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How to Fix Technical SEO Issues: Step-by-Step Guide

Foundational optimizations that power traditional search rankings and AI discoveryability.

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Technical Guides

Learn how to fix issues uncovered by our AI Search Optimization Tool with our full set of comprehensive AI optimization guides.

Why is Technical SEO Critical in the AI Era?

With the rise of AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other AI-powered search experiences, it’s tempting to assume traditional technical SEO is becoming obsolete. The opposite is true.

AI systems need to be able to efficiently crawl, parse, and extract data from websites to power their answers using many of the same signals traditional search engines rely on.

Today, that means that SEO is just step one.

When an LLM cites your content, it’s because the page was crawlable, indexable, and structured in a way that made extraction possible. The key in today’s landscape is to eliminate the barriers that cause AI to skip over your content and cite your competitors instead.

Technical SEO is no longer simply ranking in Google’s top ten. It’s about being discoverable, parseable, and citeable across every AI-powered system that references web content. The fundamentals of technical SEO are now just the first step, and heads up — they’ve changed a bit now that we’re optimizing for human eyes and artificial intelligence.

The following guide provides step-by-step fixes for the most critical technical SEO issues identified by modern auditing tools. Each section addresses a specific technical element and provides clear implementation instructions.

Readability (Gunning Fog/Grade Level)

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Why Does Readability Matter for Search Rankings?

Search engines favor content that matches user intent and comprehension levels. High readability scores improve dwell time and reduce bounce rates, both ranking signals.

How to Measure Your Content’s Readability Score
  1. Use tools like Hemingway Editor or Readable
  2. Target Flesch Reading Ease score of 60-70 (8th-9th grade level) for most audiences
  3. Gunning Fog Index should stay below 12 for general content
How to Fix Poor Readability Scores
  1. Shorten sentences – Break complex sentences at conjunctions (and, but, or)
  2. Reduce syllable count – Replace “utilize” with “use,” “demonstrate” with “show”
  3. Use active voice – “We tested the feature” vs “The feature was tested by us”
  4. Add subheadings – Break up long paragraphs every 3-4 sentences
  5. Front-load key information – Put the main point in the first sentence of each paragraph

Structure (Headings, Tables, Lists)

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Why Does HTML Structure Matter for Search?

Proper HTML structure helps search engines understand content hierarchy and extract featured snippets. It also improves accessibility and user experience.


How Do You Implement Proper Heading Structure?

  1. One H1 per page – Should match or closely align with your title tag
  2. Logical hierarchy – Never skip levels (H2 → H4). Use H2 for main sections, H3 for subsections
  3. Include keywords naturally – Front-load important terms in H2s/H3s
  4. Keep concise – Aim for 60 characters or fewer per heading


How Do You Format Tables for Search Engine Extraction?

  1. Use <table> markup – Not CSS grids styled to look like tables
  2. Include <thead> and <th> tags

Meta Title & Description

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Why Do Meta Titles and Descriptions Matter for Search Performance?

While meta descriptions aren’t a direct ranking factor, they drive CTR from SERPs. Title tags remain a strong ranking signal and primary SERP element.
Title Tag Best Practices
  1. Length: 50-60 characters (512 pixels; Google truncates around 600 pixels)
  2. Format: Primary Keyword – Secondary Keyword | Brand Name
  3. Front-load keywords – Most important terms first
  4. Make unique – Every page needs a distinct title
  5. Match search intent – Use modifiers like “how to,” “best,” “guide,” “2026”
  6. Avoid keyword stuffing – Read naturally; 1-2 keywords maximum
				
					Implementation:

<title>How to Fix Broken Links - Complete SEO Guide | YourBrand</title>
Meta Description Best Practices
  1. Length: 150-160 characters (Google shows ~920 pixels on desktop)
  2. Include primary keyword – Bolded in SERPs when it matches the query
  3. Add a CTA – “Learn how,” “Discover,” “Get started”
  4. Highlight value proposition – Why should they click?
  5. Make unique – Don’t duplicate across pages
  6. Use active voice – Direct and compelling
				
					Implementation

<meta name="description" content="Learn how to find and fix broken links that hurt your SEO. Step-by-step guide with tools, techniques, and best practices for 2026.">
Common Meta Title and Description Mistakes to Avoid
  • Duplicating title tags across multiple pages
  • Stuffing keywords unnaturally
  • Writing meta descriptions that don’t reflect page content
  • Forgetting to update when page content changes
  • Using default CMS-generated titles/descriptions

Canonical URLs

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Why Do Canonical URLs Matter for Avoiding Duplicate Content?

