Technical SEO Checklist

If you want your dog breeding website to stand out on search engines, you can’t overlook technical SEO. It’s the key to ensuring that your site runs smoothly and is easily discovered by people looking for your services. 

This Technical SEO Checklist is designed with breeders like you in mind, guiding you through the must-dos to make your site search engine friendly. Follow these simple guidelines, and you’ll be on the path to connecting with more dog lovers and potential puppy parents!

Table of Contents

Use the quick links below to jump to the corresponding sections.

• What is Technical SEO?
• Why is Technical SEO Important?
• Content SEO vs Technical SEO
• On-Page SEO vs Technical Seo
• Does Schema Markup Count as Technical SEO?
• Time Required for Technical SEO Results
• Technical SEO Checklist
  • 1) Identify and Include Target Keywords
  • 2) Website Structure and URL Optimization
  • 3) Meta Tags
  • 4) Content Optimization
  • 5) Image Optimization
  • 6) Website Speed Optimization
  • 7) Mobile Optimization
  • 8) Website Crawlability and Indexability
  • 9) Schema and Structured Data
  • 10) Duplicate Content Issues
  • 11) Broken Links
  • 12) HTTPS Security
  • 13) Server and Hosting Considerations
  • 14) Regular SEO Audits and Monitoring
• Make Technical SEO Work for Your Breeding Business
• Technical SEO Checklist Infographic

What is Technical SEO?

Technical SEO is the process of optimizing the infrastructure of your website for search engines. It ensures that people can find your site easily when they search online and that your website works smoothly. 

This includes making pages load quickly, helping search engines like Google understand what your site is about, and fixing any problems that might stop people from seeing your content. 

Think of it as making sure your online “house” doors and windows open correctly so visitors can navigate and find what they need without any difficulties.

Why is Technical SEO Important?

Technical SEO is important because it supports search engines’ ability to understand, access, and navigate your website. If it’s lacking, your site, despite having excellent content, may be invisible in search results or appear lower in rankings.

It’d be like having a house with a hidden front door. No matter how pleasant it might be inside, people won’t be able to discover it. 

By improving technical aspects like page speed, mobile optimization, and site structure, you make it easier for visitors to find and enjoy your site, which can lead to more traffic and potentially more customers.

Content SEO vs Technical SEO

Content SEO and Technical SEO are two essential aspects of search engine optimization, focusing on different areas. While Content SEO focuses on what visitors see and engage with on your site, Technical SEO makes sure the “behind-the-scenes” parts are working well. Both are essential for a successful online presence, particularly if your aim is to reach a wider audience.

On-Page SEO vs Technical SEO

On-Page SEO and Technical SEO are both significant factors in optimizing your website, but they concentrate on distinct aspects.

On-Page SEO deals with strategies applied directly on your website’s pages to enhance their visibility in search engines, such as keyword usage, meta descriptions, and content quality.

In contrast, Technical SEO refers to the “behind-the-scenes” aspects that help search engines crawl and index your website more effectively. 

While On-Page SEO makes your content appealing to users and search engines, Technical SEO ensures your website is accessible and easy to understand for search engines, making both integral for improved online visibility.

Does Schema Markup Count as Technical SEO?

Yes, Schema Markup does count as Technical SEO. 

Schema Markup is a form of structured data that you add to your website’s code. It helps search engines better understand your website’s content and enhance their representation in search results, often leading to richer search results.

By improving a search engine’s comprehension of your site, you contribute to the overall accessibility of your site for crawlers, which, in turn, falls under the umbrella of Technical SEO.

Time Required for Technical SEO Results

Technical SEO results can vary greatly based on the website’s existing condition, size, and any issues that need to be addressed. It’s also important to note that SEO as a whole is a long-term strategy, and efforts often take several months to show visible improvements.

Quick wins can sometimes be seen in a matter of weeks, especially when resolving critical issues like site errors or mobile compatibility problems. However, most improvements, like the impact of improved site speed or corrected duplicate content issues, can take anywhere from 3 to 6 months to begin showing significant results.

Keep in mind that this timeline can be influenced by Google’s crawling frequency, which may be affected by your website’s overall authority and how frequently you update content. Regular monitoring and patience are key in SEO efforts, as results typically grow over time.

Technical SEO Checklist

Building a successful online presence for your breeding program isn’t just about great content and design — it’s also about the technical details. That’s why this Technical SEO Checklist is essential. Whether you’re new to SEO or just looking to fine-tune your site, these guidelines will help you ensure that everything runs smoothly. 

