2.1 A Clear and Logical Site Architecture
Think of your website like a house.
Would you want visitors getting lost in an endless hallway filled with numbered doors like “?id=123”?
No.
So give them clear addresses:
✅ Good URL:
https://mysite.com/blog/technical-seo-for-developers
❌ Bad URL:
https://mysite.com/index.php?p=7&cat=3&mode=view
👉 Human tip: If you can explain the URL to your grandmother in three seconds, it is probably good.
And stay consistent: use lowercase letters, avoid strange characters, choose one URL structure — with or without a trailing slash — and stick to it.
2.2 HTTPS: Security Is Non-Negotiable
Since 2014, Google has clearly encouraged HTTPS.
“A secure website is a more trustworthy website.”
Browsers also warn users when a website is not secure. Not exactly reassuring, right?
🔧 What you should do:
- Install an SSL certificate — Let’s Encrypt is free.
- Redirect every HTTP page to HTTPS.
- Make sure all resources — images, CSS, JavaScript — load over HTTPS.
Example of a simple redirect in .htaccess:
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]
💬 “It is like putting a lock on your front door: you protect your users… and build trust.”
2.3 Mobile-First: Because Everyone Browses on Their Phone
Google primarily evaluates the mobile version of your website.
This is known as mobile-first indexing.
So if your website is slow, badly formatted, or difficult to read on a phone…
you have a problem.
🔧 Quick checklist:
- Use
<meta name="viewport">:
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
💬 “You think desktop-first? Google thinks mobile-first. Align your priorities.”
3. Speed: The Secret Ingredient for Success
You have three seconds to make a good impression on a visitor.
After that… they may leave.
Google knows this. And since 2021, Core Web Vitals have been used to evaluate performance:
- LCP — loading performance,
- FID — responsiveness,
- CLS — visual stability.
Here is how you can win the race.
3.1 Minify Your Code
Remove unnecessary spaces, comments, and lines.
This reduces file size and can improve loading speed.
Tools:
- CSS/JS: UglifyJS, Terser, Webpack
- Example:
- uglifyjs script.js -o script.min.js
💬 “It is like packing a suitcase: take only what you really need.”
3.2 Enable Compression — Gzip or Brotli
Compress your files before sending them to the browser.
This can significantly reduce transfer size.
In .htaccess:
<IfModule mod_deflate.c>
AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/html text/css application/javascript
</IfModule>
🔥 Brotli can offer even better compression than Gzip when your server supports it.
3.3 Lazy Loading: Load Images… When They Are Needed
Why load every image at once, including the ones at the bottom of the page?
Use loading="lazy":
html
<img src="photo.jpg" alt="Mountain landscape" loading="lazy">
Simple. Free. Effective.
3.4 Optimize Your Images
A 5 MB 4K image? No thanks.
👉 Use:
- WebP format,
- The right dimensions — you do not need a 2000px image on a 400px screen,
- Tools such as Squoosh, ImageOptim, or Convert:
convert image.jpg -quality 80 image.webp
3.5 Caching: Do Not Reload Everything Every Time
Store static files — images, CSS, JavaScript — in the user’s browser cache.
Example in .htaccess:
<IfModule mod_expires.c>
ExpiresActive On
ExpiresByType image/jpeg "access plus 1 year"
ExpiresByType text/css "access plus 1 month"
</IfModule>
💬 “It is like keeping your coffee warm: there is no need to make a fresh one every few seconds.”
Tools for Measuring Speed:
- Google PageSpeed Insights: analysis + recommendations
- Lighthouse in Chrome DevTools: free and comprehensive
- GTmetrix: visual and useful for performance reports
Ahmed Oumezzine
