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 so the main pages could load faster
• converted heavy image files into WebP where it made sense
• resized oversized images so only the needed image size was being loaded
• added proper width and height values to help reduce layout shift

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 so they loaded later instead of loading with the first screen
• kept above the fold visuals loading normally on important landing pages so the top part still appeared properly
• delayed non critical visuals on longer service and solution pages so the page had less weight at the start
• cleaned media delivery so the first screen loaded with less weight and felt faster to users

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 so those files became lighter and quicker to load
• minified CSS files across the main service page layout to reduce extra code weight on important pages
• removed unused CSS from heavier sections that were adding extra load without giving much value
• reduced extra script load on pages with sliders and visual blocks where too much front end code was being pulled in
• delayed non critical scripts where that improved loading without affecting usability or page function

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 so the first visible part of the page could appear sooner
• reduced heavy elements near the top of important templates where they were slowing the initial load
• simplified heavier sections on the Request a Quote page so it felt less loaded and easier to open
• improved page stability on mobile layouts so the page moved less while loading
• worked on LCP and layout shift by improving image and asset behavior during the load process

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 weak on the site. This means some important pages were live, but other related pages were not linking to them properly. Because of that, those pages were not getting enough support.

How we fixed it

• checked which important pages were not getting enough links from other pages
• added links from related pages so visitors and search engines could reach them more easily
• gave the Request a Quote and inquiry pages more links from useful nearby pages
• connected service pages and solution pages better so they supported each other
• made sure the most important pages were not sitting weak inside the site

11. Orphan and Weakly Supported Pages

Some pages were not completely orphan pages, but they were still very weak. They were live on the site, but not enough pages were linking to them.

How we fixed it

• found pages that had very little support from the rest of the site
• added links to them from stronger and more relevant pages
• placed them in better parts of the site structure
• made sure they were easier to find through normal site links
• helped those pages feel more connected instead of left alone

12. Broken Links, Redirects, and 404 Pages

Some old pages and links were still causing problems. A few links were broken, some were going through extra redirects, and some old URLs were leading to 404 pages.

How we fixed it

• found broken links and changed them to working ones
• replaced old URLs with the correct live page URLs
• removed unnecessary redirect steps so links went straight to the right page
• fixed places where users or search engines could land on 404 pages
• updated older content that was still linking to outdated pages

13. Duplicate Content, Pagination, and Filter URLs

The site also had some extra URLs that were creating confusion. These were not the main pages, but they still added clutter and took attention away from better pages.

How we fixed it

• checked for duplicate type pages that were too similar to each other
• reduced extra weak URL versions where possible
• cleaned pagination so deeper pages stayed reachable without making the site messy
• controlled filter URLs better so they did not create too many extra pages
• helped search engines focus more on the stronger main pages

14. Mobile Friendliness

The site worked on mobile, but some important pages still felt too heavy. A few sections had spacing and layout issues, and some parts did not feel smooth on smaller screens.

How we fixed it

• checked key pages on mobile devices and smaller screen sizes
• fixed spacing problems that made sections look awkward
• improved layouts so pages were easier to use on mobile
• reduced heavy parts on important templates where needed
• made the main pages feel smoother and lighter on smaller screens

15. Schema and Structured Data

Structured data was missing in some places and weak in others. Because of that, search engines were not getting the clearest signals about some important pages.

How we fixed it

• reviewed the schema already placed on important pages
• fixed weak or unclear markup where it was not helping properly
• improved structured data on key service and business related pages
• removed inconsistent markup that could confuse search engines
• made the main page signals clearer and more useful

16. HTTPS, Hosting, and Server Performance

HTTPS was already active, but the site still needed a proper technical check. Some pages were also slower because server response and hosting performance were not strong enough.

How we fixed it

• added the SSL certificate so the site could load properly on the secure version
• made sure the site always opened on HTTPS, even if someone tried the older HTTP version
• reduced unnecessary load on heavier page templates so the server had less work to do before showing the page
• improved caching and page delivery settings so important pages could open faster and more smoothly
• adjusted hosting side settings more closely for the U.S. target audience so page delivery made better sense for that market
• reviewed server timezone and related hosting setup so the site stayed more aligned and stable

17. 5xx Errors and Crawl Checks

Technical tools showed some issues, but it was also important to see how search engines were moving through the site. This helped show where crawl attention was being wasted.

How we fixed it

• checked if 5xx errors were happening on the site
• reviewed crawl behavior to see where search engines were spending too much time
• checked whether important pages were being reached properly
• found weaker areas where crawl activity was being wasted
• used that information to clean up technical problems around important pages

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.