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Technical SEO · Built to lastTechnical SEO · Built to last

Technical SEO that clears the path.

Technical SEO makes sure Google can crawl, render and index the pages that matter. We find and fix the indexing, page speed and Core Web Vitals issues holding your site back.

See how it works
Crawling · Indexing · Core Web Vitals
From the first link to an indexable page.

04One clear canonical version.

Illustrative flow. Google decides indexing and ranking.

Trusted by 110+ businesses to grow online.

  • Mercer Consulting, Co.
  • Mercer Consulting, Co.
What is technical SEO?What is technical SEO?

What technical SEO fixes behind the page.

Technical SEO is the work that makes a website easy for search engines to discover, read and index. It covers server responses, site structure, rendering and page speed, so your best content can actually reach the results.

  1. 01

    Can Google reach it?

    Internal links, robots.txt and server responses decide whether a page gets crawled.

  2. 02

    Can Google understand it?

    Content must be readable and the canonical version unambiguous.

  3. 03

    Does it work for people?

    Fast loading, quick responses to taps and a layout that doesn't jump.

Site indexingSite indexing

One small tag. One big barrier.

A key page can be crawlable and still be kept out of Google's index. Try removing a stray noindex tag in this example.

Illustration · fictional service page
  1. Discovered01
  2. Crawled02
  3. Rendered03
  4. Indexingnoindex stops it here

Google can read it, but can't index it.

A noindex tag on a service page can keep it out of search results even when crawling and rendering work perfectly.

robots="noindex"

robots.txt controls crawling. noindex controls indexing, and Google has to be able to fetch the page to see it. They solve different problems.

Core Web VitalsCore Web Vitals

Page speed is more than a feeling.

Core Web Vitals measure how fast the main content loads, how quickly the page responds and how stable the layout is. We use real-user data and lab tests to find the cause.

LCPNeeds improvement
4.2 sGood: 2.5 s or less

Main content loads

When the largest visible element appears.

INPNeeds improvement
380 msGood: 200 ms or less

Page responds

How quickly the page reacts to a click or tap.

CLSNeeds improvement
0.24Good: 0.1 or less

Layout stays stable

How much content moves around unexpectedly.

Example values, not measured client results. Google assesses the good range at the 75th percentile of page visits. Page speed is one part of SEO, not a ranking guarantee. Google's Core Web Vitals guidance

What we fixWhat we fix

Technical SEO fixes you can build on.

We prioritise the problems on the pages that earn you money. A long list of warnings is worth less than the right fix in the right place.

Crawling & indexing

Robots rules, noindex, canonicals, XML sitemaps and redirects. We check which key pages Google actually indexes.

Structure & rendering

Internal links, JavaScript content and duplicate URLs. A clear route to your content and one consistent version.

Speed & site changes

Images, scripts and layout. For migrations and redesigns we map old URLs to new and check the launch.

How we workHow we work

From a spotted issue to a confirmed fix.

We can make the fixes ourselves or work alongside your developer. You see what changes, why, and how we check it.

  1. 01

    Investigate

    A full crawl, Search Console data and performance tests. We confirm issues on your key page types.

  2. 02

    Fix

    A prioritised task list with affected URLs and clear instructions. We test changes before they go live.

  3. 03

    Verify

    A fresh crawl plus checks of rendering, responses and indexing signals. We monitor progress after launch.

What a technical SEO project includes

Scope, access and price are agreed after a first review. You don't need to change platform to get started.

  • Prioritised list of confirmed technical issues
  • Fixes, or clear instructions for your team
  • Testing of affected pages and templates
  • Documentation and follow-up in Search Console
Start with the foundationsStart with the foundations

Is your site's tech holding you back?

Send us your website. We'll review where it stands and tell you whether the next step is a technical fix or a wider SEO audit.

Next: pick a time for your free review.

SEOSEO audit
More in SEOMore in SEO

Tech is one part. Explore the rest of SEO.

Pair solid technical foundations with the right content and local visibility.

SEO

View SEO
Local SEOMaps and local visibility.SEO auditSee what holds you back and what to fix first.Get found on GoogleHelp customers find your business.
Frequently asked questionsFrequently asked questions

Technical SEO questions, answered

Worth knowing before we start.

Technical SEO is the part of search engine optimisation that makes your website easy for search engines to crawl, render and index. If Google can't reach or understand a page, even excellent content won't rank. It covers server responses, crawling, indexing, site structure, rendering and page speed, and it is usually the first thing to fix. It is one part of our wider SEO services.

