Find the solution to all your technical SEO problems
You already realize how important a good and well-founded technical SEO is for your business. But do you run into a problem every now and then? We are happy to help you. Read our practical guide with numerous causes of technical problems below. And above all, how do you fix them?
Do you still have questions after reading our instructions? Then call on our expertise. Our team is ready for you.
A website without technical SEO problems
Technical SEO that is fully optimized stands out to Google and also increases accessibility for your visitors. Websites that meet the technical requirements of modern search engines score higher on the SERP. But beware, technical errors in your website ruin the whole SEO party. They lead to poorer results and completely undermine your other SEO efforts. So track them down quickly and show them the door. What exactly are these complexities? And above all, how do I solve them?
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Common technical SEO issues
You’ve spent hours working on a beautiful page full of great copy and a unique layout. But your page doesn’t appear at the top of the search results. A real shame. A technical SEO problem could be the cause. Below you will find a list of possible solutions for your problem.
1) Google isn’t ranking or indexing my page
Google sends out crawlers daily to search the web. They track down new or updated sites and deliver them to Google, also known as indexing. Only when Google finds these websites worth keeping will the search engine then rank them. Want more information about the indexing of your pages? Read here how to get your website indexed by Google.
Help Google find your pages:
- Submit a sitemap. This helps Google understand the structure of your website and optimizes your SEO.
- Set up your Robots.txt correctly to indicate which pages Google may or may not index. Be sure to check if you haven’t accidentally blocked some pages for the Googlebot.
2) Reduced traffic due to unadapted content
Is the content of your page relevant enough for your target audience? Be critical, adjust the content if necessary, and analyze regularly. This is how you increase your online visibility:
- Images: search engines don’t see the same photo as we do; they only see a file name, title, and alt tag. So mention specifically what you are displaying in these fields. That way, Google immediately knows if the image is relevant to the content of your page. Moreover, other users will also find your illustration immediately if it matches their keyword. Discover everything about it in our image SEO guide.
- Does your website contain multiple pages with similar content? Then provide the most important page with a canonical tag. This way Google knows exactly which URL it should index.
- Avoid duplicate content: if the content of your pages isn’t specific enough, you’ll confuse Google. The search engine won’t know which page to link to which keyword, and your online findability will drop.
Tip: Stick to 1 keyword per page. Naturally, you should also incorporate relevant synonyms.
3) Poor architecture leads to reduced SEO performance
An SEO-friendly website structure determines your entire SEO strategy. Ensure good architecture; only then will search engines know what data is present on your website. What are the important components for a solid technical structure?
- Architecture: decide in advance what it will look like. Make it easy for your user and limit the number of times they have to click through to important information. Organize your pages logically so your user doesn’t have to think too much.
- Readable URL: preferably use only (search) words; that way both the search engine and the user immediately know what the page is about. A URL consisting of numbers and weird characters doesn’t attract visitors. A URL with recognizable words does.
4) Incorrect use of internal and external links
Sometimes there are internal links (or even external ones) where the content has changed or even been completely removed. It’s incredibly annoying for a visitor to click on something and end up nowhere. The ultimate horror page is the one with the 404 code (page not found), which gives every internet user the creeps.
Track down these broken links, fix them, and automatically send the visitor to another page. For example, if a product from your webshop has been removed from your range, refer immediately to a variant of it. This keeps the visitor engaged and prevents them from leaving your website dissatisfied.
Tip
Do you make eager use of internal and external links on your website? Good. But you might also be damaging your SEO performance with them. Make sure your links always contain your keyword. Only then will your user and Google know what you are clicking through to.
Regularly check if your external links are still working properly. With a good SEO migration, you prevent a migration fail when certain pages change URL or when you change your domain name. This way you don’t lose organic traffic.
5) Unsafe website
Are your users getting a message that your website is not secure? Then there is probably something wrong with your SSL certificate.
Google prefers pages that have such a certificate, so you’d better opt for a secure website. Contact your hosting provider; they can solve this problem for you the fastest.
6) Lack of structured data
The use of structured data helps search engines understand your website better. An important part of technical SEO. Is this data not entered correctly or is it confusing for Google? Then your SEO performance will drop. Only use the data as an addition to your page. Empty pages with structured data never achieve the same effect.
7) Javascript, the cause of many technical SEO problems
The use of Javascript significantly affects your technical SEO. When you add text, or code, to a certain page yourself, the search engine automatically takes longer to process your data.
As a person, you read all letters and sentences smoothly, but for Google, this is much more difficult. That’s why the search engine prefers HTML sites over sites that use Javascript.
8) Limited translation causes a drop in SEO performance
Do you need to translate your website in an SEO-proof way due to expansion? Then make sure your translated texts are optimized for search engines. If this isn’t the case, you will automatically lose organic traffic. Keep the following tips in mind:
- The search intent and keywords of users in another country differ from those in your own region.
- Translate titles and meta descriptions correctly.
- Translate the alt texts of your page.
- Localize your content, changing time and currency if necessary.
- Use geo-targeting: adjust your domain name to .nl or .fr if necessary.
- Don’t just use machine translations. Look at everything with a critical eye and adjust the writing style if necessary.
Use the right tools to solve technical problems
As you can read, there are many possible causes for loss of online visibility and a drop in your SEO performance. But you’re not alone. There are a number of handy SEO tools that help you analyze a lot of data. Meet some of your new best friends:
Google Search Console
With Google Search Console, you know how many users visit your page and especially what they do after arriving. And you also learn how your website performs in the search engine itself.
Ahrefs
Ahrefs is a tool with a total package of insights into your SEO performance. You can easily analyze data that is important for optimizing your website. This way you learn what users are looking for, how you can reach them, and why certain pages rank or why they don’t. Discover everything about this tool in our Ahrefs manual.
Screaming Frog
The analysis program Screaming Frog checks your website for technical errors such as broken links, duplicate content, missing metadata, and other technical problems. You’ll be up and running with this tool in no time thanks to our practical Screaming Frog guide.
A solution for every SEO problem
Have you applied everything after reading this guide, but you still don’t appear at the top of the search results? We’d be happy to look at how we can help you solve your technical SEO problems. Our team is ready to fully optimize your website. Together, we’ll aim for a top score on the SERP.
