Common technical SEO issues and best practices

Many websites, including those of small to mid-sized businesses, encounter frequent technical SEO errors and issues that can be beneficial to recognize and address.

Page Speed

Page speed is crucial for SEO as it significantly impacts user experience, which is a key factor in search engine rankings. Search engines like Google prioritize websites that provide a smooth and efficient user experience, and fast-loading pages are essential for this. Faster websites tend to have lower bounce rates and higher engagement metrics, as visitors are more likely to stay on the site and explore more pages when they don't have to wait long for content to load.

Additionally, as mobile browsing becomes increasingly common, page speed becomes even more important due to typically slower mobile data connections. Google has explicitly included page speed as a ranking factor in its algorithms, particularly for mobile searches, emphasizing the importance of quick loading times in achieving better SEO results. So, optimizing page speed not only enhances user satisfaction but also boosts a site’s visibility and ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs).

A great free tool that google provides is PageSpeed Insights It analyzes the content of a web page, then generates suggestions to make that page faster. It provides a performance score that reflects how well the page adheres to best practices for speed and optimization. The tool evaluates both the mobile and desktop versions of a web page and offers separate scores for each.

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Redirects

Redirects, if not properly managed, can significantly impact your search engine rankings. It's generally best to avoid moving your site's content from one URL to another if it's performing well in search results at its current URL—for instance, from example.com/page to example.com/different-url/newpage.html—unless there's a serious business justification that outweighs the potential short-term or long-term decline in traffic.

When it is necessary to relocate content, ensure that you use permanent (301) redirects for content that is moving permanently. Unlike temporary (302) redirects, which are often used but signal to search engines like Google that the change may not be permanent, 301 redirects help transfer the original page's link equity and ranking power to the new URL. Additionally, altering your URL structure without careful planning can lead to broken links, which harm referral traffic and complicate site navigation for your visitors.

Duplicate Content

When you duplicate content—placing the same or nearly identical content on multiple pages—you spread the link equity across these pages rather than concentrating it on one, reducing your chances of ranking for competitive keywords compared to sites that consolidate their link equity into a single document. Having a lot of duplicate content can make your site appear to search engines as if it's filled with low-quality or potentially manipulative material.

Various factors can lead to duplicate or thin content, and these issues can be challenging to pinpoint. However, you can use Google Search Console's Webmaster Tools, specifically under Search Appearance > HTML Improvements, to quickly identify and diagnose these problems.

A useful tool to help find duplicate content issues is SEMrush, it offers several features to enhance SEO. Its Site Audit tool scans your website for duplicate content, including similar text, title tags, and meta descriptions. The On-Page SEO Checker provides actionable insights for making content unique, while the Position Tracking feature helps monitor how duplication affects your rankings.

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Robots.txt

A robots.txt file is a text file that webmasters create to instruct web robots (typically search engine crawlers) how to crawl and index pages on their website.

You can use a robots.txt file to instruct search engines on how to manage specific content on your site, such as directing them not to crawl a certain area. This file is usually located at yoursite.com/robots.txt. It's essential to check that this file is not inadvertently blocking content you want search engines to index. Additionally, the robots.txt file can be used to prevent indexing of items like staging servers or sections with duplicate or thin content that are useful internally or to customers but not for search engines. For similar purposes, you can also use meta tags like 'noindex' and 'nofollow', although each of these tags functions differently.

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Addressing these technical SEO issues is crucial for enhancing a website's performance in search engine rankings. Optimizing page speed is essential as it directly impacts user experience and site visibility, particularly important with the increasing prevalence of mobile browsing. Properly managing redirects, especially ensuring that permanent (301) redirects are used when necessary, helps maintain link equity and search ranking. Additionally, tackling duplicate content through tools like Google's Search Console and SEMrush can prevent dilution of ranking power and preserve content quality. Finally, effectively configuring the robots.txt file ensures that search engines correctly index and access the site, further optimizing performance and preventing potential SEO pitfalls. These strategies are fundamental for any business aiming to improve their online presence and achieve better SEO results.

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