DEV Community: Vikash Verma

Before Building Backlinks, Fix These 7 SEO Fundamentals First

Vikash Verma — Tue, 03 Nov 2026 19:26:31 +0000

When a website struggles to rank on Google, one of the first recommendations people usually make is to build more backlinks.

Some suggest publishing more blog posts. Others recommend targeting new keywords, improving domain authority, or investing in link-building campaigns.

But there is something I believe deserves attention before any of that.

Is your website technically ready to rank in the first place?

I've seen how easily website owners and even marketers can get caught up in advanced SEO strategies while overlooking basic issues that affect how search engines discover, crawl, understand, and index their pages.

Think about it.

You could spend weeks creating high-quality content, invest money in backlinks, and target hundreds of relevant keywords. But if Google cannot properly access or understand your important pages, those efforts may not produce the results you expect.

That's why I prefer starting every SEO project with the fundamentals.

Here are seven things I would check before investing heavily in link building or other SEO activities.

1. Check Whether Your Important Pages Are Indexable

Before expecting a page to rank, make sure search engines can actually index it.

Indexability is one of the most basic parts of SEO, yet it is surprisingly easy to overlook.

A page might be published, accessible to visitors, and linked from your website, but still not appear in Google's index.

This can happen because of:

An accidental noindex meta tag.
An X-Robots-Tag: noindex HTTP header.
A robots.txt rule blocking important resources or URLs.
Incorrect canonical configuration.
Duplicate or low-value pages.
Server errors or other technical problems.

How to check it:

Start with Google Search Console.

Go to:

Indexing → Pages

Review the indexed and non-indexed URLs. Pay attention to categories such as:

Excluded by 'noindex' tag.
Blocked by robots.txt.
Crawled – currently not indexed.
Discovered – currently not indexed.
Duplicate without user-selected canonical.

You can also use the URL Inspection tool to investigate individual pages.

One important distinction: a page being indexed does not automatically mean it will rank. But if an important page cannot be indexed, ranking it organically becomes a different challenge altogether.

2. Review Your Canonical Tags

Duplicate URLs are more common than many website owners realise.

For example, the same page might be accessible through:

Depending on the website configuration, search engines may discover multiple URL versions containing similar or identical content.

This is where canonical tags become important.

A canonical tag helps communicate which URL should be treated as the preferred version of a page.

Example:

<link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/services/" />

What should you check?

Does every important page have an appropriate canonical URL?
Are canonical tags pointing to the correct URLs?
Are important pages accidentally canonicalised to another page?
Are canonical URLs using the preferred HTTPS and domain version?
Are sitemap URLs consistent with canonical URLs?

A common mistake is copying a canonical tag across multiple pages without changing the destination URL.

This can create serious indexing confusion.

Remember that canonical tags are signals, not absolute instructions. Google can select a different canonical URL if its other signals suggest that another version is more appropriate.

3. Optimise Meta Descriptions for Real Users

Meta descriptions are not a direct Google ranking factor, but that doesn't make them unimportant.

They help communicate what a page offers and can influence whether someone clicks your result.

Imagine someone searching for:

"Custom software development services"

Two websites appear in the search results.

The first description is generic:

"We provide the best software development services for businesses."

The second is more specific:

"Explore custom software development services designed to help businesses build scalable applications, automate operations, and improve efficiency."

Which one gives the searcher a clearer reason to click?

The second one.

What makes a useful meta description?

Clearly explain what the page is about.
Include the primary topic naturally.
Highlight the actual value offered.
Match the search intent.
Avoid unnecessary keyword repetition.
Write a unique description for important pages.

You don't need to force keywords into every sentence.

Focus on making the description relevant and useful.

Also, Google may generate a different search snippet depending on the user's query, so your meta description is not guaranteed to appear exactly as written.

4. Don't Ignore Image Alt Text

Images are an important part of the website experience, but their SEO value is often overlooked.

Alt text provides a textual description of an image. It helps screen readers communicate image content to visually impaired users and can help search engines understand meaningful images.

For example:

Bad alt text:

image123.jpg

Generic alt text:

software development

Descriptive alt text:

Developer reviewing a custom software application dashboard on a laptop

The goal isn't to insert as many keywords as possible.

The goal is to describe the image accurately.

