The Complete Guide to Technical SEO for Small Business Websites

The Complete Guide to Technical SEO

Technical SEO is the behind-the-scenes stuff that helps Google crawl and index your site. It sounds intimidating. It's not.

1. SSL Certificate (HTTPS)

Google prioritizes secure sites. If your URL starts with 'http://' instead of 'https://,' fix it. Most hosts offer free SSL through Let's Encrypt.

2. XML Sitemap

A sitemap tells Google which pages to index. Most website builders generate one automatically at yoursite.com/sitemap.xml. Submit it to Google Search Console.

3. Robots.txt

This file tells Google which pages NOT to index. Make sure you're not accidentally blocking important pages. Check at yoursite.com/robots.txt.

4. Page Speed

Google uses page speed as a ranking factor. Compress images. Enable caching. Use a CDN. Aim for under 3 seconds.

5. Mobile-Friendliness

Over 60% of searches are mobile. Your site must work perfectly on phones. Use Google's Mobile-Friendly Test.

6. Structured Data (Schema)

Schema markup helps Google understand your content. Add LocalBusiness, FAQ, and Article schema to your pages.

7. Canonical URLs

Prevent duplicate content issues by specifying the 'main' version of each page.

8. 404 Pages

Make sure broken links return a proper 404 page — not a blank screen.

Run a free technical SEO audit and see which issues need fixing.