SEO basics
Technical SEO
Technical SEO ensures search engines can effectively crawl, index, and render your website. It's the foundation that makes all other SEO efforts possible.
Even the best content won't rank if search engines can't properly access and understand it. Technical SEO removes barriers between your content and search engine crawlers while optimizing the experience for users.
Crawlability & Indexation
Ensure search engines can discover and index your pages.
Robots.txt
Control which pages search engines can crawl. Be careful not to accidentally block important pages.
XML Sitemaps
Submit a sitemap to help search engines discover all your important pages efficiently.
Canonical Tags
Specify the preferred URL version to avoid duplicate content issues.
Crawl Budget
For large sites, optimize crawl efficiency by fixing errors and prioritizing important pages.
Site Speed & Performance
Fast-loading pages improve user experience and rankings.
Image Optimization
Compress images, use modern formats (WebP), and implement lazy loading.
Code Minification
Minify CSS, JavaScript, and HTML to reduce file sizes.
Caching
Implement browser and server caching to speed up repeat visits.
CDN Usage
Use a Content Delivery Network to serve assets from locations closer to users.
Core Web Vitals
Google's key metrics for page experience ranking.
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
Measures loading performance. Should occur within 2.5 seconds of page load.
First Input Delay (FID)
Measures interactivity. Pages should have an FID of 100 milliseconds or less.
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
Measures visual stability. Pages should maintain a CLS of 0.1 or less.
Interaction to Next Paint (INP)
The newest metric replacing FID, measuring overall page responsiveness.
Mobile Optimization
Google uses mobile-first indexing for all websites.
Responsive Design
Your site should adapt seamlessly to all screen sizes.
Mobile Usability
Ensure tap targets are large enough and text is readable without zooming.
Mobile Speed
Optimize specifically for mobile networks and devices.
Viewport Configuration
Properly configure the viewport meta tag for mobile rendering.
Security & HTTPS
Secure websites build trust and rank better.
SSL Certificate
Install and maintain a valid SSL certificate for HTTPS.
Mixed Content
Ensure all resources load over HTTPS, not HTTP.
Security Headers
Implement headers like HSTS, CSP, and X-Frame-Options.
Regular Audits
Monitor for security vulnerabilities and malware.
Structured data (schema markup)
Structured data helps search engines understand your content and can enable rich results in SERPs.
Article
News, blog posts, and articles
Product
E-commerce product listings
LocalBusiness
Physical business locations
FAQPage
Frequently asked questions
HowTo
Step-by-step instructions
Review
Product or service reviews
Event
Events and happenings
Recipe
Cooking and recipe content
Technical SEO Audit Checklist
Related resources
Tools and guides to help you audit and improve your technical SEO.
Technical SEO glossary
Definitions for crawling, indexing, and more
Robots.txt validator
Check your robots.txt for issues
Page indexing checker
Verify your pages are indexed by Google
Broken link checker
Find and fix broken links on your site
Heading structure checker
Validate your heading hierarchy
Schema markup generator
Generate structured data for rich results
Full site audit tool
Comprehensive technical SEO analysis
SEO audit checklist
Step-by-step guide to auditing your site
Site migration checklist
Protect rankings during a site migration