BOOST YOUR ONLINE PRESENCE In 2020 BY IMPLEMENTING THESE PROVEN TECHNICAL SEO TIPS FOR BEGINNERS.
In today’s digital world, optimising for search engine results is a key aspect of getting seen.
You may understand the basics of SEO, such as keyword research, link-building and user functionality. However, if you want to see a significant increase in site traffic, you need to get technical.
Discover everything you need to know about technical SEO and how to successfully implement the elements into your digital marketing strategy.
What does technical SEO mean?
Unlike normal SEO, technical SEO doesn’t have anything to do with the actual content of the website or with its promotion. The main purpose of technical SEO is to help search engines seamlessly crawl and index your website.
It’s the process of optimising the infrastructure of a website. As your website grows, the architecture has to adapt accordingly. The requirements for technical SEO are constantly changing and becoming increasingly more complex as search engines get more sophisticated.
The elements of technical SEO need constant refinement, so you must stay proactive with your website maintenance.
Proven technical SEO tips for beginners
Reduce site load time
Slow-loading websites are a killer to business. If a customer needs a quick solution, they don’t want to wait a considerable amount of time for your website to open. In fact, over 40% of users have abandoned a site because of slow loading times.
Google uses your bounce rate as a ranking factor. So, if people are constantly hitting the back button, you’re going to compromise your online visibility.
Ideally, it shouldn’t take more than 3 seconds to load on mobile devices and under 2 seconds on a desktop.
To tick this element of technical SEO, consider:·
• Compressing images
• Optimising files
• Browser caching
• Removing unused scripts, files and plugins
If you need a hand doing this, give us a nudge.
Eliminate duplicate content
If your website has duplicate content on different pages, Google won’t know which one to rank first. Even if you have a series of location-based landing pages, it’s still important to make the content unique.
If you can’t avoid duplicate content, you’ll need to add a rel=”canonical” link to one of the pages to let the search engines know which page you want them to prioritise in search results.
Organise your website
The structure and navigation are essential elements of technical SEO. However, if your website isn’t built to accommodate these things, your ranking and traffic could be affected.
All your pages need to link to one another in an organised and structured way which makes it easy for both the visitor and search engines to understand.
It’s a matter of optimising the user experience (UX) and giving Google a clearer way of crawling and indexing your website. This includes adding buttons in optimum places which link to other parts of your website. You should avoid hiding pages.
Get rich snippets
Rich snippets are a real key element of improving your technical SEO.
You’ll see a rich snippet when you type in a recipe, news story or review on Google.
With a rich snippet, you’ll often see more information regarding the page content, a rating and an image. If you type in “chocolate brownie recipe” on Google, you’ll see the difference between a normal snippet and a rich one.
To create rich snippets, you need to add structured data to your website. Structured data is a piece of code in a specific format. It’s written in a way that makes it simple for search engines to read.
You can either use Google markup helper to guide you through the process or speak to our technical SEO specialist at Design in the Shires.
Apply SSL
SSL, otherwise known as Secure Sockets Layer, is a security protocol used to establish encrypted links between a browser and a web server.
Without a security certificate installed on your website, there’s a good chance Google Chrome and other browsers may deem your website as “Not Secure”. This can severely impact traffic, bounce rates and generating new business.
It’s a particularly important element of technical SEO for e-commerce websites who need to safeguard credit card or payment credentials and personal information.
To fix this, simply install a security certificate on your website domain and migrate your website to HTTPS.
Search for 404s, broken pages and links
If you’re linking to other websites in your content and blogs, make sure the links are still live. If they lead to a 404 page, it’s vital to either update the link or set up a 301-redirect page to send the visitor to a new page.
When you have a broken page, Google can’t crawl it and your search ranking will be impacted. To make matters worse, if you or external sources have linked to the broken page, you’ll lose the authority you had.
The best way to identify these errors is to conduct a thorough technical SEO site audit.
Claim your free technical SEO audit
One of the best ways to work out whether your website is performing at an optimum level is to conduct a technical SEO audit.
At Design in the Shires, we’ve helped many Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire based businesses with their SEO.
For no cost at all, we can provide bespoke feedback and tips on how to optimise your website and maximise your company’s online presence within the local community.
To claim your free technical SEO audit, get in touch with Design in the Shires today.
