In today’s competitive digital landscape, your website’s performance directly impacts visibility, traffic, and conversions. While content creation and on-page SEO often get the spotlight, technical SEO is the backbone that ensures your site is accessible, crawlable, and optimized for search engines.
However, managing technical SEO requires consistency, attention to detail, and time, resources many entrepreneurs and small business owners lack. That’s where virtual assistants (VAs) come in. By delegating technical SEO tasks to a trained VA, you can improve your site’s performance without sacrificing time or focus.
In this guide, we’ll explore what technical SEO is, which tasks you can delegate, how to train your VA, and the impact it can have on your site’s rankings and speed.
What Is Technical SEO?
Technical SEO refers to optimizing the infrastructure of your website to help search engines crawl, index, and rank your site more effectively. It includes tasks like improving site speed, fixing broken links, optimizing XML sitemaps, ensuring mobile-friendliness, and more.
Unlike content-focused SEO, technical SEO is more backend-oriented and often overlooked, making it a great task to delegate to a SEO skilled VA.
Key Technical SEO Tasks to Delegate to Your VA
1. Website Speed Optimization
- Compressing images
- Leveraging browser caching
- Minimizing CSS, HTML, and JavaScript files
- Identifying slow-loading elements
2. Mobile Optimization Checks
- Testing mobile-friendliness using tools like Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test
- Flagging and reporting any layout or usability issues
3. XML Sitemap Creation and Submission
- Generating and updating your sitemap
- Submitting it to Google Search Console
4. Robots.txt Management
- Reviewing and editing the file to control which pages search engines can crawl
5. Broken Link Monitoring
- Using tools like Screaming Frog or Broken Link Checker
- Flagging and fixing 404 errors or redirects
6. Technical Audit Assistance
- Running regular audits with tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Sitebulb
- Summarizing results and highlighting action points
7. Core Web Vitals Monitoring
- Keeping track of metrics like LCP (Largest Contentful Paint), FID (First Input Delay), and CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift)
8. Page Speed Insights Reporting
- Running regular reports
- Logging issues that impact speed and proposing improvements
9. Fixing Crawl Errors
- Monitoring Google Search Console for crawl errors
- Investigating and resolving issues
10. Structured Data Validation
- Checking schema markup using Google’s Rich Results Test
- Flagging any errors or missing tags
How to Prepare Your VA for Technical SEO Tasks
1. Choose a VA with Basic SEO Knowledge
While you can train a VA, starting with someone who understands the basics of SEO is ideal.
2. Create SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures)
Use Loom to create video walkthroughs of tasks or document processes using Google Docs.
Example SOP topics:
- How to run a site audit using Ahrefs
- How to check site speed with Google PageSpeed Insights
- How to identify and fix broken links
3. Provide Access to Tools
Set up user accounts for tools your VA will need:
- Google Search Console
- Google Analytics
- GTmetrix
- PageSpeed Insights
- Ahrefs or SEMrush (if available)
4. Use a Project Management Tool
Assign recurring tasks in Trello, ClickUp, or Asana to ensure nothing gets overlooked.
Real-World Example: WordPress & WooCommerce Optimization
An e-commerce business running WooCommerce on WordPress experienced slow load times and poor mobile performance, which affected their conversions.
Their virtual assistant helped by:
- Compressing product images with ShortPixel
- Setting up caching with Lite Speed Cache
- Monitoring site speed weekly
- Updating the XML sitemap after new product uploads
- Running monthly health checks using Google Search Console
After three months, the site’s average load time improved by 40%, and bounce rates dropped by 15%.
Benefits of Delegating Technical SEO to a VA
1. Time Savings
Free up your time to focus on strategic growth while your VA handles backend optimizations.
2. Consistent SEO Performance
Many technical SEO tasks are recurring. A VA can maintain consistency and track progress over time.
3. Better User Experience
A technically optimized site loads faster, functions better, and reduces friction for users, boosting engagement and conversions.
4. Improved Search Rankings
With faster load times, no broken links, and a solid technical foundation, search engines are more likely to rank your site higher.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
1. Assuming Any VA Can Handle Tech SEO
Choose someone with relevant skills or provide detailed training. Not all VAs are equipped to manage technical tasks.
2. Skipping Regular Audits
SEO is ongoing. Make sure your VA schedules and performs regular site audits.
3. Not Setting Clear Expectations
Define deliverables, timelines, and KPIs. Be specific about reporting formats and frequency.
4. Giving Access Without Training
Before letting a VA make changes to your site, ensure they understand the risks and best practices.
Final Thoughts
Delegating technical SEO tasks to a virtual assistant is one of the smartest moves you can make to improve your website performance without overloading yourself. From speed optimization and mobile checks to sitemap updates and broken link fixes, a skilled VA can handle the technical nitty-gritty so you can focus on strategy and growth.
Ready to improve your website’s technical foundation? Let HeyDelegate match you with a virtual assistant trained in technical SEO and general website management, so you can boost performance and rankings with confidence.