A few practical guidelines:

Write descriptive alt text for meaningful images.
Keep descriptions natural and relevant.
Avoid keyword stuffing.
Use empty alt attributes (alt="") for purely decorative images.
Don't repeat the same alt text across unrelated images.

One thing worth remembering: alt text should improve accessibility first. SEO benefits should follow naturally from accurate descriptions.

5. Implement Schema Markup Where It Makes Sense

Search engines need to understand more than just the words on a page.

Structured data helps provide additional context about the information published on your website.

This is where schema markup becomes useful.

Depending on the website and its content, relevant schema types may include:

Organization
LocalBusiness
Article
Product
BreadcrumbList
SoftwareApplication
Person

For example, an organisation can use Organization structured data to communicate information about its name, website, logo, and other relevant details.

An e-commerce website might use Product structured data to provide information about products, including price and availability where applicable.

How to validate schema markup:

You can use:

Google Rich Results Test.
Schema.org Validator.
Google Search Console enhancements reports, where applicable.

However, adding schema to every page just for the sake of SEO is not a good strategy.

Use structured data that accurately represents the visible content on the page and follows Google's guidelines.

Also, remember that valid schema does not guarantee rich results or higher rankings.

6. Check Robots.txt and Your XML Sitemap

These two files play different but complementary roles in technical SEO.

Your robots.txt file provides crawling instructions to search engine crawlers.

Your XML sitemap helps search engines discover important URLs on your website.

Both deserve attention during an SEO audit.

Robots.txt example:

User-agent: *

Disallow: /admin/

Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap.xml

This is only an illustrative example. Actual robots.txt rules should reflect the website's requirements.

Things to check:

Is the robots.txt file accessible?
Are important sections accidentally blocked?
Is the XML sitemap accessible?
Does the sitemap contain canonical, indexable URLs?
Are redirected, broken, or noindex URLs excluded?
Is the sitemap submitted in Google Search Console?

A particularly common mistake is assuming that adding a URL to an XML sitemap guarantees indexing.

It doesn't.

A sitemap helps Google discover URLs, but Google decides which pages to crawl and index.

7. Make Google Search Console Part of Your Regular SEO Routine

If I had to choose one tool that every website owner should become comfortable using, Google Search Console would be high on my list.

It provides valuable information about how Google interacts with your website in organic search.

Instead of making assumptions about website performance, you can investigate actual search data.

Here are some areas I regularly recommend reviewing:

Performance Report

Check:

Total clicks.
Total impressions.
Average CTR.
Average position.
Queries bringing visitors to your website.
Pages receiving organic search visibility.

Indexing Report

Understand which URLs are indexed and which are excluded.

Core Web Vitals

Review available data about real-world loading performance, interactivity, and visual stability.

Sitemaps

Check whether Google has successfully processed your submitted sitemap.

URL Inspection

Investigate individual URLs when you notice unexpected indexing or crawling issues.

One useful habit is comparing performance over different periods.

For example, if impressions have increased but clicks haven't, investigate whether your pages are receiving visibility for relevant queries and whether your search snippets need improvement.

Don't immediately assume that every drop in clicks is a technical SEO problem. Search demand, seasonality, competition, and SERP changes can also affect performance.

A Practical SEO Audit Workflow Before Building Backlinks

Knowing these seven fundamentals is useful, but knowing how to check them in the right order is even more important.

If I were auditing a new website today, this would be my starting workflow:

Step	What to check	Recommended tool
1	Crawlability and indexability	Google Search Console
2	Canonical tags	Screaming Frog
3	Meta titles and descriptions	Screaming Frog
4	Missing image alt text	Screaming Frog
5	Structured data	Schema Validator
6	Robots.txt and XML sitemap	Browser + GSC
7	Search performance and indexing	Google Search Console

You don't need expensive enterprise SEO software to start identifying these issues.

A combination of Google Search Console, browser inspection, and a website crawler such as Screaming Frog can help you uncover many common problems.

The important part is not just collecting errors.

It's understanding which issues actually affect important pages, prioritising them, and verifying the fixes.

What Should You Fix First?

Not every SEO issue deserves the same priority.

For example, an important service page accidentally blocked by a noindex tag deserves immediate attention.

A missing alt attribute on a decorative image is a much lower priority.

I prefer categorising findings into three levels:

High Priority

Important pages blocked from crawling or indexing.
Incorrect canonical tags.
Server errors affecting important URLs.
Critical internal linking or rendering problems.

