I know—optimizing a website can sometimes feel like solving a puzzle with missing pieces. You fine-tune your pages, follow best practices, and yet, your rankings don’t reflect the effort. The missing piece? The technical side of optimization.
It’s not just about writing great articles or designing a visually appealing platform. If pages load slowly, if they’re difficult to navigate, or if they confuse web crawlers, your rankings will suffer. The good news? Fixing these issues is easier than you think.
Here’s what I’ll cover
- How crawling and indexing impact visibility
- The role of page speed and mobile-friendliness
- The importance of security and HTTPS
- Fixing duplicate pages and broken links
- The power of structured data
- Why internal links and navigation matter
- A quick checklist to get everything in order
Let’s get started
Can Search Engines Find Your Pages Crawling and Indexing 101
Before your website can appear in results, it has to be discovered and understood by web crawlers
- Crawling Automated bots like Google’s scan web pages and follow links
- Indexing After scanning a system decides whether a page is worth storing in its database
How to Make Sure Everything Is Working
- Use Google Search Console to check what’s visible in search results
- Ensure the robots txt file isn’t blocking important sections
- Submit an XML sitemap to help bots discover all key pages
Want to troubleshoot indexing issues My guide on SEO Audits covers common fixes
Is Your Website Fast Enough
Nobody likes waiting for a page to load and neither do ranking algorithms A slow website affects user experience and lowers visibility
Ways to Boost Loading Speed
- Compress images using TinyPNG or ImageOptim
- Minify unnecessary code CSS JavaScript HTML
- Use a content delivery network CDN to speed up loading times
- Enable browser caching to improve performance for returning visitors
Check Performance Run a test with Google PageSpeed Insights for personalized recommendations
Mobile Friendliness More Important Than Ever
Since most people browse on their phones mobile compatibility is non negotiable Search engines prioritize pages that work seamlessly across all devices
How to Test and Improve Mobile Readiness
- Use Google’s Mobile Friendly Test for instant feedback
- Make sure text is readable without zooming
- Avoid Flash it’s outdated and unsupported by modern browsers
- Keep navigation simple with buttons and links that are easy to tap
Need more insights Read my guide on Mobile-First Indexing
HTTPS and Security Are You Protecting Your Visitors
Security isn’t just about trust it’s a ranking factor If your site doesn’t have HTTPS expect lower visibility
How to Secure Your Platform
- Get an SSL certificate many hosting providers offer free ones
- Regularly update plugins and software to prevent security risks
- Use protection tools like Wordfence or Sucuri to monitor threats
Duplicate Pages and Broken Links A Hidden Problem
If multiple URLs display identical content it can confuse search algorithms and split ranking power
Fixing Duplicate and Broken Links
- Use canonical tags relcanonical to point to the preferred version
- Make sure there’s only one version of your domain avoid www and non www conflicts
- Redirect or update broken links to avoid dead end pages
Structured Data Giving Search Engines Extra Clues
Want to improve visibility with rich snippets Structured data helps crawlers understand context
Where Schema Helps
- Articles and blogs enhanced previews
- Products and reviews star ratings
- Local businesses better local search visibility
Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool helps check if everything is correctly applied
Internal Links and Website Navigation Why They Matter
Internal links aren’t just for navigation they help visitors and web crawlers understand page relationships
Best Practices
- Use descriptive text in links avoid generic phrases like Click here
- Connect relevant pages naturally don’t force links where they don’t belong
- Keep key sections accessible within a few clicks from the homepage
Planning a new website Check out SEO in Web Design for structuring pages properly
Quick Technical SEO Checklist
If you’re busy and need a fast health check here’s what to focus on
- Check what’s indexed via Google Search Console
- Fix crawl errors and submit a sitemap
- Optimize speed Google PageSpeed Insights
- Test mobile usability and fix any issues
- Secure your platform with HTTPS
- Use structured data to enhance visibility
- Resolve duplicate pages and improve URL consistency
- Refine internal linking for better navigation
Want a full audit My SEO Audit Guide walks through everything step by step
The Bottom Line
Technical optimization isn’t the most exciting part of digital strategy but it’s essential for ranking success You can have the best content in the world but if search engines can’t properly scan or understand it it won’t rank well
Start with the basics improve speed mobile experience and security then move on to structured data internal linking and better navigation
If all of this feels like too much I’m happy to help untangle the details for you
