Intro
Technical SEO is the plumbing behind every high-ranking page. Clean code, fast loads and clear signals help Google understand—and reward—your content. Follow this hands-on guide to tighten up the technical foundations that separate page-one winners from digital also-rans.
Materials you’ll need
Purpose Tools / Resources
Crawl & audit Google Search Console, Screaming Frog or Sitebulb
Speed testing PageSpeed Insights, WebPageTest, Lighthouse
Code & metadata editing CMS access or developer support, text editor
Media optimisation Image compressor (e.g. Squoosh), YouTube or in-house video host
Structured data Schema.org markup generator, JSON-LD tester
Version tracking Changelog or basic spreadsheet to log edits
Steps
Crawl the site
Run a full crawl to surface 404s, duplicate titles, redirect chains and blocked resources. Export the report—you’ll use it as a to-do list.
Craft precise page titles & meta descriptions
Keep titles ≤ 60 characters and meta descriptions ≤ 155. Front-load the main keyword, add a benefit (“free shipping”) and a subtle call to action.
Clean Up URLs
Replace cryptic parameters with readable slugs: /organic-dog-food-chicken-2kg beats /product?id=74291. Use lowercase, hyphens and a single canonical version.
Optimise Images
Compress files, serve modern formats (WebP/AVIF) and add descriptive alt text (“Senior Labrador eating grain-free chicken kibble”). Enable lazy-loading to shave seconds off Largest Contentful Paint.
Strengthen internal links
Link supporting articles to your money pages with keyword-rich anchor text (“grain-free puppy food guide”).
Check that every orphan URL gains at least one contextual link.
Add structured data
Implement Product, FAQ, Breadcrumb or Organisation schema via JSON-LD so Google can show price, ratings or sitelinks directly in the SERP.
Boost Core Web Vitals
Aim for LCP < 2.5 s, FID < 100 ms, CLS < 0.1. Minify CSS/JS, defer non-critical scripts, use a CDN and test on real mobile devices.
Embed Engaging Media
Break up long text blocks with relevant images, comparison tables or short videos. Increased dwell time and lower bounce rate signal quality to RankBrain.
Cite Authoritative Sources
When quoting stats or studies, link out to the original research. Credible references build topical authority and user trust.
Use Keywords Naturally
Assign one primary keyword and a few variations per URL, then write like a human. Over-repetition triggers algorithmic penalties.
Harden Crawl Infrastructure
Generate an XML sitemap, reference it in robots.txt, and unblock essential CSS/JS. Fix or 301 every dead link and shorten redirect chains to one hop.
Review, Measure, Repeat
After deploying changes, annotate the date in Search Console. Track impressions, clicks and core vitals for at least two weeks, then iterate on any under-performing pages.
Tips & Pitfalls
Stay White Hat – Keyword stuffing, doorway pages and bulk link swaps may yield a sugar-rush of traffic but risk long-term penalties.
HTTPS Everywhere – Mixed-content warnings kill conversions and credibility.
Canonical Consistency
Each page should reference itself; variant URLs (UTM, print view) should point to the canonical.
Breadcrumbs & Pagination
Add breadcrumb markup for hierarchy and rel="next/prev" on paginated series to guide crawlers.
Quarterly Audits
Schedule a full technical check every three months; technology, algorithms and your own site change faster than you think.
Log Every Edit
A simple spreadsheet noting the date, URL and change lets you trace ranking swings back to specific actions.
Tackle the checklist methodically, monitor results, and you’ll give Google—and your customers—plenty of reasons to keep coming back.