Have you ever published a high-quality article but struggled to get it indexed or discovered through Google Search? The problem may not be your content alone. Your website's technical setup can also affect how search engines access, understand, and process your pages.
This is where technical SEO comes in.
In this guide, you will learn what technical SEO is, why it matters, and which technical SEO techniques can help improve your website's crawlability, indexing, usability, and overall search performance.
Whether you run a Blogger website, WordPress blog, or business website, these practical steps will help you build a stronger technical SEO foundation.
What Is Technical SEO?
Technical SEO is the process of improving a website's technical structure so search engines can discover, crawl, render, and index its content more effectively.
It focuses on the technical aspects of a website rather than primarily on writing content or building backlinks.
Common areas of technical SEO include:
- Website crawling and indexing
- XML sitemaps
- Robots.txt configuration
- Website speed and performance
- Mobile usability
- HTTPS security
- Canonical URLs
- Redirects and broken links
- Structured data
- Core Web Vitals
Technical SEO does not guarantee top rankings. However, it can help prevent technical problems from making useful content difficult for search engines or visitors to access.
Why Is Technical SEO Important?
Technical SEO helps ensure that your website is accessible, organized, and functioning correctly.
Here are some important benefits.
1. Helps search engines discover your pages: Clear internal links and a suitable sitemap can help search engines find important content.
2. Supports proper indexing: Correct indexing settings help search engines understand which pages should be eligible to appear in search results.
3. Improves user experience: Faster pages, secure connections, and working links make websites easier to use.
4. Helps identify technical errors: Regular checks can reveal broken pages, redirect issues, and unexpected indexing problems.
5. Supports mobile visitors: A responsive website can make content easier to read and navigate on smartphones and tablets.
6. Builds a stronger SEO foundation: Technical improvements allow your content strategy to work without avoidable technical obstacles.
12 Essential Technical SEO Techniques
1. Make Sure Your Website Can Be Indexed
Before optimizing individual technical details, check whether search engines can index your important pages.
A page may be excluded from search results because it has a noindex directive, is blocked by certain rules, requires authentication, or has another technical problem.
To check your website:
- Open Google Search Console.
- Select your website property.
- Use URL Inspection.
- Enter the full URL of an important page.
- Review its indexing status and any reported issues.
If a page is not indexed, investigate the reason before requesting indexing.
Remember that submitting a URL or requesting indexing does not guarantee that Google will index it.
2. Create and Submit an XML Sitemap
An XML sitemap lists URLs that you want search engines to discover. It can be particularly useful for larger websites or sites with complex structures.
A sitemap should contain the canonical URLs of important pages you want search engines to consider indexing.
For many Blogger websites, the sitemap is available at:
https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml
Replace yourdomain.com with your actual domain and verify the correct sitemap address for your platform.
To submit a sitemap:
- Open Google Search Console.
- Select your website.
- Open the Sitemaps section.
- Enter your sitemap path.
- Submit it and review the reported status.
A sitemap helps discovery, but it does not guarantee indexing or higher rankings. Avoid including URLs that you deliberately want excluded from search results.
3. Configure Robots.txt Correctly
The robots.txt file provides instructions to compliant crawlers about which parts of a website they may access.
A poorly configured robots.txt file can unintentionally block important pages or resources from being crawled.
Before making changes:
- Check your current robots.txt file.
- Understand each directive before adding it.
- Avoid blocking important pages or resources needed for rendering.
- Verify that your sitemap location is correct if you include a sitemap directive.
For Blogger, the robots.txt settings may be available through the platform's settings area, depending on the current interface and configuration.
Do not copy random robots.txt rules from another website. Every website has different needs, and an incorrect rule may cause crawling problems.
Also, robots.txt is not a reliable way to hide private information or guarantee that a page will stay out of search results.
4. Improve Website Loading Speed
Visitors expect pages to load quickly, particularly when browsing on mobile networks. Slow pages can make navigation frustrating and may contribute to a poor user experience.
To improve website performance:
- Compress large images before uploading them.
- Use appropriately sized featured images.
- Remove unnecessary scripts and widgets.
- Avoid excessive advertising elements.
- Limit heavy animations and third-party embeds.
- Choose a lightweight, responsive theme.
- Test important pages on mobile devices.
Tools such as Google PageSpeed Insights can help identify potential performance problems.
Do not focus only on a single score. Review the specific recommendations and prioritize changes that meaningfully improve the experience for real visitors.
5. Optimize Core Web Vitals
Core Web Vitals are metrics used to evaluate important aspects of page experience.
The main metrics are:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Measures loading performance.
- Interaction to Next Paint (INP): Measures responsiveness to user interactions.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Measures unexpected visual movement.
