Technical SEO: Optimising page loading speed, indexing and security

Besides content optimisation and link building, there is one more key aspect of SEO

that can significantly affect your website’s visibility in search results – technical SEO. Technical optimisation focuses on improving the performance, indexing and security of a website.

Below are the key elements of technical SEO.

1. Page loading speed:  Page loading speed is extremely important for both users and search engines. Websites with long loading times can discourage visitors and negatively affect your search rankings. Here are some ways to improve loading speed: • Optimising images and multimedia. • Compressing CSS and JavaScript files. • Using caching technology. • Choosing fast hosting and a fast server.

2. Indexing and indexing of the website:

For your website to be visible in search results, it must be indexed by search engine robots. The key aspects of indexing are: • Creating a sitemap file that will help robots understand the structure of the website. • Optimising robots.txt files to control which pages are accessible to robots. • Eliminating incorrect links and redirects (so-called 404 errors).

3. Website security:

Website security is important not only for users but also for search engines. An unsecured website can be vulnerable to attacks and data loss, which will affect its position in search results. Some security-related issues include: • Using the HTTPS protocol, which affects your website’s position in Google results. • Regular software updates that minimise the risk of security vulnerabilities. • Using strong passwords and two-factor authentication.

4. Mobile-friendly indexing:

With the rationalisation of mobile device use by users, Google introduced Mobile-First Indexing, which means that it indexes and evaluates pages in terms of their performance on mobile devices. That is why the responsiveness of the website on mobile devices is crucial.

5. Usability:

A website should be easy to navigate and provide a positive user experience. This matters for both users and search engines. Complicated navigation, difficult access to content or a poor page layout can affect its position in the results. Technical SEO is a key element of your website optimisation strategy. Improving the loading speed, indexing and security of your website can significantly affect its visibility in search results. Regular monitoring and adjustment of the technical aspects of your website is essential in the world of SEO.

The most common technical errors we come across in audits

  • the website or part of it excluded from the index – e.g. after moving the site from a test version,
  • several URLs with the same content – versions with and without www, duplicate subpages, incorrect canonical URLs,
  • no redirects after a website change – loss of hard-earned rankings,
  • heavy images and plugins – slow loading on phones,
  • template leftovers – published demo pages and “lorem ipsum” content.

Such problems can block the results of even the best content. An example? The Targ Rybny Gdańsk website was not correctly indexed after a year of work by another agency – only a new, technically sound website made it possible to reach position 1.

We will check your website as part of a free SEO audit. Technical SEO is a permanent element of our search engine optimisation and of every website design project.