Good content is only part of SEO - if a site's technical structure isn't working correctly, Google simply can't index that content properly. This article explains what technical SEO is and the elements of your site you should always check.
How technical SEO differs from regular SEO
Regular (on-page) SEO deals with keywords, headings, and content, while technical SEO deals with what happens behind the scenes of a site - speed, indexing, site structure, and security.
Site speed
Slow-loading pages hurt both user experience and Google rankings. Compressing images, using caching, and trimming unnecessary scripts are the main ways to speed things up.
Mobile-friendliness
Google indexes sites primarily by their mobile version ("mobile-first indexing"). Checking that your site displays correctly on mobile devices is an essential part of technical SEO.
XML sitemap and robots.txt
An XML sitemap shows Google the structure of your site, while robots.txt tells it which pages shouldn't be indexed. Getting both configured correctly matters for proper indexing.
Broken links
Links returning a 404 error hurt the user experience and can make Google trust the site less. They're worth checking and fixing regularly.
HTTPS and security
Having an SSL certificate (https) matters both for security and as a ranking factor - Google can rank sites without https lower.
Duplicate content
Pages with identical or very similar content can confuse Google. Using canonical tags solves this problem.
Running a technical audit yourself can be tricky - the seo-xidmeti.com team offers a full technical audit and follow-up fixes.
FAQ
How often should you run a technical audit?
Quarterly for large sites, once or twice a year is enough for smaller ones.
Can you run a technical audit yourself?
Simple checks (speed, mobile-friendliness) can be done with free tools, but a deep audit needs a specialist.
How quickly do technical issues affect rankings?
It depends on the type of issue - the effect of some fixes shows up within a few weeks.