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How to improve a site’s technical SEO?

Discover strategies for optimizing your site's technical SEO and improving its online visibility.
Written by David Lefèvre
SEO technique
Table of content

Technical optimization is essential for a website’s natural search engine optimization (SEO). In this article, we’ll explore advanced methods for improving your site’s search engine rankings. From optimizing loading speed to meta tags and content structuring, every detail counts. We’ll also look at the importance of indexability, mobile-friendliness and HTTPS security. With these tips and tricks, you’ll be able to strengthen your site’s online presence and attract more qualified organic traffic.

Optimizing loading speed

The loading speed of a website is a crucial factor in its ranking in search results. Search engines, especially Google, place great importance on user experience, and loading speed is an integral part of this. A site that loads quickly offers a better user experience, which can lead to increased time spent on the site and a lower bounce rate, all positive elements for SEO ranking.

Impact of speed on ranking

The impact of loading speed on SEO ranking is significant. Google uses the Core Web Vitals ranking algorithm, which includes metrics such as Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID) and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), all related to a site’s speed and interactivity. Long loading times can result in a poor user experience, which can harm the site’s ranking in search results.

Techniques to improve loading speed

There are several techniques for improving a website’s loading speed. The first is to optimize images by compressing them and choosing the right format. Reducing the size of CSS and JavaScript files, and minimizing HTTP requests by combining files, can also help speed up site loading. The use of client-side and server-side caching can help reduce loading times by temporarily storing frequently requested data.

Finally, hosting on fast servers and using a CDN (Content Delivery Network) can also improve loading speed by reducing the distance between the server and the end user. By combining these techniques, it is possible to effectively optimize a website’s loading speed, which can have a positive impact on its SEO ranking.

Optimizing meta tags and content structure

To improve a site’s technical SEO, you need to:

Effective use of title and meta description tags

The title and meta description tags are crucial elements for attracting users’attention in search results. It’s also useful for improving a site’s technical SEO. A relevant and descriptive title tag, containing targeted keywords, helps increase click-through rates. Similarly, an attractive, concise meta description can encourage users to visit your site.

Content structuring

When it comes to content structure, a logical organization with headings and subheadings (H1, H2 tags, etc.) makes it easier to read and understand for both users and search engines. By using relevant keywords in these tags, you can also improve your content’s visibility in search results.

Indexability and accessibility

This requires :

Ensure that the site is easily accessible and indexable by search engines

To ensure that your site is easily accessible and indexable by search engines, make sure you remove any technical obstacles that might hinder their crawling. Make sure your site is accessible to crawlers by avoiding the use of blocking directives in the robots.txt file, and by allowing crawlers to follow links to your important pages. Also make sure that your site has no technical problems, such as server or code errors, that could prevent search engines from efficiently crawling and indexing your content.

Use the robots.txt file and the sitemap.xml file

The robots.txt file allows you to control which parts of your site crawlers can or cannot access. Make sure you configure this file correctly to allow access to important parts of your site while blocking sensitive or irrelevant sections. In addition, provide an XML sitemap to help search engines quickly discover and index all the pages on your site. Make sure your sitemap is up-to-date and contains links to all important pages to maximize search engines’indexing of your content.

Mobile friendliness

The growing importance of mobile user experience for SEO

With the increasing use of mobile devices, delivering an optimal user experience on these devices has become essential for technical SEO. Search engines now place great importance on mobile-friendliness when ranking websites. A mobile-friendly site ensures smooth navigation, fast loading and easy-to-read content, thus improving the user experience and promoting higher rankings in search results.

Techniques for making a website compatible with mobile devices

To make a website compatible with mobile devices, several techniques can be used. Adopt a responsive design, which automatically adapts to the screen size, ensuring a seamless experience on all devices. Optimize images and multimedia elements for fast loading on mobile connections. Simplify navigation by reducing the number of clicks needed to access important content. Finally, carry out regular tests on different mobile devices to ensure that your site delivers an optimal user experience on all platforms.

HTTPS security

SEO benefits of’using HTTPS protocol

Adopting the HTTPS protocol offers several significant technical SEO benefits. Firstly, search engines such as Google are placing increasing emphasis on website security. As a result, sites using HTTPS enjoy a slight advantage in rankings over those that don’t use this protocol.

In addition, HTTPS guarantees the encryption of data exchanged between the user’s browser and the server, reinforcing the confidentiality and security of sensitive information such as login credentials or personal data. Last but not least, using HTTPS helps build users’trust in your site, which can translate into a higher conversion rate and greater visitor loyalty.

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Setting up an SSL certificate and redirecting HTTP to HTTPS

To set up HTTPS on your site, you need to obtain an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate from a recognized certification authority. Once the SSL certificate has been installed on your server, configure your site to automatically redirect all HTTP requests to HTTPS.

This ensures that all visitors access your site via a secure connection. Also make sure that all internal and external links use HTTPS URLs to avoid security warnings and maximize the SEO benefits of HTTPS. By following these steps, you can secure your site with HTTPS and take advantage of its many SEO and data security benefits.