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Technical SEO is the process of optimizing a website’s infrastructure and backend to improve its visibility and ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs). It is different process compared to On page SEO and off page SEO.
It involves optimizing a website’s structure, coding, and architecture to make it more easily crawlable and indexable for search engines.
Clean and organized structure
Important aspect of technical SEO is ensuring that the website has a clean and organized structure.
This includes using a clear hierarchy for the website’s pages and using appropriate headings (H1, H2, etc.) to indicate the structure of the content.
It’s also important to use descriptive and relevant URLs for each page, and to minimize the use of parameters in the URLs.
Easily crawlable by search engines
Another important aspect of technical SEO is ensuring that the website is easily crawlable by search engines.
This includes creating a sitemap and submitting it to search engines, as well as using robots.txt to specify which pages or sections of the website should not be crawled.
Additionally, it’s important to ensure that the website’s code is clean and well-organized, and that it uses appropriate tags and attributes to indicate the structure of the content.
Website speed
Website speed is another important factor in technical SEO. Search engines prefer fast loading website, so it’s important to ensure that the website is optimized for speed, including minimizing the use of large images, videos and other heavy elements.
Mobile-friendliness
Mobile-friendliness is another aspect of technical SEO. With more and more users accessing the internet on mobile devices, it’s important to ensure that the website is optimized for mobile, including using responsive design and ensuring that the website is easily navigable on a small screen.
The website is secure
The website is secure by using a valid SSL certificate, that’s HTTPS. This is becoming increasingly important as search engines are placing a greater emphasis on website security.
How to do technical SEO for a WordPress website?
Technical SEO is an essential aspect of optimizing a website for search engines, and this applies to WordPress websites as well.
WordPress is a popular content management system (CMS) that powers millions of websites on the internet, but it does have its own set of SEO challenges. Let’s discuss how to do technical SEO for a WordPress website and provide practical examples of what to do and what not to do.
Ensure the WP website has a organized structure
Important aspect of technical SEO for a WordPress website is ensuring that the website has a clean and organized structure.
This includes using a clear hierarchy for the website’s pages and using appropriate headings (H1, H2, etc.) to indicate the structure of the content.
Use descriptive and relevant URLs for each page, and to minimize the use of parameters in the URLs. WordPress automatically generates URLs for pages and posts based on the title, but it’s recommended to use a plugin like Yoast SEO, which makes it easy to edit the URLs and add keywords to them.
Ensure the WP website is easily crawlable
Another important aspect of technical SEO for a WordPress website is ensuring that the website is easily crawlable by search engines.
WordPress automatically generates a sitemap for the website, but it’s recommended to use a plugin like Yoast SEO, which allows for editing the sitemap and adding or removing pages from it.
Ensure WP site loads fast
You can optimize website speed by minimizing the use of large images, videos, and other heavy elements, as well as using a caching plugin like WP Super Cache or W3 Total Cache. Additionally, it’s important to ensure that the website is hosted on a fast and reliable server, as this can also affect website speed.
Use responsive design
WordPress themes are often built with responsive design in mind, but it’s important to test the website on different devices to ensure that it’s easily navigable on a small screen.
SSL certificate
WordPress websites can be easily converted to HTTPS by installing a plugin like Really Simple SSL or using Cloudflare. Both offers free SSL certificate.
Can I do technical SEO by myself for my website or should I hire professional
If you want to do technical SEO for your website, there are a few things that you should consider.
First, do you have the time and resources to make all the necessary changes? If not, it may be best to hire a professional. Professional SEO experts can help identify areas of improvement as well as provide guidance on how to make improvements. Additionally, they have access to tools and data that you may not have access to.
Another factor to consider is the complexity of your website. If your website is highly complex or has custom coding, it may be more difficult to do technical SEO on your own as compared to a simpler website with standard content management systems. An experienced professional will be able to navigate through the complexity and make any necessary changes quickly.
It’s also important to understand that technical SEO is not a one-time job – it requires ongoing maintenance and optimization in order to keep up with search engine algorithms. If you don’t have the time or resources to dedicate to this, hiring a professional may be your best option.
Doing technical SEO on your own can be a good way to save money, but it’s important to consider the time and resources that you have available as well as the complexity of your website before making a decision.
If you decide to hire a professional, make sure they have experience with technical SEO and can provide the guidance you need.
Conclusion
In conclusion, technical SEO is an essential aspect of optimizing a website for search engines. It involves optimizing the website’s structure, coding, and architecture to make it more easily crawlable and indexable for search engines.
This includes ensuring a clean and organized structure, creating a sitemap, minimizing the use of parameters in URLs, optimizing website speed, ensuring mobile-friendliness, and ensuring website security.
By implementing these best practices, website owners can improve their website’s visibility and ranking in search engine results pages.
References:
- Yoast SEO plugin: https://yoast.com/wordpress/plugins/seo/
- WP Super Cache plugin: https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-super-cache/
- W3 Total Cache plugin: https://wordpress.org/plugins/w3-total-cache/
- Really Simple SSL plugin: https://wordpress.org/plugins/really-simple-ssl/