What is Technical SEO? A Complete Guide

by Brett Melville

Maintenance
Branding
SEO
June 23, 2023

What is technical SEO? Find out in this complete guide to the key aspects of technical SEO and best practices so you can optimise your website performance.

What is Technical SEO?

Technical SEO is the process of optimising the technical parts of your website so that they are not only easy to understand for search engines, but also give the user a good experience.Some examples of technical SEO best practices are to make your site fast and easily crawlable for search engines. We'll talk a little more about these practises later on in this article.In short, Technical SEO is making sure that your site is healthy so that it can rank.Want to make sure your website is healthy and ranking? Check out our technical SEO checklist for beginners and experts.

Why Is Technical SEO Important?

The main reason why Technical SEO is important is that it helps search engines understand our site. If we don't optimise the technical components of our websites, then search engines might find it hard to find our content or trust it.However, nowadays, there is more to technical SEO than just making our sites easy to crawl. The other big aspect of technical SEO is giving our visitors a good experience, for example with a fast-loading site and not having 404 errors.If our sites are hard to crawl or give our users an annoying experience, no content or backlinks will help the site's rankings. For example, you might have a killer blog post but if search engines can't find it, it's not going to rank.So, technical SEO is just a piece of the puzzle that needs to be taken care of before you can rank for your targeted keywords.

Technical Parts of Your Website That Should Be Optimised

Technical SEO is quite a big part of optimising your website, so it would be quite hard to cover everything in one blog post. That being said, we have gathered the most important parts of your website that should be technically optimised to help you rank higher.

Site Speed

The first and one of the most important parts of your website to optimise is your site speed.While there have been some studies that suggest there isn't a correlation between site speed and rankings, many SEOs believe it's an essential part of optimising your website. It's also directly tied to your bounce rate and even your revenue, meaning even if it's not important for SEO, it is for your business.Plus, having a fast-loading site gives your users the best possible experience, so you can't go wrong by optimising the speed of your website.Here are some tips on speeding up your website:

  • Remove anything that slows it down
  • Minify Code & Scripts
  • Compress Images
  • Choose the right hosting company
  • Embed media instead of uploading where possible

Duplicate Content

Search engines get confused when they find the same content on different pages or websites.That's why it's essential for your site health to remove any duplicate content. Otherwise, you will have a hard time increasing your rankings, no matter how good your on and off-page SEO is.

Structure

The next part of your site that needs to be technically optimised is the structure.This is a big one, as it helps search engines crawl through your site to find the pages. As you'd probably expect, if you don't get this part right, you will have trouble ranking.That's why it's essential to have a good interlinking structure and to also submit XML sitemaps. Doing so will make it easy for search engines to find your pages meaning they can rank. You should aim for everything to be a couple of clicks away from the home page as this won't only make it easy for search engines to crawl your site, but also for your users to find what they are looking for.Also, make sure that none of your pages are orphaned (i.e don't have any internal links to them) as this is a sign of a bad structure. If this is the case, those pages will rarely perform well.

Links

Also important is that all your links are going to valid URLs.If they go to invalid URLs and are broken, then this is a bad sign for search engines and will also hurt the user experience. Luckily, there are several tools to help you identify broken links meaning you won't have to go through and check all your pages manually.Plus, if you stick with us through the rest of this article, we are going to show you how you can identify broken links and all your other technical SEO problems for free.

Security

Lastly, your site should also be secure.This means your website should have an SSL certificate, as browsers only want to refer users to safe sites.Plus, if your users feel safe, they are much more likely to convert.

Need Help? (Get a FREE Audit!)

If you need help identifying the technical problems with your site, we would like to offer you a FREE SEO audit. To get your audit, just fill out the short form at the bottom of our SEO services page.We hope you have enjoyed this article if you would like to learn more about SEO, make sure to check out our other artilces that is full of in-depth tutorials, tricks, and more.And, always remember that Technical SEO is something that needs to be on-point for you to rank!

Who is Digital Treasury?

