Why Ongoing Technical SEO is Essential for Your Website
Technical SEO is the process of ensuring that a website meets the technical requirements of modern search engines with the goal of improved organic rankings. This involves optimising important elements such as crawling, indexing, rendering, and website architecture. In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, maintaining an effective online presence requires a robust technical SEO strategy that adapts to changing technology and search engine algorithms. Regular updates and audits are vital to ensure your website remains competitive and visible. Here’s a breakdown of the key actions you should prioritise each month to keep your technical SEO on track.
1. Maintain and Update Your Website and Plugins
To meet the technical demands of modern search engines, it is crucial to keep your website and its plugins updated. This not only ensures high security and compatibility but also incorporates the latest optimisations that enhance site performance and user experience—factors critical for SEO success. Regularly updating and streamlining your website’s structure and plugins can prevent slowdowns that affect user engagement and search rankings.
2. Database Management
Effective database management is essential for fast website loading times and smooth operation, contributing to better user experiences and higher SEO rankings. Regularly cleaning your database by removing outdated or redundant data and optimising its structure can significantly enhance overall site performance.
3. Backlinks Audit
Backlinks are integral to technical SEO, influencing how search engines crawl and perceive your site. Monthly audits to assess the quality of your backlinks are crucial. Identifying and removing toxic or irrelevant backlinks is necessary to maintain and improve your search engine rankings.
4. On-Page SEO Adjustments
SEO is a dynamic and ongoing process. Regular reviews and adjustments of on-page elements like meta tags, headings, and keywords are necessary to align with the latest SEO practices and trends. This continuous optimisation ensures your site remains relevant and competitive in search results.
5. Tracking Codes and Key Event Tracking in GA4
With the introduction of Google Analytics 4 (GA4), ensuring accurate installation and functionality of tracking codes is more important than ever. Continual updates to key event tracking are crucial to capture all user interactions accurately, providing reliable data to refine your SEO and marketing strategies.
6. Monitor Speed Issues
Page speed is a direct ranking factor for search engines like Google. It’s essential to regularly monitor and optimise the loading times of your pages. This includes minimising code, reducing server response times, and optimising images and other media. Utilising tools like Google’s PageSpeed Insights and lighthouse can offer actionable insights to improve your site’s speed.
7. Stay Updated with SEO Changes and Algorithm Updates
Search engines frequently update their algorithms to enhance user experiences and address spammy practices. Keeping informed about these changes and adjusting your SEO strategy accordingly is crucial to avoid penalties and maintain your site’s rankings.
Continuous attention and adaptation are required in technical SEO to ensure your website complies with the technical standards of modern search engines. By prioritising monthly checks and updates across key areas like website plugins, databases, backlinks, on-page SEO, tracking setups in GA4, and site speed, you can ensure your site remains optimised, secure, and ahead in the competitive digital marketplace. In digital marketing, standing still is equivalent to falling behind.
Also published on Medium.