Technical SEO: What it is and how to improve it on your website

Technical SEO is one of the fundamental pillars of search engine ranking, although it often goes unnoticed compared to content SEO or link building. It consists of a set of optimizations that ensure a website can be crawled, indexed, and correctly understood by Google and other search engines. Without a solid technical foundation, even the best content may remain hidden from users.

In this guide, you will learn what technical SEO is, why it is crucial for your site’s visibility, and which are the most important actions to improve it. We will cover everything from loading speed to site architecture, including security, mobile adaptability, and the use of structured data.

1. What is technical SEO and why is it important?

Technical SEO focuses on internal aspects of a website that directly influence crawling and indexing. Some of the most relevant include:

• Clear URL structure and navigation.
• Optimization of the robots.txt file and XML sitemap.
• Proper management of redirects and canonical tags.
• Loading speed and Core Web Vitals.
• Mobile adaptability.
• Security through HTTPS.

A well-implemented technical foundation makes search engines’ work easier and improves the user experience.

2. Crawl and indexing optimization

The first step to solid technical SEO is to ensure that the right pages are being crawled and indexed:

• Properly configure your robots.txt file.
• Create an updated XML sitemap and submit it to Google Search Console.
• Avoid duplicate content by applying canonical tags.
• Regularly review coverage in Search Console.

3. Improving loading speed and Core Web Vitals

Google considers loading speed a key ranking factor. A slow site negatively affects user experience and ranking. To optimize it:

• Use a cache plugin in WordPress.
• Compress images and use modern formats like WebP.
• Implement lazy load.
• Minify CSS and JavaScript files.
• Consider using a CDN.

4. Security and mobile experience

Google prioritizes secure websites that also provide a good mobile experience. To achieve this:

• Enable an SSL certificate and always use HTTPS.
• Ensure the design is fully responsive.
• Avoid elements that make navigation difficult on small screens.

5. Implementation of structured data

Markup with Schema.org helps Google better interpret your page content and display rich results in the SERPs. You can implement structured data for:

• Articles or blogs.
• Products and services.
• Local businesses.
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).