Technical SEO Checklist: Fixing Errors That Hurt Your Rankings
Technical SEO plays a crucial role in improving your website’s visibility on search engines. Even if your content is well-optimised, technical issues can prevent search engines from properly crawling and indexing your site. Addressing these errors ensures a seamless user experience and boosts rankings. Here’s a comprehensive technical SEO checklist to help fix common issues that may be hurting your rankings.
1. Check and Fix Crawl Errors
Search engines rely on bots to crawl your website. If they encounter errors, your pages may not be indexed properly. Use Google Search Console to check for crawl errors such as:
- 404 errors – Broken links that lead to non-existent pages.
- 500 server errors – Issues with server response that hinder accessibility.
- Redirect loops – When multiple redirects create an endless loop, preventing the page from loading.
Fix broken links, ensure redirects are correctly set up, and resolve server-related issues to maintain crawlability.
2. Optimise Website Speed
Page speed is a crucial ranking factor. A slow-loading site leads to higher bounce rates and poor user experience. To improve speed:
- Use a content delivery network (CDN) for faster load times.
- Compress images and enable lazy loading.
- Minify CSS, JavaScript, and HTML files.
- Leverage browser caching.
Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool can help identify speed-related issues.
3. Ensure Mobile-Friendliness
With Google’s mobile-first indexing, a mobile-friendly website is essential. Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to check responsiveness. Ensure:
- A responsive design that adapts to all screen sizes.
- Readable fonts and properly spaced buttons.
- Fast-loading pages with optimised images.
4. Fix Duplicate Content Issues
Duplicate content confuses search engines and may result in ranking penalties. To prevent this:
- Use canonical tags to point to the original version of a page.
- Avoid publishing the same content across multiple pages.
- Implement 301 redirects for duplicate URLs.
5. Improve Internal Linking Structure
A well-structured internal linking strategy improves navigation and distributes link equity across your site. Best practices include:
- Linking to relevant pages using descriptive anchor text.
- Avoiding orphan pages (pages without any internal links).
- Ensuring a logical site hierarchy.
For professional assistance, consider SEO services in Sydney to enhance your website’s structure.
6. Secure Your Website with HTTPS
Google prioritises secure websites. If your site is still using HTTP, it’s time to switch to HTTPS. An SSL certificate encrypts data, improving security and trustworthiness.
7. Optimise Your XML Sitemap and Robots.txt File
An XML sitemap helps search engines discover and index your pages. Ensure your sitemap is:
- Up-to-date with your latest pages.
- Submitted to Google Search Console.
Similarly, check your robots.txt file to ensure it doesn’t block important pages from being indexed.
8. Fix Structured Data Errors
Structured data (schema markup) helps search engines understand your content better. Use Google’s Rich Results Test to check for errors and ensure your schema is correctly implemented.
Final Thoughts
A technically sound website lays the foundation for better rankings and user experience. Regularly auditing your site and addressing technical issues can significantly improve your SEO performance. If you need expert assistance, explore SEO services near me to optimise your site effectively.
For the best SEO services in Sydney, partner with professionals who can ensure your site is free from technical issues that hinder growth.
The author is an SEO expert specialising in results-driven digital marketing strategies. With a focus on SEO optimisation, Google Ads, and content marketing, they help businesses enhance their online visibility and drive organic growth. Visit https://www.topseosydney.com.au/seo-services/ for more details.