We're a Melbourne-based digital agency with extensive experience helping Australian businesses build stronger online presences. Our team specialises in web design, development, hosting and SEO services - everything you need to get found online and convert visitors into customers.

Over the years, we've worked across different platforms and industries, giving us the insight to know what actually works for businesses like yours. Whether you're starting from scratch or looking to improve your existing website, we focus on practical solutions that deliver real results for your business.

What types of businesses and industries do you work with?

We work with a wide range of Australian businesses, with particular expertise in healthcare, B2B services, SaaS companies, Registered Training Organisations (RTOs), professional services and e-commerce brands. Our team offers tailored SEO and web solutions that are customised to fit your industry, target audience and business goals.

Where is Digital Treasury located and do you work with businesses Australia-wide?

We are based in Melbourne but we work with clients throughout Australia. Our work is mostly done remotely by video conferencing and emails, which makes collaboration easier regardless of where your business may be based.

What services does Digital Treasury offer?

Our key services include Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), Website Design, Website Development, Website Maintenance and Website Hosting. They are provided either separately or combined, ensuring that we provide you with one reliable source to help establish your online presence for your business.

How do I get started with Digital Treasury?

Getting started is easy. Just contact us for an initial conversation about what you want, your budget and timeframe. We will talk to you about what you need, give advice about the best way forward and provide you with a detailed, upfront proposal.

What makes Digital Treasury different from other agencies?

We integrate our technical skills with honest communication and a strong emphasis on results that will benefit your company. Being a small team allows us to give you personal attention, upfront costs and all the support we would give to our own project.

Do you work with small businesses and startups?

Absolutely. Many of our clients are small businesses and startups looking to establish or improve their online presence. We will make suggestions based on your particular situation and budget needs, providing useful services at affordable prices.

How do you communicate with clients and report on progress?

We are convinced that clear communication should be maintained consistently during any of our projects. In accordance with the chosen service, you will be updated about your project through emails, meetings and detailed reports. We maintain constant contact with you, answering your queries along the way.

How does Digital Treasury structure its pricing?

We keep our pricing straightforward by providing a complete project quote rather than breaking it down into confusing line items. This approach gives you a clear understanding of exactly what you'll pay for the entire scope of work.

Every project is different, so costs depend on your specific requirements and the complexity involved. We'll assess your needs and provide transparent pricing that reflects the full value of what we'll deliver for your business.

Am I locked into a long-term contract?

We believe in earning your trust through quality work rather than tying you down with restrictive contracts. For specific projects like website builds, we'll provide you with a clear upfront quote so you know exactly what to expect.

Our ongoing services like website hosting, maintenance and search engine optimisation work a bit differently - we discuss these on a flexible arrangement basis that suits your business needs and budget.

Can you provide case studies or examples of previous work?

Yes, we can provide case studies and examples of our previous work. Potential clients frequently request these to see concrete evidence of our past successes. They want to understand how we’ve helped similar businesses achieve their goals through SEO and website development. Our case studies typically highlight our clients’ challenges, the strategies we implemented, and the measurable results we achieved, such as increased traffic and higher conversion rates. This builds trust and demonstrates our ability to deliver on our promises.

What types of SEO services do you offer?

We offer a comprehensive range of SEO services designed to boost your online visibility. Our core services include technical SEO fixes, on-page and content optimisation, local SEO for Melbourne businesses, thorough keyword research, detailed SEO audits, strategic link building, and ongoing performance tracking.

Can you guarantee first-page or number-one rankings?

No reputable SEO agency can guarantee specific rankings because search engines like Google use complex algorithms that change frequently. These changes are completely outside anyone's control. What we can promise is our commitment to using proven, white-hat strategies that give your website the best possible chance of ranking well.

Rather than making unrealistic promises, we focus on sustainable SEO practices that build long-term visibility and drive genuine business results. Our approach is about maximising your opportunities for success, not making guarantees that simply can't be kept.

Do you offer local SEO for businesses targeting specific areas?

Yes. Local SEO ensures that your business is found in location-specific search results and map results, making it perfect if you offer your products or services within specific suburbs or locations. We ensure that we optimise your Google Business Profile and your website content for local search.

