Setting Up Basic SEO Technical Foundations for Your Blog
This article is one in a series that aims to understand the basic SEO technical foundations to optimize your blog.
Setting up the core technical SEO elements for your blog is crucial for optimizing crawling, indexing, and rendering by search engines. Solid technical foundations lead to better visibility, higher rankings, and an improved user experience. This comprehensive guide covers the essential aspects of technical SEO that every blogger should know.
Essential SEO Tips for Bloggers
| Tip | Description |
|---|---|
| Use semantic HTML tags | Use tags like <h1>, <h2>, etc. to structure content. This helps search engines understand your content. |
| Optimize page titles | Page titles should be clear, concise, and include important keywords. Aim for 50-60 characters. |
| Write meta descriptions | Meta descriptions summarize page content. Keep them 155-160 characters. Use keywords naturally. |
| Add alt text to images | Add descriptive alt text to images to help search engines understand them. Don’t keyword stuff. |
| Optimize URL structure | Use keywords in URLs, but don’t overdo it. Keep URLs clean and organize content in a logical hierarchy. |
| Internal link relevant content | Link to related content on your site. This helps search engines crawl your site and understand topic relationships. |
| Create sitemaps | Sitemaps help search engines discover new and updated content. Submit XML sitemaps through Search Console. |
| Use heading tags properly | Proper heading structure helps create an outline of your content for search engines and users. |
| Check site speed | Faster sites rank better in search. Test site speed and optimize images, caching, etc. |
| Make site mobile-friendly | With more mobile searches, having a mobile-friendly site is essential for SEO. Test on multiple devices. |
What is Technical SEO and Why It Matters
Technical SEO focuses on behind-the-scenes optimization to make your site accessible and understandable to search engines. It ensures your blog gets indexed properly, renders well on all devices, and provides a smooth user journey.
With technical SEO best practices in place, you can expect:
- Better crawling and indexing of your content by search engines
- Faster page loading speeds and better performance
- Improved mobile-friendliness for smartphones and tablets
- Increased security for your site and users
- Richer data and engagement through structured markup
- Less duplicate content issues
In short, technical SEO creates the optimal conditions for your blog to get found, ranked, and used by your target readers. It lays the groundwork for higher organic visibility and conversions.
This guide will take you through the key elements of technical SEO to optimize as a beginner blogger.
2. Why should you care about technical SEO?
Technical SEO is the foundation of your SEO strategy. It’s the set of technical onsite optimizations that you can do to improve your site’s performance in search engines. It’s also the foundation on which you can build your content marketing strategy. Let’s dive in!
Crawlability and Indexation
Crawlability refers to how easily search bots can discover and access pages on your site. Indexation is about getting those pages added into the search engine’s index database to become “findable”.
Good crawlability leads to better indexation. Optimizing these two aspects involves:
robots.txt
This text file tells search bots which pages or directories to crawl or avoid on your site. You can use it to:
- Block irrelevant pages like archives, admin areas etc.
- Prevent duplicate content issues
- Manage crawling load on your server
By default, WordPress creates a robots.txt file that allows all crawling. You can modify it later as per your preferences.
Meta Robots Tags
These HTML meta tags on individual pages let you:
- Nofollow/noarchive specific pages
- Set custom crawl delay per page
- Block search indexing of certain pages
For example, you can add:
<meta name="robots" content="noindex, nofollow">
Use judiciously to avoid blocking important pages.
XML Sitemaps
An XML sitemap is a list of all your site’s pages made available to search engines. It helps them:
- Discover new and updated content
- Crawl your site more efficiently
- Assign crawl priority to key pages
Make sure your sitemap is comprehensive, updated regularly, and submitted to search consoles like Google Search Console.
Crawl Reports
Search engine webmaster tools like Google Search Console provide valuable data on your site’s crawling and indexing status.
Monitor essential reports like:
- Index coverage – pages indexed vs total pages
- Crawl stats – pages crawled, errors etc.
- Sitemaps data – status, last accessed dates etc.
