Technical SEO - Where to begin?

[SwanseaMedicine]

Hi all,

I'm looking to learn more about technical SEO. My background was digital marketing/PR where I learned the importance of links, of anchor text, of page speed, of improving UX signals, of SSL, utilising things like Google My Business etc.

However, I find I am chasing my tail when it comes to things like understanding JS/CSS/log file analysis etc. I've tried reading so many articles on the subjects and I just find it so damn confusing. AnugalarJS/BackboneJS. Fetching & rendering, URL parameters...etc. I know from my own experiments that JS pages struggle to rank and I've created two very similar pages, one without JS, one with JS (which had far more links) and the non-JS page ranked far higher.

So, I suppose I'm asking for some help with how to begin learning this stuff. I find the articles on Moz, Search Engine Land etc to be a bit confusing...maybe I'm not technically minded enough!

Cheers,

Rhys

[badgergravling]

I've been in a similar situation, and I'm definitely still learning when it comes to code and development. I found the best way was to separate out the technical areas, and focus on one at a time.

In addition, it's worth seeking out actual courses rather than trying to pick it all up from free online articles. Either that, or find someone that knows their stuff in each specific area, and would be kind enough to help guide you when you need it. I've definitely found that some in-depth book and course learning, and helpful mentors, has been the quickest way to level up when needed...

[SwanseaMedicine]

Thanks, Dan. Yeah I'm hoping to attend BrightonSEO this year, and I did attend one course about advanced OnPage SEO but found the very technical stuff (like log analysis and JS) a bit too complicated. I feel like my knowledge extends as far as 'I know what you should/shouldn't do, but I don't necessarily know why'.

Any book recommendations?

[WebMarkets]

For technical SEO, I tend to utilize the Site Auditor tool from Ravwen Tools. Its great.