10 Technical SEO Wins to Dominate Google Search

10 Technical SEO Wins
to Dominate Google Search
Jeanne Tan, WordCamp Malaysia 2023

1. Make sure important pages are indexed

What is a noindex tag?
● tells search engines not to include a
particular page in search results
● added the to the <head> section:
<meta name=“robots” content=“noindex”>

Why is fixing a page’s indexing issue important?
● Revives a page’s ranking and search visibility

How to check a page’s indexing status:
● bare Google search results

● "site:" Search Operator in Google
site:yourwebsite.com/your-page-url

● browser extension (example: SEO Pro Extension)

● View page source
For a page to rank:
For a page you don’t want to show up on search results:

● Google Search Console URL Inspection

How to do it the right way
● set the metarobots tag accordingly
<meta name=“robots” content=“index”>
<meta name=“robots” content=“noindex”>
● add the code to the <head> section of the
page
● check your site’s indexing status regularly
through Google Search Console

How to regularly check a page’s indexing status:
● Google Search Console indexing report

2. Regularly update your sitemaps

What is a sitemap?
● a file that lists out the URLs you want to
be crawled - not every page - on your
website
● must be in XML format
domain.com/sitemap.xml
domain.com/sitemap_index.xml

<urlset>: Encapsulates the file and references the current protocol standard
<loc>: Specifies the URL of the page.
<lastmod>: Indicates when the page was last modified.
● NOT NECESSARY:
<changefreq>: Provides a general idea of how frequently the content at the URL
changes.
<priority>: Indicates the priority of this URL relative to other URLs on your site.

An XML sitemap is not meant to explain your site structure

Why is updating your XML sitemap important?
● helps Google discover and index pages
faster
● helps new content possibly rank faster
● helps search engines understand your site
and recognize canonical pages

How to create and update a sitemap the right way
● must contain URLs of pages that you want to rank
○ must contain CANONICAL URLs only
● submit to Google in Google Search Console
● break up your sitemap if you exceed 50,000 URLs
● update your sitemap when:
○ new pages are added
○ old pages are removed
○ pages are redirected

Sitemap Plugins and Tutorial
● developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/si
temaps/build-sitemap
● use XML Sitemap WP Plugins to automatically update
sitemaps

3. Use canonical tags on pages you want to rank

What is a canonical tag?
● an HTML code placed on a page's <head> section
to tell search engines that a specific URL is the
“master copy” of a page
<link rel="canonical"
href="https://site.com/seo-audit-services" />
● a strong hint, not a directive

What is a canonical tag?
site.com/seo-audit-services
● links with tracking coming from:
○ Facebook →
site.com/seo-audit-services/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium
=social&utm_campaign=seo_promo
○ Google My Business →
site.com/seo-audit-services/?utm_source=gmb&utm_medium=organic
&utm_campaign=local_listing
● redirects:
site.com/seo-audit-work → site.com/seo-audit- services

alternate page with proper canonical tag

Why is a canonical tag important?
● ensures that Google shows the page you want to rank in
search results and not its “knock-off” version
● prevents duplicate content issues: duplicate,
near-duplicate and similar pages
● conserves the SEO value or authority of the “master
copy” page

How to setup a canonical tag the right way
● implement canonical tags on pages you want to rank
● check that the page you’re placing a canonical tag has
the same or nearly similar content to the canonical page
● the “master copy” page should have a self-referential
canonical place the line of code on the page’s header
● make sure the XML sitemap contains ONLY the
canonical URLs
● make sure all your internal links are pointing to the
canonical URL

How to check for canonical tag issues

● duplicate without user-selected canonical tag
http://site.com/seo-audit
• 301-redirects to →
https://site.com/seo-audit-services
• user-selected canonical: not specified
• Google-selected canonical:
http://site.com/seo-audit

● duplicate, submitted URL not selected as canonical
• user- selected canonical:
• Google-selected canonical:
https://site.com/seo-services

4. 301-redirect outdated and duplicate pages
301 status code

What is a 301 redirect?
● Initial URL → Destination URL
https://www.site.com/ → https://site.com/
● a digital "change of address" notice telling web
browsers and search engines that a webpage has
permanently moved from one URL address to a
different one
● an HTTP response status code

When does a 301-redirect becomes important?
● when you want to replace an “old” page
(outdated content) with another page
(updated or better content) but would like to
keep the old page’s traffic and ranking
● when you want to resolve keyword
cannibalization and other duplicate content
issues

What is “keyword cannibalization”?
● an instance of multiple pages with their content
targeting the same, exact-match keywords with
the same user intent
https://site.com/seo-audit-services vs https://site.com/seo-services
Target keyword phrase: “seo services”
User intent: to check available SEO services and pricing

How to implement a 301-redirect properly
● check that the destination URL of the 301-redirect is the page
that you want to appear on search results
● take note of the www or non-www version that you want to adopt
for your destination URL
● use WordPress plugins: Yoast, Redirection, Simple 301 Redirects
● Never edit .htaccess directly from the Yoast plugin options
unless you have FTP access to the site and has made a backup
copy.

