These days, you’ll be hard-pressed to find an online advertising campaign that doesn’t incorporate search engine optimization strategies in one form or another. After all, not only does it enable a business to generate the exposure that it requires to elevate its online presence. But it’s also an excellent source of prospective leads and brings in much better conversion rates than other methods. Due to its efficacy in achieving the intended results, it isn’t surprising that companies of various industries and sizes continue to rely increasingly on experts like Kansas City SEO agencies to improve their marketing efforts.
While the most common SEO strategies involve on-page and off-page practices, one aspect of search engine optimization that is usually overlooked is technical SEO. We’ll explore what it is, its common elements, and why every business needs to include it in their respective campaigns. Keep reading to find out more.
What exactly is technical SEO?
Technical SEO is the process of making improvements to the technical areas of a website to help elevate its position in the search engine results pages or SERPs. Allowing it to load quicker and making its web pages easier to both understand and crawl by the popular search engines stands as the pillars of this aspect of search engine optimization. However, because of the perpetually evolving nature of the algorithms behind these search engines, it’s safe to say that technical SEO remains in a similarly changing state.
Why pursue technical SEO?
Most search engines exist to perform a single function: to offer their users the most relevant and informative results for all queries. Because of this, their crawlers go through and assess all the pages of a site based on specific factors, such as the users’ experience and loading speed. Improving upon the technical elements of a website will it make it easier for search engines to understand. But you’ll also present it with opportunities to elevate its overall ranking and make it easier to find for the right users.
The qualities of a website that is technically optimized
A technically-sound and well-optimized website is one that is as easy to navigate as it is to crawl for the robots of a search engine. With the right structure and setup, its web pages can be much easier understood, and its content determined. More importantly, it eliminates the confusion that can be caused by several reasons, such as duplicate content. Furthermore, it keeps both search engines and users alike from dead-ends due to broken links. Below are a few more qualities of a website that is technically optimized.
1. Speed. You’ll rarely come across a website that loads slow. After all, it is likely to frustrate visitors and lead to high bounce rates. In fact, research shows that over fifty percent of mobile users will leave for another site if the page in question fails to load within two to three seconds.It’s for this reason that a fast-loading website is essential.
2. No dead links. If there’s anything more irritating than a slow website, it is one with dead links. Any dead ends will lead to poor user experience. Worse still, crawlers aren’t very fond of non-existent pages. The more 404 pages they find, the more likely the site will end up in a lower position on the search rankings. Fortunately, this problem can be resolved with a redirection or the removal of the links.
3. The data is structured. The reason why many experts like Kansas City SEO professionals recommend structured data is that it allows the domain owners to give details to search engines regarding their offerings. Through a better understanding of the content, there’s a better chance for the website to be eligible to be included in rich results.
4. Security for users. A website that’s safe for all users isn’t just a luxury, but a necessity in this day and age, especially with technical SEO. As such, it’s imperative to ensure that it’s safe to browse and navigate.
5. Mobile-friendly. Due to their accessibility and widespread appeal, mobile devices like smartphones and tablets are more commonly used in browsing the internet than the traditional desktop or the more portable laptop. That said, it’s critical for a website to be as usable with mobile as they are with computers. It’ll give a brand access to a much wider market than it would’ve had otherwise, after all.
The importance of technical SEO
Our continued reliance on the World Wide Web has made technical SEO essential in any marketing campaign. For those who are still doubtful of its effectiveness, I’ve compiled a small list of advantages that it can yield for businesses down below.
- It creates better experiences for users. One of the reasons why SEO is so effective in marketing is that it helps create better experiences for users. Through the technical optimization of websites, visitors will have an easier time navigating through their pages. This, in turn, will compel them to stay much longer than they would have. As a result, increase the chances for conversions.
- SEO reels in more traffic. The vast majority depend on the internet for their needs and through SEO, a business can reel in more traffic because it allows a website to elevate its position in the search rankings.
- Establishes brand recognition. Securing a higher position in the rankings of SERPs doesn’t just create inbound traffic for a website. It also helps establish brand recognition and allows users to better identify with the business and create trust with its offerings.
- It’s cost-effective. Perhaps the greatest advantage of SEO is that it’s not as expensive as more traditional methods of advertising. It’s a marketing strategy that any business – regardless of industry or size – can use to its advantage.
Technical SEO is an indispensable and fundamental requirement of marketing in this day and age, and by understanding what it’s all about and having the expertise of experienced experts like Kansas City SEO agencies at your disposal, you’ll be able to reach your intended audience and build recognition for your brand quickly.