{"id":17267,"date":"2021-08-25T09:07:33","date_gmt":"2021-08-25T15:07:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mind.sh\/are\/?p=17267"},"modified":"2021-09-09T08:54:31","modified_gmt":"2021-09-09T14:54:31","slug":"seo-pillar-one-the-basics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mind.sh\/are\/seo-pillar-one-the-basics\/","title":{"rendered":"SEO – Pillar One, Technical SEO"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We view SEO in three distinct pillars; Technical SEO<\/strong>, Content SEO<\/a><\/strong>, and Brand Strategy<\/strong>. Each pillar is just as important as the last. It’s important for all websites to consider each and ensure each of the 3 SEO pillars is strong. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today we’re going to talk about technical SEO. Mindshare Labs specializes in technical seo, but these are things that any web development agency should be able to help you with. These items are built into your content management solution, or into the underlying HTML of your site. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ensure Your Site is Indexable<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

“A robots.txt file tells search engine crawlers which pages or files the crawler can or can’t request from your site.” <\/p>Google<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

This file can be used to ask search engines to not index a website. If we want to appear in search results, then we must allow search engines to index our site. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Identify and Fix Crawl Errors<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Search<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Crawl errors are displayed in Google Search Console<\/a> and identify problems that Google had when indexing your page. If there is an error on your page, it will not rank. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Create a Sitemap and Submit to Google<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"mindshare
Mindshare’s Sitemap<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A sitemap tells search engines where to find content on your site. Basically, they are a structured list of everything on your site that you want a search engine to index.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Understand how Google ‘sees’ Your Page<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There is a difference in the way a user sees your page and in the way search engines see your page. There are two really great ways to analyze how your page is viewed by google; the Structured Data Testing Tool<\/a> and the URL Inspector in Google Search Console<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Structured Data Testing Tool will help you understand what information your providing to google. You want this to be error free and as informational as possible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The URL Inspector will provide high level indexability information about your page. These items include whether or not it’s been indexed by google, if it’s mobile friendly, as well as other useful information. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ensure Your Site is Mobile Friendly<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Google recently started indexing mobile first. Basically, if your site is not mobile friendly, it’s not going to rank well. Other sites vying for the same keywords which are mobile friendly will get pushed above your site. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there is a tool: https:\/\/search.google.com\/test\/mobile-friendly<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fix Broken Links<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We’ve spent a whole bunch of time adding links to other sites and page within our site, it’s just a matter of time before one of those links disappears. Unfortunately, this has a HUGE impact on SEO. WordPress users can take advantage of an awesome plugin called Broken Link Checker<\/a> which automates checking for broken links. Everyone else can manually use https:\/\/www.drlinkcheck.com\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use HTTPS<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Honestly, SEO is the last reason you should have a secure site. Serving up content securely does help you rank higher (or rank at all). Google favors secure sites, for obvious reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ensure Quick Load Times<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Slow sites rank lower. One of Google’s goals is to provide a great user experience. This includes the experience of clicking on a result. So, if your site loads slow google is going to rank it lower. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To see how your site fairs head over to Google’s Speed Checker.<\/a> Then, take advantage of Google’s suggestions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use Schema Markup<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Mindshare’s Structued Data<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Schema Markup helps search engines understand your content better. This, in turn, helps Google to rank your content more appropriately, which means more clicks. Google\u2019s Structured Data Testing tool<\/a> can help you implement proper schema markup. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Limit Downtime<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Google doesn’t like it when your site goes down, and neither do users. In fact, if google detects some downtime they significantly decrease your ranking. Why? Because they don’t want to send users to a broken site. WordPress users can take advantage of Mindshare’s Backup and Security <\/a>plan which includes downtime monitoring. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep a Consistent URL Structure<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This ultimately comes down to content organization. If you have various types of content on your site, (services, plans, products, guides, etc) then each of those things should have similar URL structure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Setup Google Search Console<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Google Search Console<\/a> is a very powerful and free SEO tool that you can use to track your sites performance in Google search. It will also help you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n