Technical SEO Checklist - 13 Proven Tips to Optimize Your Website

Muhammad Usama bin ALI

24-08-2024

Technical SEO Checklist - 13 Proven Tips to Optimize Your Website

Some websites effortlessly come to the top of search results while others lag. While some websites are struggling to rank on the keywords even if they are working hard on their off-page and on-page optimization. Do you want to know why?

Technical SEO is the secret sauce behind all this. Yes – you have heard right there may be higher chances your website is lacking in technical SEO. It might seem overwhelming, but it’s essential for ensuring your website performs at its best for technical SEO. 

Technical SEO is just like the backbone of your site—it covers everything from speed to security. In fact, it makes sure search engines can easily crawl and index your content. A solid technical SEO strategy doesn’t just boost your rankings; it also improves your site’s overall performance and user experience. 

Now, if you are ready to fine-tune your site’s technical setup then stay tuned with us. We’ll walk you through the essentials of technical SEO, breaking down each component to make it as clear as a sunny day.

What is Technical SEO?

what-is-technical-seo

In Technical SEO, we focus on the optimization of the technical aspects of a website. This helps us to improve the performance and visibility of our website in the search engines. If we want to rank our website properly then all aspects of SEO should be considered. If any one of them is not done carefully then it may affect the ranking of our website. 

You know what? Out of all aspects, the list of Technical SEO tasks is on the top due to their great significance.

Technical SEO refers to optimizing your site’s infrastructure and backend elements. This includes improving site speed, ensuring mobile-friendliness, enhancing security, allowing indexing, setting crawl budget, and so on.

When you meet all the technical requirements, you will see faster the search engine will crawl and index your site. Otherwise, your site will not be able to rank or be visible in the first place.

Core Components of Technical SEO

core-components-of-technical-seo

The foundation of strong technical SEO lies in completing all its essential components. It includes each element from site structure to speed optimization. All of these things play a significant role in enhancing your site’s performance and visibility.

Now we will explain every component one by one to for more clarity.

Website Structure and Architecture

website-structure-meme-seo

A clear website structure is a basic need for both users and search engines. Therefore, it is necessary for you to organize your site into a logical hierarchy with intuitive navigation. When you complete this process you will see how rapidly search engines crawl and index your pages. 

Crawling and Indexing

crawling-indexing-meme-seo

Crawling simply means search engine bots visit your page. Indexing is the process in which search engines store and retrieve your website pages. If you want to streamline the crawling and indexing process then you need to ensure your robots.txt file and XML sitemaps are configured correctly. 

URL Structure

website-speed-optimization-meme-seo

The above picture shows you two types of URLs. One of them is correct and the other one is not. Have you noticed the mistake in the wrong URL? 

The correct one contains clean and descriptive words. Proper hyphens are used to separate words and avoid unnecessary parameters. This is an example of a well-structured URL that helps both users and search engines understand your content. So you all need to follow this pattern of URLs to avoid any inconvenience. 

Site Speed Optimization

Page speed impacts user experience and search rankings. Use tools to analyze and improve your site’s load time by optimizing images, scripts, and server response. Site speed is a crucial element of your SEO technical checklist.

Mobile-Friendliness

mobile-responsiveness-in-seo

It is very important for you to ensure your site is responsive and offers a good experience on mobile devices. Keep noting that mobile-friendliness affects search engine rankings and user satisfaction. Therefore, it is recommended to check regularly your site’s mobile performance as part of your technical SEO tasks.

HTTPS and Site Security

https-in-seo

You have definitely heard all SEO experts saying, “Switch to HTTPS to secure your site and protect user data”. This is because HTTPS is a ranking factor and enhances user trust. 

So to save your site from any bug or hacking attack you should verify that all pages on your site use HTTPS. This is really important for your site security so never neglect this factor.

Structured Data and Schema Markup

schema-markup-seo

It is worth mentioning that the use of schema markup helps search engines understand your content better. 

This is because structured data can enhance search results with rich snippets. Moreover, make sure to follow the SEO technical checklist to confirm that structured data is correctly implemented.

Canonicalization

canonical-tags-in-seo

Canonical tags prevent duplicate content issues by specifying the preferred page version. However, proper use of canonical tags is essential for maintaining a clean and indexable site. Therefore, always double-check your canonical tags as part of your SEO technical checklist.

XML Sitemaps

xml-sitemap-seo

XML sitemaps act as a roadmap for search engines. It is because it contains all the pages of your site. Therefore, it is very important to keep your sitemap updated and submit it to search engines regularly. This will tell search engines that you are carefully updating your content and sitemap. 

