Technical SEO: How Important Is It, Really?

When we think "SEO," most of us go straight to keywords, blogs, and other content; and, while that is a big part of it, it's not everything. Technical SEO, the behind-the-scenes, nitty gritty of how your site actually works, can be (dare we say it) even more important than your content strategy. We'll tell you why and what steps business owners should be taking to make sure they stay relevant in search results.

What Is Technical SEO?

Again, technical SEO is all about making sure your site works as well as it possibly can from a user perspective. It also involves optimizing the infrastructure of your website so search engines like Google can crawl, index, and rank it effectively. If content is the decor of a house, then technical SEO would be like the plumbing and electrical. Visitors might not see it day-to-day, but they'll definitely notice if it's not working.

Key aspects of technical SEO include things like:

- Site speed

- Mobile-friendliness

- Secure connections (HTTPS)

- XML sitemaps

- Proper redirects

- Clean URL structure

- Fixing crawl errors

- Structured data (schema markup)

We'll go into more detail on these in a bit.

Why Is Technical SEO Important?

In the intro, we shared a controversial opinion that technical SEO can be even more important than content SEO. But it's not really an opinion. It's a fact that even the best content won't rank if your site isn't technically sound. Here's why:

1. Search Engines Need Help Understanding Your Site

Google doesn't "see" your website like a human. It uses bots that crawl your pages to figure out what they're about. If your site is slow, broken, or confusing, those bots might bounce before indexing anything important.

2. User Experience Is A Huge Ranking Factor

Google factors in things like page load speed and mobile usability when deciding rankings. A technically optimized site doesn't just please bots, it improves the user experience for your real-life visitors, too.

3. Technical Errors Can Tank Your Rankings

Issues like broken links, duplicate content, or improper redirects can quietly hurt your SEO without you even realizing it. Technical SEO helps you identify and fix those before they cost you visibility.

Technical SEO Best Practices Every Business Should Be Using

Site Speed Optimization

Site speed refers to how quickly your website loads when someone visits. A fast-loading site improves user experience and is favored by search engines. And when we say "fast," we mean under three seconds. Any longer than that, and you'll see a huge drop in traffic.

Ways To Make Your Site Faster:

- Compress images using tools like TinyPNG or ShortPixel before uploading them.

- Enable browser caching so repeat visitors don't have to reload all your content.

- Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to serve your site from locations closer to your users.

- Minimize code (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) using plugins or a developer's help.

Tools to check your speed: Google PageSpeed Insights, Lighthouse, GTMetrix, or WebPageTest.org.

Mobile-Friendliness

A mobile-friendly site displays and functions properly on smartphones and tablets. Since Google now uses mobile-first indexing, this is one of the most important aspects of technical SEO, aside from speed. If you've only got time for two things, choose speed and mobile-responsiveness (but really, we'd recommend making time for everything on this list).

How To Make Your Site Mobile-Friendly:

- Use responsive design. Your layout should adjust automatically to different screen sizes.

- Test your site on different devices and browsers regularly, and especially after making any changes..

- Avoid elements that don't work well on mobile, like tile galleries, hover effects, or awkward pop-ups.

- Use Google's Mobile-Friendly Test to spot and fix issues.

Secure Website (HTTPS)

Believe it or not, there are still a significant number of "http" sites out there; and what's your instinct when you come across one of those? Ours is "nope." HTTPS is a simple step that builds trust with users and is a confirmed ranking factor. Essentially, it encrypts the connection between your site and your users so their data is protected..

How To Secure Your Site:

- Purchase and install an SSL certificate through your hosting provider.

- Redirect all HTTP pages to their HTTPS versions (your developer or a plugin can do this).

- Make sure internal links and assets (like images or scripts) also use HTTPS.

Clean, Descriptive URLs

URLs should be easy to read for both users and search engines. A clean URL gives clues about the content and purpose of the page. It's a good opportunity to fit in some keywords as well.

Tips For A Good URL:

- Use short, descriptive keywords (e.g., /about-our-omaha-flooring-company, not /page?id=47).

- Separate words with hyphens (not underscores).

- Avoid unnecessary numbers, symbols, or filler words.

- Keep URLs consistent with your page titles or topics.

- Try to keep it under five words, when possible.

- If you need to change a URL, set up a 301 redirect to avoid breaking links or losing SEO value. Most SEO plugins allow for this, or your developer can do it manually.

XML Sitemap

An XML sitemap is a file that lists all the important pages on your site. It helps search engines find and crawl your content more efficiently.

How To Set Up A Sitemap:

- Use tools or plugins like Yoast SEO, AIOSEO (for WordPress) or Screaming Frog (for larger sites) to generate a sitemap.

- Submit it to Google Search Console under the "Sitemaps" section.

- Make sure it automatically updates when you add new content.

Fix Crawl Errors

Crawl errors happen when a search engine tries to visit a page on your site but can't access it. These issues occur for various reasons and can prevent pages from showing up in search results.

How To Fix Crawl Errors:

- Sign up for Google Search Console and check the "Pages" report under Indexing.

- Look for common errors like 404 (page not found) or server errors (5xx).

- Fix broken links or set up 301 redirects for removed content.

- If pages are being blocked unintentionally, review your robots.txt file and meta tags.

From the front end, make sure the "set to no index" box is not checked on any of the pages.

Check 404 "not found" errors and fix broken links for pages that should be found.

Structured Data (Schema Markup)

Structured data is a type of code that helps search engines understand what your content means. It can also enhance your listings in search with rich snippets (like star ratings, prices, or FAQs).

How To Add Schema Markup:

- Use Google's Structured Data Markup Helper to generate the code.

- Apply relevant schema types like "Product," "Event," "FAQ," or "Organization."

- Paste the code into your page's HTML (or use a plugin if you're on WordPress).

- Test your implementation with Google's Rich Results Test tool.

Get Technical SEO Support From Our Omaha Digital Marketing Agency

TL;DR: technical SEO is really, really important.

Don't lose users because of technical SEO issues! Let Serenity Digital help you ensure your site is fast, user-friendly, mobile-optimized, and checks all the other boxes for a great ranking strategy. Call or go online today to chat with us about your project and how we can assist you.