Do you help with content optimisation?

Yes. Quality and relevant content plays a very important role in effective SEO optimisation. We can optimise your current webpages as well as provide you with some suggestions for creating content based on your keywords.

How much does SEO cost?

Pricing for SEO is determined based on your specific business goals, how competitive your industry is and the amount of work needed to achieve results. We will customise pricing plans depending on budgets while giving you a definite quote right from the start.

How do you decide which keywords to target?

We do extensive keyword research to know how your prospective clients search for information on the internet. After analysis of various parameters like search intent, relevancy, competition and commercial value, we shortlist keywords that resonate well with your products and services.

Do I need to change my website's content for SEO?

Yes, quite often. We recommend refreshing existing content frequently or creating new pieces that better match what your potential customers are actually searching for online. Of course, changes should be carefully implemented with regard to your company’s tone of voice.

What is the contract length for your SEO service?

We ensure that our SEO agreement remains flexible as opposed to being committed to long-term contracts. Even though SEO is most effective when conducted on a continuous basis, we do not mind discussing agreements that work for your benefit.

Is it necessary to hire an SEO agency or can I do SEO myself?

You can surely do basic SEO on your own and we are happy to point you in the right direction. However, SEO is very time-consuming and keeps changing frequently. Hiring an experienced SEO agency will ensure that you get more out of it without having to think about it anymore.

How does backlink building contribute to SEO success?

Backlinks are simply links to your website from another website. Search engines consider backlinks as an indication of credibility and authority. Our approach is to build links to your site through ethical and sustainable methods, building up the reputation of your website in the process.

What does your website design process look like?

We start by understanding your business goals and target audience to ensure your website truly connects with your customers. From there, we develop a web design strategy and create initial designs that we refine based on your feedback. Once you approve the designs, we go ahead to the development phase.

When should I consider redesigning my website?

A redesign is worth considering if your site looks outdated, performs poorly on mobile, loads slowly, is difficult to update or no longer reflects your brand. A modern, well-built website can improve user experience, credibility and your ability to attract customers.

Which CMS platforms do you build websites on?

We specialise in Webflow and WordPress, selecting the most suitable platform for you. WordPress allows for versatility, whereas Webflow gives you a sleek design with easy maintenance. We will suggest the most appropriate choice for you.

Do you provide SEO with your website builds?

Yes. All our websites are developed using SEO guidelines like a clean layout, quick loading speed, mobile optimisation and solid on-page foundation. In addition to that, we have professional SEO service packages that help businesses increase their online presence.

Do you offer ongoing website maintenance?

Yes. We offer website maintenance services to ensure that your website is safe, up-to-date and working properly. This encompasses software and plug-in upgrades, security protection, backups and basic changes to give you a hassle-free experience so that you can concentrate on your business.

Can I migrate my existing site to your hosting?

Yes, we can absolutely handle the complete website transfer to our managed hosting platform without any hassle on your end. Our team manages the entire migration process, ensuring your site moves across smoothly without downtime or disruption to your business.

Can we provide feedback throughout the process?

Absolutely and we actually encourage it. Collaboration is at the heart of how we work, so you'll have plenty of opportunities to review our progress and share your thoughts at every stage. It ensures we're building exactly what you have in mind, rather than guessing what might work.

Will I own my website once it's built?

Yes. After completion of your project, the website will be yours. We believe in absolute transparency when it comes to issues of ownership and accessibility and would gladly take care of your requirements in this respect.

How long does it take to build a website?

The timeline for your website project really depends on what you're looking to achieve. A straightforward business website typically takes a few weeks from start to finish, while more complex builds with custom functionality or extensive content requirements will naturally take longer.

We'll give you a clear timeline estimate once we understand your specific needs during our initial consultation. This way, you'll know exactly what to expect and can plan your launch accordingly.

What kind of support do you provide after my website launches?

We don't go away once we've launched. We provide continuing support, maintenance and hosting to ensure that your website runs at optimum capacity. If you have any queries about how to develop your website, we will be there for you.

Let's build something extraordinary

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