How Technical SEO Improves Your Website’s Performance
Technical SEO is the behind-the-scenes work that helps websites run smoothly, rank higher on Google, and improve user experience. It’s all about optimizing the technical aspects of a website so that search engines can easily find, understand, and rank your content. For anyone looking to improve their website—whether you’re a business owner, blogger, or just curious about SEO—having a fast, easy-to-use site is key to keeping visitors happy. Technical SEO is essential for achieving this.
Have you ever clicked on a website that takes forever to load or doesn’t work on your phone? That’s where technical SEO comes in. It’s all about making sure your website is fast, easy to navigate, and works perfectly no matter what device you’re using. In this guide, we’ll explore how technical SEO can transform your website and boost its performance, whether you run an eCommerce store or a personal blog.
Improving Website Speed
Website speed is crucial because people don’t like waiting, and neither does Google. A slow website can frustrate users, leading them to leave and find a faster alternative. For eCommerce sites, slow load times can mean lost sales, as potential customers may abandon their carts if the process takes too long. Technical SEO helps improve your site speed by compressing images, reducing unnecessary code, and using a content delivery network (CDN) to serve your content quickly.
Page Speed optimized site
Imagine your website as a restaurant. If the waiter is slow, people might leave and go somewhere else. Technical SEO makes sure your website serves customers fast by reducing load times and making the experience seamless. A faster website keeps users happy and helps you rank better on search engines, which brings in more visitors and boosts engagement. For eCommerce platforms like Shopify and BigCommerce, speed optimization is crucial for retaining customers and maximizing conversions.
Making It Easier for Search Engines to Find Your Site
Search engines need help finding and indexing your pages, and technical SEO provides that help. One way to do this is by creating an XML sitemap. This acts like a treasure map for search engines, guiding them to all the important pages on your website. Another helpful tool is the robots.txt file, which tells search engines which pages they should or shouldn’t crawl. This helps focus their attention on your most valuable content.
The easier it is for Google to find your important pages, the more likely they are to show up in search results. This is particularly important for websites with many pages, such as blogs or eCommerce sites with product listings. Think of technical SEO as creating a treasure map for search engines. Sitemaps act like directions, helping search engines quickly find all the valuable content on your site. By making your website easier to navigate for search engines, you’re also helping your audience discover your content more easily.
Making Your Website Mobile-Friendly
With more and more users browsing the web on their phones, having a mobile-friendly website is essential. Technical SEO helps ensure your website works well on all devices by using responsive design. This adjusts your site’s layout to fit different screen sizes. Another tool is Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP), which creates a faster version of your pages specifically for mobile users.
A mobile-friendly website not only provides a better experience for users but also helps you rank higher in search results. Whether you’re an eCommerce business owner or a blogger, this is crucial as mobile browsing continues to grow in popularity. With more than half of all searches coming from mobile devices, having a mobile-friendly website is a must. Technical SEO makes sure your site looks good on all devices, keeping visitors happy and engaged, which leads to higher conversions and more time spent on your content.
Using HTTPS for Security
Security is a big deal for both users and search engines. HTTPS is a secure version of the standard HTTP protocol, and adding an SSL certificate to your website enables HTTPS. This ensures that any data exchanged between your website and its visitors is encrypted and secure.
Think of HTTPS as adding a secure lock to your front door. It shows visitors they can trust you, and search engines reward that trust by ranking your website higher. Secure websites build trust with users, and Google considers security an important ranking factor, so using HTTPS is a win-win. For websites where visitors share sensitive information, like eCommerce stores or membership sites, HTTPS is not just recommended—it’s essential. MAKDigital ensures that all our clients’ websites, whether on Shopify, BigCommerce, or other platforms, are secure and trustworthy.
Fixing Errors and Broken Links
Nobody likes getting lost or hitting dead ends, and the same goes for websites. Broken links or pages that don’t work (404 errors) are frustrating for users and can hurt your website’s performance in search engines. Technical SEO involves finding and fixing these issues, ensuring that users end up on the correct pages.
Using tools like Google Search Console, you can identify broken links and fix them with redirects. Redirects ensure that users and search engines get to the right page, even if the URL has changed. For websites with a lot of content, keeping your links working properly is critical to maintaining engagement. A well-maintained site keeps users engaged, signals quality to Google, and helps you retain valuable traffic. MAKDigital specializes in ongoing technical SEO audits to ensure all links remain intact and provide the best experience for users.
Adding Structured Data for Rich Results
Structured data helps search engines understand your content better and can lead to rich results in search engine listings. Rich results are more detailed search listings that can include things like product prices, reviews, and event dates, making your website more eye-catching in search results.
Schema markup is a type of structured data that provides extra information about your content. Adding schema to your pages helps search engines display rich snippets, which can improve your click-through rate (CTR). For eCommerce sites, this means product listings with star ratings, price ranges, and availability right there in the search results—making it easier for potential customers to choose you.
Conclusion
Technical SEO might sound complicated, but it’s really just about giving your website a tune-up to ensure everything runs smoothly. By optimizing the technical side, you’ll make your website faster, easier to find, more secure, and a joy for users to visit—which will make both search engines and visitors happy.
Whether you run an eCommerce store, a blog, or any other type of website, technical SEO is key to staying ahead of the competition. Even small improvements, like checking page speed or fixing broken links, can lead to an immediate boost in your website’s performance.
Ready to take your website to the next level? Contact MAKDigital today and let our team of experts help you improve your online presence, boost your SEO, and create a seamless experience for your visitors.