Are you a small business owner looking to maximize your online visibility?
Tech SEO is the answer!
What Is Tech SEO?
Tech SEO is a type of search engine optimization that focuses on the technical aspects of websites.
It helps ensure your website runs as efficiently and effectively as possible. That way, your customers can find what they’re looking for quickly and easily.
Simply, it ensures search engines like Google can:
- access,
- crawl,
- index,
- and understand your website correctly.
All businesses need an effective Tech SEO strategy to succeed in their online marketing efforts.
Tech SEO Is Different Than Regular SEO
Traditional SEO might sound familiar to you, but Tech SEO is different.
Traditional SEO means optimizing content like blog posts and web pages to make it more visible to organic search engines.
Tech SEO, on the other hand, focuses on the technical aspects of your site that can affect its visibility. This could include page load speed, structured data, redirects, and sitemaps.
By managing these technical elements, you can ensure your site is as visible as possible.
Why Tech SEO Is Important to Your Small Business
As a small business owner, you must ensure potential customers see your website. That’s where Technical SEO comes in.
Tech SEO can help ensure you’re ranking in the top Google results so you attract more visitors and sales.
It ensures your website is optimized for the following:
- speed,
- security,
- and other ranking factors.
Investing in Tech SEO will give you an edge against your competitors and make it easier to grow your business online.
The Basics of Tech SEO
As a small business owner, you have a lot on your plate.
So it can be easy to forget the vital role that technical SEO plays in helping drive website traffic and provide an optimized user experience.
A robust technical SEO strategy is essential for ensuring your website focuses on ranking signal and stands out among competitors in search engine results.
Learn the basics of Tech SEO, including:
- A step-by-step guide to setting up a technical audit.
- Identifying common technical issues that can hurt your ranking.
Let’s dive in!
The Fundamentals of Tech SEO
Tech SEO is a crucial part of optimizing your website for search engines.
It involves ensuring that your site’s technical aspects are working correctly so that Google and other search engines can understand it easily.
This includes the following:
- optimizing page speed,
- using an SSL certificate,
- having a well-structured sitemap,
- and ensuring your content is crawlable and indexable.
By taking care of these things, you’ll ensure your website drives more potential customers to your business.
Step-By-Step Guide to Setting up a Technical SEO Audit
As a small business owner, a technical SEO audit is crucial for ensuring your website is optimized for success.
Tech SEO Tools
You want your small business website to be seen.
Tech SEO tools are the key to getting your site in front of the right people. But what even are tech SEO tools, you ask?
Don’t worry. We’re here to explain everything you need to know about Tech SEO tools and how they can help your business grow.
Read on for more!
Meet Ahrefs, Frase, and Semrush
Are you looking to give your small business website a competitive edge? Investing in Tech SEO tools is the first step.
Tools like Google Webmaster Tools, Bing Webmaster tools, ahrefs, Frase, and SEMRush offer potent insights into your website’s performance.
They all help you identify opportunities for optimization and improvement.
These tools provide valuable data about your site:
- crawlability,
- content visibility,
- indexing,
- off page SEO,
- and more.
Get ready to level up your small business website with the help of Tech SEO tools.
Free SEO Tools
If you’re looking for a budget-friendly way to get started with Tech SEO, several free tools can help.
These tools can help you identify areas for improvement:
- Google Analytics
- Bing Webmaster Tools
- Google Search Console
- Moz’s Link Explorer
Additionally, some web hosting platforms include basic SEO features in their plans at no extra cost.
Ultimately, these tools can help you achieve better rankings without spending a fortune!
Steps to Get Started with Tech SEO
Are you a small business owner looking to get started with Technical SEO?
Making the right changes to your website and using the right tools can help you rank higher on search engine results.
We’ve compiled this technical SEO checklist of technical SEO tasks to help you get started.
Follow these steps, and you’ll be well on increasing your website visibility!
Checklist of Basic SEO Tasks
1. Start by checking for any existing errors or warnings in Google Search Console.
2. Check your site’s URL structure and how it appears in search engine results. Also, make sure your URLs are easy to read and understand.
