Top 7 Technical SEO Issues (And How To Fix Them)
Technical search engine optimization (SEO) is about improving search engine indexing to improve organic search rankings. Observing technical SEO makes websites discoverable, especially for people looking for specific information, products, or services.
An experienced Chicago technical SEO agency focuses on various site tech concerns but is particular about these seven issues:
- Slow page loading speeds
- Incorrect site indexing
- Duplicate content
- Lack of XML sitemap
- Non-optimized metadata
- Not optimized for mobile
- Broken links
This article delves into the details. Let’s go!
Watch this video to learn how Digital Authority Partners tackles Technical SEO!
1. Slow Page Loading Speeds
When a website takes too long to load, it is also slow to respond to user requests, which can not only negatively affect the user’s experience but also engagement, and search engine rankings. Technical SEO can help improve website loading times by optimizing various technical aspects. Some technical SEO fixes that can help improve website loading times include:
- optimizing images for web use, including resizing and compressing them to reduce size;
- minimizing HTTP requests, since too many requests can slow down website loading times;
- reducing the number of plugins and scripts and using a content delivery network (CDN) to distribute content across multiple servers;
- using browser caching so a website doesn't have to reload each time the user visits;
- reducing server response time by using a faster web hosting provider;
- minimizing CSS and JavaScript files;
- using a fast website theme by choosing lightweight themes that are optimized for speed.
2. Incorrect Site Indexing
Incorrect site indexing is when a search engine fails to crawl and index some or all of a website’s pages. This can be a significant issue, leading to a loss of traffic and potential customers. Technical SEO can help fix this by addressing crawling issues.
These are ways technical SEO can improve incorrect site indexing.
- Check the robots.txt file to instruct search engine crawlers which pages should be indexed and excluded.
- Check duplicate content that appears on multiple pages of a website or different websites (more on this later).
- Optimize website structure by using clear and descriptive URLs, creating a sitemap, and optimizing the website's navigation.
- Check and fix crawl errors on the website.
3. Duplicate Content
Duplicate content appears on multiple pages of a website or different websites. This could be an issue for search engines, confusing them and making it difficult to determine which page should rank higher for a search query.
Marketers can fix duplicate content issues using the following technical SEO strategies:
- Consolidating duplicate content and deciding whether to remove it or place it on a single page.
- Using canonical tags as signals to search engines about which pages should be indexed and ranked for a given content.
- Implementing 301 redirects to redirect traffic from the duplicate pages to the original page.
- Using meta tags to provide additional information about a webpage to search engines and reduce duplicate issues.
4. Lack of XML Sitemap
An XML sitemap is a file that lists all the pages of a website and provides information about each one. It could be information about its recent update, how often it changes, and its priority on the website. The XML sitemap helps search engines efficiently crawl and index the website's pages. An experienced technical SEO partner will
- add an XML sitemap;
- generate an XML sitemap using tools such as Yoast SEO and Google XML Sitemaps;
- Validate the XML sitemap through tools such as the W3C Markup Validation Service or the XML Sitemap Validator;
- submit the XML sitemap to search engines, like adding it to Google Search Console for Google and to Bing Webmaster Tools for Bing;
- updating the XML sitemap for new pages or existing pages.
5. Non-Optimized Metadata
Metadata are HTML tags that provide information about a webpage to search engines and site visitors. The two most important meta tags are the title and the meta description. Non-optimized metadata is what you have when the meta tags on a webpage are not optimized for search engines. These metatags do not effectively communicate the page's content to search engine crawlers and visitors.
Marketers can use technical SEO strategies to fix non-optimized metadata, crawling, and description issues. They
- conduct keyword research to identify keywords relevant to the web page's content and users;
- optimize the title tag by including the primary keyword and accurately describing the page's content.
- observe the correct title length, which is 60 characters;
- improve the meta description tag by adding the primary keyword and briefly describing the page's content. The meta description tag must not exceed 155 characters;
- ensure unique tags for each page accurately reflect the content of the page.
6. Not Optimized for Mobile
When a website is not mobile-friendly, its layout, design, and functionality may not provide an optimal user experience for mobile device visitors. This can lead to a high bounce rate, decreased engagement, and lost optimization opportunities.
By partnering with a technical SEO consultant, businesses can optimize their websites for mobile. Experts use the following tactics:
- Use a responsive site design so the website automatically adjusts its layout and design to fit varying screen sizes
- Optimizing site structure for mobile devices by simplifying the navigation menu and ensuring the site's content is easy to find and read on mobile devices
- Improving content for mobile use by making shorter paragraphs, employing larger font sizes and incorporating more visuals and multimedia formats to engage mobile users
7. Broken Links
Broken links or dead links point to a page that has not existed or has been moved or deleted. Having broken links can negatively affect the user experience because customers expect to find the information they need on the web page they click on.
If a potential customer cannot locate the product or services they need, they may leave a negative review and damage the site's reputation. Eventually, broken backlinks can damage search engine rankings. Marketers can fix broken links through these technical SEO strategies.
- Identifying broken links using tools like Google Search Console, Ahrefs, or Broken Link Checker
- Fixing broken links by updating the links to point to the correct page or redirecting the links to a relevant page
- Removing outdated content that contains broken links.
- Monitoring broken links and promptly fixing them after discovering them.
Summing Up
Fixing these top seven technical SEO issues can improve site indexing, web page indexing, and ranking. With an optimized site, you are ready to change search engine algorithms and prepared for any problems affecting site security.
Find out how technical SEO can improve your website's performance and rankings. Partner with an expert Chicago technical SEO agency today. Call Digital Authority Partners now.
Want To Meet Our Expert Team?
Book a meeting directly here
Related Articles
The power of a good website is not to be underestimated. With almost everyone owning a computer or smartphone and hav...
Remember how competitive it felt when applying to law school? Practicing law, especially in the personal injury space...
Content Marketing for Personal Injury Law Firms From a Fractional CMO Content rules the digital world and can be a po...