Canonicals prevent duplicate content issues by telling search engines which version of a page is the primary one. Critical for e-commerce, paginated content, and parameter-heavy URLs.
How to Implement Canonical URLs Correctly
  1. Self-referencing canonical – Every page should have a canonical tag, even if pointing to itself
  2. Absolute URLs only – Always use full URLs: https://example.com/page not /page
  3. Match protocol – HTTPS canonical for HTTPS pages
  4. One canonical per page – Multiple tags cause conflicts; search engines may ignore all
				
					Implementation:

<link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/preferred-url" />
Common Canonical URL Use Cases
  • URL parameters: ?utm_source=email → canonical to clean URL
  • Pagination: Point paginated pages to view-all page OR self-reference each page
  • Product variants: Multiple color/size URLs → canonical to main product page
  • WWW vs non-WWW: Choose one and stick to it
  • Trailing slashes: Be consistent (/page/ vs /page)
How to Validate Your Canonical Tags
  1. Check HTTP headers for Link: <url>; rel="canonical"
  2. Ensure canonical URL is indexable (returns 200, not 301/404)
  3. Verify canonical doesn’t conflict with noindex directives

Open Graph Tags

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Why Do Open Graph Tags Matter for Social Sharing and CTR?

Controls how your content appears when shared on Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social platforms. Improves CTR from social referrals. 
				
					Essential OG tags:

<meta property="og:title" content="Your Compelling Title Here" />
<meta property="og:description" content="Engaging description that drives clicks." />
<meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/image.jpg" />
<meta property="og:url" content="https://example.com/page" />
<meta property="og:type" content="website" />
How to Implement Open Graph Tags
  1. og:title – Can differ from <title> tag; 60-90 characters optimal
  2. og:description – 200 characters max; be compelling, not just SEO-focused
  3. og:image – 1200x630px recommended; minimum 600x315px; under 8MB
  4. og:url – Use canonical URL for consistency
  5. og:type – “website” for most pages, “article” for blog posts
				
					Additional tags:

<meta property="og:site_name" content="Your Brand" />
<meta property="article:published_time" content="2026-02-13T10:00:00Z" />
<meta property="article:author" content="Author Name" />
How to Test Your Open Graph Tags
Use Facebook Sharing Debugger or LinkedIn Post Inspector to validate.

Viewport Meta

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Why Is the Viewport Meta Tag Essential for Mobile SEO?

Required for mobile-responsive sites. Google uses mobile-first indexing; missing viewport meta breaks mobile rendering and tanks mobile rankings. 
				
					Standard implementation:

<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />
Viewport Meta Parameters Explained
  • width=device-width – Matches screen width
  • initial-scale=1.0 – Sets initial zoom level (1:1 ratio)
  • maximum-scale – Avoid setting (blocks user zoom, accessibility issue)
  • user-scalable=no – Never use (WCAG violation)
How to Fix a Missing Viewport Meta Tag
  1. Add to <head> section of all pages
  2. Test on Google Mobile-Friendly Test tool
  3. Verify responsive breakpoints work correctly
  4. Check Core Web Vitals in Search Console (CLS issues often related)

Twitter Cards

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Why Do Twitter Cards Matter for Social Share Optimization?

Controls Twitter/X share previews. While overlap with OG tags exists, Twitter Cards provide platform-specific optimization. 
				
					Basic implementation:

<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" />
<meta name="twitter:site" content="@yourusername" />
<meta name="twitter:title" content="Your Title" />
<meta name="twitter:description" content="Your description" />
<meta name="twitter:image" content="https://example.com/image.jpg" />
Twitter Card Types
  • summary_large_image – Most common; large featured image
  • summary – Smaller square image
  • app – Mobile app install cards
  • player – Video/audio embeds
Twitter Card Image Specs
  • Summary Large Image: 1200x628px (2:1 ratio)
  • Summary: 1:1 ratio, minimum 144x144px
  • Format: JPG, PNG, WEBP; under 5MB
Fallback Behavior and Testing
Twitter reads OG tags if Twitter Cards are missing, but explicit tags give better control. Test with the Twitter Card Validator Chrome Extension.

HTTPS - SSL/TLS Active

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Why Is HTTPS/SSL a Critical Ranking Signal?