3. Test your website speed and look for areas where you can improve its loading time.
4. Check if your website is mobile-friendly and make adjustments as needed.
5. Examine the content on your website and ensure it’s crawlable, unique, and valuable.
6. Optimize your images, videos, and other multimedia elements.
7. Develop an XML Sitemap and submit it to Google Search Console.
8. Ensure your website’s robots.txt file is in order and correctly set up.
9. Analyze your website’s outbound links to ensure they work correctly.
10. Double-check that you’ve implemented structured data correctly to increase search visibility.
11. If you have pages on your website that are not linked to others, these are called orphan pages. Orphan pages can hurt your SEO and make it harder for users to find the piece of content they need.
How to Optimize Your Website for Mobile Devices
Optimizing your website for mobile devices is essential to reach more mobile users.
Most of the web traffic comes from people using their smartphones; the mobile version of your site is important.
So ensuring your website looks and functions well on smaller screens is essential.
Start by ensuring your site has a responsive design to be viewed easily on any device. Then take the time to test the layout and navigation in many browsers.
Finally, double-check that all images are optimized for mobile devices and that they load quickly.
These simple steps will ensure that everyone viewing your website has a great experience regardless of their device.
Best Practices for Creating an XML Sitemap
You want to ensure your website gets optimized and visible to search engines.
An XML Sitemap is essential to this process. It allows Google to navigate and index your site’s content quickly.
To start creating your sitemap, start by listing all the pages of your website in order.
Then, use a sitemap generator tool to create the file for you—or do it manually. Once complete, upload the file to your web server and add the file’s location to your robots.txt file.
Finally, submit your sitemap to Google Search Console so it can be discovered and indexed.
These steps help search engines find, crawl, and better understand your website.
How to Use Redirects Correctly
There’s a simple way to ensure visitors can smoothly find the page they’re looking for—redirects.
Redirects help you control which web page visitors land on after following a link or entering a web address. They also help you keep your site organized and easier to navigate, helping visitors and search engines alike.
Setting up redirects is straightforward, so why not give it a try!
How to Fix Orphan Pages
Orphan pages are web pages on the internet with no links connecting them to any other web pages. They’re like lost puppies, just wandering around searching for a home—and it’s our job to help them find one!
To find orphan pages:
- Use a crawling tool like Screaming Frog to look for URL voids and other page errors.
- Once found, fixing orphan pages is simple.
- Just create a link from another page of your website with internal linking, or reach out to other websites to see if they’d be willing to link to yours. Providing every page with a home will help make your website much more organized and user-friendly.
How to Ensure Accessibility and Indexability
It’s essential to ensure your website is accessible and indexed by search engines.
To do this, create an effective information architecture for your website with clear and concise:
- headings,
- titles,
- and labels,
That way, search engines can easily find and identify your content.
Use appropriate meta tags and robot text files to help guide crawlers to the correct pages on your site.
Finally, use structured data to link related content across your website to improve indexability and increase visibility.
How to Crawl Your Website Using Google Search Console
You can use Google Search Console to crawl your site and identify potential issues.
This will allow you to troubleshoot technical SEO issues quickly and efficiently.
To start, sign in to Google Search Console and click on the “Crawl” tab. You can click on “Fetch as Google” to begin crawling specific URLs or all URLs on the site.
As Google crawls the site, it will report any issues such as:
- redirects,
- missing meta tags,
- blocked pages,
- etc.
Once all errors have been identified and resolved, you can resubmit the URL for caching and indexing.
How to Set Up a Robots.txt File
As a small business owner, setting up a robots.txt file can seem daunting. But it doesn’t have to be!
Robots.txt files provide instructions for web crawlers about which search engines should index pages or files on your website.
To get started, create a text document called “robots.txt.” Then, add the following code snippet: User-agent: * Disallow: /.
Next, identify which pages of your website you would like to be excluded from search engine indexing by adding specific directory paths after the “Disallow” line.
