If you’ve spent even a little time learning about SEO, you’ve probably seen that many tactics make up this digital marketing strategy. Take technical SEO and on-page SEO: these two components can feel a bit like two sides of the same coin. While they overlap in some areas, they each play a unique role in helping your site rank higher and perform better.
In this article, we’ll break down what technical SEO and on-page SEO are, highlight where they overlap, and explain why you need both to succeed. No jargon, no fluff—just straightforward, practical knowledge you can start using today. Let’s dive in.
What Is Technical SEO?
Technical SEO focuses on the behind-the-scenes elements of your website that help search engines crawl, index, and rank your pages effectively. Think of it as the foundation of a house—it might not be visible, but nothing else can stand strong without it. Take, for example, these key aspects of technical SEO:
- Website Speed and Performance: Why fast-loading pages matter.
- Mobile-Friendliness: The importance of a website that works well on all devices.
- Crawlability and Indexability: Ensuring search engines can access and understand your site.
- Security (HTTPS): How secure websites improve user trust and SEO.
- Structured Data: Helping search engines understand your content better through schema markup.
All of these elements combine to create a successful user experience. Why is this important?
Did you know that the probability of a user leaving your website increases 32% as page load time increases from one to three seconds?
Or that Google implemented a mobile-first index, meaning websites not optimized for mobile experiences will not be ranked? That’s a huge loss.
Tools to Help Track Technical SEO
Here are some of our favorite tools to make sure your site’s foundation is rock-solid:
- Google Search Console (GSC): Think of this as your direct line to Google. GSC helps you monitor your site's search performance, flagging crawl errors, index issues, and mobile usability problems. It’s free, beginner-friendly, and a must-have for every site owner.
- PageSpeed Insights (PSI): Slow sites scare visitors away and hurt rankings. PSI analyzes your site’s speed and gives you actionable fixes, like compressing images or eliminating unused code.
- Screaming Frog SEO Spider: Want to see your site like search engines? This tool crawls your website, helping uncover issues like broken links and missing meta tags.
- Google Mobile-Friendly Test: A quick, free way to check if your site is optimized for mobile devices—critical with mobile-first indexing. You can find this tool in your GSC.
What Is On-page SEO?
On-page SEO is all about what’s on your website—everything your visitors see and interact with. It’s about crafting content that’s not only optimized for search engines but also engaging and valuable to your audience.
Key aspects of on-page SEO include:
- Content Quality: Writing clear, relevant, and helpful content.
- Keyword Optimization: Using the right words to match users' searches.
- Title Tags and Meta Descriptions: Making your page appealing in search results.
- Internal Linking: Helping users and search engines navigate your site.
- Image Optimization: Using proper alt text and file sizes for better user experience and accessibility.
Tools to Help Track On-Page SEO
To track your on-page SEO, consider the following tools:
- Google Keyword Planner: This helps you discover the exact words and phrases your audience is searching for, along with search volume and competition data. Use it to plan your content strategy.
- Grammarly: First impressions matter. Grammarly keeps your content polished, catching grammar mistakes and improving clarity, making your writing professional and trustworthy.
- SEMrush Writing Assistant: This tool integrates with your content workflow to provide real-time SEO suggestions, like keyword usage, readability, and tone.
- Canva: Content isn’t just about words—visuals matter too. Canva makes it easy to create professional-looking graphics, infographics, and featured images that improve engagement.
How Technical SEO and On-page SEO Overlap
Here’s the deal: technical and on-page SEO work together to create a seamless user experience and help your site rank better. They’re like peanut butter and jelly—you can have one without the other, but you’re missing out on something great.
Examples of Overlap:
- Mobile Optimization: A responsive design (technical) paired with mobile-friendly content formatting (on-page).
- Page Speed: Fast-loading pages (technical) that feature engaging and accessible content (on-page).
- Structured Data: Schema markup (technical) that highlights well-optimized content (on-page).
- URL Structure: Clean URLs (technical) used effectively in an internal linking strategy (on-page).
Together, these strategies ensure your site is easy to use, understand, and rank.
Getting Started with Technical and On-page SEO
Whether you're building your first site or refining an existing one, here’s how to get started with technical and on-page SEO.
Technical SEO:
- Check Your Site Speed: A slow-loading site frustrates users and search engines alike. Use free tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to pinpoint areas for improvement.
- Go Mobile-Friendly: With mobile-first indexing, ensuring your site looks and works great on all devices is non-negotiable. Test your site using Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test.
- Secure Your Site with HTTPS: If your site still isn’t using HTTPS, it’s time to make the switch. Not only does it protect your users’ data, but Google also favors secure sites in rankings.
On-page SEO:
- Focus on Keywords: Research keywords your audience is searching for and use them naturally in your content. Tools like Google Keyword Planner can help.
- Write Engaging Content: Create content that answers your audience’s questions and keeps them reading. High-quality, relevant content always wins.
- Polish Your Meta Tags: A strong title tag and meta description can increase click-through rates. Think of them as your content’s first impression in search results.
When to Seek Professional Help
If this feels like a lot to tackle—don’t worry; you’re not alone. There’s no shame in calling in the experts when the going gets tough. If you’re dealing with:
- Persistent technical issues that hurt your site’s performance (e.g., crawl errors or slow speeds).
- Struggling to craft content that balances user needs and SEO best practices.
- A need to take your SEO strategy to the next level for competitive industries.
Start small, stay consistent, and remember: SEO isn’t about gaming the system—it’s about creating a site that works for users and search engines.