Medium Priority

Missing or duplicate meta descriptions.
Missing relevant structured data.
Important pages missing from the XML sitemap.
Meaningful images without descriptive alt text.

Ongoing Improvements

Better internal linking.
Content optimisation.
Improving search snippets.
Core Web Vitals improvements.
Content expansion based on search intent.

This makes SEO work more organised and helps avoid spending time on minor issues while more important problems remain unresolved.

Final Thoughts: Fix the Foundation Before Building Authority

SEO is not simply about getting backlinks, publishing more content, or increasing domain authority.

It's about making sure your website is accessible, understandable, technically sound, and genuinely useful to the people searching for what you offer.

You can build 100 backlinks and publish 50 articles, but those activities alone won't solve fundamental technical problems.

That doesn't mean backlinks or content are unnecessary. Both can play an important role in organic growth.

It simply means that the order of execution matters.

My approach is straightforward:

Fix the technical foundation first.

Make important pages discoverable and indexable.

Improve content and search relevance.

Build internal links and topical authority.

Then invest in earning relevant, high-quality backlinks.

Because sustainable SEO growth doesn't come from doing everything at once.

It comes from identifying the right problems and solving them in the right order.

I'd love to know your approach: When you audit a new website, what's the very first thing you check?

Why does technical SEO matter for rankings?

Vikash Verma — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 18:30:04 +0000

When people talk about SEO, they usually focus on keywords, content, and backlinks. These things are important, but there is another side of SEO that often gets ignored: Technical SEO.

Think of your website like a house. Great content and beautiful design are like the furniture and decoration, but technical SEO is the foundation. If the foundation is weak, even the most attractive house will struggle.

Technical SEO helps search engines understand, crawl, and index your website properly. Without it, your content may not get the visibility it deserves, no matter how valuable it is.

What Is Technical SEO?

Technical SEO refers to the process of optimizing the technical parts of a website so that search engines can easily access and understand it.

It focuses on areas like:

Website speed
Mobile-friendliness
Website structure
Crawling and indexing
Security
URL structure
XML sitemap
Schema markup
Core Web Vitals

The goal is simple: make your website easier for both search engines and users.

How Does Technical SEO Affect Rankings?

1. Helps Search Engines Crawl Your Website

Search engines like Google use bots (also called crawlers) to discover and understand web pages.

If your website has technical issues like:

Broken links
Incorrect robots.txt settings
Poor website structure
Missing sitemap
search engines may have difficulty finding important pages.

For example, you may have written a detailed blog that can answer your audience's questions, but if Google cannot properly crawl or index that page, it will not appear in search results.

Technical SEO removes these barriers and helps search engines discover your content faster.

2. Improves Website Speed and User Experience

Website speed is one of the most important factors for both users and search engines.

Nobody likes waiting for a slow website. If a page takes too long to load, visitors often leave and search for another option.

A slow website can lead to:

Higher bounce rates
Lower engagement
Poor user experience

Google wants to show websites that provide a good experience. That is why factors like loading speed, page stability, and responsiveness are important.

A technically optimized website loads faster, keeps visitors engaged, and sends positive signals to search engines.

3. Makes Your Website Mobile-Friendly

Today, most people browse the internet using smartphones.

If your website is difficult to use on mobile devices, users will leave quickly.

Technical SEO ensures that your website:

Adjusts properly on different screen sizes
Has easy navigation
Loads quickly on mobile
Provides a smooth experience
Since Google follows mobile-first indexing, having a mobile-friendly website is no longer optional.

4. Helps Google Understand Your Content Better

Search engines are becoming smarter, but they still need clear signals to understand your website.

Technical SEO elements like schema markup help search engines understand:

Your business information
Products
Reviews
FAQs
Articles
Events

For example, adding proper schema markup can help Google understand that a page contains a product review or a frequently asked question section.

This can improve your chances of appearing in rich search results.

5. Prevents Duplicate Content Problems

Sometimes websites accidentally create multiple versions of the same page.

For example:

HTTP and HTTPS versions
Different URL parameters
Duplicate category pages
This can confuse search engines about which page should rank.

Technical SEO helps solve these problems through methods like:

Canonical tags
Proper redirects
URL management

This allows search engines to focus on the correct pages.

6. Supports Better SEO Performance Long-Term

SEO is not a one-time activity. A website needs continuous improvement.