Finally, upload the file to your server’s root directory so search engine crawlers can access it.
With just a few simple steps, you can ensure that your website appears in the right places with the correct information.
How to Use Structured Data to Optimize Your Content
If you want to optimize the content on your website, use structured data.
Structured data is code that makes it easier for Google to understand your content to show it in relevant searches.
It’s a great way to make sure more people see your relevant content and that it ranks higher in search results.
Plus, structured data is easy to implement — add the correct markup to your web pages, and you’re good to go.
Why Page Speed Optimization is Vital
You must focus on page speed optimizations to ensure your site performs well.
Sluggish loading pages can lead to increased bounce rates and decreased rankings.
You want to ensure that all images, files, and plugins are correctly optimized and minified.
Switching to a faster web host may be necessary.
Give Tips On Optimizing Your Content for Voice Search
As a small business owner, you’ll want to ensure your content gets optimized for voice search.
To do this, focus on natural language and use conversational phrases that match how someone would ask a question aloud.
Make sure to include long-tail target keywords in your content to increase its chances of getting found through voice search.
Also, break up your text with clear headings and sections. Doing this makes it easier for voice search algorithms to understand what the page is about and provide accurate results.
Common Technical SEO Mistakes to Avoid (and How to Fix Them!)
Are you a small business owner looking to get your website to the top of search engine results?
Technical SEO can help – but it’s important to know what mistakes to avoid.
Here, we’ll discuss some of the most common technical SEO mistakes that small business owners should avoid.
Read on to learn more and ensure your website is optimized for success!
The Types of Technical Issues That Can Affect Your Website Ranking
As a small business owner, it’s essential to understand the technical issues that can affect your website ranking.
Search engines like Google always look for ways to give searchers the best possible experience. That’s why they pay attention to how technically sound your website is.
Technical issues such as slow loading times, incorrect URLs, duplicate content issues, and missing meta tags can all affect how high your website ranks in search engine results pages (SERPs).
Identifying and addressing any technical SEO problems is vital to optimizing your website and ensuring your content reaches its intended audience.
Not Having an SSL Certificate Is a Problem
As a small business owner, having an SSL certificate on your website is crucial.
This ensures that your customers’ information stays secure and helps protect you from cyber threats. Without the certificate, visitors may not trust your website and could leave without making a purchase.
Invest in a certificate today for added peace of mind and security.
Invest in an SSL Certificate
Securing your website with an SSL Certificate is necessary if you want a successful online presence.
An SSL Certificate is designed to protect customer data like passwords and credit card information, so customers know their sensitive information is secure when visiting your site.
An SSL Certificate can help boost your website’s rankings and improve trust with potential clients.
Use Your Sitemap Properly Or Else
Using sitemaps properly can impact your website’s visibility as a small business owner.
A sitemap gives search engines an easier way to find and categorize content on your website, helping it appear in relevant search results.
Ensure all crucial web pages are listed on the sitemap and update them with any new pages or changes.
This will allow you to maximize the potential of Tech SEO for your small business.
Improper Website Structure Can Lead to Issues With Visibility
Having an organized website is critical for a successful Tech SEO strategy.
A poor structure can lead to visibility issues on search engines.
If this is the case, it is difficult or impossible for potential customers to find you.
Ensure your website is easy to navigate and explore by organizing pages and creating a site map.
This will make it easier for search engine bots to crawl through your website and make your content more likely to appear in search results.
Poor Server Response Times Kill SEO Rankings
It’s essential to make sure your website is responding quickly. A slow server response time can hurt your SEO, so optimize it for the best performance.
Optimize Your Server Response Time
Take the time to optimize your server response time.
Small changes can make a big difference in how quickly your website loads.
You don’t want potential customers abandoning your site before it even has a chance to show them what you offer.
Keep an eye on how fast your website is loading and take steps to make it faster if needed.
Ensure the Content is Crawlable
Make sure your content can be easily crawled and indexed by search engines.
Use HTML instead of flash or javascript, and add unique meta tags to all pages.