Below, you’ll find key technical SEO items, each broken down with straightforward guidance to help you optimize your site for both search engines and your audience. Let’s dive in and take your online reach to the next level!

1) Identify and Include Target Keywords

Identifying and integrating targeted keywords is the first step in creating an effective SEO strategy for your dog breeding website.

Key aspects of keyword utilization include

• Keyword Research. Use tools like Ubersuggest, Answer The Public, SEMRush, or Ahrefs to discover keywords related to your breeding program and dog breed. Be sure to weigh factors such as search volume and keyword difficulty for optimal results.
• Understand User Intent. User intents typically fall into four categories: Commercial, Transactional, Informational, and Navigational. By grasping these and identifying the specific intent of prospective puppy owners, you can shape your content to fulfill their desires, effectively connecting them with necessary information or experiences.
• Include Long-Tail Keywords. Long-tail keywords are precise, three to four-word phrases often less competitive than broader, shorter terms. Their specificity and lower search volume make them valuable, as they frequently match the exact user query.
• Keyword Placement. Include target keywords within important site elements such as the page title, headings, meta title, and meta description. Include them naturally within your content to improve readability and avoid the pitfall of keyword stuffing.
• Keyword Monitoring. Frequently assess your keyword performance and make necessary strategy adjustments.

Keywords serve as a connection between the searcher’s needs and the valuable content you’re providing to meet those needs. They play a crucial role in aligning your content with user intent and driving more relevant traffic to your site.

2) Website Structure and URL Optimization

Creating a well-structured website with optimized URLs is an important part of SEO. The structure refers to how the pages of your website are organized and linked, while URL optimization involves creating clear and descriptive web addresses or links. Together, they ensure a seamless user experience and make it easier for search engines to crawl and index your site. 

Here’s how you can optimize the structure and URLs for your dog breeding website

• Website Structure. Aim for a clear, logical layout with a sensible hierarchy of pages to enhance user navigation and search engine crawling.
• URL Structure. URL Structure refers to the format and organization of the Uniform Resource Locator or website link. URLs should be descriptive and include keywords. This will make them easy to understand for users and search engines alike. Shorter URL’s are better and will typically outperform long, complicated ones.
• Site Navigation. Facilitate easy exploration of your website through well-placed menus, links, and prominently featured breadcrumbs.
• Breadcrumbs. These are a form of secondary navigation that shows a user’s location on a site. It’s beneficial for user experience and enhances SEO.
• Pagination. For larger websites, effective pagination (splitting web content into different pages) helps search engines understand the connections between pages.
• URL Slug. In WordPress, the slug, which identifies the page or post name in the URL, is automatically generated from the title when a page or post is published. It should succinctly describe the content, be concise, and include relevant keywords. Remember, shorter URL’s are better and will typically outperform long, complicated ones.
• Internal Linking. Connect different pages on your website through hyperlinks. This Internal linking strategy enriches user experience, boosts SEO, and guides users and search engines to pertinent content.

By focusing on these areas, you can help users navigate your site smoothly, drive more website engagement, and ensure search engines can easily journey through and index your pages.

3) Meta Tags 

Meta tags are HTML code in the “head” section of a web page’s source code. Invisible to users but vital for search engines, they offer useful information about a page’s content and preferences. 

Here’s what optimizing key meta tags involves

• Meta Titles and Descriptions. Meta titles and descriptions summarize the page’s content.
  • Meta Title. Typically displayed on search engine results pages, meta titles should precisely and briefly describe your page’s content. Each page should have a unique title, including relevant keywords.
  • Meta Description. These brief summaries of your page content appear under the title tag in search engine results. While not directly a ranking factor, a compelling meta description can improve click-through rate. Include primary and secondary keywords, and make it persuasive.
• Meta Robots. The meta robots tag instructs search engines on how to index and crawl pages on your website. You can use it to control the behavior of search engine crawling or to keep a page hidden from search engine results.
• Alt Tags. Alt Tags or Alt Text are descriptors embedded in an image’s HTML code. They convey the nature of images to search engines and screen readers, assisting visually impaired users. Every image should include an Alt Tag with descriptive text and relevant keywords.

Meta tags are crucial tools in optimizing each page of your website. They dictate how your pages are represented in search results, describe image content, and guide search engine crawlers.

4) Content Optimization

Content Optimization is a balance between crafting high-quality, engaging content that satisfies user search intent while ensuring readability for your audience and comprehensibility for search engines.