As websites grow, they often develop technical issues:

New broken pages
Slow loading times
Indexing problems
Poor site architecture
Regular technical SEO audits help identify and fix these problems before they affect rankings.

Technical SEO vs Content SEO: Which One Is More Important?

Many people ask whether content or technical SEO matters more.

The truth is that both work together.

Great content without technical SEO may not get discovered.

A technically perfect website without valuable content will not satisfy users.

The best SEO strategy combines:

Strong technical foundation
Helpful and original content
Quality backlinks
Good user experience
All these elements help a website build authority and improve rankings.

Final Thoughts

Technical SEO is the backbone of a successful SEO strategy. It helps search engines crawl your website, improves user experience, increases visibility, and creates a strong foundation for long-term growth.

You can create the best content in your industry, but if your website has technical problems, you may miss valuable ranking opportunities.

A website that performs well technically gives your content the best chance to reach the right audience and achieve better search rankings.

Google’s May 2026 Core Update Is Here. Here's What Website Owners Should Actually Focus On.

Vikash Verma — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 11:52:07 +0000

Google officially started rolling out its May 2026 Core Update on May 21, and as expected, website owners, marketers, and SEO professionals immediately started watching their analytics like hawks.

Whenever Google launches a core update, the internet fills with theories, panic posts, and people claiming they've cracked the algorithm.

The truth?

Most of us won't know the exact details behind the update because Google doesn't reveal every change it makes. What we do know is that core updates are designed to improve the quality of search results overall.

So instead of chasing rumours, let's focus on what actually matters.

First, Don't Panic

If you've noticed traffic fluctuations over the past few days, you're not alone.

Core updates often create temporary volatility while Google tests and recalibrates rankings across millions of websites. It's completely normal to see pages move up or down during this period.

One of the biggest mistakes website owners make is reacting too quickly.

I've seen businesses rewrite entire websites, delete content, change URLs, and overhaul their SEO strategy before the update is even finished rolling out.

That's rarely a good idea.

Give the data time to settle before making major decisions.

What Seems to Matter More Than Ever

While Google hasn't published a list of ranking factors for this update, industry observations point toward a few consistent themes.

1. Helpful Content Still Wins

This shouldn't be surprising.

Google continues to reward content that genuinely helps people solve a problem, answer a question, or make a decision.

Content created solely to rank for keywords is becoming easier for search engines to identify.

The question every content creator should ask is simple:

"Would someone find this useful even if search engines didn't exist?"

If the answer is no, it may be time to rethink the content.

2. Search Intent Is More Important Than Keywords

Ranking isn't just about using the right keywords anymore.

Google is getting better at understanding what users actually want.

For example, if someone searches for "best CRM software" and lands on a sales page that immediately pushes a product without providing comparisons or information, they may leave quickly.

Google pays attention to those signals.

The best-performing pages are often the ones that match the user's intent, not just the search query.

3. Trust Matters

Users want information they can trust.

That means websites should clearly show who is behind the content, why they are qualified to talk about the topic, and how visitors can verify their credibility.

Simple things like author profiles, company information, customer reviews, case studies, and transparent contact details can make a difference.

Trust isn't just important for people. It's becoming increasingly important for search visibility too.

4. AI Is Changing Search Behaviour

Search is evolving.

Users are no longer interacting with search results the same way they did a few years ago.

With AI-powered search experiences becoming more common, visibility isn't only about ranking in the top 10 blue links anymore.

Businesses should start thinking about how their content can become a trusted source that search engines and AI systems reference when answering questions.

The goal is no longer just ranking.

The goal is becoming the source.

What You Should Do Right Now

Instead of making drastic changes, focus on these practical steps:

Monitor Google Search Console regularly.
Compare traffic patterns before and after the update.
Identify pages that gained visibility and understand why.
Review underperforming content and improve its quality.
Strengthen your expertise, authority, and trust signals.
Make sure your content genuinely satisfies user intent.
Continue publishing content that provides real value.

Most importantly, stay patient.

The Bigger Picture

Every major Google update sends the same message:

Shortcuts become less effective over time.

Useful content, strong brands, and genuine expertise become more valuable.

The websites that consistently focus on helping their audience tend to recover faster, grow more steadily, and perform better in the long run.

If there's one takeaway from the May 2026 Core Update, it's this:

Stop trying to outsmart the algorithm.

Start focusing on serving the user better than anyone else.

That's the strategy that survives every update.