You can write great content and still stay invisible if search engines can't crawl, understand or load your site properly. Technical SEO is the behind-the-scenes work that removes those barriers. It isn't glamorous, but it is often the fastest way to unlock rankings you should already have.
This guide covers nine technical checks you can run yourself, in plain language. If you'd rather have someone else audit the site, a specialist SEO company can do it for you.
1. Make Sure Google Can Crawl Your Site
Check your robots.txt file (yourdomain.com/robots.txt) and confirm it isn't blocking important pages. A single stray "Disallow: /" line can hide an entire website. Also check that important pages don't carry a "noindex" tag by accident, which is common after a site redesign.
2. Submit an XML Sitemap
A sitemap lists the pages you want indexed. Create one (most CMS platforms and SEO plugins do it automatically), submit it in Google Search Console, and make sure it only contains live, useful pages, not redirects or error pages.
3. Check Indexing in Search Console
Open the Pages report in Google Search Console. Look at which pages are indexed and which are excluded, and read the reasons. "Crawled, currently not indexed" or "Duplicate without user-selected canonical" often point to thin or duplicate content worth fixing.
4. Use HTTPS Everywhere
Your site should load over HTTPS, and every HTTP address should redirect to the secure version. Check for mixed content, where a secure page still loads images or scripts over HTTP, since browsers may warn visitors.
5. Fix Your Redirects and Broken Pages
Use 301 redirects when a page moves permanently. Avoid redirect chains (A to B to C), which slow the site and waste crawl budget. Find 404 errors with a crawler or Search Console and either restore the page, redirect it to a close match, or remove links pointing to it.
6. Handle Duplicate Content With Canonical Tags
When the same content is available at more than one address, such as with and without "www" or with tracking parameters, tell search engines which version is the main one using a canonical tag. This keeps ranking signals from being split.
7. Improve Speed and Core Web Vitals
Slow pages lose visitors and rankings. Compress images, use modern formats such as WebP, enable caching, minify code and remove plugins you don't use. Check Core Web Vitals in Search Console and PageSpeed Insights, and start with the slowest, most visited pages.
8. Be Mobile-Friendly
Google primarily uses the mobile version of your site for indexing. Make sure the mobile page has the same content as desktop, text is readable without zooming, and buttons are easy to tap.
9. Add Structured Data
Schema markup helps search engines understand what a page is about, such as an article, a product, an FAQ or a local business. It can make you eligible for rich results. Validate it with Google's Rich Results Test and fix any errors it reports.
A Simple Monthly Routine
- Review Search Console for new errors and coverage problems.
- Re-check Core Web Vitals on your key pages.
- Crawl the site for broken links and redirect chains.
- Confirm the sitemap is current after adding or removing pages.
Common Technical SEO Mistakes
- Leaving "noindex" on after a site launch.
- Blocking CSS or JavaScript files that Google needs to render the page.
- Using multiple redirects in a row.
- Letting several versions of the homepage stay live.
- Ignoring mobile problems because the desktop site looks fine.
Final Thoughts
Technical SEO is the foundation under everything else. Fix crawling and indexing first, then speed and mobile, then structured data. Once the basics are healthy, your content and links can finally do their job.
If you want a full technical audit and a clear list of fixes, the team at Online Workings offers SEO and digital marketing services tailored to your goals.
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