Google's commonly used good-performance thresholds are:
- LCP: 2.5 seconds or less
- INP: 200 milliseconds or less
- CLS: 0.1 or less
These thresholds are evaluated at the 75th percentile of page visits where field data is available.
You can review available data in PageSpeed Insights and Google Search Console's Core Web Vitals report.
Not every page will have enough field data to display a report. When field data is unavailable, laboratory testing can still help identify potential performance problems.
6. Make Your Website Mobile-Friendly
Many visitors access websites through smartphones, so your content should work well on smaller screens.
A mobile-friendly website should have:
- A responsive layout
- Readable font sizes
- Properly sized images
- Easy-to-use navigation
- Buttons and links with sufficient spacing
- No unnecessary horizontal scrolling
- Content that remains accessible on mobile
Test your website on an actual phone, not just a desktop browser.
For Blogger, use a responsive theme and check how your homepage, article pages, menus, sidebar, and images behave on mobile devices.
Mobile usability is an important part of the overall experience. A responsive design also supports Google's use of mobile-first indexing.
7. Use HTTPS to Secure Your Website
HTTPS encrypts information exchanged between a visitor's browser and your website.
A secure connection helps protect data in transit and prevents common browser security warnings associated with insecure connections.
Check that:
- Your website loads through HTTPS.
- Your domain's SSL certificate is valid.
- Internal links use the correct HTTPS URLs.
- Images, scripts, and other resources do not trigger mixed-content warnings.
- HTTP versions redirect appropriately to your preferred HTTPS version, where supported.
Blogger and many managed hosting providers offer HTTPS support, but you should still verify that your custom domain works correctly.
HTTPS is a lightweight ranking signal, not a guarantee of better rankings by itself.
8. Fix Broken Links and Redirect Errors
Broken links lead visitors to pages that cannot be found or accessed. Redirect problems can also interfere with navigation and search engine crawling.
Review important pages and check for:
- Internal links returning 404 errors
- Incorrect destination URLs
- Redirect chains
- Redirect loops
- Old URLs that should point to relevant replacement pages
If you permanently move a page, a suitable 301 redirect can help direct users and search engines to the new URL.
Do not redirect every deleted page to your homepage. Redirect to a relevant replacement when one exists; otherwise, a proper not-found response may be more appropriate.
For Blogger, check the available custom redirects settings when changing published URLs.
9. Use Canonical URLs Correctly
A canonical URL indicates the preferred version of a page when similar or duplicate URLs exist.
For example, a website may expose similar content through multiple URL variations. A correct canonical tag can help search engines understand which version you prefer to be considered for indexing.
Best practices include:
- Use the correct canonical URL for each important page.
- Prefer the URL you actually want indexed.
- Keep canonical tags consistent with internal links and sitemap entries.
- Avoid pointing unrelated pages to one canonical URL.
- Check canonical information when troubleshooting unexpected indexing.
Canonical tags are signals rather than absolute commands. Search engines may select a different canonical URL if other evidence suggests another version is more appropriate.
If you use Blogger, review the platform's existing canonical handling before adding custom code. Duplicate canonical tags can create confusion.
10. Add Structured Data Where Appropriate
Structured data uses a standardized format to describe information on a webpage.
Depending on the page type, supported structured data may help search engines understand details such as articles, breadcrumbs, products, or organization information.
For example, an informational blog may use suitable Article or BreadcrumbList structured data when it accurately reflects the visible content.
Follow these rules:
- Use the correct schema type for the page.
- Ensure the markup matches the information users can see.
- Avoid inventing ratings, reviews, authors, or dates.
- Validate the markup using Google's Rich Results Test where applicable.
- Monitor eligible enhancements in Search Console.
Structured data does not guarantee rich results or higher rankings. Only use markup that is relevant and supported for your content.
11. Improve Internal Linking and Website Structure
Internal links connect pages within your own website. They help readers discover related content and can help search engines understand how your pages are connected.
A clear structure also makes your site easier to navigate.
For example, an SEO guide on Naveed Magazine could link naturally to related articles about on-page SEO, off-page SEO, keyword research, and website performance.
Good internal linking practices include:
- Link to related articles where they genuinely help readers.
- Use descriptive anchor text.
- Keep important pages accessible through navigation or contextual links.
- Avoid excessive links that make content difficult to read.
- Check that important pages are not isolated from the rest of your site.
Do not add links merely to increase their number. Relevance and usefulness should guide every internal link.
12. Monitor Technical SEO With Google Search Console
Google Search Console is one of the most useful free tools for monitoring your website's search presence.
It can help you identify indexing issues, review search performance, and examine certain technical reports.
Check these areas regularly:
- Performance: Review clicks, impressions, queries, and pages.
