Technical SEO Case Study for a B2B Company
A B2B engineering company based in Houston, Texas approached Search Handle for technical SEO support after ongoing site issues began to hold back growth.
The site already had useful service and solution content, but the technical side was making it harder for search engines to move through the website properly. Some weaker URLs were still getting attention, while several important pages were not getting the crawl support and technical clarity they needed.
The pages that needed the most attention included:
• CNC Machining Services page
• Industrial Automation Solutions page
• Plant Engineering Services page
• Custom Fabrication Services page
• Request a Quote page
Technical SEO Problems We Fixed
1. Image Optimization
One of the first issues we found was image weight. The CNC Machining Services page and Industrial Automation Solutions page were using large hero images that were heavier than needed. A few supporting visuals were also being served at bigger sizes than the layout actually required, which made the pages slower, especially on mobile.
How we fixed it
• compressed large hero and section images on the main service pages
• converted heavy image files into WebP where it made sense
• resized oversized images before keeping them live on the page
• added proper width and height values to help reduce layout shift
• reduced image weight on templates using multiple visuals in the same layout
2. Lazy Loading and Media Delivery
Another issue was that too many visuals were loading too early. On several pages, below the fold images were still loading with the first screen instead of waiting until the user moved further down the page. That put extra pressure on the initial load and made the top section slower than it needed to be.
How we fixed it
• added lazy loading to below the fold images and media
• kept above the fold visuals loading normally on important landing pages
• delayed non critical visuals on longer service and solution pages
• cleaned media delivery so the first screen loaded with less weight
3. JavaScript and CSS Cleanup
The site was also carrying more front end code than it needed. Some templates were loading extra JavaScript and CSS even when those files were not doing much for the page. This was more noticeable on the Plant Engineering Services page and on a few older layouts that had picked up unnecessary styling and script weight over time.
How we fixed it
• minified JavaScript files used on key templates
• minified CSS files across the main service page layout
• removed unused CSS from heavier sections
• reduced extra script load on pages with sliders and visual blocks
• delayed non critical scripts where that improved loading without affecting usability
4. Page Speed and Core Web Vitals
Speed was one of the bigger sitewide problems. Some important pages were taking longer to load than they should have, especially on mobile. The Request a Quote page also felt heavier than expected because its top section and form area were loading with too much front end weight.
How we fixed it
• improved above the fold loading on the main service pages
• reduced heavy elements near the top of important templates
• cleaned render blocking assets on key layouts
• simplified heavier sections on the Request a Quote page
• improved page stability on mobile layouts
• worked on LCP and layout shift by improving image and asset behavior
5. Crawlability and Crawl Waste
Search engines were not moving through the site as cleanly as they should have been. Some service and solution pages were harder to reach than expected, while weaker URL patterns were still being discovered too easily. That made the crawl path less efficient and diluted attention across the site.
How we fixed it
• reviewed the crawl path across service, solution, and resource sections
• reduced crawler access to weak URL patterns that were adding little SEO value
• improved internal crawl paths to the CNC Machining Services page and other key URLs
• cleaned structural paths that were taking crawlers into weaker sections first
6. Indexability and Index Bloat
The site also had indexation noise. Older support pages, thin utility URLs, and weak variants were still sitting inside the indexable footprint. That reduced focus around the pages that actually mattered and made the site look less clean from an SEO point of view.
How we fixed it
• reviewed which URLs deserved indexation and which did not
• reduced indexable noise coming from weaker parts of the site
• kept stronger focus on service, solution, and inquiry related pages
• cleaned thin and low value URLs that were not helping search performance
7. XML Sitemap and Robots.txt Cleanup
The XML sitemap and robots handling were not guiding search engines as clearly as they should have. The sitemap still included URLs that did not deserve much search attention, and robots rules were not doing enough to limit low value crawling in weaker areas.
How we fixed it
• removed low value URLs from the sitemap
• kept the sitemap focused on strong service and solution pages
• checked that sitemap entries matched the correct live versions
• made sure the Request a Quote page and other important URLs were included properly
• reviewed weaker paths that were still attracting crawler attention
• refined robots rules for non essential sections
• kept important service and solution pages open for crawling
8. Canonical Tag Cleanup
Some sections had similar or overlapping pages, and a few alternate URL versions were sending mixed signals about which version should be treated as the preferred one. That made technical signals less clear than they should have been.
