Hidden SEO Fixes That Can Set You Apart in Search Results

Discover hidden SEO fixes like DNS errors, crawl issues, and domain problems that improve rankings, boost trust, and enhance search visibility.

Hidden SEO Fixes That Can Set You Apart in Search Results

For websites, SEO is like the heart that gives life to them. But many mistakenly think SEO is only about optimizing content length, using a keyword strategy, and building backlinks.

Yet these things are core to SEO, but they alone are not the complete story. There are some technical elements that search engines also use to assess a website’s performance and rank it accordingly. 

Many webmasters ignore the technical SEO aspects of websites. Some feel them too complex to handle, and for some, they are not that important, but in reality, they are important. In fact, they directly impact who will rank higher and who will stay behind. 

5 Technical SEO Fixes That Help Improve Search Results

Coming up next, we are going to walk you through some commonly made technical SEO errors. For each of them, there are small fixes that can bring powerful results. Implementing these fixes will help improve how search engines can:-

  • Trust a website
  • Understand a website
  • Crawl a website

So, let us get you into the technical areas of fixing, which can help you build a strong foundation that your competitor might be ignoring, too. 

1. Invisible Domain Issues

When you launch a website and make it live, search engines first meet it at the domain level. When your website responds to the search engine crawler the right way, it goes towards the content. But if your domain setup has errors, search engines will struggle to reach your website properly. 

The primary cause of domain-related errors is incorrect record configuration in the DNS setup. These records are crucial; they tell a search engine where your website lives and how it can connect with it. 

A small error in DNS records can lead to serious issues, such as:

  • Crawl errors
  • Slow loading
  • Complete downtime

A simple fix for this is to perform a DNS record lookup from time to time. When you perform a DNS record lookup, you see if your domain points to the correct servers. 

Also, it helps you confirm that all other records, such as TXT, SPF, and DKIM records, exist and match correctly. This way, your website and its services, like email, remain consistently active. And when that happens, search engines trust your website more and rank it better. 

In simple, the better the search engines crawl your website, the better they will understand it and rank it. 

2. Website Migration Issues

Website migration often happens to switch to a better hosting server. And during that migration, changes to the DNS setup occur.

Especially, the change in the ‘A’ record is a must for pointing the domain to the new IP address on the new hosting server. Any error at this stage can take down the website completely. 

Even when the changes are made correctly, they do not always update, better to say propagate at the same speed across the world. Some regions update fast, while others lag behind.

This delay creates confusion. Search engines may see old data in one region and new data in another. During this time, much can happen:

  • Rankings may fluctuate
  • Pages may fail to load
  • Bots may stop crawling

But there is no need to worry as DNS changes usually take upto 48 hours to propagate globally. The propagation status can be easily checked with a DNS propagation checker.

Once the records are propagated globally, you can work on your site again, and rankings will return over time.

3. Crawlability Issues

Search engines use bots to crawl your pages. These bots follow rules that you define. The most important rule file sits in the robots.txt file. A small mistake here can block important pages without warning. 

We have read posts on social media in which website content for users becomes accessible because robots.txt files were configured incorrectly, which causes:

  • Images blockage
  • Scripts blockage, etc. 

Having such errors on your website means reduced indexing coverage and ultimately no rankings. 

A simple fix is to never manually change the robots.txt file unless you are an expert in the field. Using a robots.txt generator can be a better approach.

A robots.txt generator helps you create clean and safe rules. When bots crawl the right pages, your content gains better visibility and ranking potential.

4. Website Security Issues

Website security plays a big role in SEO. Both users and search engines alike prefer using secure websites. That is where HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) encryption comes in.

Having this encryption enabled on a website helps protect data, and users also remain confident that your website is secure to use. 

HTTPS encryption is configured by installing an SSL certificate on the website. However, many sites install SSL certificates incorrectly. Some pages still load over HTTP.

Others show mixed content warnings. Sometimes these certificates expire, and webmasters are unaware of it. These problems weaken trust and increase bounce rates.

A simple fix to this is to keep validating the SSL certificate from time to time. Using an SSL checker can help in this regard. It helps confirm that your certificate works correctly. The tool will help you check:

  • Validity of certificate
  • Expiration
  • Chain setup

When all pages load securely, users feel safe and stay longer. Search engines also reward this behavior with stronger trust signals.

5. Domain Abuse Issues

Your domain reputation does not depend only on your website. Email activity also affects it. If spammers abuse your domain for fake emails, your reputation suffers.

Search engines track brand signals across the web. Spam reports, phishing attempts, and abuse complaints all hurt trust. Even if your site content stays clean, email abuse creates negative signals.

SPF records help prevent this problem. They define which servers can send emails on behalf of your domain. But any error or misconfiguration in these records can also open the door to spammer abuse. 

Being a responsible webmaster, keep a check on these records. They can easily be checked/validated by using a SPF lookup tool.

When these records are configured the rightway, you block unauthorized senders. As a result, your domain maintains a clean reputation. 

Conclusion

In this article, we explained five technical issues that many websites ignore but are important for SEO. These include problems that stop search engines from-

  • Reaching your site
  • Issues during site moves
  • Mistakes that block pages
  • Security gaps
  • Risks that hurt your domain’s reputation 

Fixing these makes your site easier for search engines to understand and helps it rank higher.

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