What Is Technical SEO and Why It Matters
Technical SEO ensures Google can find, load, and correctly understand your website. You could have the best content on the internet, but if Google can't index it, it doesn't exist. For a broader introduction, start with our SEO guide for business owners.
Crawlability — Can Google Crawl Your Site?
Robots.txt
Check that you're not blocking important pages, CSS/JS files, and that you have a sitemap reference.
XML Sitemap
Must contain all important pages, no redirects or errors, be up to date, and be registered in Google Search Console.
Crawl Budget
For small sites (under 500 pages) this isn't an issue. For e-shops with thousands of products, remove duplicate pages, handle pagination properly, and block valueless pages.
Indexation — Is Your Content in Google?
Common Problems
- Noindex tags where they shouldn't be
- Canonical pointing elsewhere incorrectly
- Duplicate content — www vs. non-www, HTTP vs. HTTPS
- Thin content — pages with fewer than 300 words
Canonical URLs
Every page needs a self-referencing canonical. URL variations must point to one version. Always use absolute URLs.
Site Structure
URLs
Short, readable, with keywords. Consistent trailing slash usage.
Headings (H1–H6)
One H1 per page with the main keyword. Proper hierarchy: H1 → H2 → H3.
Internal Linking
Every important page reachable within 3 clicks from homepage. Breadcrumbs on every subpage. Descriptive anchor texts.
Speed — Core Web Vitals
LCP (Largest Contentful Paint)
✅ Under 2.5 seconds. Fix: optimize images (WebP), preload fonts, server-side rendering.
INP (Interaction to Next Paint)
✅ Under 200 ms. Fix: minimize JavaScript, defer non-critical scripts.
CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift)
✅ Under 0.1. Fix: set width/height on images and videos, preload fonts.
Structured Data (Schema.org)
Most important types: Organization, BreadcrumbList, FAQPage, Product (for e-shops), LocalBusiness. Validate with Rich Results Test.
Mobile Version
Mobile-first indexing means Google primarily indexes the mobile version. Responsive design, same content on mobile and desktop, touch targets minimum 44×44 px.
Multilingual Sites
Use hreflang attributes, separate URLs per language, correct canonical per language version, all versions in sitemap.
Quick Checklist
- robots.txt doesn't block important pages
- XML sitemap exists and is current
- No unwanted noindex tags
- Self-referencing canonical on every page
- Readable URLs with keywords
- One H1 per page with proper hierarchy
- LCP under 2.5s, INP under 200ms, CLS under 0.1
- HTTPS on all pages
- Organization and BreadcrumbList schema
Not sure how your website stacks up? We offer an SEO audit that checks all of this and recommends specific fixes. See how an audit works in practice in What an SEO Audit Reveals. For local businesses, we also recommend local SEO optimization.