
Technical SEO involves ensuring that your website is as healthy as possible without errors and that all your important pages are being crawled and indexed by Google.
While creating amazing content and optimising on-page aspects of your site is essential, your website must be supportedby a solid technical foundation.
This is where Technical SEO comes into play.
In this blog, I will explore everything technical SEO, from its significance to how it directly impacts your website's performance, user experience, and visibility on search engines.
What Is Technical SEO?

Technical SEO refers to optimising a website's infrastructure to improve its organic visibility on search engines.
It ensures search engines can crawl, index, and render your web pages efficiently.
Technical SEO includes everything from site speed and mobile-friendliness to URL structure, schema markup, and security measures like HTTPS.
Technical SEO serves as the backbone of your overall SEO strategy. Without it, even the best content and link-building efforts might fail to deliver results.
It ensures your website meets search engines' technical requirements, creating a seamless experience for both bots and users.
Why Is Technical SEO Important?

1. Improved Crawlability and Indexability
Search engines like Google use bots, often called crawlers, to scan and index websites.
If your website isn't crawlable or indexable due to technical issues, your content will not appear in search results, no matter how valuable.
Technical SEO ensures your site's structure and elements are easily accessible to search engines, enabling them to rank your pages.
Key Factors:
Robots.txt file configuration
XML sitemaps
Eliminating crawl errors
For example, a well-optimised robots.txt file can direct crawlers to the most essential pages while preventing them from wasting resources on less relevant pages.
2. Enhanced User Experience (UX)
Thanks to Google's Core Web Vitals update, user experience is now a ranking factor. Technical SEO is vital to creating a fast, mobile-friendly, easy-to-navigate website.
Key UX Elements Influenced by Technical SEO:
Site speed: Slow-loading pages frustrate users and lead to higher bounce rates. Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights can help identify issues slowing down your site.
Mobile-friendliness: With mobile devices accounting for over 50% of web traffic, responsive design is no longer optional.
Navigation: A clean URL structure and intuitive menu improve usability, encouraging users to stay longer.
3. Higher Search Engine Rankings
Technical SEO ensures your site adheres to search engine guidelines, which can improve your rankings.
When search engines find your website easy to crawl, fast, and secure, they are more likely to reward it with higher positions in search results.
4. Better Security with HTTPS
Security is a priority for search engines and users alike. HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) encrypts data between the browser and the server, protecting sensitive information.
Google explicitly favours HTTPS websites in its rankings, making it a critical technical SEO factor.
Pro Tip: If your website isn't secure, you'll lose users' trust and potentially face a rankings penalty.
5. Support for Structured Data and Rich Snippets
Technical SEO involves implementing structured data (schema markup) to help search engines better understand your Content.
This can result in rich snippets and visually enhanced search results featuring additional information like reviews, ratings, and FAQs.
Why It Matters: Rich snippets improve click-through rates (CTR) by making your results stand out and driving more traffic to your site.
6. Reduced Bounce Rates
Technical SEO ensures your site meets user expectations regarding speed, navigation, and accessibility.
When users find your website fast and easy to use, they're more likely to engage with your Content, reducing bounce rates and signalling positive user behaviour to search engines.
7. Future-Proofing Your Website
Technical SEO isn't just about fixing current issues; it's about preparing your site for future changes.
Search engines frequently update their algorithms, and a technically sound website is better equipped to adapt to these changes without significant disruptions.
Core Components of Technical SEO

