How to Perform a Technical SEO Audit?

First things first: equip yourself. Technical SEO audits aren’t just about looking—they’re about finding. You’ll need tools that give you access to crawl data, error logs, and user experience metrics.

• Google Search Console and Google Analytics: Free tools from Google that offer insights into indexing, crawling, and user behavior.
• Screaming Frog or Sitebulb: Website crawlers that scan for technical issues and help spot page errors and duplicate content.
• SEMrush or Ahrefs: These tools provide detailed SEO data, including organic traffic, backlinks, and technical health insights.

Quick Tip: Familiarize yourself with these tools beforehand. They’ll save time and give you access to invaluable data. Free trials are available for most, so explore them if you’re new to SEO audits.

If search engines can’t crawl your site, your content won’t rank. Simple as that. To start, check for crawl issues.

• Site Crawlability Check to identify blocked pages: Look for NoIndex tags, disallowed pages in your robots.txt file, or pages hidden from crawlers.
• XML Sitemap and Robots.txt Validation: Ensure your XML sitemap is clear, up-to-date, and submitted in Google Search Console. Double-check your robots.txt file to make sure it’s guiding search engines correctly.
• Identify Indexing Issues: Go to Google Search Console and check for “Crawled – Currently Not Indexed” or “Discovered – Not Indexed” errors. These could point to duplicate content, low-quality pages, or resource-heavy sections that are slowing things down.
• Log File Analysis: This is for the hardcore SEOs. Reviewing server log files lets you see how often bots crawl each page and where they run into problems.

A regular crawlability check catches errors that may slip under the radar, especially after big site updates.

A logical, easy-to-navigate structure does wonders for SEO. Not just for users—but for search engine crawlers, too.

• URL Structure and Hierarchy: Across your entire site, each page should have a logical, user-friendly URL. Keep them short, descriptive, and clean.
• Internal Linking Audit: Make sure your internal links support your site’s hierarchy, pointing users and search engines to your most important pages.
• JavaScript and SEO: If your site relies on JavaScript, check that essential content is accessible. Use tools like Google Search Console’s URL Inspection or the Fetch and Render feature in Screaming Frog to verify that JS-rendered content isn’t hiding from search engines.

A clear, intuitive structure keeps search engines (and users) engaged, especially on JavaScript-heavy sites.

Site speed isn’t just about convenience; it’s a well established ranking factor. Google uses Core Web Vitals to measure user experience—key for SEO.

• Page Speed Check: Run your site through Google PageSpeed Insights or Lighthouse to identify web page speed bottlenecks. Look for large image files, excessive scripts, or unnecessary code.
• Core Web Vitals: 
  • LCP (Largest Contentful Paint): Measures loading performance. Aim for 2.5 seconds or less.
  • FID (First Input Delay): Reflects responsiveness. Keep this under 100 milliseconds.
  • CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): Checks visual stability. Limit layout shifts for a smooth, stable user experience.

Google’s mobile-first indexing means mobile usability is non-negotiable. Make sure your site works as well on phones as it does on desktops.

• Mobile Usability Testing: Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test and Google Search Console’s Mobile Usability report to catch issues.
• Responsive Design Essentials: Mobile users expect a seamless experience—scalable images, readable text, and easy navigation.

If your site doesn’t pass these checks, search rankings and user experience will suffer.

Site security impacts your SEO. Users and search engines both favor secure sites.

• HTTPS and SSL Verification: If your site isn’t HTTPS, switch. HTTPS is a ranking factor, and unsecured sites are penalized.
• Mixed Content Troubleshooting: Mixed content—secure and insecure content on the same page—creates security warnings. Run your site through a tool like Screaming Frog to catch these errors.

HTTPS keeps user data secure and builds trust—a fundamental for rankings.

When it comes to on-page SEO, it’s easy to focus on keywords alone. But every element on a page—from titles to images—affects both your visibility in search and how users interact with your site.

• Title Tags and Meta Descriptions: Craft these with care. Not only do they need to be unique, but they should also be clear and enticing enough to grab attention in search results. Keep them at the ideal length, so they don’t get cut off.
• Header Tags and Content Structure: Think of headers as signposts guiding both your readers and search engines. Using H1s, H2s, and H3s makes content scannable, helping readers find the info they need quickly.
• Image Optimization: Don’t overlook images! Compressed, well-labeled images with alt text aren’t just good for SEO; they make your content accessible to everyone.
• Broken Links and Redirects: Few things hurt user experience like a broken link. Tools like Screaming Frog or Ahrefs can help you catch and fix these quickly—keeping your site in top shape.

Each of these elements plays a key role in boosting both your rankings and user experience. Missing out? You might be leaving valuable traffic on the table.

Schema markup can be a game-changer for search visibility. By providing search engines with structured data, you help them understand your content on a deeper level. Think of schema as a translator, explaining what your content is really about to search engines. Types like FAQ or review schema can even boost your chances of rich results.

Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool can be your best friend here. Regularly audit your schema to catch and fix errors before they affect your rankings. This might feel like a tech-heavy task, but it’s worth the effort to improve your site’s visibility in search results.