Let's dive into the world of technical SEO!
Improving the nitty-gritty technical aspects of your website is absolutely key for turbocharging search engine crawling and indexing efficiency. These optimisations have a direct impact on how search engines size up and rank your content.
At the end of the day, it's the quality of your content that seals the deal on your position in search results. But let's face it, without some kick-butt technical SEO practices, snagging that top spot is like finding a needle in a haystack. A strong technical SEO foundation not only amps up your visibility but also shields you from the wrath of Google penalties.
Technical SEO is like a treasure trove of optimisation strategies, and while we've just dipped our toes in the water in this blog, there's a whole world of possibilities waiting for you if you've got the time and resources to dive in.
Basic Technical SEO Elements
Robots.txt
Robots.txt is a crucial tool in your SEO arsenal. It's a text file that guides search engine bots on which pages of your website to crawl. If there are specific web pages you'd prefer search engines not to index, the robots.txt file comes to the rescue. By specifying directives in this file, you can control how crawlers navigate your site, avoiding areas like customer profiles, staging sites, or duplicate content. Think of it as a roadmap for search engines to follow, ensuring only the most relevant and valuable content gets the spotlight in search results.
If you don't have any areas on your website that you don't want search engines to crawl, then you may not need a robots.txt file at all. But if you do, here's how it works:
Basic Format of Robots.txt
- User-agent: [user-agent name]
- Disallow: [URL string not to be crawled]
There are online resources available to assist you in creating and testing your robots.txt file. Google provides documentation on creating a robots.txt file and a tool for testing it. Creating a robots.txt file from scratch falls more on the advanced side of technical SEO, so you may need to collaborate with a developer to implement it. Fortunately, most CMSs have the ability to edit your robots.txt built-in, allowing you to make edits if necessary.
Canonicalisation
Canonical tags are like the superheroes of HTML elements, swooping in to save the day by helping search engines tackle duplicate content like a pro. Let me break it down with an example of how a canonical tag works its magic.
Why should you care about canonicalisation in the SEO world? Well, search engines are all about showcasing websites with unique and valuable content. When you've got multiple URLs floating around with the same or super similar content, it can throw a wrench in your ranking game and stir up some SEO trouble.
When identical content pops up in multiple spots, think of a canonical tag as your SEO superhero, guiding search engines to the chosen version that deserves the spotlight in search results. It's not just about duplicated content across different pages - to search engines, each URL is a unique entity. While to us humans, URLs like "example.com" and "www.example.com" might look the same, search crawlers see them as separate pages waiting to be organised.
How can you steer clear of these pesky duplicate content issues on your website? Here are some top-notch canonicalisation tips:
- Make sure to rock those self-referential canonical tags.
- Give your website's homepage the canonical treatment it deserves.
- Don't forget to give your canonical tags a thorough audit.
Start by implementing self-referential canonical tags for optimal SEO performance. This means that if you have duplicate URLs like A, B, and C, and you want version A to be prioritized for traffic, place the canonical tag directing to A on URL A. Although most CMS platforms are configured to handle this automatically, it's always a good practice to review and confirm your settings.
Additionally, take a proactive approach to canonicalizing your homepage to address a common issue efficiently. For instance, ensure that the canonical version of your homepage, such as "https://www.captivateconsulting.co.nz," is correctly established. Lastly, conduct periodic checks on your pages to verify that the right versions are being canonicalized.
If your CMS lacks a dedicated field for the canonical URL, you can manually inspect the webpage in your browser by right-clicking and selecting "View source."
Protocols
The protocol of a URL dictates how a browser fetches information for the webpage, playing a significant role in SEO. When it comes to website protocols, the common standards are "http" and "https." HTTP, or Hypertext Transfer Protocol, is the basic version, while HTTPS adds an extra layer of security with encryption. This encryption is crucial, particularly when users are sharing sensitive data like login credentials or credit card details on an ecommerce platform. The use of HTTPS ensures a secure and encrypted connection, safeguarding user information and building trust.
It's a no-brainer for all websites to jump on the HTTPS bandwagon, not just for data security but also for boosting that user experience. With browsers like Google Chrome flagging non-HTTPS sites as "not secure," trust levels take a nosedive. If users don't have faith in your site, they won't stick around or share their info, throwing a wrench in your SEO game.
SSL, or Secure Sockets Layer, is the key to creating that safe, encrypted browsing experience. Additionally, there's TLS, short for Transport Layer Security, which is essentially the updated version of SSL. While SSL is sufficient for most websites, industries like finance or healthcare may need to consult their IT team to determine the best option for their organisation.