To truly understand the importance of technical SEO, it's essential to break down its core components:
1. Site Speed Optimisation
Compress images and files
Use browser caching
Optimise server response times
Implement Content Delivery Networks (CDNs)
2. Mobile Optimisation
Use responsive design
Ensure touch elements are properly spaced
Optimise images and videos for mobile devices
3. Crawlability and Indexing
Create an XML sitemap and submit it to search engines
Fix broken links and 404 errors
Use canonical tags to prevent duplicate content issues
4. Secure Your Site with HTTPS
Obtain an SSL certificate
Redirect HTTP pages to HTTPS
5. Structured Data
Implement schema markup for products, events, reviews, etc.
Use Google's Structured Data Testing Tool to validate your markup.
6. Core Web Vitals
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Improve page load speed
First Input Delay (FID): Enhance interactivity
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Ensure visual stability
7. URL Structure
Use descriptive and keyword-rich URLs
Avoid dynamic parameters when possible
Keep URLs short and clean
Real-Life Examples of Technical SEO Impact
Improved Rankings Through Mobile Optimisation: A Google study revealed that 53% of mobile users abandon sites that take longer than three seconds to load. Websites that prioritise mobile optimisation see dramatic improvements in rankings and traffic.
Boosted CTR with Rich Snippets: A local restaurant chain implemented schema markup for its menu and customer reviews. As a result, its rich snippets led to a 35% increase in click-through rates, driving more traffic to its website.
Crawlability Enhancements Leading to Indexing Success: An e-commerce store resolved indexing issues by fixing broken links, updating its XML sitemap, and optimising its robots.txt file. Within two months, its indexed pages increased by 40%, leading to higher organic visibility.
Common Technical SEO Mistakes to Avoid
1. Crawlability Issues
Broken internal links: Links leading to 404 pages or non-existent URLs.
Blocked resources: Pages or assets blocked by robots.txt or meta tags (e.g., noindex).
XML sitemap issues: Missing, incomplete, or outdated XML sitemaps.
Orphan pages: Pages not linked from anywhere on the site, making them hard to discover.
2. Indexing Problems
Pages marked as noindex: Important pages unintentionally blocked from indexing.
Duplicate versions of the homepage: Multiple versions (e.g., http://, https://, www, non-www) causing duplicate content issues.
Thin content: Pages with little to no useful information indexed by search engines.
Excessive index bloat: Low-value pages (e.g., tag pages, filters) unnecessarily indexed.
3. Site Structure and Navigation
Poor URL structure: Long, unoptimised, or confusing URLs with parameters.
Redirect chains/loops: Multiple redirects causing slow loading or infinite loops.
Broken breadcrumbs: Incorrect or missing breadcrumb navigation links.
Inconsistent internal linking: Improper linking hierarchy or missing links to priority pages.
4. Page Speed and Performance
Slow page load times: Due to unoptimised images, excessive JavaScript, or large CSS files.
Render-blocking resources: Scripts or CSS files delaying content rendering.
Uncompressed files: Absence of gzip or Brotli compression for resources.
No browser caching: Lack of caching for static resources.
5. Mobile Optimisation Errors
Unresponsive design: Content not properly adapting to mobile devices.
Touch elements too close: Buttons and links too close together on mobile.
Viewport not configured: Missing or incorrectly set meta viewport tags.
Slow mobile page speed: Mobile pages not optimised for fast loading.
6. HTTPS and Security Issues
Mixed content warnings: Pages with both HTTPS and HTTP resources.
Expired SSL certificates: Secure connections not ensured due to outdated certificates.
HTTP URLs: Pages still accessible via HTTP despite having HTTPS.
Lack of HTTPS: Entire site not using secure HTTPS protocol.
7. Duplicate Content and Canonicalization
Missing or incorrect canonical tags: Duplicate pages not consolidated properly.
Parameter duplication: URL parameters creating duplicate pages (e.g., sorting or filtering URLs).
Duplicate meta tags: Titles or descriptions repeated across multiple pages.
8. Meta Tags and Schema Markup Errors
Missing or duplicate meta titles/descriptions: Key metadata missing or duplicated across pages.
Unoptimised meta tags: Titles and descriptions not aligned with target keywords.
Incorrect or missing structured data: Schema markup errors preventing enhanced search result features.
9. Image Optimisation Errors
Missing alt text: Images without descriptive alt attributes.
Large image file sizes: Uncompressed or oversized images slowing down page speed.
Broken images: Images not loading due to incorrect paths or missing files.
10. Core Web Vitals Issues
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Content taking too long to render.
First Input Delay (FID): Slow response time for user interactions.
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Unexpected page shifts during loading.
11. Redirect Issues
Temporary redirects (302): Instead of permanent redirects (301) for migrated content.
Redirecting to irrelevant pages: Redirecting users to unrelated content.
12. Other Common Errors
Pagination issues: Incorrect or missing rel= "prev"/rel= "next" tags for paginated pages.
Broken external links: Outbound links pointing to non-existent pages.
Excessive HTML size: Overly bloated HTML causing slow rendering.
Server errors (5xx): Pages returning server-side errors like 500, 503.
How to fix common SEO issues
1. Crawlability Issues
Resolution:
Broken internal links: Identify 404 errors using tools like Screaming Frog or Google Search Console and update or remove broken links.
Blocked resources: Review the robots.txt file and meta tags. Allow access to important resources (CSS, JS, images) necessary for rendering.
