How Technical SEO Can Make Or Break Your Website's Search Rankings

When it comes to getting your website seen online, it’s not just about great content or web design. Technical SEO plays a huge role in determining how well your website ranks on search engines like Google, Bing, or DuckDuckGo. This behind-the-scenes aspect of SEO is often overlooked but can be the difference between ranking at the top of search results or being buried on page five. Whether you're considering working with a local SEO company, or are looking for search optimization services for your business, technical SEO is a game-changer.

What Exactly is Technical SEO?

Technical SEO involves optimizing the structure and backend of your website so that search engines can easily crawl and index it. It's not about the content you write but how well your site functions. Everything from your page speed to mobile-friendliness and security can impact your rankings. Ignoring technical SEO, even if you have top-notch content, could result in low rankings, which is why many businesses turn to search engine optimization services or a local SEO agency for help.

How Technical SEO Impacts Your Search Rankings

1. Crawlability and Indexing If search engines can’t easily crawl and index your website, it won’t show up in search results, no matter how great your content is. Broken links, poor site architecture, and slow-loading pages can all confuse search engine bots. By working with a technical SEO agency, you can fix these issues to ensure that search engines find and rank your site correctly.
   
   
2. Page Speed Speed is everything online. A slow website frustrates users and tells Google that your site isn’t offering a good user experience. If your page takes too long to load, your rankings will drop. Improving site speed is crucial for businesses looking to use local business SEO services to attract nearby customers.
   
   
3. Mobile Optimization With the majority of searches now happening on mobile devices, Google uses mobile-first indexing to rank websites. This means your mobile site’s performance directly impacts your ranking. A local SEO consultant can help ensure your site looks and performs great on mobile, giving you a better chance of showing up in local search results.
   
   
4. Site Structure and Navigation A well-structured website is easier for both users and search engines to navigate. Clean URLs with relevant keywords included in them, proper use of headers, and good internal linking all contribute to better rankings. If your site structure is a mess, it might be time to get help from a small business SEO agency or SEO strategy agency to clean things up.
   
   
5. SSL Certificates and Security Security is a ranking factor. If your website doesn’t have an SSL certificate (meaning it doesn’t start with “https://”), Google will penalize you. Plus, users are more likely to trust and engage with secure websites. Many local search engine optimization companies can help with installing SSL certificates and updating all your links to reflect your secure changes to ensure your site is secure. 
   
   
6. Schema Markup Schema markup is a way of tagging your website’s content so that search engines can better understand it. This can lead to your site appearing in rich snippets, improving your visibility in search results. For businesses using local search engine optimization services, implementing schema markup can make it easier for customers to find your local listings.

Why Technical SEO is Crucial for Local Businesses

For local businesses, technical SEO is essential. People searching for services in their area are often looking on their phones, and if your site isn’t optimized for mobile or doesn’t load quickly, you’ll lose potential customers. Small business SEO services focus heavily on these technical aspects, ensuring that your website is user-friendly and ranks well in local search results.

For example, let’s say you're a small restaurant or retail shop. Local customers will search for businesses “near me,” and if your website isn’t optimized for local search, you’ll miss out. That’s where a local SEO expert can help, by making sure your site is perfectly set up for local searches and appears in the right places, like Google Maps.

Technical SEO for Ecommerce

Running an ecommerce site? Technical SEO is even more critical. With so many product pages, categories, and customer interactions, things like page speed and security are non-negotiable. A small business SEO agency or ecommerce SEO agency can help optimize your site to handle large volumes of traffic and ensure customers have a smooth shopping experience.

How to Get Started with Technical SEO

1. Audit Your Website The first step to improving your technical SEO is a full website audit. This will identify any issues that could be hurting your rankings, from broken links to slow page speeds. Many SEO companies for small business offer auditing services to get a clear picture of what needs fixing.
   
   
2. Optimize for Local Search Local search is key for businesses that rely on nearby customers. Ensuring your website is listed correctly in directories and fully optimized for Google My Business is essential. Local business SEO services are designed to help you capture this local traffic and boost your rankings in local searches.
   
   
3. Partner with a Technical SEO Agency Technical SEO can get complicated, and it’s often best to leave it to the experts. By working with a marketing SEO agency or technical SEO agency, you’ll ensure that your website is up to date with the latest SEO best practices and is fully optimized for performance.

In the world of SEO, technical elements are just as important as content and backlinks.

Without a strong technical foundation, even the best keyword strategies and content won’t get you far in search rankings. Whether you’re a small local business or an ecommerce store, technical SEO is the key to better rankings, a smoother user experience, and ultimately, more traffic and sales.

If you're ready to take your website to the next level, consider working with us! We can provide all of your technical SEO as well as local SEO services to get you placed higher in rankings and drive more traffic to your site!!