- Page indexing: Investigate why URLs are indexed or excluded.
- Sitemaps: Check whether submitted sitemaps were processed.
- Core Web Vitals: Review available real-world performance data.
- URL Inspection: Investigate individual pages.
- Manual actions and security issues: Check for reported problems.
Do not assume every excluded URL is an error. Some URLs are intentionally excluded, such as duplicates or pages that should not appear in search results.
Focus on issues that affect important pages and investigate before changing your website's settings.
Technical SEO Checklist for Beginners
Use this checklist when reviewing a new website or conducting a routine technical SEO audit.
- [ ] Confirm that important pages are accessible to search engines.
- [ ] Check indexing status in Google Search Console.
- [ ] Submit an accurate XML sitemap.
- [ ] Review robots.txt rules.
- [ ] Verify that HTTPS works correctly.
- [ ] Test the website on mobile devices.
- [ ] Compress oversized images.
- [ ] Review Core Web Vitals and loading performance.
- [ ] Fix important broken internal links.
- [ ] Check redirects and canonical URLs.
- [ ] Validate relevant structured data.
- [ ] Add useful internal links between related articles.
- [ ] Review Search Console reports regularly.
You do not need to fix every minor issue immediately. Prioritize problems that block important pages, damage usability, or prevent search engines from understanding your content.
Best Free Tools for Technical SEO
You can start improving technical SEO without buying an expensive tool.
Google Search Console: Helps monitor indexing, search performance, and available technical reports.
Google PageSpeed Insights: Provides performance diagnostics and available field data for tested pages.
Google Analytics: Helps measure visitor behavior and traffic sources when properly configured.
Rich Results Test: Checks whether a page's structured data is eligible for supported rich results.
Bing Webmaster Tools: Provides search performance information and technical tools for Bing.
Each tool has different purposes. Use the findings together rather than relying on a single score or report to judge your website's health.
Common Technical SEO Mistakes to Avoid
Blocking important pages accidentally
Incorrect robots.txt directives or noindex settings can prevent pages from appearing in search results. Review changes before publishing them.
Focusing only on website speed scores
A single performance score does not explain every problem. Review specific diagnostics and the experience of real users.
Adding unnecessary SEO plugins or scripts
Too many widgets, scripts, and plugins can increase complexity and affect performance. Install only tools you genuinely need.
Using incorrect canonical URLs
A canonical tag that points to the wrong page may confuse search engines about which version should be considered for indexing.
Ignoring mobile visitors
A layout that looks good on a desktop may be difficult to use on a phone. Test real page layouts, menus, and article formatting.
Changing technical settings without a backup
Before making significant changes to a Blogger theme, robots.txt rules, or custom code, keep a backup and change one thing at a time.
Frequently Asked Questions About Technical SEO
What is technical SEO in simple words?
Technical SEO means improving the technical parts of a website so search engines can access and understand its content and visitors can use the website effectively.
What are the most important technical SEO techniques?
Important techniques include checking crawlability and indexing, creating a sitemap, configuring robots.txt correctly, improving website speed, ensuring mobile usability, securing the site with HTTPS, fixing broken links, and using canonical URLs appropriately.
Is technical SEO important for Blogger websites?
Yes. Blogger users can benefit from checking indexing, sitemap submission, mobile layouts, HTTPS, internal links, image optimization, and Search Console reports. Some technical settings are managed automatically by the platform.
Does technical SEO guarantee higher Google rankings?
No. Technical SEO can help remove barriers to crawling, indexing, and usability, but rankings depend on many factors, including relevance, content quality, competition, and search intent.
How often should I perform a technical SEO audit?
For a small blog, a basic review every month or after major website changes is a reasonable starting point. Larger websites or sites that change frequently may need more regular monitoring.
Which free tool is best for technical SEO?
Google Search Console is an excellent starting point because it provides indexing information and search performance data. PageSpeed Insights is also useful for investigating page performance.
Can I do technical SEO without coding?
Yes. Many important checks can be completed through Google Search Console, PageSpeed Insights, Blogger settings, and your website's built-in tools. Some advanced fixes may require technical knowledge or help from a developer.
Conclusion
Technical SEO is an essential part of building and maintaining a healthy website. It helps search engines discover your pages and supports a better experience for visitors.
Start by checking indexing, submitting your sitemap, reviewing robots.txt, improving mobile usability, and monitoring website performance. Then address issues such as broken links, canonical URLs, and structured data where relevant.
You do not need to implement every advanced technique at once. Focus on the problems that affect your most important pages, make changes carefully, and monitor the results over time.
For more practical SEO tutorials, blogging tips, and technology guides, visit Naveed Magazine.