Search engine optimization (SEO) plays a crucial role in a business website's success. When you optimize your website to appeal to search engine algorithms, you increase your chances of ranking, driving more traffic to your website.
But one aspect of SEO that many businesses don't give enough focus to is technical SEO. This essentially refers to the optimization of the website's architecture. And you can improve your website's technical SEO in several ways.
1. Fix Your Domain Name and Server Settings
A great starting point is to ensure your website's name servers are configured to your hosting provider. Most hosting providers automatically configure the name servers when you create an account, but if they don't, you can enter them manually.
It's also important to ensure the domain name and web hosting are linked together. If your domain name is not associated with your web hosting, your search engine rankings will decline.
2. Make Sure Your Sitemap Is Well-Formatted
One of the most critical components of any website is the sitemap. If you don't have one, you've severely limited your ability to rank. Google, for example, ranks sites higher if they have a well-structured, relevant sitemap.
To ensure the sitemap you have is the best it can be, format it correctly. This includes the following:
The root directory of the sitemap must be the same as the root directory of the website
The XML options should be set to "1.0"
All of the URLs in the sitemap must be absolute
All of the URLs should be lowercase
3. Check for Useless and Duplicate Pages
If you have any broken links or pages with duplicate content, you need to address them. And you can do so using either broken link checkers or duplicate content finders.
Then, you need to remove the content from those pages. Alternatively, you can redirect the links on those pages to other existing pages on your site.
You should also check and see if you have any out-of-date pages on your website. These pages may very well be ranking, but they provide little or no value to your target audience. You might want to consider replacing these pages with more up-to-date content.
4. Verify Your Robots.txt Settings
A lot of businesses overlook their website's robots.txt file. This file is essentially a file that tells search engines how to treat a website's pages.
For example, if you don't want your pages indexed, you can add the "noindex" setting to your robots.txt file.
It's crucial to regularly check your robots.txt file to make sure it's up to date. If you fail to do so, your search engine rankings can decline as search engines—especially Google—ignore your instructions.
Final Thoughts
SEO is a very competitive industry, so it's important to ensure you're meeting your competitors' standards. And the best way to do that is to make sure you're paying attention to your website's technical SEO. That's because technical SEO is something that is often overlooked until it has a significant impact on your rankings.
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