Technical Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the practice of structuring and organizing web pages to make them as accessible as possible to users.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) comes in many forms. It can be divided into improving on-page content (e.g., making headlines more appealing) and improving off-page content (usually done through backlinks). The goal is the same: to rank at the top of search engine results pages—in the best case, the first position. However, there is a third form of SEO that you should optimize for: technical SEO. Learn the basics of technical search engine optimization.

What is Technical SEO?

Technical Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the functionality of a website to improve its ranking in search engine results. Technical SEO generally involves improving the user experience of a website by increasing the speed of the website, improving accessibility, and making it easier to navigate.

Technical SEO is closely related to on-page SEO, which focuses on improving the content of a website. On-page SEO includes keywords, meta descriptions, H1 tags (titles of web pages), URL naming, link building, etc. On the other hand, technical SEO is different from off-page SEO, which exposes a website through other channels such as backlinks.

Search engines rank your site by crawling and indexing the pages on your site. When you post content on your site, search engine bots, or “spiders,” crawl your site, discover your content, and review your pages. Search engines then store some of your content in their search indexes (a massive database of billions of pages). If your pages meet their ranking criteria (a combination of on-page SEO, off-page SEO, and technical SEO), they will appear in search results.

For technical optimization, a website must meet several criteria. First, the website must load quickly. Also, it must have a good site structure so that search engines can crawl it. Each page needs unique content, as duplicate content can harm the ranking of the page. Additionally, all internal links on the site must function properly. Finally, a technically optimized site uses HTTPS security architecture.

The Importance of Technical SEO in Ecommerce Businesses

Technical SEO affects the search engine performance of your website. If your site is not accessible, it will not appear or rank in search engines. This can be detrimental to your ecommerce business, resulting in lost traffic and potential customers.

Ecommerce websites typically have many product pages, category pages, and filters. Technical SEO helps ecommerce businesses optimize this content so that search engines can crawl and index these pages. Properly optimized product pages use structured data to ensure that your products appear in Google Shopping results.

Google ranks sites based on page speed and mobile friendliness, which is very important for ecommerce businesses. If your site takes too long to load, customers will leave your site, which can lead to lost traffic and decreased conversion rates. Also, since most online shopping is now done on mobile devices , it is important that your site is responsive and displays content correctly on different screen sizes and device types.

The Basics of Technical SEO

1. Site Architecture
2. Site speed
3. Mobile friendly
4. Secure (HTTPS)

There is a lot you can do with technical SEO for your ecommerce website. Here are four categories that can have a real impact on your site:

Site Architecture

Site architecture, or site structure, refers to how a site organizes and interconnects its pages. An effective site structure uses a consistent URL structure to help crawlers find your website content quickly and easily. Organize your site logically so that all pages are just a few clicks away from the homepage. This makes it easier for crawlers (and your customers) to navigate your site to quickly find the information they want. Once you have your site structure in place, submit an XML sitemap to Google to help search engines crawl your website.

Site Speed

You need to make sure your site loads as fast as possible on mobile and desktop. Here are some ways you can do this:

Image Compression

Images are the largest files on a web page. Reducing the size of your image files will help your site load faster.

Use a content distribution network (CDN)

A CDN stores copies of your web pages on servers around the world. A CDN connects visitors to the nearest server, reducing the distance your files have to travel.

Minify HTML, CSS, JavaScript files

File minification is a method of removing unnecessary characters and spaces from your code to reduce file size and increase page speed.

Check redirection

Broken pages won't load. Replace all broken links and redirect them to real, relevant pages on your site.

Mobile Friendliness

Google uses mobile-first indexing to index and rank content based on the mobile version of a web page, so your website needs to be fast and responsive, and able to display content and design elements like text, buttons, and links properly on a variety of screen sizes, devices, and orientations.

Secure (HTTPS)

HTTPS is a secure version of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and is the way data is transmitted on the web. HTTPS provides an additional layer of security to prevent sensitive user information (such as passwords and credit card information) from being leaked. To enhance the security of your site, you can install an SSL certificate to authenticate your website’s identity and establish a secure connection. Most website hosting platforms, such as Shopify, automatically provide an SSL certificate for new websites.

Technical SEO Tips for Ecommerce Businesses

1. Product Page Optimization
2. Category Page Optimization
3. Factitized Navigation Optimization
4. Structured data

There are four ways you can use to improve technical SEO for your ecommerce business:

Product Page Optimization

Product pages play a vital role in converting visitors into buyers. A great product page has unique and visually appealing content and uses high-quality images to highlight product attributes. Product pages should be linked to other pages on your website, preventing ‘orphan pages’ (pages that are not linked to other pages). Orphan pages can cause search engines to not crawl them properly, so it’s important to build internal links to other relevant pages.

Category Page Optimization

Category pages are pages that list the products you sell. Examples include “Shoes,” “Accessories,” or “Women’s Clothing.” Optimizing these pages can provide more context to search engine crawlers, which can drive more traffic to your ecommerce site. Category pages are typically higher up in the hierarchy of an ecommerce site, are broadly focused, and are logically organized. Optimizing your category pages helps search engines recognize important keywords related to your site’s main product categories, which can increase your site’s visibility and traffic.

Faceted Navigation Optimization

Factual navigation (or factual search) is a type of navigation found on category pages of sites with large product listings. The purpose of this navigation is to help users perform customized searches to find the items they want, using filters based on list attributes. These filters can include things like brand, size, and color, which help narrow down product searches. Optimizing factual navigation improves the user experience by making it easier for users to find the products they want, and helps search engines index all elements of the page more effectively.

Structured Data

Structured data provides additional context and meaning to your web page content. This helps search engines provide enhanced search results, such as rich snippets (search results with additional data) that are used when displaying product listings. For ecommerce businesses, structured data is useful because it can provide search engines with product information, reviews, ratings, prices, and more. This can help you create more attractive listings for potential customers who are searching, and can drive higher click-through rates in search results.

Technical SEO Tools for Ecommerce Businesses

1. Google's PageSpeed ​​Insights
2. Google's Mobile-Friendly Test
3. Google Search Console
4. Schema Markup Generators
5. Semrush or Ahrefs

From website speed to crawl analysis, here are some technical SEO tools you can use for your ecommerce business:

Google's PageSpeed ​​Insights

Google’s PageSpeed ​​Insights test measures your site’s speed on both desktop and mobile and provides suggestions for improving the user experience. Faster page loading speeds make your site easier to navigate, which can have a positive impact on your search rankings.

Google's Mobile-Friendly Test

Google's Mobile-Friendly Test evaluates your site's mobile usability and provides recommendations for improvement. This tool determines how well your site works on mobile devices and suggests changes if necessary.

Google Search Console

Google Search Console is a free tool that helps you monitor how your site appears in Google search results. It provides insight into how your site appears to crawlers, alerts you to indexing issues, and offers suggestions for improving your site’s performance. The Core Web Vitals report in Search Console measures the actual user experience of your page’s loading performance, interactivity, and visual stability.

Schema Markup Generators

Schema markup generators like Schema.org help you generate correct structured data markup for products, reviews, and other ecommerce-related content. This can improve your search results. You can use Google’s Rich Results Test to see if your page supports rich results.

Semrush or Ahrefs

You can use SEO tools like Semrush or Ahrefs to perform a technical SEO audit of your site. A site audit will help you find and fix technical SEO issues that affect your site’s performance, crawlability, and indexability. This will help you improve your visibility in search engines and improve your site’s overall SEO performance.