Technical SEO-optimization implies a set of measures that will improve the interaction of the site with search engine algorithms.
In order for a site to get high positions in the output, it is not enough to have quality content filled with keywords and anchor links, and relevant to queries in search engines. It is important to work the site through the key elements that make up technical optimization:
- crawling;
- indexing;
- visualization;
- site structure.
Bringing these indicators to perfection will improve the quality and speed of crawling and indexing of site pages by search engines, improve user experience, increase conversions and site authority.
Why do you need to optimize your site technically?
Search engines are set up to show users the content they find most useful. There is a whole algorithm by which Yandex, Google and other systems search for relevant sites, pre-scanning and evaluating web pages on certain parameters. The better fine-tuned technical settings, the more convenient it is for the search engine to evaluate the site. As a result of excellent optimization – getting into the top 10 in the search engine.
Technical optimization is aimed at improving the comfort of users when working in the network, its main purpose – to make the website fast, reliable and simple. Negligent attitude, as well as excessive fanaticism, can cost too much. It is better to stick to the golden mean and focus on the needs of the user and search engine criteria.
Criteria for the quality of the site
The main criteria for the technical quality of the site are:
- site loading speed;
- adaptability of the site;
- site security;
- site map and indexing;
- structure optimization;
- optimization of site content.
Next, let’s break down these criteria in more detail.
Loading speed
Page load speed – one of the first significant components that affect the ranking of the site. This parameter – is part of the recently published Google Core Web Vitals ranking factor. It is believed that this parameter is analogous to face-to-face communication between people and the delay in loading is equivalent to a long pause in a conversation. If a page takes more than three seconds to load, users lose interest in it. For most sites, this is a definite loss of customers and reduced profits.
Nevertheless, this indicator remains a sore spot for optimizers, because the abundance of pictures or the presence of developer errors can lead to a critical loss of site speed. Before adjusting this indicator, it is important to understand what factors affect the speed of page loading. First of all, these are:
- server response speed;
- time to first byte arrival (TTFB);
- time of page code processing and content loading;
- start of rendering (appearance of page visibility).
These indicators depend on various criteria (page code cleanliness, correctness of site structure and layout, file weight) and directly affect ranking. So, the less TTFB, the higher the page in the Google rendition. When choosing hosting should stop at the option that has the best speed of access to the site and the shortest period of resource unavailability in case of technical problems.
Adaptation for mobile devices
Most users value their time and prefer to access sites from any device. Therefore, the mobile version is another important criterion for retaining positions in the top. If the “lame” interface of the page when loading from a mobile device or it is inconvenient to read, most likely the user will prefer to leave it.
But even with excellent adaptation, the loading speed remains an important indicator. It can differ significantly from the PC version and affect the result of ranking. Therefore, when launching the site, it should be checked on popular mobile browsers.
It should be taken into account that the search results for mobile and desktop versions of the site in different browsers are different. So, Yandex has a common output, so the lack of a mobile version can completely pessimize the resource (that is, lower its position in the search engine). Google shares rendition, but the priority is the mobile version. Its absence will affect the ranking.
Safety
Back in 2014, Google identified the use of SSL protocol as a ranking factor. SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is a certificate that authenticates a website. It confirms that your domain has an individual key with which the information between the server and the user is encrypted and therefore a secure connection is established.
Scanning and indexing: basic principles and impact on the result of optimization
In order for a website to get into the search engine results, a correct search index is necessary. It means that the search engine has evaluated and memorized the page, and will show it at the appropriate query.
Scanning is the initial stage when the system “sends” its robots, crawlers or spiders to get to know the site. “Running” on the pages, they read the data and index them. After that, the search engine analyzes the information, determines the keys for each page and stores the data in the search index. Each search engine conducts indexing according to its own principles.
For example, indexing in Google is based on the mobile version of the site. At the same time, the indexes in Google are constantly updated. The quality of pages and their relevance is determined by more than 200 ranking factors; the best quality pages are selected and they are included in the query. Low-quality pages are downgraded but not removed from the index.
Of great importance in the effectiveness of scanning and indexing is the architecture of the site. The deeper the construction and the farther the pages are located from home, the more difficult it is for the system to identify them. And in the presence of a large number of internal links, it becomes even more difficult for search engines.
Therefore, it is better to stick to the flat construction, which is more convenient for both robots and users. In this case, the rule of “three clicks” to get to the desired page from the main page is preserved.
The technical aspect of SEO is one of the most significant. It can be carried out both independently and with the help of specialists, but in any of these options you will need specialized services that will simplify the already resource-intensive work. We have also determined the indicators of the basic technical audit and selected the most important services for technical SEO work.
