Day 10 – Technical SEO (Step-by-Step Guide

 

Week 2: SEO Implementation

Day 10 – Technical SEO (Step-by-Step Guide)

The purpose of Day 10 is to ensure search engines can crawl, index, and understand the website properly. Technical SEO focuses on the website's infrastructure rather than its content.

Step 1: Check HTTPS

What are you doing?

Making sure the website is secure using an SSL certificate.

Why?

HTTPS protects visitor information, builds trust, and is a Google ranking factor.

Tool

Using Google Chrome – Check whether the website uses HTTPS.

How to Access

Open the client's website in Google Chrome.

Free or Paid: ✅ Free.

Steps

  1. Open the website.

  2. Look at the address bar.

  3. Check if the URL starts with:

https://

  1. Look for the padlock icon beside the URL.

Good Example

https://rootlearning.com

🔒 Secure Connection

Bad Example

http://rootlearning.com

⚠️ Not Secure

If HTTPS is Missing

  • Contact the hosting provider.

  • Install an SSL certificate.

  • Redirect all HTTP traffic to HTTPS.

Step 2: Generate or Check the XML Sitemap

What are you doing?

Creating or verifying the website's XML sitemap.

Why?

A sitemap tells Google which pages exist and should be crawled.

Tool

Using Yoast SEO or Rank Math – Generate the XML Sitemap.

How to Access

Yoast SEO

  1. Log in to WordPress.

  2. Go to Yoast SEO → Settings (or SEO → General, depending on the version).

  3. Ensure XML Sitemaps is enabled.

  4. Click View XML Sitemap.

Website: Yoast SEO

Rank Math

  1. Log in to WordPress.

  2. Go to Rank Math → Sitemap Settings.

  3. Enable Sitemap.

  4. Open the sitemap link.

Website: Rank Math

Free or Paid

  • ✅ Free versions available.

  • ⭐ Premium versions available.

Example Sitemap

https://rootlearning.com/sitemap_index.xml

or

https://rootlearning.com/sitemap.xml

Step 3: Submit the Sitemap to Google

What are you doing?

Telling Google where the sitemap is located.

Tool

Using Google Search Console – Submit the XML Sitemap.

How to Access

Google Search Console

Free or Paid: ✅ Completely Free.

Steps

  1. Log in.

  2. Select the website.

  3. Click Sitemaps.

  4. Enter:

sitemap_index.xml

or

sitemap.xml

  1. Click Submit.

Check

  • Was the sitemap accepted?

  • How many pages were discovered?

  • Are there any errors?

Step 4: Check Indexing Status

What are you doing?

Checking whether Google has indexed important pages.

Tool

Using Google Search Console – Review indexing.

Steps

  1. Open Indexing → Pages.

  2. Review:

    • Indexed pages

    • Non-indexed pages

  3. Open any warning to see the reason.

Common Reasons a Page Isn't Indexed

  • Page blocked by robots.txt

  • Page marked "noindex"

  • Duplicate page

  • Redirect

  • Crawled but not indexed

Record

PageIndexedAction Needed
Homepage✅None
Services✅None
Blog❌Request Indexing

Step 5: Review robots.txt

What are you doing?

Checking whether important pages are accidentally blocked from search engines.

Why?

The robots.txt file tells search engines which pages or folders they can and cannot crawl.

Tool

Using Google Chrome – View the robots.txt file.

How to Access

Visit:

https://yourwebsite.com/robots.txt

Replace yourwebsite.com with the client's domain.

Good Example

User-agent: *

Allow: /

Sitemap: https://rootlearning.com/sitemap.xml

Warning Signs

Disallow: /

This blocks the entire website from search engines.

If Changes Are Needed

Edit robots.txt using:

  • WordPress SEO plugin (if supported), or

  • Your hosting control panel/File Manager.

Step 6: Check Crawl Errors

What are you doing?

Finding pages Google cannot access.

Tool

Using Google Search Console – Review crawl and indexing issues.

Steps

  1. Open Pages.

  2. Look for:

    • 404 errors

    • Server errors (5xx)

    • Redirect errors

    • Soft 404 pages

Example

ErrorSolution
404 PageRestore the page or redirect it
Redirect ErrorCorrect the redirect
Server ErrorContact the hosting provider

Step 7: Fix Broken Links

What are you doing?

Repairing links that lead to missing pages.

Tool

Using Screaming Frog SEO Spider – Find broken links.

How to Access: Screaming Frog SEO Spider

Free or Paid

  • ✅ Free for up to 500 URLs.

  • ⭐ Paid for larger websites.

Steps

  1. Open Screaming Frog.

  2. Enter the website URL.

  3. Click Start.

  4. Open the Response Codes report.

  5. Filter for Client Error (4xx).

  6. Fix or redirect broken links in WordPress.

Step 8: Request Indexing for Updated Pages

What are you doing?

Asking Google to recrawl important pages after you've made changes.

Tool

Using Google Search Console – URL Inspection.

Steps

  1. Copy the updated page URL.

  2. Paste it into the URL Inspection tool.

  3. Click Test Live URL (optional).

  4. Click Request Indexing.

Repeat for important pages you've updated.

Step 9: Test the Website

What are you doing?

Making sure the website works correctly after technical changes.

Tools

Using Google Chrome – Browse the website.

Using Google Search Console – Confirm there are no new indexing issues.

Check

  • All pages open correctly.

  • HTTPS works.

  • Internal links work.

  • Sitemap is accessible.

  • No important pages are blocked.

Step 10: Record Your Work

What are you doing?

Documenting the technical SEO improvements.

Tool

Using Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets – Create a Technical SEO checklist.

How to Access: Google Sheets

Free or Paid: ✅ Free.

Example

Technical SEO ItemStatusNotes
HTTPS Enabled✅SSL certificate active
XML Sitemap Created✅Generated by Yoast SEO
Sitemap Submitted✅Submitted in Search Console
robots.txt Reviewed✅No issues found
Crawl Errors Fixed✅Two 404 pages redirected
Broken Links Fixed✅All internal links working
Important Pages Indexed✅Request submitted for updated pages

Best Practices

HTTPS

✅ Every page should use:

https://

Sitemap

  • Keep the sitemap updated automatically using Yoast SEO or Rank Math.

  • Submit it once in Google Search Console and monitor for errors.

robots.txt

  • Allow search engines to crawl important pages.

  • Never accidentally block the entire website.

Crawl Errors

Review Google Search Console regularly and fix new errors as they appear.

Deliverables for Day 10

By the end of Day 10, you should have:

  • ✅ HTTPS verified.

  • ✅ XML sitemap generated and submitted.

  • ✅ Indexing issues reviewed.

  • ✅ robots.txt checked.

  • ✅ Crawl errors identified and resolved where possible.

  • ✅ Broken links fixed or redirected.

  • ✅ Updated pages submitted for indexing.

  • ✅ Technical SEO report documenting the work completed.

Final Goal

By the end of Day 10, the website should be technically healthy, allowing Google to:

  • Crawl the website efficiently.

  • Discover all important pages through the sitemap.

  • Index the correct pages.

  • Access the site securely over HTTPS.

  • Navigate without encountering broken links or unnecessary crawl errors.

This provides a solid technical foundation for stronger SEO performance.

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