NET BRANDING LIMITED # Technical SEO Services Technical SEO is the part of search engine optimisation that makes sure search engines and AI crawlers can find, read and index your website. If those systems struggle to access your pages, even excellent content will not perform. Net Branding Limited provides technical SEO services for New Zealand and international organisations, from a one off technical SEO audit to ongoing monitoring and fixes. Wondering whether technical issues are holding your site back? A free audit checks crawling, indexing, speed and structured data, and explains the results in plain language. [ Start a Conversation ](/contact) [ Explore Our Services ](/seo/) ## Overview ### Signs your website has technical SEO problems Technical problems rarely announce themselves. The website looks fine to you, but search engines see something different. These are some of the signs we look for: - Important pages do not appear in Google at all, or appear with old titles. - Google Search Console reports pages as “crawled, currently not indexed” or “discovered, currently not indexed”. - Traffic dropped after a redesign, platform change or domain move. - Pages load slowly on mobile, or the layout jumps while loading. - Several URLs show the same content, such as versions with and without “www” or with tracking parameters. - Old links lead to error pages instead of the content that replaced them. - Your site relies on JavaScript to show its main content, and you are not sure what Google sees. Any one of these can quietly reduce the number of pages that compete in search. Several together can hold back an entire website. Technical SEO identifies the causes and fixes them in order of impact, so the rest of your SEO work can deliver what it should. ## What Is Technical SEO? ### What our technical SEO services cover Our technical SEO services cover the infrastructure that search engines and AI systems depend on, on WordPress, Shopify or custom platforms. - **Crawlability.** We check robots.txt, internal links and server responses so crawlers can reach the pages that matter. - **Indexing.** We review index coverage in Google Search Console and resolve why pages are excluded, using noindex where pages should stay out of search. - **Canonical tags and duplicate content.** We consolidate duplicate URLs so search engines know which version to show. - **Redirects.** We fix redirect chains and loops, and keep link value when URLs change. - **XML sitemaps.** We make sure sitemaps list only live, indexable pages and are submitted correctly. - **Site speed and Core Web Vitals.** We diagnose and improve loading, responsiveness and visual stability. - **Mobile usability.** We check that pages work well on phones, since Google mainly uses the mobile version of a site for indexing. - **Structured data.** We add and validate schema.org markup so search engines understand your organisation, services, products and content. - **HTTPS.** We check certificates and mixed content. - **JavaScript rendering.** We test whether key content and links are visible to search engines after rendering. - **International targeting.** For sites serving several countries or languages, we set up hreflang correctly. ## Our Technical SEO Services ### Our technical SEO audit Every technical engagement starts with a technical SEO audit. The audit gives you a clear picture of what is wrong, why it matters and what to fix first. We use a combination of site crawling tools, Google Search Console data, PageSpeed Insights and manual checks. Automated tools are useful for finding patterns, but they also flag issues that do not matter. Manual review separates genuine problems from noise. Your audit report includes: - A summary of the most important issues, written for decision makers. - A prioritised list of fixes, with the likely impact and effort for each. - Technical notes your developer can act on directly. - Pages and templates affected, so fixes can be made once at the source. - Quick wins that can be completed straight away. Some clients use the audit to brief their own developer. Others ask us to carry out the fixes. Either way, you understand what is being done and why. If you want a wider review that also covers content, links and local visibility, see our full [SEO audit](/seo/seo-audit/). ### Crawl and indexing fixes Crawl and indexing fixes are often the fastest way to recover lost visibility, because they unlock pages that already exist. If Google cannot crawl a page, or chooses not to index it, that page cannot rank no matter how good it is. The most common crawl and indexing problems we fix include: - Robots.txt rules that block important sections or resources by mistake. - Noindex tags left in place after a site launch or staging copy. - Canonical tags pointing to the wrong page, or to a page that no longer exists. - Orphan pages with no internal links, which crawlers struggle to find. - Large numbers of thin or duplicate URLs created by filters, tags or search pages, which waste crawl attention. - Server errors and timeouts that stop crawlers completing their visit. We check each fix in Google Search Console after recrawling, so you can see pages move from excluded to indexed. Online stores with filters and product variations often need extra attention here. Our [ecommerce SEO](/seo/ecommerce-seo/) service covers those issues in more depth. Not sure where your developer should start? Talk to Cathy, and we will explain your options before you commit to anything. [ Talk to Cathy about your website ](/contact/) ### Site speed and Core Web Vitals Core Web Vitals are a set of metrics Google uses to measure real user experience. According to web.dev, the current metrics and their good thresholds are: | Metric | What it measures | Good threshold | | --- | --- | --- | | Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) | Loading: how quickly the main content appears | 2.5 seconds or less | | Interaction to Next Paint (INP) | Responsiveness: how quickly the page reacts to taps and clicks | 200 milliseconds or less | | Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) | Visual stability: how much the layout jumps while loading | 0.1 or less | Google recommends measuring these at the 75th percentile of real page loads, across mobile and desktop. That means most of your visitors should have a good experience, not just people on fast connections. Speed improvements often involve image formats and compression, caching, removing unused scripts, reducing third party code and improving hosting. Some fixes are quick configuration changes. Others need development work. When speed problems come from the website build itself, our [website speed optimisation](/websites/speed/) service