When I first heard the term "technical SEO," I immediately wanted to hide under my desk. It sounded like something that required a computer science degree and the ability to speak in code. Turns out, most technical SEO is just basic website hygiene – like brushing your teeth, but for your website.
The biggest technical issue that was killing my website's performance? Page speed. My site was loading slower than dial-up internet, mainly because I was uploading massive, uncompressed photos. I'm talking 5MB images for simple blog post illustrations. It was like trying to mail a piano when a postcard would do.
The fix was embarrassingly simple. I started compressing my images before uploading them, and my page load times went from 8 seconds to under 3. That one change improved my search rankings more than months of keyword research had.
Here's another technical issue that's easier to fix than you think: mobile optimization. More than half of all Google searches happen on phones now, so if your website looks terrible on mobile, you're basically telling Google to ignore you. The good news? Most modern website themes are already mobile-friendly. Just check your site on your phone and make sure everything looks decent.
SSL certificates sound scary and technical, but they're usually just a simple checkbox in your hosting dashboard. You know that little lock icon next to website URLs? That's what an SSL certificate creates, and Google strongly prefers websites that have them. Many hosting companies include them for free now.
Site structure is another area where small changes make a big difference. I used to organize my content like I was filing papers in a really complicated filing cabinet. Now I think about it like creating a map for someone who's never been to my website before. Clear navigation, logical categories, and internal links that actually make sense.
One technical mistake I see constantly: broken links. It's like having dead ends all over your website. I use a simple browser extension that highlights broken links as I browse my own site. When I find them, I either fix them or remove them. It takes maybe 10 minutes a month, but it makes a huge difference.
URL structure matters too, but keep it simple. Instead of "www.mysite.com/blog/post/123/category/subcategory/random-letters," use "www.mysite.com/how-to-bake-cookies." Clean, descriptive URLs that humans can understand.
The technical side of SEO isn't about becoming a programmer. It's about creating a website that works well for the people who visit it. Google's algorithms are sophisticated, but they're ultimately trying to identify websites that provide good user experiences.