Want more traffic to your small business website? Technical SEO can help. With 53.3% of web traffic coming from organic searches and 76% of local smartphone searches leading to store visits, optimizing your site is essential for growth. Here’s a quick summary of the 10 tips to improve your technical SEO:
Quick Tip: Free tools like Google Search Console, PageSpeed Insights, and Screaming Frog can help you monitor and fix issues.
These steps can improve your search rankings, attract more visitors, and boost conversions. Let’s dive into the details!
Website speed plays a key role in both search rankings and user experience. Slow-loading pages can lead to higher bounce rates, so aim for a load time of under 2 seconds.
In August 2024, Shinola managed to cut their page weight by 50% and reduce load times by 1 second using image compression.
Here are a few ways to improve your website's speed:
To track your progress, try free tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, GTMetrix, Pingdom Tools, or WebPageTest. These tools can help you identify problem areas and measure improvements.
Need extra help? Check out tailored solutions from Humble Help (https://humblehelp.studio), a service designed for small businesses looking to enhance site speed and technical SEO.
With mobile devices accounting for over 55% of global website traffic, ensuring your website works well on mobile is no longer optional. Since Google now uses mobile-first indexing, your site's mobile version directly affects its search rankings.
Optimizing for mobile goes hand-in-hand with improving site speed, creating a smooth experience for users on any device.
Here’s how to make your site mobile-friendly:
Testing is crucial to ensure your site performs well on mobile. Here are some tools to help:
| Tool | Purpose | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test | Check basic mobile compatibility | Free |
| BrowserStack | Test across devices | Free / $29+ per month |
| Responsinator | Visual layout testing | Free |
| Google PageSpeed Insights | Analyze performance | Free |
Use this checklist to evaluate your site’s mobile experience:
"Mobile optimization is the process of ensuring that visitors who access your site from mobile devices have an experience optimized for the device." - Chima Mmeje
Pro Tip: Test your site on real devices, not just emulators. Real-world testing often uncovers issues that automated tools might miss.
Mobile optimization can have a big impact. Businesses with optimized sites report up to a 67% increase in purchase likelihood. For small businesses, this means better rankings, lower bounce rates, and higher conversions.
SSL certificates protect your website by encrypting data and can also provide a small boost to your SEO.
Google considers HTTPS a ranking signal, which can give secure websites a small edge, even though it affects only about 1% of global searches. Making the switch to SSL is a simple way to improve your site's SEO.
SSL helps build trust. For instance, 17% of shoppers abandon their carts due to security concerns, and data breaches cost businesses an average of $4.24 million. Despite these risks, fewer than 0.1% of websites are fully secure.
Choosing the right SSL certificate depends on your website's needs:
| Certificate Type | Best For | Verification Level |
|---|---|---|
| Domain Validated (DV) | Small blogs, personal sites | Basic |
| Organization Validated (OV) | Small to medium businesses | Moderate |
| Extended Validation (EV) | E-commerce, financial websites | Highest |
Follow these steps to set up SSL on your site:
Here are a few potential problems to keep an eye on:
Pro Tip: Domain Validated certificates are affordable, often costing less than $100 per year. This small expense can lead to better security and SEO performance.
Once your SSL certificate is installed, confirm it's working by:
A properly configured SSL certificate not only enhances your search rankings but also reassures visitors. In fact, 68% of internet users feel current protections for their online rights are inadequate.
An XML sitemap is a tool that helps search engines find and index the pages on your website more efficiently. Studies show that having a sitemap can lead to up to 50% more indexed pages and a 20-30% boost in organic traffic growth.
An XML sitemap is essentially a list of your website's key URLs, designed to guide search engines during the indexing process.
"The
<lastmod>element in sitemaps is a signal that can help crawlers figure out how often to crawl your pages." - Gary Illyes, Google
A well-organized sitemap plays a key role in supporting your technical SEO efforts. There are several ways to create one:
| Method | Best For | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| WordPress Plugins | WordPress sites | Free - $99/year |
| Standalone Tools | Custom websites | $24.95 - $259/year |
| Manual Creation | Tech-savvy users | Free |
Popular tools include:
Follow these guidelines to ensure your sitemap is effective:
https://example.com/page).Once your sitemap is ready, submit it to search engines to improve indexing.