XML sitemap issues: Ensure your XML sitemap lists all important pages, is free from errors, and is submitted to Google Search Console.
Orphan pages: Use a site crawler to find pages not linked internally and incorporate them into the site's structure.
Priority: High, as crawlability directly affects search engines' ability to discover and index pages.
2. Indexing Problems
Resolution:
noindex tags on important pages: Audit meta tags and remove unintended noindex attributes from critical pages.
Duplicate homepage versions: Implement proper 301 redirects to a single canonical version (e.g., https://www.example.com).
Thin content: Improve content on weak pages or consider merging them with relevant ones.
Index bloat: Use noindex for low-value pages like filters or tag pages, and disallow them in your robots.txt.
Priority: High for unintended noindex issues, moderate for bloat depending on how much it impacts crawl budget.
3. Site Structure and Navigation
Resolution:
Poor URL structure: Simplify URLs to be readable and descriptive. Remove query parameters if possible and replace them with static URLs.
Redirect chains: Identify and fix chains by redirecting the first URL directly to the final destination.
Broken breadcrumbs: Ensure breadcrumbs match the site's hierarchy and are marked up with schema.
Inconsistent internal linking: Add internal links to priority pages from high-authority pages on your site.
Priority: Moderate. A clean structure improves user experience and crawlability.
4. Page Speed and Performance
Resolution:
Slow page load times: Optimise images (compress, resize, or use WebP format) and reduce JavaScript/CSS by minifying and deferring non-critical resources.
Render-blocking resources: Use asynchronous loading for JavaScript and inline critical CSS.
Uncompressed files: Enable gzip or Brotli compression on your server.
Browser caching: Set caching headers for static resources.
Priority: High, as page speed is a confirmed ranking factor and impacts user experience.
5. Mobile Optimisation Errors
Resolution:
Unresponsive design: Use a mobile-first approach with a responsive framework like Bootstrap or CSS media queries.
Touch elements too close: Increase padding or spacing between buttons and links.
Viewport not configured: Add a meta viewport tag: <meta name= "viewport" content=" width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">.
Slow mobile page speed: Apply Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) if applicable and optimise mobile assets.
Priority: High, as mobile-first indexing means Google primarily evaluates mobile versions of sites.
6. HTTPS and Security Issues
Resolution:
Mixed content warnings: Update URLs for all scripts, images, and stylesheets to HTTPS.
Expired SSL certificates: Renew SSL certificates regularly or automate the process.
HTTP URLs: Redirect HTTP traffic to HTTPS using a site-wide 301 redirect.
Priority: High. Security and trust are critical for user retention and rankings.
7. Duplicate Content and Canonicalization
Resolution:
Canonical tags: Add canonical tags to avoid duplicate content issues. Ensure the canonical URL points to the main version of a page.
Parameter duplication: Use Google Search Console's URL Parameters Tool or rel= "canonical" to consolidate duplicate pages.
Duplicate meta tags: Audit and rewrite titles and descriptions for each page.
Priority: Moderate to high, depending on the extent of duplication.
8. Meta Tags and Schema Markup Errors
Resolution:
Missing meta titles/descriptions: Write unique, keyword-optimised meta tags for each page.
Unoptimised meta tags: Focus on search intent and use primary/secondary keywords naturally.
Structured data issues: Use Google's Structured Data Testing Tool to identify schema errors and fix them based on guidelines (e.g., FAQ, reviews, products).
Priority: Moderate. Improper meta tags can reduce click-through rates (CTR).
9. Image Optimisation Errors
Resolution:
Missing alt text: Add descriptive alt text to all images, incorporating relevant keywords where appropriate.
Large image file sizes: Compress images using tools like TinyPNG or Squoosh.
Broken images: Replace or fix broken image URLs.
Priority: Moderate, as it affects accessibility, page speed, and user experience.
10. Core Web Vitals Issues
Resolution:
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Optimise images and reduce render-blocking resources.
First Input Delay (FID): Reduce JavaScript execution time by deferring unused scripts.
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Use size attributes for images and videos to prevent layout shifts.
Priority: High, as Core Web Vitals are part of Google's ranking algorithm.
11. Redirect Issues
Resolution:
Temporary redirects: Replace 302 redirects with 301 for permanent changes.
Irrelevant redirect destinations: Update redirects to point users to the most relevant content.
Priority: Moderate, as incorrect redirects can waste link equity and confuse users.
12. Other Common Errors
Resolution:
Pagination issues: Implement rel= "prev"/rel= "next" or use view-all pages for search engines.
Broken external links: Fix or remove external links leading to 404 errors.
Excessive HTML size: Simplify code, remove unnecessary comments, and minify resources.
Server errors: Analyse server logs and resolve recurring 5xx errors by increasing server capacity or optimising scripts.
Priority: Varies based on user impact.
How to Prioritise Fixes
High Priority: Issues that prevent indexing, impact rankings directly (e.g., crawlability, indexing problems, HTTPS issues).
Moderate Priority: Problems affecting user experience (e.g., mobile optimisation, broken links).
Low Priority: Enhancements like improving meta descriptions or minor schema issues.
How to Audit Your Website for Technical SEO and Find Common Issues
There are so many ways to audit and manage technical issues, from free to paid tools. Below are some of my favourites and tools I use every day as an SEO specialist.

