A Complete Guide to Technical SEO Audit

A website technical audit is critical for maintaining a high-performing, search-engine-friendly website.

• Better Crawlability: Ensures search engines can access and index your content efficiently.
• Improved Performance: Optimizes page speed, Core Web Vitals, and mobile usability.
• Higher Search Engine Rankings: Resolves technical issues that may negatively impact your SEO efforts.
• Enhanced Security: Identifies and addresses vulnerabilities, ensuring a safe experience for users.

A technical SEO audit is essential to improve your website’s performance and visibility. But what does an SEO audit include? This comprehensive checklist will guide you through the key steps, from identifying technical issues to optimizing your site for search engines and users. Learn how to do a detailed technical site audit and ensure your website meets the latest SEO standards.

• The site's industry and offerings are immediately clear.
• Primary navigation is easy to use and intuitive.
• For commercial sites, every page includes a clear call-to-action (CTA).
• Key information is easy to locate quickly.
• Pages are well-organized and clearly titled.
• Business details and visuals, like photos, are accurate and up-to-date.
• Spelling and grammar are error-free.
• Design elements align with the brand and maintain consistency across the site.
• Pages are interlinked effectively for smooth navigation.
• Footer and sidebar links, including social media icons, are functional.

• Broken links (404 errors): Redirect broken links to relevant pages using 301 redirects. Remove any internal links directing to those pages if the site audit detects pages with a 4XX status.
• Redirect chains and loops: Ensure redirects are efficient and do not cause redirect chains or loops.
• Blocked pages (robots.txt or meta tags)
• 500 Server Errors: Resolve server-related issues to avoid site downtime. Identify the cause of these errors and resolve them where possible. Examine server logs, review recent configuration changes, and monitor performance metrics.

• Format errors: Mistakes in the file can unintentionally block critical pages or expose private content.
• Missing sitemap reference: Failing to include the sitemap location hinders search engines from easily navigating your site.
• Blocked internal resources: Essential files like CSS or JavaScript may be restricted, affecting how search engines interpret your pages.
• Blocked external resources: Restrictions on external files (e.g., CSS, JavaScript, images) can prevent search engines from fully understanding your content.

• Missing Tags: Omitting canonical tags on pages can leave search engines guessing which URL to prioritize.
• Conflicting Canonical Tags: Multiple pages canonicalizing to different URLs can create confusion and dilute link equity.
• Pointing to Irrelevant Pages: Canonical tags pointing to unrelated or outdated content may harm user experience and SEO.

• Format errors: Mistakes in the sitemap's setup can confuse search engines and cause them to ignore it.
• Incorrect pages included: Duplicate content, error pages, or other unnecessary pages, waste crawl budgets and create confusion for search engines.
• File too large: Oversized sitemaps may prevent search engines from fully crawling your site.
• HTTP URLs on HTTPS site: Including unsecured URLs in the sitemap for a secure site can mislead search engines.
• Orphaned pages: Pages in the sitemap with no internal links can waste crawl budgets and affect indexing efficiency.

• Page speed: The time it takes for an individual webpage to load.
• Site speed: The average loading time across multiple pages on your site.

1. Use PageSpeed Tools: Google’s PageSpeed Insights and GTmetrix can analyze your site's performance and identify bottlenecks.
2. Image Optimization: Use compressed formats like WebP and enable lazy loading and compress images without losing quality.
3. Minify Code: Reduce CSS, JavaScript, and HTML file sizes for faster load times.
4. Enable Browser Caching: Use caching plugins or settings to store static resources.
5. Implement a Content Delivery Network (CDN): Distribute your content across global servers to reduce latency.

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Evaluates how quickly the primary content of your page becomes visible.
• Interaction to Next Paint (INP): Assesses the speed of your page’s response to user interactions.
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Measures the visual stability of your page, ensuring elements don’t shift unexpectedly.

• Use Google Search Console: Check the "Core Web Vitals" report for performance metrics.
• Optimize Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Improve server response times and optimize images.
• Reduce First Input Delay (FID): Minimize JavaScript execution.
• Fix Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Use size attributes for images and ads to prevent layout shifts.

1. Site architecture

• It enables search engines to crawl and efficiently understand how your pages are interconnected.
• It improves user navigation, making it easier for visitors to find what they need.

• Underscores in URLs: Using underscores (_) instead of hyphens (-) can confuse search engines, interpreting words as a single term (e.g., "red_apples" read as "redapples" instead of "red apples").
• Excessive URL Parameters: Too many parameters (e.g., "?brand=apple&model=iphone&year=2023") can make URLs overly complex and harder for search engines and users to process.
• Overly Long URLs: URLs longer than 2,000 characters may cause issues in some browsers and are less user-friendly for sharing or remembering.

• Simplicity: Avoid overly complex mega menus or unclear labels (e.g., use standard terms like " Resources" instead of creative but ambiguous ones like " Knowledge Hub").
• Logical Structure: Ensure the navigation reflects your site's hierarchy. Implementing breadcrumbs can help achieve a clear and organized structure.

• Missing title tags reduce a page's perceived quality and miss the opportunity to describe the content to users and search engines.
• Duplicate title tags confuse search engines and hurt rankings by making it unclear which page is most relevant.
• Overly long titles: Titles exceeding 70 characters may get cut off in search results, reducing their impact.
• Short titles: Titles under 10 characters lack information and limit ranking potential.
• Missing meta descriptions can lead to search engines pulling random text as snippets, which may lower click-through rates.
• Duplicate meta descriptions: Miss keyword opportunities and confuse users and search engines.
• Meta refresh tags: An outdated method that can cause SEO and usability problems—use proper redirects instead.