Check your website for broken links and optimize your server response time so search engines can easily access your website.
Lack of Crawlable Content Is Also A Problem
Your website must have no crawl errors to increase your visibility in search engines.
This means having content on each page that can be identified and indexed by the search engine.
Not ensuring that your content is crawlable can decrease your site’s visibility.
Ensure you create a well-structured sitemap so the crawlers can find their way around effectively.
Having Duplicate Content Or Thin Content Hurts Your Too
Duplicate or thin content is a major red flag regarding SEO. Suppose your website has many pages with similar or identical content.
In that case, search engines may mistakenly think you’re trying to game the system, resulting in lower rankings and fewer leads.
To avoid this, make sure all your web pages are unique and offer value to visitors.
Not Having An Effective Crawl Budget
As a small business owner, having an adequate crawl budget is crucial.
The crawl budget is the number of pages Googlebot can and wants to crawl on your website.
If this number is higher, important content won’t be indexed, meaning that customers won’t be able to find it – potentially hurting your rankings.
Maximize your crawl budget by limiting redirects, improving page speed, and removing duplicate or low-quality content.
Duplicate Or Missing Meta Tags Hurt SEO Rankings
It’s important not to overlook meta tags in Tech SEO – they’re vital for search engine optimization.
With them, your website will rank as highly as it should.
Ensure every page has unique meta tags, and check for typos or missing information.
Doing this will help your website increase rankings and give customers a better experience.
Broken Links Will Bite Your Rankings Too
As a small business owner, staying on top of broken links should always be a priority.
Links are crucial to gaining visibility and organic traffic from search engines.
Your ranking can suffer if your website contains links that no longer work.
Track your website for broken links often so you can immediately replace them with ones that work.
Flash Or Javascript Elements Are SEO Killers
As a small business owner, you must be mindful of using elements like Flash and Javascript.
Instead, try to use HTML whenever possible.
Doing this will ensure that your website is as accessible and crawlable as possible.
That means better SEO results for your website.
Failing to Use the Right URLs Can Hurt SEO Rankings
As a small business owner, it’s crucial to understand how URLs can impact your SEO.
You must use the proper URLs to ensure your website’s visibility and ranking.
Make sure you’re using consistent URLs and include relevant keywords in your URLs to get the best results.
Make Sure to Optimize Images Correctly
As a small business owner, optimizing your images for SEO is essential.
Please do so to ensure faster page load times and higher rankings on Google.
Optimizing images means the following:
- resizing the image file for viewing on different devices,
- compressing file sizes,
- and optimizing the image’s alt and title tags.
Taking these steps will help ensure your website loads fast and performs well.
Mobile Optimization Mistakes Can Hurt SEO Rankings
Making sure your website gets optimized for mobile devices is essential.
Failing to do so can cause your website rankings to suffer.
Mobile optimization mistakes include pages with the following:
- slow loading times,
- needing responsive design,
- or including Flash or JavaScript elements that can’t get viewed on mobile devices.
Make sure to optimize your website for mobile and track its performance.
Suppose you’re a small business owner looking to ensure your website is optimized for mobile.
In that case, a good starting point is Google’s mobile-friendly test, which evaluates how easily a visitor can use your page on a mobile device.
This tool can help you ensure your site reaches the biggest audience possible!
Set Up Google Search Console Or Else
Have you set up Google Search Console?
Having a GSC account can be a big mistake and can affect your website’s visibility on search engine rankings.
Take a few minutes to create an account and start with Tech SEO today!
Not Utilizing the Right SEO Tools Will Hurt Your Rankings
If you’re serious about getting the most out of tech SEO, use the right tools.
Some cost money, but they could mean the difference between success and failure when optimizing your website for search engines.
Set yourself up with an ahrefs account, Frase, and SEMRush to cover all your bases.
Conversion Rate Optimization Is Important Too
Growing your small business online through organic campaigns is integral to reaching your desired customer.