What is structured data?
● a standardized format for organizing and labelling
information about a page, and classifying the page
content; for example, on a car model page, what is
the year model, brand, color, price, seating
capacity, and so on
● the native language of the search engines
● Google’s recommended format: JSON-LD

sample product schema (JSON-LD)
<script type="application/ld+json"> { "@context": "http://schema.org/", "@type":
"Product", "name": "Malaysian Coffee", "image": [
"https://www.wordcamp-malaysian-coffee.com/img1.jpg",
"https://www.wordcamp-malaysian-coffee.com/img2.jpg" ], "description": "The best
Malaysian Coffee served with love.", "sku": "123456", "mpn": "987654", "brand": {
"@type": "Brand", "name": "WordCamp Malaysian Coffee" }, "review": { "@type":
"Review", "reviewRating": { "@type": "Rating", "ratingValue": "4", "bestRating": "5"
}, "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jeanne" } }, "offers": { "@type":
"Offer", "url":"https://www.wordcamp-malaysian-coffee.com/sample-product",
"priceCurrency": "USD", "price": "9.99", "priceValidUntil": "2024-11-20",
"itemCondition": "http://schema.org/NewCondition", "availability":
"http://schema.org/InStock", "seller": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "WCMY
Coffee Shop" } }}</script>

how search engines “see” the markup

Why is structured data important?
● helps Google better understand the context of
your content, so that it can accurately match it to
search queries
● leads to more accurate and relevant search results
for users
“best” + “malaysian coffee” + “under $10” +
[brand]

Why is structured data important?
● helps drive website traffic by standing out in
search with rich results

How to implement structured data the right way
● leverage schema types that attract traffic (e.g., image metadata)

● implement the right schema type
● classify your business as accurately as possible
Store
Auto Parts Store
Bike Store
Book Store
Clothing Store
Computer Store

● use chatGPT
● use WP plugins: Yoast, RankMath, Schema Pro
● use Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper

What is image SEO?
● optimization of images on a website to
make them more search engine-friendly by
ensuring images load quickly, have
descriptive file names and alt text, and are
relevant to the surrounding content

Why is image SEO important?
● allows optimized images to rank in relevant search results,
attracting additional visitors to your website

Why is image SEO important?
● enhances content understanding as descriptive file names
and alt text help Google understand the context of images

How to optimize image SEO important?
● use unique images with your brand logo
● use the correct format (png, jpeg, webp)
● use descriptive filenames
● use keyword-rich alt text
● use structured data for images
● place images near or within relevant texts
● create an image sitemap

7. Optimize the page’s above-the-fold

Why is optimizing above-the-fold content important?
● The content above the fold is the first thing
that both search engines and users see.
● encourages users to engage with the page,
reducing bounce rates and increasing the
likelihood of them taking desired actions

Why is optimizing above-the-fold content important?

How to format the above-the-fold for the win
● use a descriptive h1 title with clear user value
● start with a captivating introduction of no more than
100 words
● add a stunning image below the introductory
paragraph and using image metadata
● add a clear CTA

Build Topical Authority
8. Use a table of contents
9. Improve internal links
10. Leverage breadcrumbs

What is topical authority?
● being recognized by Google as an expert
or go-to source on a specific topic or
subject, based on the depth and quality of
content you provide on that topic

What is a table of contents (TOC)?
● a structured outline or list of links on a
webpage that provides users and search
engines with quick navigation to specific
sections or topics within that page

Why is a table of contents important?
● helps search engines understand the structure and
depth of the content (*can positively influence
rankings)
● allows easy access to desired content for users
● can potentially increase on-page time (*positively
influences historical data for better rankings)

How to create a TOC the right way
● place the table of contents just before the
main content
● use a logical hierarchy of <h> tags
(heading titles)
● set jumplinks to the respective sections of
the content

What is an internal link?
● a hyperlink that points to another page on
the same website

Why are internal links important?
● links related content together showing search
engines the depth and breadth of content on related
topics (*enhances topical authority)
● spreads authority among important pages for better
ranking
● helps users navigate the website (*improves
historical data for better rankings)

How to improve internal links on a website
● make sure you are interlinking pages with
similar topics and context
● use keyword-rich anchor texts
● fix broken links
● fix redirect chains
● find any orphan pages
● add a Related Links section on the page

What are breadcrumbs?
● a navigational aid that shows users their
path from the homepage to their current
location on a website

Why are breadcrumbs important?
● gives search engines a better understanding of a
website's structure, helping them determine the
site's relevance to search queries
● provide users with a clear way to backtrack or
navigate to higher-level pages
● when recognized by search engines, breadcrumbs
can appear in search results

How to implement breadcrumbs the right way
● follow a hierarchical structure of topics
Home | Main Topic | Subtopic
Home | All Products | Product Category | Specific Product
● place breadcrumbs at the top of the page (below the
navigation bar but above the main content)
● use consistent separators: ">", "→", and "|"
● use BreadcrumbList structured data to help search
engines understand and potentially display your
breadcrumbs in search results

● Breadcrumbs
● Above-the-fold optimization
● Image optimization
● Relevant internal linking
● Product structured data
https://www.doubledtrailers.com/the-basics-living-quarter/

Technical SEO’s main goal:
To get important pages discovered and
indexed by the search bots so they can
rank in relevant search results

READY, SET, SEO!
Let’s be friends!

10 Technical SEO Wins to Dominate Google Search

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