Fix any major issues blocking search bots from optimal crawling.
Site Speed and Performance
Faster sites have better user engagement, lower bounce rates, and higher conversions. For SEO, speed impacts crawling frequency and rankings.
Core web performance factors include:
Server Response Time
Your server-side technology stack affects how quickly pages get served to users. Optimizing your hosting setup is crucial.
Page Size
Heavier pages with large file sizes, long code, multiple widgets etc. load slower. Streamline code and enable compression.
Caching
Caching stores page copies to serve them faster. Use CDNs and caching plugins.
GZIP Compression
Gzip reduces file sizes by compressing text-heavy assets like HTML, CSS, JS and images.
Image Optimization
Compressed, properly sized, and lazy loaded images improve speed.
Use tools like PageSpeed Insights and WebPagetest to measure and optimize site speed.
Mobile Friendliness
With increasing mobile usage, having a mobile-friendly site is vital for technical SEO and user experience.
Responsive Design
Responsive sites adjust layouts and elements dynamically for optimal viewing on any device. Mobile-responsive design is recommended over separate mobile URLs.
Viewport Meta Tag
This adjusts page dimensions and scaling for proper mobile rendering:
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
Click Elements
Tap targets like texts and buttons should be large enough for easy tapping on touchscreens.
Page Speed
Faster mobile page speed improves user experience. Test with mobile-simulation tools.
Test mobile-friendliness with Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test.
Site Security (SSL)
Switching to HTTPS provides essential security and trust benefits like:
- Data encryption between server and browser
- Protection against threats like attacks, spoofing etc.
- Authenticity verification through signed certificates
- Browser padlock and green address bar indicators
As Google prioritizes HTTPS, migrate your site fully to reap SEO ranking advantages.
Use free SSL certificates like Let’s Encrypt. Change URLs to HTTPS, enable strict transport security, and redirect HTTP pages.
Structured Data
Adding structured data markup enables search engines to recognize page content and display it prominently in search results.
Popular schema types include:
Article
For blog posts and articles. Enables rich snippets with post details.
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<script type="application/ld+json"> { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Article", "headline": "Article headline", "image": "Image URL", "datePublished": "2015-02-05", "author": "Author Name" } </script>
HowTo
For tutorials, recipes etc. Displays step-by-step instructions.
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<script type="application/ld+json"> { "@context": "https://schema.org/", "@type": "HowTo", "name": "How to name", "tool": "tool needed", "supply": "supply needed", "step": [ { "@type": "HowToStep", "url": "https://www.example.com/step1", "text": "Step 1 text" }, { "@type": "HowToStep", "url": "https://www.example.com/step2", "text": "Step 2 text" } ] } </script>
FAQPage
For FAQ pages. Displays page sections as featured snippets.
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<script type="application/ld+json"> { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [{ "@type": "Question", "name": "FAQ question 1", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Answer 1 text" } },{ "@type": "Question", "name": "FAQ question 2", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Answer 2 text" } }] } </script>
Use Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool to validate and test markup.
Duplicate Content
Having identical or very similar content across pages dilutes the value of that content and splits page authority. Watch out for:
Boilerplate Pages
Lightly customized pages with duplicate headers, footers, sidebars etc. Use inclusions to reference common code.
URL Parameters
Pages like example.com/?product=x and example.com/?product=y with only parameter differences. Go for static URLs.
Pagination
Archives split into pages like blog/page/1 and blog/page/2. Implement rel=”next/prev” links.
Canonicalization
Non-canonical URLs like example.com/page vs example.com/page/ for the same content. Pick one URL and redirect or canonicalize the other.
Scraped Content
Content is automatically scraped from other sources without significant rewriting. Provide original value.
removing redundant content and preventing issues is crucial.
Site Architecture
Optimizing your site’s structural elements enhances technical SEO and usability:
URL Structure
Clean, short, logical page URLs are SEO-friendly. Avoid long query parameters and session IDs.
Internal Linking
Linking related content provides crawlable paths for search bots. Anchor text variety also helps indexing.
