SEO can feel daunting, especially the technical aspects, but it’s essential for ensuring your creative business shines online. In this post, we’ll cover the key strategies for technical SEO that are relevant for both regular websites and those built with templates like Format or Squarespace. If you’re using a template website, feel free to skip to that section.

Why Technical SEO Matters

Technical SEO is the backbone of your website’s search engine performance. It helps search engines understand and index your site, impacting its speed, usability, and overall visibility. For creative businesses, this means your work is more likely to be seen by potential clients.

Key Aspects of Technical SEO for Non-templated Websites (IE WordPress):

1. Website Speed and Performance

Site speed is crucial for both user experience and search engine ranking. Slow websites can lead to higher bounce rates and lower rankings.

• Optimize Images: Use tools like TinyPNG or ImageOptim to compress images without losing quality.
• Minify CSS, JavaScript, and HTML: Use tools like Minify to reduce file sizes.
• Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN): Services like Cloudflare can improve load times by caching content and delivering it from servers closer to your users.
• Enable Browser Caching: Configure your server to cache resources so returning visitors experience faster load times.

2. Mobile-Friendliness

With so many people browsing on their phones, having a mobile-friendly site is essential. For example, this site is viewed 80% on mobile.

• Responsive Design: Ensure your site adapts to different screen sizes and devices.
• Mobile Usability Testing: Most element tools allow you to see how well your site performs on mobile devices.
• Optimize for Touch: Make sure buttons and links are easy to tap on a touchscreen.

3. Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)

Security is a ranking factor, and having an SSL certificate (HTTPS) keeps data between your site and users secure.

• Install an SSL Certificate: Many hosting providers offer free SSL certificates through Let’s Encrypt.
• Check for Mixed Content: To avoid mixed content warnings, ensure all resources on your site (images, scripts) are loaded over HTTPS.

4. Structured Data Markup

Structured data helps search engines understand your content better and can enhance your search results with rich snippets.

• Implement Schema Markup: Use Schema.org to add structured data to your site. For example, use the CreativeWork schema for your art projects.
• Test with Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool: Verify your structured data implementation with this tool.

5. Crawlability and Indexability

Make sure search engines can easily crawl and index your site’s content.

• Create and Submit a Sitemap: Generate a sitemap with tools like XML Sitemaps and submit it to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
• Use Robots.txt: Configure your robots.txt file to control which parts of your site should and shouldn’t be crawled.
• Fix Broken Links: Use tools like Screaming Frog to find and fix broken links on your site.

6. Duplicate Content

Duplicate content can confuse search engines and dilute your SEO efforts.

• Canonical Tags: Use canonical tags to indicate the preferred version of a page.
• Consistent URLs: Ensure your site does not serve the same content from multiple URLs (e.g., with and without www).

Tools for Technical SEO

• Google Search Console: Monitor your site’s performance, identify issues, and submit sitemaps.
• GTmetrix: Analyze your site’s speed and performance and get actionable recommendations.
• Ahrefs: Track backlinks, monitor your site’s health, and conduct technical audits.
• SEMrush: Perform site audits, track keyword rankings, and analyze your competitors.

A Note on Using ChatGPT

I’ve mentioned ChatGPT A LOT, for something as over my head as technical SEO I find it particularly useful. It has helped me countless times when I’m trying to figure out something on my server or website or fix an error. ChatGPT provides step-by-step instructions clearly and concisely, which allows me to resolve issues myself. I built this website on a WordPress template on my own, and because of ChatGPT, I managed to fix errors and keep things running smoothly. Don’t be intimidated to tackle these tasks—tools like ChatGPT can be incredibly supportive.

The Value of Hiring a Webmaster

Though it’s important to understand technical SEO, having a webmaster fix your technical SEO issues is much better. On-page and off-page SEO are manageable for those interested in it, but technical SEO has a steeper learning curve. It’s similar to hiring an accountant for your taxes: you could do it yourself, but you might miss something, and you won’t do it as quickly or as well as a professional. Having a webmaster handle, it allows you to focus on what you do best.

Overcoming Overwhelm with a Checklist

Feeling overwhelmed? I built a checklist of all the issues I found and worked through them individually. The more you understand about your website, the more control you have over its appearance and performance. Breaking down tasks into manageable steps can make the process much more approachable.

Technical SEO for Template Websites

Many creative professionals use website builders like Format or Squarespace, with pre-designed templates that make it easier to build a professional-looking site. These platforms take care of many technical SEO aspects, but there are still a few things you should check:

What Template Websites Look After:

• Responsive Design: Most template websites ensure your site is mobile-friendly.
• SSL Certificates: These platforms typically provide SSL certificates to secure your site.
• Basic SEO Settings: They offer tools to help you set meta tags, alt texts, and other basic SEO elements.
• Regular Updates: The platform will handle software updates, which can include improvements to SEO features.

What to Check and Flag:

• Image Optimization: Ensure that your images are optimized for web use. Even though the platform may offer basic optimization, using tools like TinyPNG can further reduce file sizes without sacrificing quality.
• Site Speed: While template sites are generally optimized for speed, use tools like GTmetrix to check your site’s performance and make any additional tweaks if necessary.
• Structured Data: Check if your platform supports adding structured data (schema markup) and implement it if possible. This can enhance your search engine results with rich snippets.
• Duplicate Content: Ensure that your site isn’t serving the same content from multiple URLs, and use canonical tags where necessary.
• Broken Links: Regularly check for and fix any broken links on your site using tools like Screaming Frog.

Conclusion

Mastering technical SEO is crucial for ensuring that your creative business’s website performs well in search engine results. By focusing on website speed, mobile-friendliness, security, structured data, crawlability, and avoiding duplicate content, you can improve your site’s visibility and user experience. Implement these best practices and use the recommended tools to maintain a technically sound website that attracts more visitors and potential clients.

Have you tried any of these strategies? How did it go? Are there tools or tips that you swear by or areas that you find particularly challenging? I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences. Feel free to share in the comments below.