Let’s be honest — technical SEO sounds intimidating to most marketers. Canonical tags? Crawling? Schema? Sounds like a dev’s job, right? But here’s the truth: if you want your website to rank and perform like a pro, you need to understand the technical side — at least the basics.
Hi, I’m Saima Ansari, aka Digital Saima, and I’ve worked with over 100 brands handling everything from SEO and PPC to content and graphics. In this blog, I’ll break down technical SEO into a simple, actionable framework — no jargon, no coding degree needed.
What Is Technical SEO, Really?
Think of technical SEO as everything behind the scenes that helps search engines crawl, index, and understand your website.
It doesn’t deal with content directly (like keywords or blogs) or backlinks. Instead, it’s about:
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Ensuring your website loads fast
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Making sure Google can read your site properly
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Fixing broken links and duplicate content
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Structuring your website logically
It’s the foundation. Without it, even the best content won’t rank.
⚙️ Digital Saima’s 5-Part Simplified Technical SEO Framework
I’ve simplified technical SEO into 5 essential parts — follow this, and you’re already ahead of most websites on the internet.
1. Site Speed & Core Web Vitals
Why it matters: Google cares about user experience, and slow websites kill rankings and conversions.
What to do:
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Use PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix to test your site
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Compress images (use WebP format)
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Use lazy loading for videos/images
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Minify CSS, JS, and HTML
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Host your site on a reliable, fast server
💡 Bonus Tip from Digital Saima’s: Use Cloudflare CDN — it’s free and speeds things up globally.
2. Mobile-Friendly Setup
Why it matters: Google indexes your site mobile-first. If your site looks broken on mobile, rankings will tank.
What to check:
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Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test
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Ensure buttons, fonts, and forms are responsive
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Avoid pop-ups that block the main content
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Use mobile-first design in your CSS
📱 Pro Tip: Always check your site on both Android and iOS devices — not just simulators.
3. Crawlability & Indexation
Why it matters: If Google can’t crawl your pages, it won’t rank them.
Check these:
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Robots.txt: Make sure it’s not blocking important pages
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Sitemap.xml: Submit it in Google Search Console
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Avoid noindex tags on important content
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Fix crawl errors (404s, redirect loops)
🧭 Digital Saima’s Rule: Every SEO project I touch starts with a crawl using Screaming Frog or Sitebulb.
4. Fixing Errors & Site Health
Why it matters: Broken links, duplicate content, and poor redirects confuse both users and search engines.
What to fix:
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404 Errors → Redirect to relevant pages (use 301s)
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Duplicate Meta Tags → Unique titles & descriptions
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Broken Internal Links → Scan using tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush
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Redirect Chains → Replace long chains with direct links
🧹 Digital Saima’s Tip: Run a monthly technical audit. Set reminders — don’t wait till rankings drop!
5. Structured Data & Schema Markup
Why it matters: Schema helps Google understand your content better — think stars in reviews, FAQ rich results, product prices, etc.
Add schema to:
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Blog posts → Article or FAQ schema
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Products → Product & Review schema
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Local business pages → LocalBusiness schema
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Events, Courses, Recipes → Specific structured data
🛠️ Tools I use: Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper or plugins like RankMath / Yoast SEO for WordPress.
Tools Digital Saima Swears By for Technical SEO
Here are my go-to tools that simplify technical SEO work:
| Tool | Use Case |
|---|---|
| Screaming Frog | Full crawl, identify errors, duplicate tags, broken links |
| Google Search Console | Indexing status, crawl issues, sitemap |
| Ahrefs/Site Audit | Backlink + technical health |
| GTmetrix / PageSpeed Insights | Speed testing |
| Schema Markup Validator | Check if schema is implemented correctly |
Want to See It in Action? Check My Latest Technical Audit on Instagram
I break down a real client’s site audit in a carousel post on my Instagram page. Let’s connect — I share live audits, tips, and tutorials.
👉 Follow @DigitalSaima on Instagram
👉 Connect with me on LinkedIn
🧠 Final Thoughts from Digital Saima
You don’t have to be a developer or techie to master the basics of technical SEO. Follow this 5-part framework, do regular audits, and you’ll be way ahead of the competition.
Remember: SEO success = Content + Links + Technical foundation. Skip one, and the structure falls.
