Technical SEO is the behind-the-scenes work that ensures your website is structured in a way that search engines can crawl, index, and rank efficiently. Without proper technical SEO, even the best content and backlinks won’t get you far.
Most business owners focus on keywords, backlinks, and content—but if your site has slow loading speeds, broken links, poor mobile usability, or confusing site architecture, Google will downgrade your rankings no matter how great your content is.
If SEO is a race, then technical SEO is the foundation of your racecar—without it, you’re stuck at the starting line.
Why Technical SEO Matters
Google’s job is to deliver the best user experience possible. That means prioritizing websites that:
• Load quickly (nobody waits for a slow page)
• Are mobile-friendly (Google’s indexing is now mobile-first)
• Are secure (HTTPS is now a ranking factor)
• Have structured data (helps Google understand your content)
• Avoid duplicate content (prevents search confusion)
• Are easy to crawl (Google needs to access your pages efficiently)
If you ignore technical SEO, your site can lose rankings—even if everything else is perfect.
Essential Technical SEO Elements
1. Website Speed & Performance
Google uses Core Web Vitals as a ranking factor. If your site is slow, your rankings will suffer.
• Use Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix to test site speed.
• Compress images using TinyPNG or ShortPixel.
• Enable browser caching and lazy loading for faster performance.
• Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to serve content faster.
• Minimize JavaScript and CSS bloat that slows pages down.
2. Mobile-First Indexing
Google now prioritizes the mobile version of your site when ranking pages. If your site isn’t mobile-friendly, you’re losing traffic.
• Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to check how your site performs.
• Avoid using pop-ups and large elements that block content on mobile.
• Ensure text is readable without zooming in.
• Make sure buttons and links are easy to tap.
3. URL Structure & Site Architecture
A clean, logical URL structure helps both users and search engines.
• Keep URLs short, descriptive, and keyword-rich (avoid unnecessary words).
• Use a simple, intuitive navigation menu to improve user experience.
• Implement breadcrumb navigation for better internal linking.
• Ensure important pages are no more than 3 clicks deep from the homepage.
4. XML Sitemaps & Robots.txt
These files tell search engines how to crawl your site.
• Generate an XML sitemap and submit it in Google Search Console.
• Use robots.txt to prevent search engines from crawling unnecessary pages (like login pages or duplicate content).
• Check for crawl errors in Google Search Console.
5. Secure Your Website with HTTPS
Security is a ranking factor. If your site still uses HTTP, Google will warn users that your site is not secure.
• Get an SSL certificate (often free with web hosting providers).
• Ensure all site links use HTTPS instead of HTTP.
6. Fix Broken Links & Redirects
Broken links hurt SEO and create a bad user experience.
• Use Screaming Frog SEO Spider to find broken links.
• Redirect broken pages with 301 redirects (not 302, unless temporary).
• Avoid redirect chains, which slow down page speed.
7. Structured Data & Schema Markup
Structured data helps Google understand your content and improves rich snippets in search results.
• Use Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool to check markup.
• Implement schema markup for products, reviews, articles, events, FAQs, and more.
• Use Yoast SEO or Rank Math (if on WordPress) to add schema easily.
8. Avoid Duplicate Content & Canonicalization
Google penalizes sites with duplicate content, whether intentional or not.
• Use canonical tags to tell Google which version of a page is the original.
• Prevent duplicate pages caused by HTTP vs. HTTPS or www vs. non-www versions.
• Consolidate similar content into one authoritative page instead of spreading rankings thin.
Where All Great Things Fits Into Technical SEO
At All Great Things, we focus on content creation and backlink building, but technical SEO plays a critical role in making sure search engines actually rank your content.
• We help businesses create SEO-friendly content that works with technical SEO best practices.
• Our platform ensures AI-driven search engines can properly interpret and rank content.
• We guide businesses to structure their websites in ways that enhance indexing and ranking potential.
Without technical SEO, even the best content and backlinks can’t reach their full potential.
Why Most Websites Fail at Technical SEO
• They ignore page speed and Core Web Vitals, leading to lower rankings.
• They don’t optimize for mobile-first indexing, making them invisible on mobile searches.
• They let broken links and 404 errors pile up, damaging user experience.
• They fail to implement structured data, missing out on rich search features.
• They don’t properly manage duplicate content, confusing search engines.
Who Needs to Focus on Technical SEO?
• Small business owners who want a website that ranks without technical errors.
• Bloggers and content creators looking to maximize SEO visibility.
• Marketing teams needing to audit their website’s health.
• Anyone serious about SEO success.
The Bottom Line
Technical SEO is the foundation of any successful SEO strategy. Without it, content and backlinks won’t perform to their full potential. Optimizing site speed, security, mobile usability, and structured data is critical for ranking higher and staying ahead of competitors.
At All Great Things, we ensure businesses don’t just create great content—but that it’s search engine-friendly and structured for long-term SEO success.
Want to improve your SEO performance? See our plans here.
Need expert guidance? I help businesses build SEO strategies that include technical SEO best practices. Hire me here.