Make sure the page can be crawled, has no noindex tag, returns a 200 status code and is linked from other pages on your site. Add it to your XML sitemap, then request indexing with the URL Inspection tool in Google Search Console. Google still decides whether and when to index the page, so thin or duplicate pages may be left out.

Crawlability is how easily Googlebot and other search engine crawlers can reach and fetch the pages on your site. It depends on internal links, robots.txt rules, server responses and whether content and links are in the HTML rather than loaded only by JavaScript. A page Google can't crawl can't be assessed properly, so crawlability is the first thing we check.

An XML sitemap is a file that lists the URLs you want search engines to discover. It is most useful for large sites, new sites with few inbound links and pages that change often. A small, well-linked site can be found without one, but a clean sitemap submitted in Google Search Console makes indexing problems much easier to spot and follow up.

Structured data is code, usually JSON-LD using the schema.org vocabulary, that describes a page's content in a machine-readable way: a business, a product, an article or an FAQ. It helps search engines interpret the page and can make it eligible for rich results such as review stars or product details. Google decides whether to show them, so treat structured data as eligibility, not a guarantee.

A canonical tag is a line in a page's HTML that tells search engines which URL is the main version when the same content appears at several addresses, for example with and without tracking parameters. It helps Google consolidate signals onto the right page. Google treats it as a strong hint rather than a rule, so redirects, internal links and your sitemap should point the same way.

Measure first, then fix the actual cause. PageSpeed Insights and the Core Web Vitals report in Search Console show which pages are slow and why. Common fixes are compressing and correctly sizing images, loading fewer and lighter scripts, setting up caching and reserving space for images and embeds so the layout doesn't jump. Server response time and web fonts often matter too. Start with your most visited page templates.

To a degree. Core Web Vitals are part of the page experience signals Google's ranking systems use, but relevance and content quality carry more weight, so a fast page that doesn't answer the search still won't rank. Speed matters most for visitors: more than half of UK web traffic is on mobile, and HTTP Archive's 2025 Web Almanac found only 48% of sites pass Core Web Vitals on mobile.

Technical SEO is everything that helps search engines crawl, render and index your site. We look at server responses, redirects, robots.txt, canonical tags, XML sitemaps, internal linking, JavaScript rendering, structured data and page speed. The exact scope depends on your platform, the size of the site and the problems we find in the first review.

Common causes are a noindex tag, a robots.txt block, redirects or errors, Google picking a different canonical URL, or content it judges too thin or too similar to other pages. We check the affected URLs with the URL Inspection tool in Search Console and fix the cause. Google still decides what it indexes, so nobody can guarantee it.

No. Robots.txt tells crawlers which URLs they may fetch, while a noindex tag asks search engines not to show a page in results. They can work against each other: if robots.txt blocks a page, Google can't fetch it and so never sees the noindex tag, and the URL may still appear in results.

Core Web Vitals are Google's measures of page experience: LCP for loading (good is 2.5 seconds or less), INP for responsiveness (200 milliseconds or less) and CLS for visual stability (0.1 or less), assessed at the 75th percentile of visits. Google recommends good scores and says they align with what its ranking systems reward, but relevant content still matters more.

Yes, and many clients prefer it. We hand over confirmed findings with clear implementation notes, review the changes on staging, then check them again once live. If you don't have a developer, or yours is stretched, we can make the changes ourselves once access and scope are agreed.

We can reduce the risk considerably. Before launch we crawl the old site, map every important URL to its new address, plan 301 redirects and test key templates on staging. After launch we check redirects, indexing and Search Console errors closely, so problems are caught in days rather than months.

It depends on the size of the site, the platform and how much needs fixing. A small brochure site is a very different job from a large online shop with thousands of URLs. The first review is free, and you then get a scoped proposal with a fixed price before you decide anything.

Typical warning signs are important pages missing from Google, many URLs listed as not indexed in Search Console, a sudden drop in clicks, slow pages or duplicate URLs showing in the results. Search Console and a site crawl reveal most of it. Want help reading the signs? Start with a free SEO audit.

Let's get startedLet's get started

Ready to grow?

Let's talk about your project.

Trusted by 110+ businesses to grow online.

  • Mercer Consulting, Co.
  • Mercer Consulting, Co.
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