Free Technical SEO Tutorial
This technical SEO tutorial provides an introduction to the basics of search engine optimization and Web development from a technical SEO perspective. It doesn't assume any previous experience.
Because this tutorial about on-page technical SEO, we won't cover things like off-site optimization (link building). We'll mostly focus on the technical details about how websites work and how search engines view them.
Don't worry if you don't understand everything right away. If the information is completely new, it might require working through the tutorial a few times.
This tutorial is new, and more chapters and edits are on the way. If you want to stay updated, be sure to sign up for our newsletter and YouTube channel .
Set Up Your Computer
This page explains how to set up your computer to follow this tutorial.
On-Page Optimization
On-page optimization is the part of SEO that you do to the website itself.
Off-Page Optimization
Off-site optimization involves link-building. A link to a website is considered by search engines to be a kind of vote for that site.
What Is an IP Address?
What is an IP address and how many of them are there?
How to Look Up a Website's IP Address
In this tutorial, we'll look at several ways to find the IP address of a website.
How DNS Works
Here's a quick introduction to how the World Wide Web (WWW) works.
How HTTP Works
HyperText Transfer Protocol, or HTTP, is a system for sending data back and forth on the Web.
How HTML Works
Here's a quick introduction to basic HTML.
How CSS Works
Here's a quick introduction to basic CSS.
How HTTP Headers Work
Here's a reference guide to HTTP headers for technical SEO analysis and audits.
HTTP Response Status Codes
HTTP response status codes are how servers tell Web browsers and search engine bots whether a page request was successful.
How HTTP Methods Work
HTTP methods are used by Web clients to tell Web servers what action to take.
How URLs Work on the Web
Here's a quick introduction to how URLs work.
How robots.txt Files Work
Learn how to control bots with the robots.txt file.
How to Use Robots Meta Tags
Learn how to control bots with robots meta tags.
X-Robots-Tag HTTP Headers
If you want to block search engines from indexing certain files, you can use an HTTP header called X-Robots-Tag.
JavaScript Tutorial for Beginners
Here's a quick introduction to basic JavaScript.
More tutorials are on the way! See also our programming guides.