Technical SEO refers to the back-end optimization of websites designed to ensure search engine crawlability and indexation by search engines, such as improving site speed, implementing structured data structures and fixing broken links or images. While on-page SEO typically centers around keyword research and content writing, technical SEO provides essential foundation for any successful SEO campaign.
Technical optimizations often require assistance from web developers or software, especially for sites with complex architecture or server configurations. As a result, many companies opt for full-service digital marketing agencies which can assist in all aspects of SEO campaigns, including technical optimizations.
What Is a Technical SEO Audit? A technical SEO audit is a critical first step in any comprehensive SEO campaign, since other activities like on-page optimization and link building become ineffective if a site’s technical issues prevent search engines from crawling and rendering pages correctly in search engine results pages (SERPs). Technical SEO audits typically cover both on-page and off-page factors as part of their analysis.
Technical SEO addresses any coding errors which negatively impact a website’s crawlability or search engine rankings, such as lengthy page titles, missing metadata fields or broken image alt text.
Technical SEO efforts focus on increasing a website’s crawlability and indexability, with site structure and hierarchy playing a vital role. Visitors rely on an easy navigational system for locating content they seek; search engines utilize an organized hierarchy to understand relationships among pages on a site.
At the core of technical SEO is optimizing a site’s URL syntax. This involves using appropriate heading tags (H1, H2) as well as making sure relevant keywords appear within each URL itself, while canonicals help avoid duplicate content issues that could compromise rankings, brand cannibalization or reduce backlinks.
Technical SEO efforts involve the implementation of structured data and conducting an in-depth link audit. Structured data uses markup languages like schema to structure your data for easier search engine indexation and more helpful snippets in search results.
On-page and technical SEO may appear to be two separate processes; however, they are intimately intertwined. To develop an effective SEO strategy, your team must have expertise in both on-page and technical optimization techniques.