By the end of this chapter, you’ll have a basic understanding of Technical SEO. You’ll learn how to perform technical audits and ensure that a website’s structure and on-page elements are optimized for search engines. Key concepts like crawling, indexing, and website performance will be covered.

Introduction to Technical SEO

Technical SEO is all about making sure that your website is built in a way that search engines can easily find, understand, and rank it. This helps improve your site’s visibility in search results by meeting the technical standards set by search engines like Google.

Why Technical SEO Audits Are Important

A technical SEO audit is a thorough checkup of your website to make sure it follows SEO best practices. Performing regular audits helps spot any issues that might prevent your website from ranking well on search engines.

What Elements Are Covered in a Technical SEO Audit?

• Crawlability: Can search engines easily access and explore your website?
• Indexability: Are your pages being stored properly in search engines’ databases?
• Site Architecture: Is your website organized in a logical way that benefits both users and search engines?
• Website Performance: Are you optimizing for fast loading times and a smooth user experience?

Core Technical SEO Elements

Here are the key elements you need to know. For detailed explanations and resources, check the linked document: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZKVApUVszld_OUK7xfbTFWfTsrHbfzQZLYS9f7P1IfE/edit?gid=1493241379

• Search Console Checks
• Screaming Frog Reports
• Rich Results Reports
• Canonicalization Best Practices
• Crawling/Indexing Priorities
• Crawling Errors & Checks
• Autonomous Crawl Issues
• Robots.txt
• XML Sitemap
• Crawl Management
• JavaScript Usage
• Mobile SEO
• Structured Data/Rich Results
• Core Web Vitals Reporting
  • Page Experience
  • Intrusive Ads or Popups
  • User and Business Experience
• Links
• Metadata and Meta Tags

This list provides an overview of what needs to be checked and optimized to ensure your site’s technical SEO is up to standard.

Additional Resources

• Visual Tech Audit Checklist:
  If you’re looking for a more visual format of the audit process, refer to this checklist:
  https://www.canva.com/design/DAGRpeClKYc/QKoPWyIlGG63kWW93wVkbw/view
  Note: This visual checklist should only be used after you’ve become comfortable with the technical SEO elements discussed above. It provides a quick reference guide for more experienced users.

• Sample Technical SEO Audit File:
  For an example of how a technical SEO audit is documented and presented to a client, you can check this sample file:
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Nn4JeZPW8cNNB7XSKjeB2FZ3MuYaVzA2x6j03vC8ocM/view
  This file will give you a clear idea of how to structure your findings and recommendations in a professional manner.