Search engine optimization (SEO) is an essential part of any digital marketing strategy. While many traditional and classic SEO techniques remain vital, a common mistake companies make is to focus on staying up to date with the latest information without covering the basics. If you have just started with SEO, make sure your technical knowledge about the basic compatibility of your website is up to scratch. 

A successful SEO strategy is two-fold. Technical optimization is only able to improve the success of a website as long as it is used with other techniques. For example, identifying the right keywords, using these in high-quality written content, and using reputable companies like clickintelligence.co to build up a large library of reputable and genuine backlinks are all necessary elements of any successful strategy. These should be used in tandem with technical search engine optimization to maximize your chance of success.

Why is technical SEO So Important?

Technical optimization for SEO focuses upon the way the website is structured, specifically, the ability for a website to be crawled, indexed, rendered, and understood by search engine bots. The way that a website reads allows for a more confident prioritization on behalf of the search engine. For example, if Google chooses to list pages that are slow, nonresponsive, or hard to navigate at the top of the results page, its users would quickly turn to another search engine. 

Not only will ensuring a website has a strong technical architecture benefit its users, but it will also have an effect on its long-term ranking position. 

How to Improve Technical SEO?

Below is a list of some of the most effective and simple ways to improve the technical rankings of any website.

1.    Make it Mobile Friendly 

With 53% of global internet traffic now coming from smartphone users, search engines prioritize mobile-friendly websites. Tools such as this one will test websites to help optimize the structure for mobiles. 

2.    Website Speed 

Since most people won’t want to wait more than two seconds for a website to respond, search engines promote the faster-responding website to ensure their own customer satisfaction. Using tools like Pingdom can provide a basic review of website speed to act as a baseline for improvements. Website speed can be improved by some really simple measures, such as compression of images and videos. 

3.    Make sure the Website is Safe and Secure 

Including secure sockets and layer certificates will provide extra security for the site’s visitors. Working to protect data and improving customer trust has a positive effect on the SEO rankings and will also add another level of security to the site. 

4.    Provide Search Engines with a Sitemap

A sitemap is a list of pages that make up a website; it ensures that search engines are easily able to find, crawl, and index the website. It shouldn’t be too difficult to create a sitemap, as there are many plug-ins available that will do it all for you. When the map has been created, it is recommended that you submit it to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools to ensure easy website crawl. 

Improving the basic architecture of a website can be achieved through these really simple steps. When it’s used in conjunction with more content and link-based SEO strategies, it can have a staggeringly positive effect on both short- and long-term SEO.