SSL Certificate
To ensure your website is served securely over HTTPS, make sure you have a valid SSL certificate. HubSpot offers SSL certificates for all CMS Hub customers. For WordPress users, several hosting companies provide free SSL certificates. If you use a different CMS, you can purchase an SSL certificate from your domain registrar. Alternatively, if you have coding skills or a developer to assist you, you can obtain a free certificate from LetsEncrypt.org. Explore your options based on your website platform and resources.
URL Redirects
So, here's the scoop on redirects - they're like your website's GPS, guiding users and search engines to a different URL than the one they initially wanted. The stars of the show are the 301 redirect, aka "Moved Permanently," and the 302 redirect, known as "Moved Temporarily." Redirect codes are key players in the SEO game because a 301 redirect is your go-to for permanently shifting traffic from one URL to another, passing on that ranking power and link equity. Perfect for scenarios like updating an old page, changing a URL for good, or moving to a new domain.
Meanwhile, the 302 redirect is more of a temporary fix, handy for those times when a page is under construction and you need to steer users in the right direction. Setting up your URL redirects depends on your Content Management System (CMS), so dive into your platform's documentation for the nitty-gritty details.
Site speed is another important aspect of technical SEO.
The speed at which your website loads can have a big impact on your search result rankings and the overall user experience. This is especially important for mobile users. If Google spots web pages with faster load times than yours, it'll give those pages priority in search results. A slow loading time could also lead to more visitors bouncing off your site out of frustration.
Take advantage of Google's PageSpeed Insights, a nifty tool for assessing how fast your website loads. Boost your site's performance by optimising images - shrink them down to reduce file size and speed up loading times. Don't forget, hefty image files can drag your site's loading speed, especially if you're using lots of images. To turbocharge image loading speed even more, make sure to upload images in the exact dimensions they'll be displayed. Finding that sweet spot between file size and image quality is crucial.
Mobile Optimisation Is Crucial
With over half of global internet activity taking place on mobile devices, it's clear that optimising your site for mobile performance is crucial. But what does this actually entail?
Check if your site is mobile-friendly.
Make sure to put Google's Mobile-Friendly Test to good use to assess if your page is mobile-optimised. If visitors come across a clunky and frustrating experience on your site, they'll likely bounce and not come back. Key factors that impact mobile user experience include site speed and responsive design.
Ensuring a seamless and consistent experience across both your desktop and mobile sites is crucial. Consistency is key - if your mobile site looks drastically different from the desktop version, users might struggle to recognise it. This lack of uniformity can chip away at trust in your brand. Therefore, it's important to maintain consistency in both design and functionality across all devices.
How does responsive design work?
When it comes to responsive design, your website becomes a chameleon, effortlessly adapting to screens of all sizes. This seamless user-friendly approach ensures that visitors can navigate your site with ease, no matter what device they're using.
By customising your site to the size of the browser window, content is displayed perfectly to fit the available space. If you've ever struggled with giant images, messy text, or misplaced buttons while browsing on your phone, blame it on non-responsive design.
Crafting a mobile-focused website means that it caters to each viewer's screen size, using flexible grids to maintain consistency across all devices. And fear not if you're not tech-savvy - many CMSs offer mobile-ready themes and templates straight out of the box.
Avoid those pesky pop-ups on your mobile site that disrupt user flow - they're a real buzzkill for both user experience and SEO efforts. Just like optimising images is a must for your desktop site, it's equally crucial for your mobile site. Stick to image optimisation best practices by compressing images and using the right file size and dimensions. This will turbocharge your site's loading time on mobile devices, giving your rankings a solid boost.
Resizing and Compressing Images
Let's talk about the MVPs of your website - the images. They play a crucial role in boosting your site's visual appeal, but hey, they need to load in a flash. So, how do we make this happen?
First things first, ensure your images are the right size. If you've got a massive 4000 by 6000 pixel image meant to be displayed at 400 by 600 pixels on your page, resize it before uploading. Bust out Adobe Photoshop or a user-friendly tool like Squoosh to get the job done.
Once you've nailed the dimensions, it's time to get down to compressing. This not only speeds up load times but also gives your visitors a lightning-fast experience.
You can compress images with your trusty photo editing software or try out a tool like Tiny PNG for bulk compression. Aim to keep those images under 100 KB for that perfect mix of quality and efficiency.
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