handles the development side, while we keep the SEO priorities clear. ### Protecting visibility during migrations and redesigns Website migrations are one of the most common causes of sudden traffic loss. Changing platforms, moving to a new domain, merging sites or restructuring URLs can all break the signals search engines rely on. Technical SEO protects that value. Before a migration, we: - Crawl and record every current URL, title and ranking page. - Map each old URL to the most relevant new URL. - Review the staging site for noindex tags, blocked resources and missing content. - Plan redirects, canonical tags, sitemaps and internal links. After launch, we check redirects, monitor Google Search Console for errors and compare performance against the baseline. Problems caught in the first days are far easier to fix than problems found months later. If you are planning a new website or a platform change, our [website migration service](/websites/migration/) handles the build and move, with technical SEO built into the plan from the start. See our [Websites hub](/websites/) for redesigns and new builds. ## Technical SEO for AI Search ### Structured data and technical SEO for AI search Structured data is code that describes your content in a standard format defined by schema.org. It helps search engines understand what a page is about without guessing, and it can make pages eligible for rich results, such as product details or breadcrumbs. The same technical foundations help AI tools understand your website. AI systems need to access your content, read it in clean HTML and connect it to a clearly defined organisation. Technical SEO for AI search includes: - Making sure important content appears in the HTML, not only after complex scripts run. - Reviewing robots.txt rules for AI crawlers, so you make a deliberate choice about access. - Adding Organization, LocalBusiness, Service, Product and Article markup where relevant. - Keeping structured data accurate and consistent with what the page actually says. We do not guarantee that any AI platform will cite your website. We do make sure technical barriers are not the reason it is overlooked. For deeper work on how your organisation is defined across the web, see our [schema and entity optimisation](/ai-search/schema-entity/) service and our wider [AI search services](/ai-search/). ## Built on Clear, Reliable Work ### How we work on technical SEO Net Branding Limited has worked in digital marketing since 2008, with online experience before that. Cathy Mellett, our director, oversees every technical SEO engagement and makes sure findings are explained in plain language. Our approach: - Audit the site and agree the priorities with you. - Fix issues directly, or brief your developer with clear technical notes. - Validate each fix in Google Search Console and testing tools. - Monitor for new issues as the site changes over time. Technical SEO works alongside content. Once search engines can read your site properly, [on page SEO](/seo/on-page-seo/) makes each page relevant to the searches that matter. For sites serving several countries, our [international SEO](/seo/international-seo/) service covers hreflang and regional targeting. See all our [SEO services](/seo/). Costs depend on the size and complexity of your website and whether we carry out fixes or brief your developer. Our SEO pricing page explains how we scope technical work, and we provide a written quote first. We do not guarantee rankings, traffic or AI citations. We focus on best practice and the factors that drive sustainable visibility. [Read our Google reviews](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Net+Branding/@-36.8680339,174.8063412,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x6d0d484f3691e96d:0x7fd6562779199e10!8m2!3d-36.8680339!4d174.8063412!16s%2Fg%2F11b60flh7y?entry=ttu) to see what clients say. ## What Our Clients Say Read genuine, unfiltered feedback from organisations we have worked with on our verified Google Business Profile. [Read our Google Reviews](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Net+Branding/@-36.8680339,174.8063412,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x6d0d484f3691e96d:0x7fd6562779199e10!8m2!3d-36.8680339!4d174.8063412!16s%2Fg%2F11b60flh7y?entry=ttu) ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What are technical SEO services? Technical SEO services improve the infrastructure of a website so search engines and AI systems can crawl, render, index and understand it. They cover crawlability, indexing, redirects, sitemaps, speed, mobile usability, structured data and security. ### What is included in a technical SEO audit? A technical SEO audit reviews crawling, indexing, duplicate content, redirects, sitemaps, Core Web Vitals, mobile usability, structured data and security. You receive a prioritised list of fixes with plain explanations and technical notes for your developer. ### Why are my pages not indexed by Google? Common causes include noindex tags, robots.txt blocks, incorrect canonical tags, duplicate or thin content, weak internal linking and server errors. Google Search Console shows the reason Google gives for each excluded page, which is where we start. ### What are Core Web Vitals? Core Web Vitals are Google’s metrics for loading (Largest Contentful Paint), responsiveness (Interaction to Next Paint) and visual stability (Cumulative Layout Shift). Good scores mean most visitors have a fast, stable experience. ### Can you work with my existing developer? Yes. Many clients keep their developer and ask us to audit, prioritise and brief the work. We write technical notes your developer can act on and check the fixes once they are live. ### Does technical SEO help with AI search? Yes. AI tools need to access and read your content, just as search engines do. Clean HTML, sensible crawler rules and accurate structured data remove technical barriers, although no one can guarantee AI citations. ### How often should a technical SEO audit be done? It depends on how often your website changes. Sites that publish frequently or run online stores benefit from ongoing monitoring. Smaller sites usually need a full audit after major changes, such as a redesign or platform move. Ready to fix the technical issues holding your site back? Call [09 523 0478](tel:+6495230478) or email [cathy@seocompanynz.com](mailto:cathy@seocompanynz.com) to get a quote for technical SEO scoped to your website. [ Get a technical SEO quote ](/contact/) ## Build a Technically Strong Foundation for Search Visibility If you want to understand the technical issues that may be limiting your search visibility, the first step is a conversation. [Get in touch](/contact) [View all services](/seo/)