Internal Linking

internal-linking-seo

You know Internal links help distribute page authority and improve site navigation. So, always use an effective internal linking strategy to support both users and search engines. 

Pro Tip: Try to incorporate internal linking in your site audit roadmap to enhance overall site structure and SEO.

Once you fulfill all the requirements of the above-mentioned core elements of technical SEO, you will see a clear difference in your site’s performance and its visibility in search engine results.

Why Technical SEO is Important?

Technical SEO is really important for ranking your website on the top pages of search engines. So if you want a good ranking then you must focus on all aspects of technical SEO too. Because It covers various aspects that impact your site’s performance and search engine ranking.

  • Enhances Search Engine Visibility

You have previously discussed that Technical SEO improves how search engines view and rank your website. You know how? It ensures that your site follows best practices making it easier for search engines to index and rank your content. 

For instance, a well-structured XML sitemap helps search engines discover and understand your pages.

  • Improves User Experience

A site that’s technically sound provides a better user experience. This is because Technical SEO fixes issues like broken links, slow load times, and poor navigation. All of these factors make it easier for users to find and interact with your content, which keeps them engaged.

  • Boosts Website Speed and Performance

You know how important speed is a factor for user satisfaction and search rankings. Low-speed websites are unable to engage their user. 

Therefore, we recommend you address factors of Technical SEO like large image files and inefficient code that slow down your site. Faster websites offer a smoother experience and are favored by both users and search engines.

  • Ensures Mobile-Friendliness

More people browse the web on mobile devices. Therefore, it is important to ensure your site is responsive and performs well on smartphones and tablets. This not only improves user experience but also helps in achieving higher rankings in mobile search results.

  • Facilitates Crawling and Indexing by Search Engines

Technical SEO makes it easier for search engines to crawl and index your site. You can perform this by simply optimizing your robots.txt file and using canonical tags. This will help you guide search engines to the right content and prevent indexing issues.

  • Increases Organic Traffic and Conversions

A technically optimized site attracts more organic traffic by ranking higher in search results. As we all know an improved visibility leads to more visitors, which can translate into higher conversion rates. 

Likewise, efficient site performance and user experience also contribute to increased engagement and conversions.

The Only Technical SEO Checklist You Need in 2024

technical-seo-checklist

Review the checklist below to make sure your technical SEO is in top shape. Following these guidelines will help ensure your site’s security and structure align with search engine algorithms. Ultimately, it will lead to better rankings in search results.

1- Identify Crawling and Indexing Errors

First of all, you should detect and resolve crawling and indexing issues to ensure search engines can access and understand your site. Also, it is important to regularly monitor your site through Google Search Console for crawl errors and indexing problems. 

Moreover, you need to address any issues promptly to avoid potential ranking drops and ensure all valuable pages are indexed.

You can also use ETTVI’s Crawlability Checker to assess your website’s crawlability. Moreover, it has also another Google index checker tool to evaluate your site. It works by analyzing the Robots.txt file which will ultimately ensure search engines can effectively access and index your content.

2- Check How Google Views Your Pages

Understand how Googlebot views and interprets your pages by using the URL Inspection Tool in Google Search Console. This tool shows you how your pages are rendered and highlights any problems with how Google crawls or indexes them. 

Not only this, these tools also provide suggestions. So, adjust your content or structure based on these insights to improve visibility.

3- Ensure Mobile Compatibility

Verify that your site is mobile-friendly by testing its responsiveness on various devices. Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to check for usability issues. A mobile-optimized site is significant as search engines prioritize mobile-first indexing.

Consequently, it will impact your site's ranking and user experience. So fulfilling this factor should be necessary for optimal performance of your site.

4- Fix Broken Links

Broken links on your site affect your credibility. It tells Google there is something wrong happening here. So you need to regularly audit your site for broken links and fix them to improve navigation and user experience. 

Broken links can lead to a poor user experience and negatively affect your SEO. Use tools like Screaming Frog or Broken Link Checker to identify and resolve these issues.

5- Secure Your Site with HTTPS

Ensure that your site uses HTTPS to protect user data and boost trust. Many of the webmasters are still using HTTP which is a threat to their site’s security. If you are also one of those then be careful.

Today in 2024, HTTPS is a key factor for SEO. The use of HTTPS is beneficial as search engines favor secure sites. So you need to obtain an SSL certificate and make sure all your site’s pages are served securely.

6- Monitor Site Speed and Core Web Vitals

Evaluation of your site’s loading speed and Core Web Vitals is really important to enhance performance. Core Web Vitals measure loading, interactivity, and visual stability. So, it is one of the basic steps to keep a check on both of these factors. There are many tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or Lighthouse to identify and address performance issues.

