You’ve identified that you need a website or even new pages to replace some of the content you have on your website—how exciting! I recently discussed the content side of SEO, and this article looks at the technical elements. The first thing to say is: stop and think. What impacts will your decisions have in terms of search engine optimisation? The top issues I come across are:
- The company not communicating properly with the agency they are paying to optimise their site. If you don’t tell them what you have done, how can you expect them to optimise? This includes building a new website without bringing the SEO agency on the journey, therefore creating a long list of 404’s.
- Lazy redirects, such as sending redirects to the home page rather than a more relevant page to the one that’s being redirected. Or worse, creating endless redirect loops.
Key Elements SEO
- Site Speed: A fast website is critical. Slow-loading pages frustrate users and harm your search engine rankings. Enhancing site speed involves optimising images, leveraging browser caching, and reducing server response times. These technical adjustments can significantly improve user experience and SEO performance.
- Mobile Optimisation: With most users accessing websites via mobile devices, a mobile-friendly site is essential. Google’s mobile-first indexing means your site’s mobile version is considered the primary version. Ensure your site is responsive and offers a seamless user experience across all devices.
- Secure Sockets Layer (SSL): Security is paramount. An SSL certificate secures data between your server and visitors. This makes it very difficult for hackers to steal details, like credit card numbers or passwords. Websites that use SSL have "HTTPS" in their address, instead of just "HTTP", which boost user trust and your site’s credibility in search engines. Transitioning to HTTPS is a straightforward yet impactful step to enhance your website’s security.
- Crawlability and Indexability: Search engines need to effectively crawl and index your site to display your content in search results. Ensuring your site’s structure is optimised for search engines helps achieve better visibility and higher rankings.
- Structured Data Markup: Is a way of adding labels to your website's content that makes it easier for search engines to understand what information you have. Structured data markup is a way to help search engines understand your website better and potentially show it off in a more appealing way in search results.
- Duplicate Content: Duplicate content can confuse search engines and dilute your site’s authority. Using canonical tags correctly signals to search engines which version of a page should be considered the original.
- 404 Errors and Redirects: Broken links and 404 errors damage user experience and SEO rankings. Regularly monitoring and implementing 301 redirects ensures users and search engines are directed to the correct content.
Partnering with SEO Experts
Navigating Technical SEO can be complex. Collaborating with SEO specialists offers several benefits:
- Comprehensive Audits: Experts can identify and rectify technical issues that may hinder your site’s performance.
- Ongoing Optimisation: SEO is an ongoing process. Professionals keep your site optimised amid changing algorithms and technologies.
- Strategic Insights: Specialists provide strategic advice on emerging trends and best practices, keeping your site ahead of the curve.
The Role of Backlinks
A backlink is a link on another website that points to your website. While often seen as part of off-page SEO, backlinks also influence your site’s technical SEO. High-quality backlinks from authoritative sites enhance your site’s authority and improve search rankings. Building a robust backlink profile involves creating valuable content, guest blogging, and networking within your industry. SEO agencies can play a crucial role in securing these backlinks, ensuring they positively impact your site’s performance.
Conclusion
The Marketing Centre has over 100 fractional marketing directors who understand SEO and have connections with numerous agencies to manage your SEO. We also have the experience and understanding of how to manage these agencies effectively. Investing in SEO is key to the future growth of your business. With this understanding of the topic and the support of The Marketing Centre, you can be sure to achieve results.