If you want Google to notice your site, you need more than great content. Your site’s foundation—how fast it loads, how easily Google can read it, and how it works on phones—plays a huge role. Below are the must‑do items that any developer or site owner can tackle without hiring a specialist.
Crawlability. Make sure search bots can see every page you want indexed. Start by checking your robots.txt file; it should block only the stuff you truly don’t want crawled, like admin folders. Then run a site audit (many free tools let you spot 404s, broken links, and orphan pages). Fixing those errors helps Google understand your site hierarchy.
Site speed. Page load time still matters for rankings and for user satisfaction. Use a tool such as PageSpeed Insights to get a score and a list of quick wins: compress images, enable browser caching, and serve files over HTTP/2. If you’re on a CMS, consider lazy‑loading images and minifying CSS/JS files.
Mobile friendliness. Google uses mobile‑first indexing, so your site must look good on a phone. Test with the Mobile-Friendly Test tool; if you see tiny text or horizontal scrolling, switch to responsive units (like % or rem) instead of fixed pixels. A responsive layout improves both SEO and user experience.
Secure connection (HTTPS). A site without SSL is flagged as “not secure,” and Google gives it a ranking penalty. If you’re still on HTTP, get an SSL certificate from your host and redirect all HTTP traffic to HTTPS. It’s a one‑time setup that pays off.
Structured data. Adding schema markup tells search engines what your content is about. Use JSON‑LD to tag articles, products, FAQs, and events. When Google can read this data, you might earn rich snippets, which boost click‑through rates.
Most sites have a handful of low‑hanging fruit that can be fixed in an hour. First, look for duplicate content. Canonical tags tell Google which version to rank, so add <link rel="canonical" href="..."> to pages that share similar text.
Second, review your internal linking. Strong internal links pass link equity and help crawlers discover deep pages. Aim for at least three contextual links pointing to each important page.
Third, set proper 301 redirects for any moved or deleted pages. A 301 redirect passes most of the ranking value, while a 404 hurts user experience. Use your server’s .htaccess file or a plugin if you’re on WordPress.
Finally, create an XML sitemap and submit it in Google Search Console. The sitemap should include only canonical URLs and be updated automatically when you add new content.
By tackling these basics, you’ll give your site a solid technical foundation. The posts under the "technical SEO" tag dive deeper into each of these topics—like detailed guides on schema markup or step‑by‑step speed optimization. Use them as a roadmap, apply the fixes, and watch your rankings improve.
Remember, technical SEO isn’t a one‑time task. Schedule a quick audit every few months, catch new errors, and keep your site fresh for both users and search engines.
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