Use tools such as Semrush and Ahrefs
Tools such as Semrush and Ahrefs are excellent for monitoring your site health. A subscription for one of the platforms offers a site audit feature that automatically crawls your site every 3-5 days.
The site audit will notify you of any errors, warnings or issues. All you have to do is check the site audit and fix the errors.
These platforms, such as Semrush and Ahrefs, often provide instructions on how to fix the error. If you need more information on fixing the error, research it yourself using YouTube or ChatGPT. There are tons of resources out there.
Set your settings accordingly if your traffic mainly comes from desktop or mobile devices. If you are unsure what platform is most popular for your users, you can use Google Analytics to find out under tech > overview. Look for active users under the platform/device category.
Setting crawling settings to the most popular platform ensures your site audit reflects how search engines and users interact with your website.
It helps identify platform-specific issues, optimise user experience, align with Google's mobile-first indexing, and focus resources on resolving problems that matter most for your audience and SEO goals.

Screaming Frog
Screaming Frog is a free website crawler that helps identify technical SEO issues.
Unlike automated site audits from tools like Semrush, Screaming Frog requires you to run the audit manually, but it provides highly detailed insights.
The tool scans your website, checking for common SEO issues like broken links, missing metadata, duplicate content, and redirect chains. It also helps uncover crawl errors, orphan pages, and areas for improvement in your internal linking.
Screaming Frog generates XML sitemaps or compares your sitemap with crawled URLs to ensure everything aligns.
The free version allows you to crawl up to 500 URLs for smaller websites, making it a great starting point for beginners or small businesses.
A paid upgrade is available if you manage more significant sites or need advanced features.
Although Screaming Frog doesn't automate regular crawls, its in-depth reporting makes it an invaluable tool for improving site structure, fixing errors, and enhancing performance.
Pair it with Google Search Console or other tools for a comprehensive view of your site's health.
If you're serious about technical SEO, Screaming Frog is a must-have for uncovering and resolving the issues that matter most for search engines and your audience. Or a great free resource.

Monitor Google Search Console
If you are serious about SEO or growing your traffic, Google Search Console (GSC) is a must-have. Creating an account is free.
GSC shows you an overview of traffic and the keywords users search to find you.
More importantly, for Technical SEO, GSC shows an indexing report. This report shows what pages have been and have not been crawled and indexed by Google.
Head over to indexing > pages. This part of the GSC console shows what pages can appear in the search results and what pages can't.
Some of the pages on the report won't be crawled because of redirects, or some may be specifically excluded from being indexed using the robots.txt file. Check these sections of the report to ensure there are no errors.
Also, look at 'crawled, currently not indexed' and 'discovered - currently not indexed. Investigate the pages in these report sections and ensure Google indexes all your important pages and blogs.
Remember, not all the pages on your site will be indexed. When you add a new page, it might take Google a few days to crawl and index it.

Final Thoughts
Technical SEO is not optional but a foundational element of any successful digital marketing strategy.
In many cases, it takes a few hours a week to run site audits and monitor Google Search Console to ensure everything is okay.
Addressing technical issues will improve your search engine rankings, enhance user experience, build trust, and drive sustainable organic traffic.
Whether launching a new website or optimising an existing one, investing in technical SEO is a long-term strategy that pays dividends.
If you're ready to improve your website's performance, start by conducting a comprehensive technical SEO audit and addressing the areas discussed in this guide.
Remember, a well-optimised website isn't just about appealing to search engines. It's about creating a seamless, enjoyable experience for your users.