You must be aware that to be successful in SEO, it is very important to have correct technical SEO. To improve rankings in SEO, the stronger the technical aspects of your website, the better your search rankings will be. Technical SEO mistakes can hinder our rankings. In this article, we will discuss the major technical SEO problems and their solutions so that you can see your website ranking better.
Many people start working on the website without understanding the technical aspects of SEO. But, if you have not followed any technical SEO checklist, it is possible that your website may have many problems. A good SEO checklist will give you everything you need to strengthen your SEO.
It's easy to download a technical SEO checklist, but it's important to implement it properly. This checklist contains some specific points like H1 tags, no-index tags, redirection, SSL, site speed, and meta description. All of these help improve your technical SEO.
Nowadays, technical SEO mistakes are common in many websites. It is important to spot these mistakes as they can have a negative impact on your website's ranking. Let's see what the most common issues are and how to fix them.
Tools like HFS have performed technical audits on many websites. According to their data, the most common problems seen in these websites are:
Error | DescriptionImpact on SEO | |
---|---|---|
Missing SSL Certificate | Not using HTTPS can reduce search rankings and user trust. | High |
Slow Page Loading Speed | Slow pages lead to higher bounce rates and lower rankings. | High |
Broken Internal Links | Links leading to 404 errors negatively impact user experience. | High |
Duplicate Content | Pages with similar content can lead to search engines downgrading your ranking. | High |
Missing Meta Descriptions | Not having meta descriptions affects CTR from search engine results. | Medium |
Redirect Chains | Multiple redirects slow down page loading and affect user experience. | Medium |
Missing Alt Text for Images | Not having alt text can reduce visibility in image searches and accessibility compliance. | Medium |
Poor Mobile Optimization | Sites not optimized for mobile have reduced search visibility on mobile. | Medium |
Improper Canonicalization | Improper canonical tags can lead to duplicate content issues. | Medium |
Orphan Pages | Pages without internal links may be less likely to be crawled or indexed. | Low |
Missing Structured Data | Lack of schema markup means lost opportunities for rich results. | Low |
Multiple H1 Tags | Having more than one H1 tag can confuse search engines about the page's main topic. | Low |
Overly Long Titles/Descriptions | Long titles and descriptions may be truncated in SERPs, affecting click-through rates. | Low |
Unoptimized Robots.txt | Blocking important resources can hinder search engines from accessing necessary pages. | Low |
Speed is an important aspect of technical SEO. According to a research, 72% of the websites have the problem of slow page speed. This problem affects the ranking of the website and also spoils the user experience. Follow the following tips to increase website speed:
Redirect chains and loops make your website slow and this can be easily fixed.
Using no-index tags properly is also important in technical SEO. These tags tell the search engine which pages should be indexed and which should not. Sometimes, no-index tags are placed by mistake, causing important pages of the website to not be indexed.
The H1 tag is the main title of your page and is very important for SEO. Many websites lack H1 tags or have more than one H1 tag on a page, which is not good from SEO point of view.
Broken links can ruin the user experience and hurt your SEO rankings. These links either lead to a 404 error page or redirect to the wrong page.
Meta description and title play an important role in ranking your website. Many times websites have either very long or empty meta descriptions, which is not good for SEO.
Regular audits are essential for the technical SEO success of any website. This helps you understand which areas need improvement. By doing a website audit with tools like HFS, you get clarity on where the technical SEO of your website is correct and where it is not.
Technical SEO is one area where small mistakes on your website can turn into big problems. Use SEO checklists, conduct regular audits, and ensure that all technical aspects of your website are followed correctly. By using the technical SEO mistakes and the solutions mentioned in this article, you can improve the ranking of your website and get it a better position in the search engines.
Hope this information will be useful for you. Avoid these important technical SEO mistakes and strengthen your website's ranking.
Checklist Item | DescriptionImportance | |
---|---|---|
SSL Certificate | Ensure your site has an HTTPS connection to improve security and trustworthiness. | High |
Mobile-Friendly Design | Optimize site layout for mobile devices to enhance user experience and ranking on mobile. | High |
Page Speed Optimization | Improve loading speed by optimizing images, minifying code, and enabling caching. | High |
Crawlable Sitemap | Submit XML sitemaps to search engines for better indexing. | High |
Robots.txt File | Configure to allow/disallow pages for search engine crawling. | High |
Fix Broken Links | Regularly check for and fix 404 errors to improve user experience and SEO. | Medium |
Structured Data Markup | Use schema.org or other structured data to help search engines understand content. | Medium |
Canonical Tags | Implement canonical URLs to avoid duplicate content issues. | Medium |
Breadcrumb Navigation | Use breadcrumbs for a better user experience and site structure. | Medium |
Optimize Images with Alt Text | Add descriptive alt text to images for accessibility and SEO. | Medium |
Minimize Redirect Chains | Reduce multiple redirects to improve site performance and user experience. | Medium |
H1 Tags | Ensure each page has a single, descriptive H1 tag. | Medium |
Internal Linking | Add internal links to improve page authority and user navigation. | Medium |
Optimize Meta Tags | Use unique and descriptive meta titles and descriptions for each page. | Medium |
Avoid Orphan Pages | Link to all relevant pages to avoid isolated pages that are hard for search engines to find. | Low |
These tables can guide your efforts to improve your website’s technical SEO, leading to better crawlability, performance, and user experience for higher rankings.
An SEO checklist is essential because it helps identify and resolve technical issues that can impact website rankings. A well-structured checklist covers important areas like H1 tags, redirection, SSL, site speed, and meta descriptions, all of which contribute to better technical SEO.
Common technical SEO issues include slow page speed, broken links, missing SSL certificates, duplicate content, missing meta descriptions, redirect chains, missing alt text for images, poor mobile optimization, improper canonicalization, orphan pages, and missing structured data.
To improve website speed, optimize images, minimize file sizes, remove heavy scripts, and enable browser caching. These steps reduce load time, which enhances user experience and SEO rankings.
A redirect chain occurs when a URL redirects multiple times before reaching the final page. This slows down your website and can be fixed by ensuring that each redirect only leads to one URL. If redirecting from HTTP to HTTPS, make sure it happens in a single step.
An SSL certificate secures your website by encrypting data, which builds user trust. Additionally, HTTPS is a ranking factor, and sites with SSL certificates tend to rank higher in search results.
To avoid duplicate content issues, use canonical tags to specify the preferred URL for similar content. This helps search engines identify the original page and prevents duplicate content penalties.
It's advisable to conduct a technical SEO audit regularly, at least every 3-6 months. Regular audits help identify new issues that may have arisen, ensuring that the site remains optimized for search engines.
H1 tags serve as the main title for a page and are essential for SEO as they help search engines understand the primary topic. Each page should have a unique H1 tag to improve its relevance and ranking.
A good meta description should be between 155 and 160 characters, unique for each page, and include relevant keywords. It helps improve click-through rates by giving users a preview of the page content in search results.