In the fast-paced world of digital marketing, having a solid technical SEO strategy is crucial for the success of any website. While content and backlinks often get the limelight, technical SEO lays the foundation for a website to be crawled, indexed, and ranked by search engines like Google.

This guide will walk you through the best technical SEO practices for 2024 that ensure your site runs smoothly, remains accessible to users and search engine crawlers, and is primed for ranking. Implementing these practices can dramatically improve your website’s visibility, user experience, and organic traffic.

1. Optimize Your Website’s Crawlability and Indexability

Crawlability refers to how well search engine bots can access and “crawl” your website, while indexability ensures that the crawled pages are stored in the search engine’s index.

Key Tactics:

• Submit a sitemap: Ensure your website has a well-structured XML sitemap submitted to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools. This helps search engines discover and index new pages.
• Robots.txt Optimization: Review your robots.txt file to ensure you aren’t unintentionally blocking important pages from being crawled.
• Fix Broken Links and 404 Errors: Regularly scan your website for broken links and fix any pages that lead to 404 errors. This improves user experience and helps search engines crawl more efficiently.

Data Insight:

According to a study by SEMrush, 42% of websites have issues with broken internal links, which can hinder crawlability. Fixing these errors can lead to a noticeable uptick in search visibility.

2. Enhance Page Load Speed

In 2024, page load speed continues to be a critical ranking factor, especially since Google’s Core Web Vitals update focuses heavily on site performance. Faster websites not only rank better but also reduce bounce rates and improve user satisfaction.

Key Tactics:

• Optimize Images: Use next-gen formats like WebP for faster loading, and compress images without compromising quality.
• Leverage Browser Caching: Enable browser caching to reduce server load and improve load times for returning visitors.
• Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN): CDNs distribute your site content across multiple servers worldwide, reducing load times for global visitors.
• Minimize HTTP Requests: Reduce the number of files (CSS, JavaScript) your site needs to load to decrease load times.

Real Data:

According to Google, websites that load in under 2 seconds see 50% more mobile sessions and 25% lower bounce rates. Speed is no longer optional; it’s essential.

3. Mobile-First Optimization

With mobile traffic surpassing desktop traffic, Google’s mobile-first indexing ensures that websites optimized for mobile devices perform better in search rankings. If your website isn’t mobile-friendly, you risk losing a significant portion of your potential audience.

Key Tactics:

• Responsive Design: Ensure your website uses responsive design, meaning it automatically adjusts to fit any screen size, from smartphones to tablets.
• Optimize for Touch: Make sure your buttons, links, and other interactive elements are easy to tap, without requiring zooming in or excessive scrolling.
• Lazy Loading for Mobile: Implement lazy loading, which loads images as users scroll down the page, preventing slow initial load times on mobile.

Key Data:

Recent data from Statista shows that mobile devices accounted for 58.33% of global website traffic in the second quarter of 2024. Google’s mobile-first indexing means that mobile optimization is more important than ever for SEO.

4. Implement Structured Data (Schema Markup)

Structured data, or schema markup, helps search engines understand the context of your content. By using structured data, you increase your chances of appearing in rich snippets, knowledge graphs, and other enhanced search results, which can improve your click-through rates.

Key Tactics:

• Use JSON-LD for Structured Data: Google prefers JSON-LD format for implementing schema markup. Whether it’s reviews, product information, or events, structured data can boost your visibility.
• Common Schemas to Implement: Consider adding local business schema, product schema, and FAQ schema to improve your chances of being featured in search results.

Data Impact:

According to a study by Search Engine Journal, websites using structured data see an average click-through rate (CTR) improvement of 30%. This is a significant boost, especially for eCommerce sites or local businesses.

5. Secure Your Website with HTTPS

Website security is no longer optional. Google has explicitly stated that HTTPS is a ranking signal. Having an SSL certificate not only secures data but also builds trust with users. Websites without HTTPS are often flagged as “Not Secure,” which can drive users away.

Key Tactics:

• Install an SSL Certificate: Ensure your website uses HTTPS by installing an SSL certificate. Many hosting providers offer free SSL certificates through platforms like Let’s Encrypt.
• Redirect HTTP to HTTPS: If you’ve recently moved to HTTPS, set up 301 redirects from your old HTTP pages to the new HTTPS URLs to preserve link equity.

Real Data:

Research from HubSpot shows that 85% of users will avoid a site if it’s labeled “Not Secure.” The switch to HTTPS can improve user trust and engagement while also boosting rankings.

6. Improve Core Web Vitals

Core Web Vitals are a set of metrics related to page speed, interactivity, and visual stability. These include Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS). Google now uses these metrics as a ranking signal.

Key Tactics:

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Optimize your page’s largest elements (usually images or video) to load within 2.5 seconds.
• First Input Delay (FID): Minimize the time it takes for a page to respond to a user’s first interaction. Achieve this by reducing JavaScript execution times.
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Avoid unexpected shifts in layout by specifying the size of images and using stable UI elements.

Real Data:

A study by Backlinko shows that pages that pass Core Web Vitals are 24% more likely to rank in the top 10 of Google’s search results. This highlights the importance of optimizing these metrics in 2024.

7. Optimize Your URL Structure

An optimized URL structure is clean, descriptive, and easy for both users and search engines to understand. URLs should clearly indicate the content of the page while incorporating your target keywords.

Key Tactics:

• Keep URLs Short and Descriptive: Use short URLs that include your primary keyword. Avoid numbers or irrelevant characters.
• Use Hyphens, Not Underscores: Google recommends using hyphens to separate words in URLs, as it improves readability for search engines.
• Avoid Dynamic URLs: Where possible, avoid URLs with query parameters like “?id=1234” and opt for static, descriptive URLs.

Data Insight:

A study by Ahrefs found that URLs with fewer than 60 characters tend to rank higher in Google. This reinforces the importance of concise, keyword-rich URLs.

8. Monitor and Fix Duplicate Content Issues

Duplicate content can dilute your website’s SEO power by confusing search engines and leading to lower rankings. It’s essential to identify and resolve any duplicate content issues to maintain your website’s SEO integrity.

Key Tactics:

• Use Canonical Tags: If you have duplicate pages (e.g., product pages in eCommerce), use canonical tags to tell Google which version is the original.
• 301 Redirects: When removing or merging pages, use 301 redirects to pass link equity from old pages to new ones.
• Check for Plagiarism: Regularly audit your site to ensure that no content has been duplicated, either internally or by scrapers.

Real Data:

Moz’s analysis of duplicate content shows that it can cause up to a 50% reduction in ranking potential. Resolving these issues quickly can restore lost rankings and improve SEO performance.

Conclusion

Implementing these best technical SEO practices will ensure that your website is primed for search engine success in 2024. From crawlability and mobile optimization to improving site speed and addressing duplicate content, each tactic plays a crucial role in making your website more accessible, user-friendly, and search engine-friendly.

As search engines continue to evolve, so must your technical SEO strategy. Stay proactive by regularly auditing your site, optimizing core metrics, and leveraging the power of structured data to stay ahead of the competition.

Also know India’s Top Digital Marketing Agency | Boost Your Online Presence