Technical SEO is the foundation of all search engine optimization. If Googlebot cannot properly crawl, render, and index your site, nothing else matters.
1. Crawlability
Check your robots.txt is not blocking important pages. Use Google Search Console to identify crawl errors and blocked resources.
2. XML Sitemap
Submit a clean, error-free XML sitemap to Google Search Console. Include all important pages, exclude thin content, and update it when you publish new content.
3. Page Speed
Google uses Core Web Vitals as a ranking factor. Aim for LCP under 2.5s, FID under 100ms, and CLS under 0.1. Use PageSpeed Insights to identify issues.
4. Mobile Responsiveness
Over 60% of searches happen on mobile. Test your site with Google Mobile-Friendly Test. Fix touch target sizes, font readability, and viewport configuration.
5. HTTPS and Security
Ensure your site uses HTTPS with a valid SSL certificate. Mixed content warnings (HTTP resources on HTTPS pages) can prevent proper indexing.
6. Canonical URLs
Use canonical tags to prevent duplicate content issues. Every page should have a self-referencing canonical or point to the preferred version.
7. Structured Data
Implement JSON-LD structured data for breadcrumbs, articles, products, FAQs, and local business. This enables rich results in search.
8. Broken Links
Regularly audit for 404 errors. Fix or redirect broken internal links and fix external links pointing to dead pages.
9. Heading Hierarchy
Use one H1 per page, followed by H2s for sections, H3s for subsections. Never skip heading levels or use headings purely for styling.
10. Image Optimization
Use descriptive filenames, alt text, and modern formats (WebP). Compress images without quality loss. Implement lazy loading for below-fold images.
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