You can submit your sitemap through tools like Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools, or by including it in your robots.txt file.
robots.txt file:
Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap.xml
Regularly check your search console to ensure:
A well-structured URL makes it easier for users to navigate your site and helps search engines index your pages effectively. Shorter URLs also tend to perform better in search results and are more likely to be shared on social media. They support other SEO tactics like sitemaps and mobile optimization, boosting your site's visibility.
/pet-grooming-tips)."URLs with words that are relevant to your site's content and structure are friendlier for visitors navigating your site." - Google
| Good URL | Poor URL | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| /services/web-design | /folder1/subfolder2/category3/web-design | Shows a clear hierarchy |
| /blog/seo-basics | /blog/complete-guide-to-search-engine-optimization-techniques-2025 | More concise and readable |
| /contact-us | /Contact-Us | Maintains consistent casing |
A case study from November 2024 on Collaborada.com highlighted that a simple URL like /blog/h0gw4sh was indexed and ranked quickly, proving that stuffing URLs with keywords isn't necessary.
For e-commerce sites, aim for clean and logical product URLs like:
yourstore.com/category-name/product-name
Avoid complicated structures such as:
yourstore.com/p?id=123&cat=456
When updating existing URLs, use 301 redirects to maintain SEO value and prevent broken links. Additionally, with 69% of websites now using HTTPS, ensure your site has an SSL certificate in place. This not only secures your URLs but also improves user trust and search engine rankings.
Broken links hurt both your SEO and user experience. In fact, 89% of consumers switch to competitors after poor user experiences. For search engines, dead links can make your site appear outdated or poorly maintained.
Here are some tools to help you locate broken links:
| Tool Name | Key Features | Starting Price |
|---|---|---|
| AIOSEO | Fixes links directly, minimal server load | Free (Premium: $4.99/mo) |
| Semrush | Full site audit capabilities | $119.95/mo |
| Screaming Frog | Detailed crawl reports | $259/year |
| Sitechecker | Real-time link monitoring | $49/mo |
AIOSEO's Broken Link Checker, updated in January 2025, lets you edit URLs, unlink, or create redirects directly from its dashboard.
Once you've identified dead links, fix them with 301 redirects. These ensure users and search engines land on relevant content. For example:
Redirecting to unrelated pages can lead to higher bounce rates, so always ensure the destination is relevant.
To keep your links in good shape, follow these steps:
A great example of strategic link management comes from Backlinko’s acquisition of Point Blank SEO in 2023. By using well-planned redirects, they increased traffic by 116% in just 12 months. Properly managing links not only keeps your site functional but also strengthens your overall SEO strategy.
Internal links play a key role in improving SEO, making navigation easier, and helping search engines understand how your site's content is connected. Just like site speed and mobile optimization, a clear internal link structure enhances both search engine crawlability and user experience.
Your website should follow a logical hierarchy: the homepage at the top, with subpages organized beneath it. This structure helps search engines and users navigate your site, highlighting important pages by linking to them more frequently.
Here’s how different types of links serve specific roles:
| Link Type | Purpose | Best Placement |
|---|---|---|
| Navigational | Main site navigation | Header or sidebar |
| Contextual | Connecting related content | Within the page content |
| Structural | Organizing categories/sections | Breadcrumbs or menus |
| Footer | Quick access to key pages | Bottom of the page |
Research from Zyppy shows that pages with more than 50 internal links tend to lose traffic. To keep your internal links effective:
Avoid using the same anchor text for different pages, as this can confuse search engines. Use free tools like Google Search Console to identify and resolve linking issues, ensuring your structure stays effective.
For professional help with internal linking and technical SEO, check out Humble Help (https://humblehelp.studio).
Images make up about 42% of the average webpage's weight. Just like improving site speed and mobile usability, cutting down image sizes is crucial for better user experience and higher search rankings.
Choose the right format based on what your content needs:
| Format | Ideal Use | Benefits | Browser Compatibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPEG | Photos and detailed images | Smaller file sizes for photographs | Supported by all browsers |
| PNG | Logos and graphics with transparency | Keeps sharp edges and supports transparency | Supported by all browsers |
| WebP | Modern websites | Great compression and transparency support | 94.8% of browsers |
| AVIF | Cutting-edge websites | Better compression and HDR support | 75.7% of browsers |
Compression tools like TinyPNG can shrink file sizes by up to 80% without losing noticeable quality. Other tools, such as JPEGmini and ImageOptim, also help maintain quality while speeding up your site.
"Performance is more and more important for our clients, and by using Tinify CDN's services we are able to get outstanding performance scores."