With conversion rate optimization, you’ll be able to measure the success of those campaigns—finding out what works and what doesn’t—to maximize your efforts and get the most out of them.
By monitoring conversions, you’ll have an accurate picture of how well your organic campaigns are performing and be able to adjust them as needed to ensure success.
How To Improve Your Conversion Rates
As a small business owner, maximizing the potential of every customer who visits your website is important. Improving conversion rates is essential to growing your business and increasing sales. Here are some tips to help you get started:
1. Make sure your site is mobile-friendly: customers should be able to navigate your website with their mobile devices easily.
2. Provide clear calls-to-action: Identify what action you want visitors to take on each page of your website, and make sure it’s prominent and easy to find.
3. Improve loading times: keep your design simple and optimize images and videos so they load quickly.
4. Streamline the checkout process: reduce the steps required for customers to purchase and include an option for guest checkout to make it easier for new customers.
5. Analyze user behavior: use analytics tools to understand better how visitors interact with your website, such as which pages they visit the most and where they drop off in the checkout process.
By following these steps, you can ensure that every visitor to your website leads to a successful conversion.
Analyzing Your Results
You’ve done the hard work setting up your SEO strategy – now it’s time to reap the rewards!
Analyzing your results can help you identify areas of improvement and understand how your SEO efforts are paying off.
Take some time to look into your website data and review the performance of your initiatives.
With the right insights, you can optimize your site and reach more potential customers.
How to Interpret Data from Google Analytics
Are you overwhelmed by all the data in Google Analytics?
Don’t worry; it’s easier than it looks!
Start by checking your traffic sources—see where people are coming from when they visit your website.
Look at referral numbers to analyze which pages have the most views.
Knowing this information will help you make changes that can improve website traffic.
How to Identify Areas for Improvement On Your Website
As a small business owner, keeping a close eye on your website’s performance is essential.
Analyzing your website’s data in Google Analytics can help you identify where improvements are needed.
Look for pages with high or low bounce rates and average session duration to understand better what parts of your site visitors interact with the most.
Also, use Google Search Console to view which keywords drive the most organic traffic and check if any technical problems hinder your SEO.
With all this information, you can quickly adjust to improve the user experience and boost your SEO rankings.
Conclusion
Now that you understand the fundamentals of tech SEO and how it can benefit small business owners, it’s time to start.
Remember, optimizing your website for technical SEO means correctly setting up essential elements such as:
- an SSL certificate,
- sitemap,
- robots.txt file,
- and more.
Additionally, identifying and correcting everyday tech SEO mistakes is critical in improving your website visibility and ranking on search engine results pages.
With these simple steps, you’ll be well on your way to success with Tech SEO.
Further Reading
Are you ready to take your blog, business, or website to the next level?
You’ve come to the right place!
At America Gets Ranked, we have all the resources and expertise you need for success.
We offer free comprehensive guides on the following:
- keyword strategies,
- local SEO practices for small businesses,
- how not to get burned by SEO providers,
- SEO Best Practices for 2023,
- how to get traffic to your blog,
- link building tips,
- SEO Audit for eCommerce Websites,
- and Google Ranking Factors for Small Businesses.
And we offer guides for the following industries:
So what are you waiting for.
Let’s get started!
What Next?
Are you tired of managing your SEO campaigns and not seeing the results you want for your business?
If you’re a small business owner, America Gets Ranked can help you be more successful online. We have tips and tricks to ensure your website gets seen by many people so that you can get more customers!
Our monthly done-for-you SEO services cover the following:
- keyword research services,
- link building services,
- conversion rate optimization services,
- and algorithm update recovery services.
We also offer SEO check-ups to ensure your website always performs at its best.
Want to see what we can do? Check out our SEO case studies about how we’ve helped others! Then, you’ll know that using our services will help your business succeed.
And if you’re ready to take your SEO game to the next level, request a complimentary custom SEO strategy call with our co-founder Matt LaClear.
With over a decade of experience in SEO and thousands of campaigns under his belt, Matt has the expertise to help your business succeed online.
Contact us today to get started!