HTTPS is a confirmed ranking signal. Chrome flags HTTP sites as “Not Secure,” killing trust and conversions. Required for HTTP/2 performance benefits.
How to Verify Your SSL Certificate Is Active
  1. Check for green padlock in browser
  2. Ensure certificate is valid (not expired, matches domain)
  3. No mixed content warnings (HTTP resources on HTTPS page)
How to Implement HTTPS on Your Website
  1. Purchase/obtain SSL certificate – Let’s Encrypt offers free certs via Certbot
  2. Install on server – Process varies by host (cPanel, Apache, Nginx)
  3. Update all internal links – Change http:// to https:// in code
  4. 301 redirect HTTP to HTTPS – Force all traffic to secure version
  5. Update canonical tags – Point to HTTPS URLs
  6. Update Search Console – Add HTTPS property
  7. Update external links – Social profiles, directory listings, backlinks where possible
				
					Apache redirect (.htaccess):

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]
Common HTTPS Issues to Check For
  • Mixed content errors (check browser console)
  • Certificate chain incomplete (use SSL Labs Server Test)
  • HSTS header for added security: Strict-Transport-Security: max-age=31536000

Language - HTML Lang Attribute

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Why Does the HTML Lang Attribute Matter for International SEO?

Helps search engines serve content to correct language searchers. Assists screen readers with pronunciation. Required for international SEO. 
				
					Implementation:

<html lang="en">
Common HTML Language Codes
  • en – English
  • en-US – English (United States)
  • en-GB – English (United Kingdom)
  • es – Spanish
  • fr – French
  • de – German
  • zh – Chinese
HTML Lang Attribute Best Practices
  • Use in opening <html> tag – Primary language of the page
  • Be specific when needed – en-US vs en-GB for localized content
  • Use lang on specific elements – For multilingual content within a page
				
					<p lang="es">Este es un párrafo en español.</p>
  • Combine with hreflang for international sites – Lang attribute for page language, hreflang for alternate versions
How to Fix Missing or Incorrect Lang Attributes
  1. Add/update lang attribute in HTML template
  2. Ensure it matches actual page content language
  3. Validate with W3C Markup Validator

Indexability

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Why Does Indexability Matter and How Does It Affect Rankings?

If search engines can’t index your page, it won’t rank. Misconfigured indexability is one of the most common critical SEO errors.
How to Check Whether Your Pages Are Indexable
Many site builders have a simple checkbox in the settings for each page that allows you to toggle between indexed/no-indexed. Check there first. If you need to check manually: 
				
					Robots meta tag - Check <head> for:

<meta name="robots" content="index, follow" />
<!-- OR blocking tags: -->
<meta name="robots" content="noindex, nofollow" />

X-Robots-Tag HTTP header - Check server response headers
Robots.txt - Verify path isn't disallowed
Search Console - URL Inspection tool shows indexability status
How to Fix Non-Indexable Pages
  1. Remove noindex tag – Delete or change to index, follow
  2. Check robots.txt – Remove blocking directives:
    # Bad - blocks page
Disallow: /important-page/
# Fixed - allows page
Allow: /important-page/
  3. Remove X-Robots-Tag – Check server config (Apache, Nginx)
  4. Check canonicals – Canonical to a noindex page blocks indexing
  5. Verify authentication – Pages behind login can’t be indexed
  6. Check redirect chains – Excessive 301s may prevent indexing

When Should You Strategically Use Noindex?
  • Thin/duplicate content pages
  • Thank you/confirmation pages
  • Internal search results
  • Filtered/faceted navigation (parameter URLs)
  • Staging/development environments

How to Validate That Your Pages Are Being Indexed

Use site:example.com/specific-page search to confirm indexing.

URL Length

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Why Does URL Length Affect SEO and Search Visibility?

Long URLs get truncated in SERPs, are harder to share, and may indicate poor site structure. Google can index long URLs, but recommends keeping them concise.

URL Length Best Practices
  1. Keep under 60-80 characters – Ideal for readability and sharing
  2. Maximum ~2,048 characters – Technical browser limit; aim MUCH shorter
  3. 3-5 folder depth maximum – domain.com/category/subcategory/page is the limit
How to Optimize Your URL Structure
  1. Remove stop words – “a,” “the,” “and” in slugs (unless brand-critical)
  2. Use hyphens, not underscores – seo-guide not seo_guide
  3. Avoid parameters when possible – Use URL rewriting:
    Bad:  /product.php?id=123&color=blue
Good: /products/blue-widget-123
  4. Flatten site architecture – Reduce folder nesting
  5. Keep descriptive but concise – /how-to-fix-broken-links not /complete-comprehensive-guide-to-fixing-broken-links-on-your-website

URL Structure Examples
Good: example.com/blog/technical-seo-guide

Bad:  example.com/2026/02/13/category/blog/posts/the-complete-and-comprehensive-guide-to-technical-seo-for-beginners/

Dynamic URLs: If using parameters, implement clean URL rewrites via .htaccess or server config.

Link Following

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Why Do Link Following Attributes Matter for PageRank and SEO?

Proper link attributes control how PageRank flows through your site and whether search engines follow/count links. 
				