– Michael Mol, Founder
Pages that take over 10 seconds to load see a 123% rise in bounce rates. Optimizing images not only speeds up your site but also keeps users engaged and helps your search rankings. As Nathan Ojaokomo puts it, "Image optimization is about finding the right balance between quality and performance."
For WordPress users, plugins like Optimole, EWWW Image Optimizer, and ShortPixel make image optimization simple. These tools ensure your visuals remain sharp while keeping your site fast across all devices.
About one-third of websites use schema markup, meaning most businesses miss out on its potential. If you implement it correctly, it could give you an edge.
Schema markup is a type of structured data that helps search engines interpret your content more effectively than standard HTML.
| Schema Type | Best For | Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| LocalBusiness | Physical stores | Better visibility in local searches |
| Organization | Service providers | Improved brand presence |
| Product | Online stores | Rich product listings |
| FAQPage | Service pages | Direct answers in search |
| BlogPosting | Blog content | Boosted article visibility |
These steps can lead to noticeable improvements. For example, Sharp Healthcare increased clicks by 843% in nine months, while SAP saw a 400% jump.
"We currently prefer JSON-LD markup. I think most of the new structured data that are kind of come out for JSON-LD first. So that's what we prefer."
- John Mueller, Senior Search Analyst, Google
To make the most of schema markup, follow these guidelines:
For local businesses, schema markup is especially useful. With 46% of Google searches having local intent, schema can help search engines understand your location, hours, services, and other key details - making it easier for potential customers to find you.
If you're short on time or technical know-how, platforms like Humble Help can automate schema markup for you, ensuring your content is optimized for search engines with minimal effort.
After implementing strategies to improve speed and usability, it’s crucial to measure whether those changes actually enhance your site’s performance. Core Web Vitals, introduced as a key ranking factor by Google in June 2021, focus on how real users experience your website. Poor scores in these metrics can negatively impact your local search rankings - a big deal when 25% of users only click the first organic search result.
| Metric | What It Measures | Good Score | Poor Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) | Loading Speed | ≤2.5 seconds | >4 seconds |
| Interaction to Next Paint (INP) | Responsiveness | ≤200ms | >500ms |
| Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) | Visual Stability | ≤0.1 | >0.25 |
For optimal rankings, at least 75% of your pageviews need to meet the "good" score threshold. This means the majority of your visitors should experience fast load times, smooth interactions, and stable layouts.
Google offers several free tools to evaluate Core Web Vitals:
These tools provide actionable insights to help you target areas that need improvement.
If your scores fall short, here’s how to address them:
"All of these metrics capture important user-centric outcomes, are field measurable, and have supporting lab diagnostic metric equivalents and tooling." - Google
By addressing these metrics, you not only align with SEO standards but also provide a better user experience, encouraging visitors to stay longer on your site.
For ongoing monitoring, platforms like Humble Help can automate performance tracking and suggest specific fixes based on your Core Web Vitals scores. This makes it easier for small businesses to maintain strong performance without needing deep technical knowledge.
Technical SEO plays a key role in boosting online visibility and attracting customers. With the global SEO market expected to surpass $122 billion by 2028, focusing on technical SEO is a smart move for long-term growth.
Take Lindsey Bomgren's Nourish Move Love as an example. By honing in on technical SEO, her site went from struggling to connect with its audience to drawing in 180,000 monthly visitors and generating six-figure revenue by 2024. This transformation highlights the power of technical optimization.
Start with the basics like improving site speed and ensuring mobile-friendliness, then tackle other technical challenges step by step.
"Technical SEO is one of the areas of search engine optimization that a small business may not implement... But without a focus on the technical aspects of SEO, all your on-page optimization efforts could be wasted."
| Priority Level | Focus Area | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| High | Site Security & Crawlability | Crucial for search visibility |
| Medium | Speed & Mobile Optimization | Improves user experience |
| Ongoing | Schema & Technical Updates | Supports long-term SEO performance |
Focusing on these areas strengthens the technical foundation essential for success.
"Successful optimization is as much about serving customer needs as adhering to search engine guidelines." - Kody Wirth, Palo Alto Software
If handling technical SEO feels overwhelming, platforms like Humble Help can assist. They combine AI tools with human expertise to simplify implementation. On average, their clients see a 50% boost in website traffic and a 40% increase in conversions within 90 days.
Though technical SEO requires effort upfront and continuous updates, the payoff is worth it. With 60% of marketers saying their best leads come from SEO-driven traffic, there’s no better time to start making these upgrades.
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