In this article, we discuss the recurring technical SEO challenges frequently encountered during Auditzy's extensive experience conducting site audits. We aim to shed light on the most prevalent issues and provide practical solutions that can assist you in resolving these SEO problems on your own website. Additionally, we also introduce a website page speed test tool to further assist you in assessing and optimizing your website's page speed performance.
Here are the top SEO issues that we'll cover in this post:
No HTTPS Security
Incorrect Indexation of the Website
Slow Page Speed
What is technical SEO?
Technical SEO refers to the optimization of a website and its server to improve its crawl ability, indexation, and search rankings. It involves making updates to various components that are within your direct control, such as page titles, title tags, HTTP header responses, XML sitemaps, 301 redirects, and metadata.
However, technical SEO does not encompass activities like analytics, keyword research, backlink profile development, or social media strategies. Within the framework of search experience optimization, technical SEO serves as the initial stage in enhancing the overall search experience for users.
No HTTPS Security
If your website doesn't use proper security measures, Google Chrome may display a gray or, worse, a red background along with a "not secure" warning when users enter your domain name. This unfavorable appearance could lead users to quickly navigate away from your site and return to the search engine results page (SERP).
You can do this by entering your domain name into Google Chrome and checking if the "secure" message is displayed (as shown in the image below). If this message is present, your site is secure.
How to Resolve the Issue:
To resolve this problem, you must buy an SSL certificate from a trusted certificate authority and install the certificate to convert your site to HTTPS and ensure its security:
Incorrect Indexation of the Website
If you are unable to find your website in the search results when searching for your brand name on Google, it indicates a potential problem with the indexation of your site.
According to Google, if your pages are not indexed, they are essentially nonexistent in the eyes of search engines. Consequently, they will not appear in search results.
How to verify:
Open Google's search engine in a web browser. In the search bar, type the following command: "site:yoursitename.com" (replace "yoursitename.com" with your actual domain name). Press Enter or click on the search button. Instantly, Google will display the number of indexed pages from your website within its search index.
How to Resolve the Issue:
Add your URL to Google: If your site is not indexed at all, submit your website URL to Google for indexing. You can do this by visiting the Google Search Console (previously known as Google Webmaster Tools) and adding your website property. From there, you can use the "URL Inspection" tool to request indexing for individual pages or the entire site.
Slow Page Speed
When your website takes a long time to load, typically exceeding 3 seconds, it can lead to user frustration and prompt them to abandon your site in favor of faster alternatives.
Page speed plays a vital role in enhancing the user experience and is also a factor considered by Google's algorithm. In the summer of 2021, Google introduced the page experience update, incorporating metrics from Core Web Vitals. As part of this update, Google rolled out a new page experience report in Search Console, emphasizing the significance of page speed optimization.
How to check:
Use Auditzy to detect specific website page speed problems with your site. (Be sure to check desktop as well as mobile performance.)
How to Resolve the Issue:
Effective methods to enhance page load times consist of optimizing/compressing images, improving browser caching, enhancing server response times, and minifying JavaScript code.
Key Takeaway:
By exploring and addressing the key technical issues highlighted in this blog post, you can significantly enhance your visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs) and greatly improve the overall user experience of your website. Taking prompt action on these issues can yield positive results and contribute to the success of your online presence.