience. Simple as that.

What is Technical SEO?

Technical SEO is about optimising the backend of a website so search engines can understand and rank it better. Unlike on-page SEO, which concentrates on content, or off-page SEO, which includes backlinks, technical SEO focusses on site speed, structure, and security.

The goal? Make sure search engines can easily process your website. Because if your technical setup is a mess, even the best content might not get ranked.

Key Components of Technical SEO

A well-optimised website is fast, secure, and easy to crawl. Here’s what matters most:

1) Crawlability

Search engines need to traverse your website efficiently. If they can’t, your pages might not get indexed, meaning they won’t appear in search results.

How to Improve Crawlability:

XML Sitemaps – Think of this like a roadmap for search engines. It tells them where everything is.

Website Structure – A clean, logical layout makes it easier for search engines to understand your content.

If your website is disorganised or has broken links, search engines might struggle to crawl it properly.

2) Indexing

After crawling, search engines store your pages in their database - a process called indexing. If a page isn’t indexed, it won’t appear in search results.

Factors That Affect Indexing:

Robots.txt File – Controls which pages search engines can or can’t crawl. A small mistake here, and important pages might disappear.

Canonicalisation – Helps search engines decide which version of a page to show in search results.

Mobile-Friendliness – Google ranks mobile-friendly sites higher, so your site must work well on all devices.

3) Content Quality

Even with strong technical SEO, bad content won’t rank. Search engines prioritise useful, well-structured, and engaging content.

• Answer user questions clearly.
• Avoid duplicate or thin content.
• Regularly update old pages to keep them fresh.

If your content isn’t valuable, no amount of optimisation will help.

4) Page Speed

A slow website frustrates visitors and hurts rankings. If a page takes too long to load, users leave - and search engines notice.

Ways to Improve Speed:

Compress Images – Large files slow things down. Resize and optimise images.

Minify Code – Remove unnecessary characters from CSS and JavaScript.

Use a CDN – A Content Delivery Network (CDN) speeds up loading by storing copies of your website in different locations.

Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool helps identify speed issues.

5) Structured Data (Schema Markup)

It helps search engines learn your content. It also enhances search results by adding extra details like ratings and images.

Examples of Structured Data:

• Reviews – Adds star ratings in search results.
• Recipes – Displays ingredients, cooking time, and ratings.
• Events – Shows dates, locations, and ticket availability.

Rich snippets make search results more appealing and improve click-through rates.

6) Internal Linking

They connect different pages on your site, helping users and search engines navigate easily.

Why It’s Important:

• Distributes SEO value across pages.
• Guides users to relevant content.
• Helps search engines understand site structure.

Make sure links feel natural and useful - not forced.

7) Redirects & Canonicalisation

Redirects help users and search engines land on the right pages. If a page is removed, a 301 redirect should send visitors to the correct place.

Common Mistakes:

• Using 302 Redirects Instead of 301 – 301 redirects are permanent, while 302 are temporary. Using the wrong one confuses search engines.
• Too Many Redirects – Chains of redirects slow down pages and hurt SEO.

Canonical tags prevent duplicate content by telling search engines which version of a page to prioritise.

8) Website Security (HTTPS)

Google favours secure websites. If your site still runs on HTTP, users may see a "Not Secure" warning, which can reduce trust and traffic.

Switching to HTTPS encrypts data and protects user information. Installing an SSL certificate is essential for security and rankings.

9) Ongoing Monitoring & Maintenance

SEO isn’t a one-time task. Technical SEO needs regular monitoring to keep everything optimised.

Key Monitoring Tasks:

• Run site audits to detect issues.
• Check Google Search Console for crawl or indexing errors.
• Monitor site speed, security, and mobile usability.

Staying on top of technical SEO ensures long-term ranking success.

10) Fixing Broken Links

Broken links hurt user experience and SEO. If a link leads to a missing page (404 error), visitors get frustrated, and search engines lower rankings.

How to Fix Broken Links:

• Use Google Search Console to find broken links.
• Set up 301 redirects for removed pages.
• Regularly update links to ensure they lead to active pages.

A site with too many broken links looks outdated and unreliable.

Final Thoughts

A technical SEO checklist is essential for any website looking to rank higher. Investing time in technical SEO pays off with better visibility + faster load times + improved user experience.

With Brisbane SEO services by Gordon Digital, businesses can ensure their technical SEO is set up correctly. When done right, it requires minimal maintenance - just routine audits to keep everything optimised for long-term success.