Here’s a closer look at its components

• Valuable Content.  Aim to provide high-quality content that genuinely benefits the reader. Beyond incorporating keywords, your focus should be crafting meaningful content that answers queries, offers solutions, or provides the information they seek.
• Unique Content. Strive for unique content that doesn’t replicate what’s found on your site or elsewhere. Unique content sets you apart from the competition, showcases your expertise, and is preferred from an SEO perspective. 
• Keyword Optimization.  Integrate relevant keywords naturally into your content. This includes the page title, headings, and meta title and description. But remember, overdoing it can lead to keyword stuffing, which is detrimental to your SEO.
• Readable and Well-Structured Content. Structure your content using proper heading hierarchy and break it into manageable chunks with subheadings, bullet points, and images. This not only assists search engines in comprehending your content but also enhances its digestibility for readers.
• Internal and External Links. Improve your content’s value by using internal linking to guide users to related content on your site and add external links to reliable resources. This strategy reinforces SEO and enhances user experience.
• Regular Updates. To maintain relevance and value, regularly revise your content.

Content optimization is all about pleasing your audience as much as it is about satisfying search engine requirements. Therefore, ensure your strategy caters to both.

5) Image Optimization

Image optimization involves improving the quality and file size of your images to increase website speed, improve SEO, and enhance user experience. 

Here are the strategies for effective image optimization

• File Format Selection. Choose an appropriate file format for your images. Usually, JPEG is best for photographs or complex images with lots of colors, and PNG is suitable for simpler or transparent images.
• File Name. Rename your image files with descriptive names and include target keywords if possible. This helps search engines understand the content of your image.
• Alt Tags. The alt text describes the image’s content to search engines and helps visually impaired users understand image content. Include your focus keyword where relevant, but be sure the description is accurate.
• Resize Images. Large, high-resolution images can slow down your page load times. Resize your images to fit the location on your page without losing quality.
• Image Compression. Use image compression tools to reduce file size without impacting visual quality. This can significantly improve your website’s loading speed.
• Lazy Load. Lazy loading delays loading images until they’re about to be viewed. As a user scrolls down a webpage, the images load just in time, speeding up the initial page load. This improves user experience, especially on image-heavy sites like those for dog breeders.
• Deliver images from a Content Delivery Network (CDN). A CDN hosts images on multiple servers close to users’ locations, allowing faster access. Using a CDN can reduce load times, improving user experience and search engine ranking.

By optimizing your images, you can enhance your website’s performance, SEO ranking, and user engagement.

6) Website Speed Optimization

Page speed optimization refers to the practice of implementing strategies to enhance how quickly a webpage loads. This is critical because slow-loading pages may dissuade visitors, negatively impact user experience, and lower your SEO ranking.

Here’s how you can optimize your page speed

• Quality Web Hosting. Choose a high-quality web hosting service that prioritizes operation speed. The server plays a significant role in site speed, so choose a server that guarantees excellent uptime and fast responses.
• Server-Side Optimization. Perform regular server optimization to clear any bottlenecks. This may include tasks like optimizing your databases, reducing and managing HTTP requests, and setting up proper HTTP cache headers.
• Browser and Server-Side Caching. Enable caching on both the server and the browser side. Browser caching allows static files to be stored locally on users’ devices, accelerating subsequent visits, while server-side caching helps to quickly serve frequently accessed and unchanging info.
• Content Delivery Network (CDN). A CDN helps to deliver your content, images, and files faster to users based on their geographic location. It caches static content on your site and serves it to users from the server nearest to them.
• Enable Compression. Use Gzip or similar software applications to compress the size of files on your website such as CSS, HTML, and JavaScript.
• Asynchronous Loading. By loading your CSS and JavaScript files asynchronously, users can view and interact with a page even if certain elements aren’t fully loaded.
• Remove Render-Blocking Resources. Optimize your website’s above-the-fold content by removing any CSS or JavaScript that prevents the first paint of your page.
• Remove Unused CSS. Removing excess or unused CSS code can drastically reduce file size and increase speed.
• Optimize Images. Use tools to compress images, reduce their size and ensure they’re in the correct format to speed up the load time on your site.
• Prefetch and Preload. Prefetch and preload capabilities can load parts of your site in the background to make user navigation faster.
• Lazy Loading. Lazy loading means loading only the essential or “above the fold” content immediately, while delaying loading images and other content that are not immediately needed.
• Minify CSS, JavaScript, and HTML. Streamline your code by eliminating spaces, commas, and other unnecessary characters, and enhance your page speed substantially.
• Optimize Web Fonts. Web fonts add extra HTTP requests to external resources. Use as few fonts as possible, and make sure they don’t render block.

