Technical SEO basics: help search engines access your website

Technical SEO makes it easier for people and search engines to reach the pages that matter. Start with a calm review of access, links, mobile use and page speed.

Check important pages

Open your key service pages in a private browser window. Check that they load without sign-in, redirects work as expected and the main content is visible. Remove accidental noindex settings from pages that should appear in search.

Review links and navigation

Make sure every important page can be reached through your menus or relevant internal links. Fix broken links and update links that point to old URLs. If a page has moved, redirect visitors to its closest relevant replacement.

Use a sitemap and robots file carefully

A sitemap can help search engines discover preferred URLs. Check that it contains useful, indexable pages. A robots.txt file controls crawling of paths; it does not reliably keep private information out of search. Never use it as a privacy barrier.

Make pages usable on mobile

Test key pages at phone width. Look for text that is too small, buttons that are hard to tap, content that overflows and forms that are difficult to complete.

Improve performance methodically

Resize and compress images, remove plugins you do not use and reduce unnecessary scripts. Measure before and after each change so you know what helped. Hosting and third-party tools can also affect speed.

Keep security and maintenance in view

Use HTTPS, keep WordPress and trusted plugins updated, and maintain backups. Ask your host or developer to investigate errors that affect access or checkout.

Technical SEO is an ongoing maintenance task. Prioritise fixes that improve access, clarity and reliability for visitors.