Technical SEO sounds like a daunting, expert-level topic, but at its core, it’s just the “behind-the-scenes” work that makes your website function correctly for search engines. Think of your website as a house: on-page SEO is the furniture and decor (your content), but technical SEO is the foundation, plumbing, and electrical wiring. If your foundation is weak, it doesn’t matter how beautiful your furniture is—the house won’t stand. For a local business, a strong technical foundation is crucial for ensuring search engines can find, understand, and rank your website for local queries. This guide will break down the essential technical SEO concepts into simple, actionable steps that anyone can follow.
What is Technical SEO?
Technical SEO is the process of optimizing your website’s infrastructure to help search engines crawl and index your site more effectively. It’s all about improving the technical aspects of your site to meet the standards of modern search engines. By getting these fundamentals right, you ensure your content has the best possible chance of ranking well and reaching your audience.
Your Technical SEO Checklist for the Average Joe
1. Website Speed and Performance (Core Web Vitals)
Google has made it clear that website speed is a critical ranking factor. A slow website frustrates users and can lead to higher bounce rates. This is measured by Core Web Vitals, which assess your site’s loading, interactivity, and visual stability.
- What you need to know: Your website should load quickly, respond instantly to user actions, and be visually stable.
- What to do: Use free tools like Google Page Speed Insights to test your site. If your score is low, start by compressing your images and talking to your web developer or hosting company about improving your site’s performance.
2. Mobile-Friendliness
With the majority of web traffic now coming from mobile devices, having a website that looks and functions perfectly on a smartphone is no longer an option—it’s a requirement.
- What you need to know: Google uses a “mobile-first” indexing approach, meaning it primarily uses the mobile version of your site for indexing and ranking.
- What to do: Use the Google Mobile-Friendly Test tool to check your site. Ensure your design is “responsive,” meaning it automatically adjusts to any screen size.
3. Site Structure and Navigation
A well-structured website is easy for both users and search engines to navigate. It helps search engines understand the relationship between different pages on your site.
- What you need to know: Your website should have a clear, logical hierarchy, like a flow chart. Your homepage should link to your main service categories, which should then link to your individual service pages.
- What to do: Use internal links to connect relevant pages on your site. This helps search engines discover new content and passes “link authority” throughout your site.
4. HTTPS (SSL Certificate)
An SSL certificate encrypts the connection between a user’s browser and your website, protecting their data.
- What you need to know: HTTPS is a security measure and a minor ranking signal. Sites without an SSL certificate are flagged as “Not Secure” in many browsers, which can harm user trust and your brand reputation.
- What to do: Ensure your website’s URL starts with
https://instead ofhttp://. If it doesn’t, contact your hosting provider to install an SSL certificate.
5. XML Sitemap and Robots.txt
These two simple files help you communicate with search engines.
- What you need to know: A sitemap is like a roadmap for your website, listing all the important pages you want search engines to crawl. A robots.txt file is a “traffic cop” that tells search engines which pages they are allowed to crawl.
- What to do: Use Google Search Console to submit your sitemap. This ensures Google knows about all your important pages. You can also use it to check your robots.txt file and ensure you aren’t accidentally blocking pages you want to rank.
Q&A: Answering Your Questions
Q: Do I need to worry about technical SEO as a small business?
A: Yes. While it may seem complicated, getting the technical basics right is crucial. A technically sound website is a prerequisite for all other SEO efforts. Your Local SEO efforts—like optimizing your Google Business Profile—will not be as effective if your website is slow, not mobile-friendly, or difficult for search engines to crawl.
Q: Can I do this technical SEO work myself?
A: You can do most of it yourself with the help of free tools like Google Search Console. While some advanced issues may require a web developer, checking your site speed, mobile-friendliness, and submitting a sitemap are things the average person can easily accomplish.
Q: How often should I check my technical SEO?
A: You don’t need to do a full technical audit every week. A good practice is to check your website’s health, site speed, and mobile-friendliness in Google Search Console once a month. Pay attention to any warnings or errors that Google reports, as these can directly impact your rankings.