By implementing these strategies, you’ll significantly improve your website’s speed, which can keep visitors on your site longer, enhance user experience, and boost your search engine rankings.

7) Mobile Optimization

Mobile Optimization is the process of adjusting your website content to ensure that visitors accessing your site from mobile devices have an experience optimized for their device. 

Here’s how you can achieve this

• Responsive Design. Build your website with a responsive design, which auto-adjusts its layout, images, and functionalities to fit the device it’s being viewed on, whether desktop, tablet, or mobile.
• Fast Load Speeds. Since mobile users often have slower internet speeds than desktop users, optimizing your site for speed is crucial. Follow the same methods as you would for desktop, like compressing images and reducing HTTP requests.
• Optimize Tap Targets. Make sure your buttons, links, and forms are large enough and spaced well apart to accommodate mobile users. They should be able to easily tap any target on your site without hitting another by mistake.
• Legible Text. Make sure the text on your web pages is easily readable without zooming or pinching the screen on a mobile device.
• Viewport Meta Tag. Include a viewport meta tag, which tells the browser how content should fit on the device’s screen.
• Test Your Mobile Optimization. Regularly use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool or other devices to understand how well your site performs on mobile platforms and where improvements are needed.

The rise in mobile browsing has made mobile optimization an essential aspect of any SEO strategy, contributing to better user experience and higher search rankings.

8) Website Crawlability and Indexability

Website crawlability refers to the ability of search engines to crawl or navigate through your website’s content. On the other hand, indexability is the search engine’s capability to analyze and add a page to its index. 

Here are some elements to ensure these processes

• Ensure Site Accessibility. Make sure that search engines can easily access your site without any barriers. Avoid any settings or configurations that might block them.
• Robots.txt File. This file tells search engine bots which pages or files they can or can’t request from your site. It also communicates the location of your XML sitemaps. It’s a way to guide the crawlers, making sure they access the right parts of your website.
• XML Sitemap. An XML sitemap lists a website’s important pages, aiding search engines to locate and understand the content of your pages and the structure of your website. Be sure to submit your XML sitemaps to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools, and include the location in the robots.txt file.
• Clean URL Structure. Keep your URLs simple and readable, including key terms where possible. URLs should reflect the content of your page, aiding search engines in understanding what to expect. Avoid ambiguous strings of letters or numbers that aren’t informative about the page’s content.
• Internal Linking. Internal links to other pages on your site guide search engines to more content and help define the structure and hierarchy of your website.
• Use of HTTP Status Codes. Correct use of HTTP status codes (like 301, 404, 500 series) signals the status of a webpage to search engines, including redirects, server errors, or successful HTTP requests.
• Avoid Duplicate Content. Ensure that your site doesn’t have repetitive or copied content, which can confuse search engines and negatively impact your ranking.
• Canonical Tags. If you have similar content across different URLs, use canonical tags to tell search engines which version is the primary one.
• Website Speed. A fast-loading website helps user experience and allows search engine bots to crawl more pages on your site in less time.
• Mobile Optimization. Given the shift towards Google’s mobile-first indexing, ensuring your website’s mobile responsiveness is crucial for favorable search engine rankings.
• Monitor Crawl Errors. Regularly check for crawl errors using tools like Google Search Console. This platform can notify you of any problems, allowing you to fix them quickly. If there are issues in crawling, it can stop search engines from accessing parts of your site, so it’s essential to address these promptly.

Optimizing your website for crawling and indexing is essential for overall SEO performance and visibility on search engine results pages.

9) Schema and Structured Data

Schema, often called Schema markup, is a codified framework designed to help search engines better understand the structure and content of web pages. Incorporating Schema markup into your website allows for a more accurate interpretation of your content by search engines, which may lead to a more prominent presentation in search results. 

This improved content understanding can manifest in several SEO advantages, including the following

• Rich Snippets. Rich snippets can feature star ratings, reviews, product prices, and more. 
• Improve Search Result Display. Schema markup enables search engines to display content more engagingly and organized, helping it command greater attention amidst search results.
• People Also Ask Feature. Implementing Schema for FAQs can enhance your chances of being featured in the “People Also Ask” section of search results. 
• Local SEO. For local businesses, using Schema markup can improve search engines understanding of your location and the services you offer, which can lead to enhanced visibility in local search results.
• Voice Search Optimization. Schema markup aids in optimizing voice-assisted searches. When users engage voice assistants like Google Assistant or Siri, structured data bolsters the probability of your content being featured as a snippet in voice search results.