You can also leverage ETTVi’s website speed checker to measure your site’s loading time. This tool provides a detailed performance score and identifies areas for improvement. 

7- Optimize  the Site URL

An optimized site URL helps search engines and users understand the page content. So, try to use clear, descriptive keywords that match the page topic. This makes URLs more relevant and easier to rank. Keep URLs short and straightforward. 

For instance, overly long URLs can be confusing and cumbersome. Let’s consider this example for the type of URL.

  • www.abcde.com/category/page/2024/08/09/seo-tips-article-with-lots-of-words. A more streamlined version would be www.abcde.com/seo-tips. The shorter URL is easier to read and remember. Ultimately, it enhances user experience and improves SEO.

  • Unnecessary parameters in URLs can also hinder search engine indexing. For example, www.shopwise.com/product?id=12345&category=67890 includes multiple parameters that may confuse search engines. A cleaner URL, such as www.shopwise.com/product/12345, is more effective and efficient.

  • Dynamic URLs with session IDs can further complicate URL structures. For instance, www.trendstore.com/product?sessionid=abcd1234 includes a session ID that isn’t necessary. The optimized URL should be www.trendstore.com/product, which is more straightforward and SEO-friendly.



Therefore, it is better to separate words with hyphens for clarity. Also, try to avoid underscores or special characters that might confuse search engines. Moreover, apply canonical tags to prevent issues with duplicate content. Regularly reviewing and updating URLs would also be great steps to maintain relevance and enhance search visibility.

8- Implement Schema Markup

It is of great use to add schema markup to your pages to help search engines understand and display your content more effectively. Because schema works just like a graph to Google, it will help it understand what type of website you have.

Moreover, it also provides additional information about your site’s content, such as products, reviews, and events, which can improve your visibility through rich snippets and enhance click-through rates.

9- Optimize Images

Compress and resize images to boost loading speeds without sacrificing quality. Large images can slow down your site which will ultimately affect both user experience and SEO. 

If you are facing the same issue then don’t worry. We recommend you use tools like TinyPNG or ImageOptim to reduce image file sizes. It will help you to make your images responsive and adapt to various screen sizes.

10- Use Descriptive Alt Text

The text in your image is also an important thing. This will give you an additional advantage, do you know what? If someone searches about anything on Google you have added proper alt texts then there will be chances your image will come in results due to alt text. 

So, it is more recommended way to Incorporate relevant keywords in your image alt text to improve SEO and accessibility. Alt text helps search engines understand the content of your images and provides context for users with visual impairments. Be specific and descriptive, but avoid keyword stuffing.

11- Update Your Content Regularly

Old outdated data on Google outranks by the new and fresh information of your competitor so try to keep your content fresh and relevant to engage users and maintain strong search rankings. Regular updates signal to search engines that your site is active and valuable. 

So, keep in mind to review and refresh old content, add new information, and ensure your content aligns with current trends and user needs.

12-Check for Duplicate Content

Ensure your site doesn’t have duplicate content, as it can negatively impact SEO.Google crawlers get confused with the duplicate links and show errors in indexing your site pages.

To avoid all these problems, you can use tools like Copyscape or Siteliner to detect duplicate content across your site. These will help you to address these issues by consolidating or updating duplicate pages to maintain a unique and valuable user experience.

13- Update and Submit XML Sitemap

It is important to update your XML sitemap regularly to reflect changes or additions to your site’s content. An updated sitemap helps search engines discover and index new pages more efficiently. 

Submit your updated sitemap to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools to ensure search engines have the latest information about your site.

14- Evaluate Temporary 302 Redirects

A 302 redirect tells search engines that a page has moved temporarily, while a 301 redirect indicates a permanent move. So you must keep an eye on the redirects of your site to avoid any danger to your site’s credibility.

You can leverage the ETTVI’s Redirect Checker to see the status code and follow the URL it redirects to. 

Wrapping Lines

Technical SEO isn’t just a one-time job. In fact, it is a continuous journey. As search engines constantly update their algorithms, your site needs to adapt too. Regular checks and updates keep your website running smoothly and performing well in search results.

So, stay in the loop with the latest SEO trends. Make it a habit to review your site’s performance regularly. By doing this, you’ll not only maintain your search rankings but also keep your site ahead of the competition.

Muhammad Usama bin ALI

Muhammad Usama bin ALI

Faisalabad, Pakistan

Be the best

Muhammad Usama bin Ali – Full-stack Developer with over 4 years of professional experience. Proficient in a wide range of projects across various domains, including SEO Tools, E-commerce platforms, AI Applications, SaaS-based, Small Business & Blog Websites and Software Applications.

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