How we fixed it
• checked canonical tags across similar service and solution page groups
• corrected canonicals where overlapping pages were competing
• aligned the strongest live version as the preferred URL
• reduced mixed signals across duplicate and near duplicate paths
9. URL Structure and Site Architecture
The site structure was not fully broken, but it was not helping the strongest pages enough. Some URLs were longer than needed, and the relationship between service pages, solution pages, and support content was not always clear. That made the site harder to crawl and harder to support internally.
How we fixed it
• cleaned weak and outdated URL paths
• improved grouping between service and solution sections
• reduced unnecessary depth for important pages
• tightened the structure around key areas such as Custom Fabrication Services and the quote path
• made core pages easier to reach from stronger sections of the site
10. Internal Linking
Internal linking was one of the weaker areas on the site. Several useful pages were live, but they were not getting enough support from nearby relevant pages. The Request a Quote page and a few main service pages were especially weak in this area.
How we fixed it
• reviewed internal links from service pages to related solution pages
• added contextual links from relevant support content
• improved internal support around quote and inquiry pages
• connected engineering solution pages more clearly to nearby service pages
• strengthened support for the pages closest to inquiries
11. Orphan and Weakly Supported Pages
A few pages were not fully orphaned, but they were close. They existed on the site, yet they were not connected strongly enough through the internal structure. That made them weaker from both a crawl and authority point of view.
How we fixed it
• identified pages with very weak internal support
• connected them to stronger service and solution sections
• added links from nearby relevant pages instead of leaving them isolated
• improved their structural role inside the site
12. Broken Links, Redirects, and 404 Pages
Older parts of the site still had broken links and outdated paths. Some internal links were pointing to URLs that redirected before reaching the final page, and a few older paths were ending in 404 pages even though a better live page already existed.
How we fixed it
• fixed broken internal links in older sections
• updated old URLs to point directly to the final live page
• removed unnecessary redirect hops inside internal linking
• cleaned 404 issues where a stronger replacement page already existed
• updated older resource content that was still linking to outdated destinations
13. Duplicate Content, Pagination, and Filter URLs
Some extra crawl noise was also coming from duplicate patterns, pagination handling, and filter based URLs. These were not the main pages on the site, but they were still creating unnecessary clutter and reducing focus around the stronger sections.
How we fixed it
• reduced weak duplicate paths across similar sections
• cleaned pagination so deeper content stayed reachable without causing confusion
• controlled filter based URLs more carefully
• reduced the chance of weaker variants competing with stronger live pages
14. Mobile Friendliness
The site was usable on mobile, but some important pages still felt heavier than they should have. A few sections had spacing issues, and some templates were carrying more visual and script weight than was ideal for smaller screens.
How we fixed it
• checked the main service and solution pages on mobile layouts
• cleaned spacing and layout issues affecting usability
• reduced heavy mobile sections on key templates
• improved loading smoothness on the pages closest to inquiries
15. Schema and Structured Data
Structured data was incomplete or inconsistent in some sections. That limited how clearly search engines could understand the purpose of key pages and the business context behind them, especially on service templates.
How we fixed it
• reviewed schema on main service and organization templates
• improved page level markup where it added real clarity
• cleaned weak or inconsistent structured data
• strengthened the main structured signals on important pages
16. HTTPS, Hosting, and Server Performance
HTTPS was already active, but technical consistency still needed review. Server performance was also affecting the site, and some pages were slower simply because the hosting setup was not supporting delivery as well as it should have.
How we fixed it
• reviewed secure delivery across the site
• checked for mixed signal issues
• improved hosting level performance where response was weaker
• reviewed slower response areas on key templates
• improved stability around important pages
17. 5xx Errors and Crawl Checks
Tool reports helped identify technical issues, but we also needed to confirm how search engines were actually moving through the site. Looking at crawl behavior made it easier to see where attention was being wasted and whether important pages were being reached often enough. Server side reliability also needed checking because recurring 5xx issues can affect crawling.
How we fixed it
• reviewed 5xx patterns during the technical audit
• checked where crawler attention was being wasted
• confirmed whether important pages were being reached often enough
• used those findings to guide cleanup around the strongest sections of the site
Final Outcome
After the technical cleanup, the site had a much stronger base. Important pages became easier to crawl, easier to support, and easier to prioritize. Crawl waste was reduced, indexation became cleaner, and internal support around the strongest pages improved.
Performance also improved in a meaningful way. Heavy images were cleaned, extra front end weight was reduced, and several weak technical signals were fixed. The site became more efficient from both a search and usability point of view.
Key Takeaway
This project worked because the fixes were tied to real site problems instead of being treated like a generic checklist. The work focused on crawlability, indexability, structure, internal linking, speed, rendering, and crawl waste. Once those areas improved, the site became much easier for search engines to process and support.