Breadcrumb Navigation
Breadcrumbs like Home » Category » Page show page hierarchy. Use for deep pages.
Sitemaps
XML sitemaps help discoverability of non-linked pages like new articles.
Pagination
Split long content into logical pages. Maintain clear page numbering and navigation.
Analyze internal linking and structure with tools like Screaming Frog.
Internationalization
To target users across languages and regions, technical considerations include:
Multilingual Sites
Separate ccTLD domains like example.de or subdirectories like example.com/de/ improve targeting.
Alternate Language Links
Indicate alternate language versions using hreflang tags:
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="de" href="http://example.com/de/" />
Localized Content
Adapt content for language, units of measurement, formats etc. Don’t just translate literally.
Geotargeting
Use extensions like Yoast SEO to geotarget content and optimize locally.
Refer Moz’s Localization and International SEO Guide for more tips.
FAQs
What are the most important technical SEO factors?
The most important technical SEO factors are site speed, mobile-friendliness, SSL security, proper content structure/metadata, crawlability and indexation. Optimizing these provides the foundation.
How can I improve my site’s crawlability?
Some ways to improve crawlability are: – Optimize robots.txt and meta tags – Create and submit XML sitemaps – Reduce crawl errors by fixing broken links, redirect chains etc. – Limit restrictions to only high-priority pages – Improve site speed and server response times
What tools can I use for technical SEO audits?
Helpful technical SEO audit tools include Google Search Console, Screaming Frog, Lighthouse, Pingdom, PageSpeed Insights, and Moz Pro. They help analyze crawlability, speed, mobile-friendliness, links, security, and more.
How often should I optimize my site’s technical SEO?
Technical SEO is an ongoing process, but aim for thorough audits and fixes quarterly. Monitor site changes, search engine reports, and ranking/traffic regularly to catch technical issues early.
What are some common technical SEO mistakes to avoid?
Avoid mistakes like: – Blocking important pages from crawling – Non-mobile responsive design – Duplicate content issues – Weak server infrastructure – Excessive ads/popups affecting speed – Outdated security protocols – Structured data errors
Conclusion
Technical SEO establishes critical site infrastructure and settings for search engine compatibility. It ensures your blog gets indexed efficiently and provides users with the best experience.
By following the technical SEO best practices covered in this guide, you can start seeing tangible improvements in organic visibility, rankings, and traffic.
Pay close attention to site crawlability, speed, mobile-friendliness, security, duplicate content prevention, and infrastructure. Do regular technical audits to stay on top of any issues before they escalate.
Investing in technical SEO will pay long-term dividends through higher search engine performance and user engagement.
References
1. The Ultimate Guide to Technical SEO – HubSpot Blog
Use this technical SEO checklist to perform a complete technical SEO audit on your website.
2. What Is Technical SEO? Basics and 10 Best Practices
Technical SEO is the process of optimizing a website for search engines, but it can also include activities meant to improve user experience.
3. Technical SEO: A Complete Guide on How to Leverage Your Website – Rock Content
Discover the essential steps in website building and unlock the secrets of achieving top rankings on Google through technical SEO.
4. The 5-Point Technical SEO Checklist For Bloggers – Neil Patel
1. Implement “noindex” tags – If you’re facing duplicate content issues due to pagination, then you can set the meta robots tag value to “noindex, follow”. · 2.
5. Technical SEO: The Definitive Guide – Backlinko
A complete guide to technical SEO, including sitemaps, crawling, indexing, Robots.txt, meta tags, … Let’s kick things off with a chapter on the basics.
6. The Beginner’s Guide to Technical SEO – Ahrefs
Technical SEO is the process of optimizing your website to help search engines like Google find, crawl, understand, and index your pages.
I’m Alexios Papaioannou, a word wizard, and affiliate marketing ninja with a decade of experience crafting killer blog posts that captivate and convert. Specializing in affiliate marketing, content writing, analytics, and social media. My secret weapon is a love of running that boosts my creativity and energy. Let’s create epic content together!