					Link attributes:

<!-- Standard, followed link -->
<a href="/page">Link</a>

<!-- Nofollow - don't pass PageRank -->
<a href="/page" rel="nofollow">Link</a>

<!-- Sponsored - paid links -->
<a href="/page" rel="sponsored">Link</a>

<!-- UGC - user-generated content -->
<a href="/page" rel="ugc">Link</a>

<!-- External link best practice -->
<a href="https://external.com" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Link</a>
When to Use Nofollow on Links
  • User-generated content (comments, forum posts)
  • Untrusted/unvetted links
  • Login/register links
  • Links you don’t want to vouch for
When to Use the Sponsored Attribute on Links
  • Paid links
  • Affiliate links
  • Advertisements
  • Any compensated link placements
Link Following Best Practices
  1. Internal links – Keep followed (no rel attribute needed)
  2. External editorial links – Follow by default (shows trust)
  3. Paid/affiliate links – Always use rel="sponsored"
  4. UGC links – Use rel="ugc" or nofollow
  5. Combine attributes – rel="nofollow sponsored" is valid
  6. Avoid nofollowing important internal links – Wastes crawl budget and PageRank
How to Audit Your Site’s Link Following Attributes
  1. Crawl site with Screaming Frog
  2. Filter for rel="nofollow" links
  3. Verify intentional use (not blocking important internal links)
  4. Check external links have appropriate attributes

Snippets (Structured Data / Rich Results)

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Why Does Structured Data Matter for Rich Results and SERP Features?

Structured data helps search engines understand content context and qualify for enhanced SERP features (rich snippets, knowledge panels, rich cards).


What Are the Most Common Schema Types to Implement?

Pro tip: Give a tool like ChatGPT or Claude information about your content and let it generate a schema for you, instead of editing manually.

				
					Article/BlogPosting:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Article",
  "headline": "Your Article Title",
  "image": "https://example.com/image.jpg",
  "author": {
    "@type": "Person",
    "name": "Author Name"
  },
  "publisher": {
    "@type": "Organization",
    "name": "Your Brand",
    "logo": {
      "@type": "ImageObject",
      "url": "https://example.com/logo.png"
    }
  },
  "datePublished": "2026-02-13",
  "dateModified": "2026-02-13"
}
</script>

Product:

{
  "@type": "Product",
  "name": "Product Name",
  "image": "https://example.com/product.jpg",
  "description": "Product description",
  "brand": "Brand Name",
  "offers": {
    "@type": "Offer",
    "price": "29.99",
    "priceCurrency": "USD",
    "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock"
  },
  "aggregateRating": {
    "@type": "AggregateRating",
    "ratingValue": "4.5",
    "reviewCount": "127"
  }
}

FAQ:

{
  "@type": "FAQPage",
  "mainEntity": [{
    "@type": "Question",
    "name": "Question text?",
    "acceptedAnswer": {
      "@type": "Answer",
      "text": "Answer text here."
    }
  }]
}
How to Implement Structured Data on Your Website
  1. Choose JSON-LD format – Google’s preferred method (over microdata/RDFa)
  2. Place in <head> or <body> – Both work; head is cleaner
  3. Use Schema.org vocabulary – Standard for all major search engines
  4. Be accurate – Don’t markup content that doesn’t exist on page
  5. Match visible content – Rating shown must match actual visible rating
Priority Schema Types to Implement First
  • Organization – Logo, contact info, social profiles
  • BreadcrumbList – Navigation breadcrumbs
  • Article – Blog posts, news articles
  • Product – E-commerce items
  • Review/AggregateRating – Product/business reviews
  • FAQ – Question/answer content
  • HowTo – Step-by-step guides
  • Event – Concerts, webinars, conferences
  • LocalBusiness – Physical locations
How to Test and Validate Your Structured Data
  1. Use Google Rich Results Test
  2. Check Search Console “Enhancements” reports
  3. Validate JSON syntax with JSONLint
  4. Monitor for errors/warnings in Search Console
Common Structured Data Mistakes to Avoid
  • Marking up content not visible to users
  • Incorrect date formats (use ISO 8601: YYYY-MM-DD)
  • Missing required fields for schema type
  • Using multiple competing schemas for same content

What Will You Optimize Next?

Start with our Technical SEO implementation guide to build your foundation, then layer in AEO, GEO, and LLMO strategies for comprehensive AI search visibility.

Technical SEO

Foundational guide for search engine rankings & AI readiness

SEO →

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Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)

Structures content for extraction and voice readability

AEO →

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)

Establish content as trustworthy and citation-worthy

GEO →

Large Language Model Optimization (LLMO)

Ensure AI systems can discover and parse your content

LLMO →

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