Technical SEO - the most important aspects at a glance

Anyone who deals with websites has come across the term SEO. What is beneficial for a good placement in the search results and what is not, has developed into a science and a lucrative business model. In our article "The SEO-first Approach", we dealt with the SEO-first concept, our credo, to design a website from the beginning in a way that search engines rank it as high as possible in their results. This time, we want to look at one aspect of SEO: technical SEO.

What is technical SEO?

As the name suggests, technical SEO refers to all measures taken at the technical level to improve the placement of a website in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). As part of SEO, it encompasses everything that influences the crawling process and indexing by search engines but is not related to the content of a page. Because technical SEO is a broad field, it can have a significant impact on placement in search results. The effort required for this can vary greatly - so it makes sense to take a closer look at the topic, for example, to identify the quick wins. In this post, we start with the basics that are essential to developing a good understanding of the topic.

The most important measures of technical SEO

The measures listed below can mostly be implemented quickly but together have a significant impact on how search engines evaluate your website or landing pages.

• The <title> tag: The content of this HTML tag defines the text that appears on browser tabs and in the search results of a search query. Make sure the title is detailed enough to convey what the page is about but concise enough to be readable within a search engine's search results.
• Relevant <meta> tags: Meta tags provide machines with valuable information about a webpage or a landing page. These tags typically contain information about the character set used, keywords, or the author. A special meta tag is the viewport tag, which defines the width of the page and can also be used to set the scaling at which the page is displayed.
• Using valid alt attributes for images: The alt attribute of an image is used to describe the image itself in simple language. They are displayed, for example, when an internet connection is slow or when the users of your page use a screen reader. Thus, alt attributes not only contribute to accessibility; search engines will also appreciate your efforts.
• Using valid hreflang elements: If your website or parts of it exist in multiple languages, it is advisable to inform search engines about it. A good option for this is using tags with the hreflang attribute. They tell search engines which language a page uses and whether there are other versions of the same page in other languages. The search engines will assign these localized versions to search queries in the corresponding language.
• Using a canonical URL: If there are multiple links leading to the same webpage, we recommend using a so-called canonical URL. This is the URL that is most relevant and therefore will be used in the search results. Note that search engines like Google will automatically select a canonical URL if you do not manually set it. This can potentially lead to unwanted results.
• Using an XML sitemap: Especially for larger websites with many pages or for websites that do not have many internal links, using a sitemap is helpful to assist search engines in determining the data used on the website. A sitemap can be created in various formats, but XML is considered the most versatile.
• The hierarchical structure of headings:  It is generally recommended not to skip a level when using the <h1> to <h6> tags. This practice not only makes the content more accessible to the reader but has also been rewarded with higher search engine rankings. Nowadays, it is not as important to search engines, but the good accessibility of your website is reason enough.
• HTTPS and SSL certificates: Secure websites with HTTPS and valid SSL certificates are preferred by search engines and can lead to better rankings.
• Broken links and 404 errors: Imagine asking a stranger for directions and getting a completely wrong answer. The internet equivalent is 404 errors - links that lead to a website that no longer exists. If you take care of such links to your website by correcting the links or redirecting the users to the intended page, this will not only lead to less frustrated users but also to a better search engine ranking.
• Page speed: Patience is not a virtue on the internet - a good user experience also depends on low loading times. Websites that have these are rated higher by search engines and reduce the bounce rate. One way to improve loading time is to optimize the size of image and video files on the page. 
• Do not exclude your site from indexing: This should actually be self-evident but can lead to a lot of frustration. If you feel like you can't see the forest for the trees and are wondering why your page is not showing up in the search results, you should check if it is indexed at all.

Conclusion

The world of SEO, and particularly technical SEO, can be confusing. However, optimization holds a lot of potential for your website. And not every technical issue requires a developer to tackle it. We will follow up with more posts to share our knowledge with you. Check back again!