On-Site Technical SEO Factors That Matter

Every business wants its website to rank higher than its competitors. But this can be hard when a website has issues with its core SEO metrics like organic visibility and traffic.

When it comes to ranking high on the SERPs, technical SEO is an aspect that you need to look into in great detail. On-page technical SEO is where many businesses have room for improvement. Technical SEO can be loosely defined as the architectural model of a website.

If a website's technical SEO is poorly optimized, it can lead to problems with search engines' crawlability, keyword ranking, and even user experience. The good news is that improving all of these factors is entirely within reach and can be done with a little bit of effort.

Let's move ahead and find out how to check and improve on-site technical SEO factors.

The Importance of Technical SEO for Business Growth

Technical SEO is not just a buzzword; it's a fundamental aspect of your online strategy. In today's digital landscape, having a well-optimized website can make all the difference in achieving significant growth. When your technical SEO is on point, you enhance your site's visibility, making it easier for potential customers to find you. This leads to increased organic traffic and, ultimately, higher conversion rates.

Here is the List of 9 Top On-Site Technical SEO Factors

1. Building a Detailed XML Sitemap

The sitemap is a critical part of your website's framework that is required by search engines. Simply put, an XML sitemap acts like the table of contents for your entire website. It has important information about it, like metadata, last updated, last changed, and other information. This is what search engine bots use to navigate and update data from your website.

The sitemap works like a "recommended" list of links to index on your website. Ensure that all important URLs are included in your sitemap. Always make sure that you update your sitemap, especially after adding new content.

For a large website, it is optimal to split the sitemap files into multiple files, each containing unique information. Include an index file when you have multiple sitemaps, so there is no data loss. Ensure you submit the sitemap through Google Search Console, which can highlight errors, if any.

2. Ensuring Website Is Mobile-Responsive

Another huge factor when it comes to modern SEO rankings is mobile friendliness. Considering that most of the online traffic consists of mobile devices, this is hardly surprising. Google has stated that mobile-first websites have the edge when it comes to rankings across all domains.

A key factor of mobile-friendly websites is that they can adapt to different display sizes. Websites should use responsive frameworks like Bootstrap that can adjust dynamically to different display environments. The key here is to approach web design and development with a mobile-first strategy.

Ensure that all the interactive elements on the page, like CTAs, buttons, and other links, are sized properly so users don't misclick them. All images and videos should be compressed to ensure quick loading and no delay. It is important to choose the correct font size so that the text is readable even on a smaller screen. Following these best practices, as emphasized by Live Web Media, helps create a smoother and more engaging user experience.

3. Implementing Structured Data

Structured data can be explained as a specific format for providing and classifying information about a webpage. Search engines don't speak the same language as us, so we use structured data to ensure the content on a page is accurately translated. If you take the example of a recipe, the search engine has no way to distinguish between cooking time and quantity.

Using structured data, you can assign which is which, so there is no confusion when displaying the information in other formats, for example, snippets. The best method to create structured data is using schema.org to generate the vocabulary for your markup.

Ensure that you implement this type of structure on key pages like products, articles, and guides. Exhaustively test this using Google's Rich Results Test to see how it will be displayed to users. For navigation, add breadcrumb structured data, which makes it easier for search engines to categorize. Ensure that structured data is accurate and updated as best as possible.

4. Creating Clean and Logical URL Structure

The URL slug is where a lot of SEO rankings are won. The goal here is to keep it simple for both users to understand and search engines to crawl. There are some pointers to remember when creating URLs for websites. First and foremost, ensure that it is readable by a human. It should be short, descriptive, and not filled with jargon.

Don't fill it with unnecessary parameters and numbers, which can complicate it. URLs should have a logical hierarchy that aligns with the structure of the website. URLs should only be used with lowercase letters and should not have stop words.

Avoid adding session IDs to URLs, as this can cause confusion when linking or sharing. It is important to have static URLs instead of dynamic ones. The use of hyphens should be the standard when you want to separate words and not underscores.

5. Fixing Crawling and Indexing Issues

When it comes to getting a website or webpage onto searches, two main operations have to take place. First, the website has to be "crawled through" or discovered by search engine bots. Then it is added to the massive database of websites by "indexing" it. Only after both processes are done will a website display in searches.

Crawling and indexing issues are one of the most common areas that hold back websites from high SEO metrics. The first step to validating this should be to check the Google Search Console Coverage report. It can give users insights into where issues crop up. Ensure that your robots.txt file is verified and updated.

