This is a short introduction to how to set up technical SEO on a website and things you should be aware of. Technical SEO has grown to being a speciality in its own right. It is distinguished from on-page (content) optimisation. In terms of search engine optimisation workflow, it is considered when planning the site’s hierarchy, setting up or standardising tracking, planning navigation, web performance, conversion, appearing in rich search results, optimising for social media previews plus countless other technical requirements.

DEFINITION OF TECHNICAL SEO – AN INTRODUCTION

Essentially, Technical SEO works to improve the indexing and crawlability of a website to help it rank higher with search engines. It is divided into three generic fields: tracking, search engine indexability, and website performance. In order to ensure the collection of accurate data, it is important to customize and maintain analytics correctly. 

FIRST PHASE OF TECHNICAL SEO:
TRACKING & SET UP

Tracking is fundamental to measure performance and track human visitors. Analytics markups are placed in web page headers. They must be set up correctly and checked on a regular basis. Typically incorrect tracking may double site visits / bounce rates etc to incorrectly associating traffic from a channel to another. It is important to regularly review your tracking to ensure accuracy and to identify any potential issues. Professional tracking services can help to identify and address these issues. Regular tracking is essential for accurate reporting and data insights.

OVERVIEW OF A TECHNICAL SEO AUDIT

As part of any SEO audit, it is important to check website traffic patterns and identify any sudden spikes or drops in traffic. This helps to identify any potential issues that may be causing inaccuracies in the website’s performance. By performing an audit, any issues can be identified and addressed before the website suffers any significant long-term effects. For instance, if a sudden drop in traffic is detected, it could indicate a problem with the website’s infrastructure, heavy pages, un-optimised programming and markup, and images, broken links, duplicate and orphan pages, or a malware attack, that needs to be corrected quickly. 

Technical audits also find that tracking may not have been set up correctly, so what appears to be a disastrous site on paper, actually is a good once, or vice versa. Quite often deeper audits may find there is little to low demand, or the website was launched on a trend that has since declined and a new approach to business needs to be taken.

Although an audit can help to identify potential issues, it is not the only factor that should be considered when evaluating a website’s performance. Other factors that should also be taken into account include the quality of the content, the uniqueness of the content, and the user experience. Ultimately, a successful website should be regularly monitored and adjusted to ensure optimal performance.

ANALYTICS & SEARCH CONSOLE SET UP

Part of technical SEO in Google Analytics includes defining traffic (paid and unpaid). Examples include paid social media traffic (e.g. Instagram and Facebook) or from inbound platforms like HubSpot. It is imperative to separate organic and paid for posts to gauge success, otherwise they are all bunched together in analytics dashboards. This allows marketers and SEO professionals to accurately measure the true impact of their campaigns. It also helps to identify areas of focus for future marketing efforts. Finally, it enables businesses to make informed decisions about their marketing budgets. 

Knowing the difference between organic and paid posts also helps to identify whether certain campaigns are effective or not. This information can be used to adjust future campaigns accordingly. Additionally, it can provide valuable insights into customer behavior and preferences. For instance, by analyzing the number of likes, comments, and shares on an organic post, a business can determine which topics are resonating with their audience. However, paid posts can also provide valuable data, such as information on the cost of reaching a particular audience. This information can help businesses to determine the most cost-effective way to market their products and services. In sum, both organic and paid posts can provide valuable data that can help businesses optimize their marketing.

Typically a professional will set up Google Analytics to track priority traffic for certain channels, elimination of spam and bot traffic etc. They may choose the option of setting up more advanced tracking in Google Tag Manager (e.g: page scroll down rates). 

I advise seeking external assistance rather than trying it on your own. Doing so can save you time and money in the long run. Professional and experienced help can ensure your tracking is properly set up and configured for optimal performance. Additionally, they will be able to provide valuable insights that can help you optimise your website. For example, an experienced Google Analytics consultant will be able to quickly identify areas for improvement and provide recommendations that will help your website reach its full potential.

Usually a professional will configure Google Search Console (Webmaster Tools) with all the different websites (http, http://www, https://, https://www) and set how the domain will appear in search engines e.g: https://domain.com vs. https://www.domain.com. I bet you that in the majority of instances the latter has not taken place ;D. Therefore, it is essential to properly configure Google Search Console for all domains to ensure the best SEO results.

SECOND PHASE: TECHNICAL SEO
INDEXING, CRAWLING OPTIMISATION

Indexing requires that a web page has certain commands given to a search engine when crawling your website pages. These are included in a page’s header. Examples include if you wish for that page to be indexed, what language the site is in, the character coding, breadcrumbs, if a page is a duplicate (canonicalisation) and other schema (address, contact details etc). These commands are read by search engines and are used to determine what the page is about and how it should be indexed in the search results. 

The other elements exist on your server in different files. A sitemap tells a search engine what pages to index or not, for example robots.txt. They are useful for security and protecting sensitive URLs (e.g: login pages, download files). 

THIRD PHASE: TECHNICAL SEO
WEBSITE PERFORMANCE

Websites must be mobile friendly, fast and secure. The search engines Google and BING have various guidelines to aid technical SEO professionals and webmasters. Since July 2018 websites are ranked for how they perform for mobile users first and perform with core web vitals and other performance metrics.

Now a website must have a mobile version of the site or a very effective responsive site that loads quickly. It should also be secure. This means it should be encrypted, typically using HTTPS which was an e-commerce standard, but has now become a standard for all websites. For example, Google now penalizes websites that don’t meet its security requirements, such as not using HTTPS, in its search rankings. Even if it does not penalise in the ‘rankings’ it does disuade the user to click through with a ‘security warning’ .

An Overview of Technical SEO Conclusion

By following the three phases outlined in this blog post – tracking and setup, indexing and crawling optimisation, and website performance – you can ensure that your website is foundationally sound and ready to be discovered by search engines and users alike.

Remember, technical SEO is just one piece of the SEO puzzle and what is outlined above is just the basic aspects. Technical SEO does not work in isolation. You should focus on creating high-quality, informative content that is relevant to your target audience – on page optimisation. Additionally, building backlinks to your website from other reputable websites can also help to improve your search ranking – off-page optimisation.

Here are some final takeaways to keep in mind:

  • Regular monitoring and maintenance are crucial. Technical SEO is not a one-time fix. You should regularly monitor your website for any issues and make necessary adjustments as needed. I would recommend 2-3 times a month to view search console. I recommend running technical audits (Screaming Frog) on a monthly basis to catch any high impact and quick to fix errors.
  • Seek peer help if needed. There are many technical SEO specialists who offer advice to others, especially on X (Twitter) and less so on LinkedIn. This can be a wise investment with time, especially if you are not familiar with more advanced technical SEO best practices.
  • Stay up-to-date on the latest trends. The search engine algorithms are constantly changing, so it is important to stay up-to-date on the latest trends in technical SEO. Search console regularly gets updated and some functionality disappears too.
A. Leaton
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Published by A. Leaton

Over 12 years’ experience in diverse digital marketing settings within international start-up and corporate environments. Proven ability to deliver conversion and traffic uplift results through hands-on execution of multilingual and international SEO, email, content, social media, PPC, broadsheet PR, web-development, email marketing, and CRM strategies and campaigns.