Beginner’s guide: Technical SEO explained in easy terms!

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Are you looking to get more traffic to your website but don’t know how to start? SEO is a great way to improve your visibility on the web and can be done by anyone with some basic knowledge. 

In this beginner’s guide, we will explain technical SEO in easy terms and give you a few tips on how to get started.

What is Technical SEO?

In order to understand what technical SEO is, you must first understand what SEO is. SEO stands for “search engine optimisation”. It is a long-term marketing strategy employed in order to improve a website’s visibility and organic search results in google and other global search engines. 

Technical SEO is one element of the larger SEO umbrella. It focuses on the technical aspects of a website that can be optimised to improve its rank in search engine results pages (SERPs). 

These optimisations can include improving the site’s architecture, coding, and links. Many times, fixing errors on a website or implementing best practices can have a large impact on a site’s SEO.

How Does Site Architecture Affect Technical SEO?

Site architecture has a significant impact on SEO. The way your website is organised and structured affects how well crawlers can index your pages and how easily users can navigate your site. There are a number of technical SEO factors to consider when designing your website’s architecture, including page titles, meta descriptions, header tags, internal linking, and site speed.

One of the most important aspects of site architecture for SEO is creating a logical hierarchy for your pages. Crawlers need to be able to easily follow links from one page to the next, so it’s important to use consistent anchor text and create an easy-to-follow sitemap. You should also ensure that all of your pages are accessible from the main navigation bar.

Another key factor in SEO is page speed.

How Does Site Speed Affect Technical SEO?

When it comes to SEO, page speed is one of the most important factors. A slow-loading website can mean lower rankings and fewer conversions. In fact, a study by Google found that when a site took longer than three seconds to load, 40 percent of users would abandon it.

There are many ways to optimise your page speed, and the first step is understanding how it affects your SEO. Technical seo is one of the biggest factors in improving page speed. 

Here are a few tips for optimising your website:

  • Optimise images: Make sure your images are compressed and have the correct dimensions.
  • Minimise HTTP requests: Reduce the number of files that need to be loaded by combining them into CSS and JavaScript files.

How Does Internal Linking Affect Technical SEO

Internal linking is an often overlooked, but extremely important part of technical SEO. When done correctly, internal linking can help improve site architecture, crawlability, and indexation. It can also help you pass authority between pages on your site.

One of the most important things to remember when creating internal links is to use anchor text that accurately describes the page you’re linking to. This will help both users and search engines understand what the page is about.

Another key factor to keep in mind is the anchor text density of your internal links. You don’t want to overload your pages with too many links, or else it will look spammy and could hurt your site’s ranking. A good rule of thumb is to keep the number of links around 2-4% of the total word count on a page.

How Does Coding Affect Technical SEO

Coding has a significant impact on how well your website performs from a technical SEO perspective. When coding is done effectively and efficiently, it can help to improve website speed, indexation, and overall user experience.

Well-coded pages are easier for search engines to crawl and index, resulting in improved visibility and ranking. Poorly coded pages can have the opposite effect, causing problems such as duplicate content, crawl errors, and indexing issues.

There are many factors to consider when optimising your website for SEO, but coding should be near the top of the list.

How Does Url Structure Affect Technical SEO

URL structure is an important consideration for technical SEO. The way that your URLs are structured can have a big impact on how easy it is for search engines to crawl and index your content.

The best URL structure for SEO is one that is simple, readable, and includes relevant keywords. You want to avoid dense URL structures that are difficult to understand or include too many parameters.

A well-structured URL will help you rank higher in search results and attract more visitors to your website.

How to Analyse a Website for Technical SEO Issues

There are a variety of ways to analyse a website for potential technical SEO issues. 

One popular method is to use a site audit tool like Screaming Frog or WebSite Auditor. These tools can help identify errors like broken links, missing titles and metatags, and duplicate content. They also help you identify potential problems with page speed and indexing.

Another way to analyse a website is to use Google Search Console. This tool provides information on how your website is performing in Google search results, including how many pages have been indexed, 404 errors, and crawl errors. It also provides information on how your website is performing in terms of mobile usability and search engine optimization.

Finally, you can use Chrome Developer Tools to check for potential coding issues on your website.

How to Resolve Common Technical SEO Issues

Technical SEO issues can be daunting, but they don’t have to be. By running a site audit and addressing any errors you find, you can resolve many common technical SEO issues.

One of the best ways to audit your website is to use a tool like Screaming Frog or Sitebulb. These tools will help you identify any errors on your website that could be impacting your SEO.

Some common errors that you may find include: 404 errors, duplicate content, broken links, and slow page speeds.

Once you’ve identified the errors, it’s important to address them as quickly as possible. This may involve fixing broken links, deleting duplicate content, or optimising your page speeds.

If you’re not sure how to address these errors yourself, there are plenty of resources available online to help you.

Technical SEO is an important part of any website’s success. By following these basic principles will help your website rank higher in search engine results pages, which will result in more website visitors. Remember to use the right keywords, optimise your images, and fix any crawl errors.