The Big Issues in Technical SEO in 2021: 7 Experts Pitch In

In this article, Tom Capper, senior search scientist, Moz, and an expert panel of digital marketing leaders introduce the technical SEO strategies and tactics that will make a significant impact in 2021.

Technical SEO is a broad field — and one we ought to get more excited about — including everything from site architecture, internal linking, sitemaps, and meta directives to structured data, accessibility, and more. To understand the big issues in technical SEOOpens a new window in 2021, we have asked some leaders in the field for their perspectives and “how-to” knowledge.

It is encouraging to see some consistent themes and consensus among these expert opinions, especially around the ongoing importance of fundamentals, alongside increasing emphasis on page performance and automating our work. So, without further ado, here is what else to expect from technical SEO in 2021.

Pinpointing Real Problems in SEO

“The technical SEO industry has been exploding with new ideas and innovations in the past couple of years, particularly related to analyzing data at scale and automating SEO processes, which has resulted in programming languages like Python moving into the spotlight. Similarly, discussions around Google’s ability to render JavaScript have led many in the SEO community to want to learn JavaScript to gain a deeper understanding of how Googlebot works.

That said — knowing these programming languages is not a requirement for doing good SEO. Knowing how to code can undoubtedly make certain processes easier and more efficient. But those same outcomes can be achieved with knowing how to leverage many of the popular SEO tools. For that reason, I believe the most important technical SEO skill that every SEO must have is the ability to identify technical problems, prioritize which ones to fix, and know how to fix them.

It is easy to get hung up on addressing technical problems that will not actually have a significant impact on a site’s SEO performance. Good technical SEOs can pinpoint real problems that are having a significant impact on the website’s ability to rank well, and they know which tools or other resources to use to be able to solve those problems.” — Lily Ray,Opens a new window SEO director, Path InteractiveOpens a new window

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Going Back To the Fundamentals

“The most underrated technical SEO strategy has always been the fundamental best practices. It might sound surprising to some, but the vast majority of my clients have difficulty grasping the importance of best practices or just the basic fundamentals of SEO.

I think this is in large part because of our community’s focus and attention on the “next best thing” and not very often talking about the basic fundamentals of technical SEO. And because of this, many of my clients have not addressed basic best practices, and some even get frustrated when I try to convince them they need to pay attention to the basics.

A very important rule to always remember is that the best practices are, in fact, the best practices.

In response to the Core Web Vitals update, it will be necessary for SEOs to start working closer to design and development teams.

Many technical SEO audits and SEO strategies will include either complete site redesigns or major improvements in the technical infrastructure of their clients’ websites. SEOs that already have a design or development background will find this process easier. And those that are just learning technical SEO will need to rely more heavily on their technical colleagues to help them better understand the best methods going forward.” — Joe HallOpens a new window , Executive SEO consultant, Hall AnalysisOpens a new window

Improving SEO With Automation

“Performance optimization is core to every business, but especially important for technical SEO in 2021 because of the page experience update coming in May. Using automation to improve the time it takes to complete a technical task will be key to impacting the bottom line of the business (sales, leads) and impressing key decision-makers.

I am also excited by what is going on with Python in the SEO community. With all the API’s available to us, I cannot wait to see what new tools and scripts are developed that help with data analysis, research, and automation.” — Miracle Inameti-ArchibongOpens a new window , head of SEO, EruditeOpens a new window

Expanding the Talent Pool and Skills

“There are three areas where technical SEOs are going to be pushed in 2021.

First, page experience audits. With the page experience update coming in May 2021, sites should be comparing where they are, where their competitors are, and evolving their experiences to be optimal. The ability to audit sites against page experience requirements, particularly site latency requirements, will be pushed towards more technical team members.

Second, analytics. Being able to quantify the impact and estimate the anticipated impact of implementing technical SEO recommendations is core to getting buy-in to execute implementations.

Third, soft skills. Technical SEO implementations generally require working with multiple teams (including developers, UX, and leadership), which means there is a lot of partnership, persuasion, give and take collaborations. Having project management, client services, storytelling, and communication skills will support implementation.

Another big focal point will be the page experience update, which consists of core web vitals, mobile-friendliness, web app security, and removing interstitials. This list crosses multiple teams within an organization (including UX, development, software quality assurance, marketing, analytics, merchandising, IT, etc.).

Regardless of how teams are structured, making progress will require a wide array of talents in varying disciplines. It gives SEO a more involved seat at the table, as these elements affect our bottom line. This means the pressure has increased for SEO teams to be even more collaborative, acquire internal allies to support objectives, and request additional support (where needed).” — Alexis SandersOpens a new window , SEO director, MerkleOpens a new window

Focus on Site Speed

“If you only work on one area of technical SEO in 2021, make it site speed. Google’s site speed measure, called core web vitals, will be part of their ranking signals starting in May 2021. May is closer than you would think, so start working on that now if you have not already. Site speed is one of those great parts of technical SEO where the benefit is not only for search engines — it also helps the people visiting your website.  Remember, not everyone is coming to your website using the latest technology and fastest internet connection. Anything you can do to make your website load faster will help you meet your overall website goals.

Start by reading over Google’s core web vitals to understand what they are measuring. Then, to diagnose the issues, we use a combination of Google’s PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix, Yellow Lab Tools, and WebPageTest.org. Having trouble “selling” your boss or client on this work? Tell them how frustrated visitors are with your slow site, and if that does not work, pull the PageSpeed Insights for your competitor’s sites and see how you stack up. If your competitor is already beating you, imagine what will happen once web vitals are a ranking signal in May!”  — Dana DiTomasoOpens a new window , president and partner, Kick Point Inc.Opens a new window

Improving User Experience and Accessibility

“Search engines are always evolving. Google is continuously making changes to its algorithm, and even the most seasoned SEO professional can be left with their heads spinning trying to keep up. While it is easy to focus on the shiny new objects, one aspect we never want to lose sight of is the end-user. Take a moment to step back and look at your site from your target user’s perspective. Ask if the content and functionality resonates with them and delivers high value.

This same principle applies to technical SEO in 2021. Beyond just the general architecture, focusing on the accessibility and performance of your site can play a crucial role in the positive experience both search engines and users will have. Often seen as a role developers play, the technical work and guidance by us as SEOs to improve the performance of a site will pay off. Components such as site speed, accessibility for screen readers, how easily navigable items are on a page all play a factor in delivering a positive user experience.” — Jason DodgeOpens a new window , founder, BlackTruck MediaOpens a new window

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As for me, like Dana and Alexis, I believe we will continue to witness the rise of site speed and associated metrics as an actual, noticeable ranking factor — unlike one of those things Google says is a ranking factor but actually has little or no impact (like site speed felt for some time!). The other trend I observed in late 2020 — that I do not think is going anywhere in 2021 — is Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMPs). Specifically, AMP pages with good structured data, as an almost a hard requirement for Google Discover, which is an increasingly potent traffic source for many media sites and blogs, are here to stay.

All that said, it is hard to disagree with Joe — we will also see the ongoing effectiveness of some “strategies” (or rather tactics) that have been prominent for some time — like internal linking optimizations and crawling and rendering basics.