Ensure that you resolve all 4xx and 5xx type errors, including soft 404s, to improve SEO scores. At Live Web Media, we recommend checking for redirect chains and loops in your website and eliminating them. For deleted content and moved pages, use 301 redirects to ensure you don't lose SEO strength for the content.

6. Auditing and Optimizing Core Web Vitals

The single most important part of technical SEO is easily about a website's Core Web Vitals. Like its namesake, it consists of several important factors that affect a website's SEO metrics. Important vitals like Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), and Interaction To Next Paint (INP) need to be considered.

When it comes to benchmarks, LCP refers to the "main" section of the web page to fully display to the user. Ideally, it needs to be under 2.5 seconds. CLS quantifies how much of the on-page content shifts during the lifespan of the page. An example for this - a user tries to click a button in a specific place that has shifted after a specific event, like scrolling or new elements loading in.

This is denoted as a score, and the lower the score, the better. A score of 0.1 or below is considered ideal. INP measures all the time taken for all user interactions on a page as long as it is alive. The goal for a good website is to be below 200 milliseconds.

7. Using Canonical Tags to Resolve Duplicate Content

On large websites or websites where content is updated frequently, there might be instances where a page is duplicated. When this happens, one solution is to assign canonical tags to them. Canonical tags assign a "preferred" page as the original and the rest of them as copies.

What is important to note is that using canonical tags ensures there are no penalties for duplicate content. With duplicated content not using the canonical tag, the link equity can get diluted, and backlinks can get split. It also results in indexation bloat, where search engine bots choose the wrong version to index.

Adding the canonical tag to all page versions can prevent this from happening. Ensure that you always point to the preferred, canonical URL so indexing is straightforward. Avoid canonicalization of pages with completely different subjects. Check for canonicalization issues on Google Search Console and fix them as early as possible.

8. Creating Compelling Titles and Meta Descriptions

While these might not be technical in the strict sense, they help to optimize website headings and meta descriptions. Ensure that primary keywords are added at the beginning of the title and in the first part of the description. This is not a hard rule - so avoid keyword stuffing at all costs. The length of the title should be less than 60 characters for optimal display on searches.

The length of the meta descriptions should also be fewer than 160 characters. To make the maximum impact, create unique meta titles and descriptions for each page on the website. It is vital that the average user can understand the value proposition you're offering them.

To make it more appealing, use the active voice along with compelling language. On webpage titles, remember to include the brand name at the end, following a separator like a "|" symbol. Check and verify that page descriptions and titles match the content.

9. Securing Websites With HTTPS

User security is a very real issue today with the number of threats and bad actors on the internet. While HTTP has been a foundation part of the internet, it has been superseded by the more secure HTTPS protocol. HTTPS uses a more robust security protocol called SSL to ensure data security and convenience.

Since 2014, HTTPS has been one of the primary ranking signals. But even today, there are many websites that still haven't made the transition. Ignoring HTTPS can put any website at a disadvantage, something you should consider when competition is so high. Ensure that the SSL/TLS certification purchased is from a trusted source.

If a website is already on HTTP, implementing a complete 301 redirect to HTTPS can solve the issue. Also, ensure that all internal links have been changed to HTTPS to avoid linking to the older pages. Keep your SSL certification valid and make sure that it does not expire.

Technical SEO Factors - FAQs

1. Do I Have to Keep Working on Technical SEO for My Website?

Yes, technical SEO is not a "one and done" task; you need to keep regularly auditing your website for errors and improvements. Adding pages, content, and other changes means new errors that you need to fix.

2. What Would Be the Single Most Important Factor for Technical SEO?

While there are many factors that are aligned with technical SEO, the most important are crawlability and indexability. Ensure that your robots.txt file is up to date and your sitemap is verified.

3. How Important Are Core Web Vitals for SEO?

Core Web Vitals are pivotal to SEO success because they directly affect SERPs. But that said, they also considerably impact user experience and conversion rates, both of which are critical for SEO in their own right.

Key Takeaways

• Audit Core Web Vitals consistently, so there are no errors, and it remains fast and user-friendly.

• Focus on creating a mobile-first approach to ensure maximum compatibility with the majority of users.

• Implement structured data to enhance visibility on search results and better rich snippets.

• Ensure the URLs are easy to read and logical, which can help both users and search engines.

• Resolve crawl and indexing errors for improved SEO - tools like Screaming Frog can help.

• Create a secure website experience by opting for HTTPS, which is also a direct ranking factor.

  
  

By following these technical SEO factors, you can transform your website into a powerful tool for growth. Don't let technical issues hold you back. Embrace these strategies and watch your online presence soar!