Including Schema markup enhances search engines’ understanding of your website content. This, in turn, strengthens your on-page SEO, fostering greater visibility, improved click-through rates, and heightened audience engagement.

10) Duplicate Content Issues

Duplicate content can occur within a single site (internal) or across various sites (external), leading to search engine confusion when ranking results. 

Instances of internal duplicate content can include

• WWW vs non-WWW Versions. The presence of both “www” and non-“www” versions of a website can be interpreted by search engines as separate instances, creating duplicate content. To prevent such duplicity, consider selecting one format with “www” or without and set up a redirection to it. This will ensure that irrespective of the format entered in the URL. All users and search engines are directed to the chosen format, eliminating duplication. 
• HTTP vs HTTPS Versions. If your website supports HTTP and HTTPS formats, search engines may misinterpret it as duplicate entities. This means sites like “http://mywebsite.com” and “https://mywebsite.com” could appear as identical content. Redirect all traffic to the HTTPS version to enhance security and dodge potential duplication. Consequently, no matter which URL is used, users and search engines will consistently land on HTTPS versions of your pages.
• Print-Friendly Pages. Some websites have print-friendly versions of their pages for better printing experiences. If these versions are accessible to search engines, they may be considered duplicate content.
• Session IDs or URL Parameters. Websites sometimes use session IDs or URL parameters to monitor user sessions or preferences. These parameters could create multiple URLs for identical content, leading to duplicate content issues.
• Pagination Pages. To manage hefty content, websites often employ pagination. However, if the content on these paginated pages is almost identical, this could result in duplication problems.
• Mobile and Desktop Versions. If your website has separate versions for mobile and desktop with similar content, it might cause internal duplication.

Frequently auditing your website for duplicate content and resolving these issues can significantly improve your website’s on-page SEO and overall user experience.

11) Broken Links

Broken links can harm your site’s user experience and credibility with search engines. They’re typically the result of moved or deleted web pages, altered URLs, or typos. Regularly identifying and fixing them using website audit or link-checker tools is crucial to maintaining your site’s SEO health. When found, correct the URL, replace, or remove the link using 301 redirects for moved or deleted pages. This will improve user experience and SEO performance.

12) HTTPS Security

HTTP and HTTPS are data-transmission protocols, with HTTPS providing secure, encrypted communication. Using HTTPS boosts user trust and aids in website ranking, as Google flags non-secure sites. To improve site security and SEO, it’s recommended to implement HTTPS.

13) Server and Hosting Considerations

Your server and hosting service choice can significantly impact your website’s performance and SEO. 

Here’s what to consider

• Server Reliability. Frequent downtime can hurt both user experience and SEO rankings. Choose a host with strong uptime guarantees.
• Server Speed. Page load speed is an important ranking factor. A slow server can increase load times. Opt for a host known for speed and performance.
• Server Location. While not as critical as it once was, server location can influence page load times, particularly for users far from the server. Consider using CDNs (Content Delivery Networks) 
• Security. Ensure your host provides strong security measures to prevent hacks, which could lead to a loss of credibility with users and search engines.
• Scalability. As your site grows, your host should be able to accommodate increased traffic and more complex features without impacting performance.

These considerations can help maintain website performance and boost SEO efforts.

14) Regular SEO Audits and Monitoring

Regular SEO Audits and Monitoring are essential for maintaining and improving the technical health of your website. They allow you to stay on top of issues, follow best practices, understand user behavior, and keep your site competitive and compliant. It’s a continuous process that ensures your site remains optimized for search engines and provides a great user experience.

Make Technical SEO Work for Your Breeding Business

This Technical SEO Checklist is your go-to guide to make sure your website works great, ranks higher, and pleases your visitors. By adhering to these guidelines, you can equip yourself to navigate the ever-evolving digital landscape effectively and elevate your overall online success.

Remember, SEO isn’t just a one-time job. It’s something you need to keep working on. Watch how your site is doing and tweak things as you go. Follow this plan, and you’ll reach more people and help your breeding business grow.

Want to learn more? This checklist is just part of the bigger picture. We have lots of other helpful stuff on our blog. Check out posts like What Is SEO, and Is It Worth the Investment?, On-Page SEO Checklist, Off-Page SEO Checklist, and Local SEO Checklist, Voice Search Optimization Checklist, and Content Marketing Checklist. Explore the full potential of On-Page SEO, Off-Page SEO, and Local SEO to make the most of your breeding program online.

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