• AMPs missing canonical tags can cause duplicate content problems and confusion in search engines about which version to prioritize.
• No redirect or canonical tag for HTTPS: Without proper direction from HTTP to HTTPS, SEO efforts can split, affecting rankings.
• Broken canonical links: Canonical tags pointing to non-existent pages waste crawl budgets and confuse search engines.
• Multiple canonical URLs: Conflicting tags can lead to search engines ignoring them or selecting the wrong one, impacting SEO.

• Unminified files: Extra code, such as comments and spaces, increases file size and slows load times. Minification removes unnecessary elements.
• Uncompressed files: Even after minification, compressing files further reduces download times.
• Large file sizes: Total JS and CSS files over 2 MB can harm user experience and SEO performance.
• Uncached files: Browsers repeatedly download files without caching, increasing load times and data usage.
• Excessive files: Over 100 JS or CSS files lead to more server requests, slowing page speed.
• Broken external files: Faulty files hosted externally can disrupt page functionality and indexing.

• Multiple H1 Tags: Using more than one H1 tag can confuse search engines and dilute the page's focus.
• Skipped Hierarchy Levels: Jumping from H1 to H3 or skipping intermediate levels can disrupt the logical structure.
• Empty or Missing Header Tags: Pages without appropriate headers may appear unstructured, impacting SEO and user experience.

1. Use Schema Markup: Add structured data for products, reviews, FAQs, and events to enhance search engine understanding and rich snippets.
2. Validate Using Tools: Use Google’s Rich Results Test or Schema.org validator to ensure accuracy.
3. Monitor Rich Snippets: Check if your structured data displays correctly in SERPs.

1. Check Link Depth: Ensure important pages are accessible within three clicks from the homepage.
2. Fix Broken Internal Links: Broken internal links, which lead to pages that no longer exist, are a frequent internal linking error. Use a crawler to identify and fix broken links.
3. Optimize Anchor Text: Use descriptive anchor text to provide context.

• Domain Authority (DA) or Domain Rating (DR): Higher values indicate more authoritative linking domains.
• Anchor Text Distribution: Ensure anchors are natural and relevant, avoiding over-optimized or spammy phrases.
• Link Type: Identify whether links are "follow" or "nofollow," as both play different roles in SEO.
• Link Diversity: A healthy profile includes links from various domains and IPs.

• Paid Links or Link Schemes: Links exchanged for money or part of excessive link exchanges.
• Links from Penalized Domains: Associations with domains already penalized by search Links with Irrelevant Anchors: Anchor texts that have no connection to your content or are overly optimized.
• Excessive Links from a Single Source: Too many links from the same domain can appear manipulative.

• If you find harmful links that cannot be removed manually (e.g., by contacting the web admin), create a disavow file and submit it via Google Search Console.
• Include only undeniably harmful links to avoid unnecessary loss of link equity.

• Compare your backlink profile with competitors using tools like Semrush or Ahrefs to identify linking domains from which your competitors benefit.
• Target these domains for outreach campaigns, seeking backlinks through guest posts, partnerships, or content sharing.

• Creating High-Quality Content: Content that solves problems or provides unique insights naturally attracts backlinks.
• Outreach and Collaboration: Partner with industry influencers or websites to gain links through collaborative efforts.
• Broken Link Building: Identify broken links on high-authority sites and suggest your content as a replacement.
• Guest Posting: Publish articles on reputable blogs or websites within your niche.

• Backlink profiles change over time as websites update, move, or remove links. Conduct periodic audits to stay ahead of potential issues.
• Use automated alerts from tools like Ahrefs or Semrush to track new or lost backlinks.

• Expired certificate: Requires renewal for continued security.
• Outdated protocol: Running an old SSL or TLS version.
• No SNI support: Prevents hosting multiple certificates on the same IP.
• Mixed content: Unsecure elements trigger browser warnings.

• Faster page load times.
• Increased traffic from Google Images.
• Enhanced user engagement.
• Better accessibility for all users.

• Google Search Console: Track indexing issues, search performance, and crawl errors.
• Analytics Tools: Use Google Analytics or other platforms to measure key performance indicators (KPIs) like organic traffic, bounce rate, and conversions.

• Identify Crawl Patterns: Understand which pages are crawled most frequently and ensure they are prioritized.
• Detect Crawl Errors: Spot issues like 404 errors, slow response times, or restricted pages.
• Analyze Bot Behavior: Ensure search engine bots focus on your critical content and do not waste crawl budgets on low-priority pages.

•    Provide an overview of detected issues and their implications for SEO performance.
•    Group issues into categories such as content, technical, and link-related problems.

•    Incorporate graphs, pie charts, or heatmaps to illustrate findings like crawl frequency, traffic trends, and keyword rankings.

•    Rank issues by severity and potential impact on performance, starting with critical fixes like indexing errors or security vulnerabilities.

•    Suggest proactive steps, such as implementing new features (e.g., structured data) or addressing trends like Core Web Vitals updates.
•    Highlight long-term strategies, such as improving internal linking, enhancing content quality, or conducting periodic backlink audits.

•    Schedule monthly or quarterly reporting to track progress and adjust strategies as needed.
•    Share insights with all stakeholders to maintain alignment and accountability.

• Set Audit Goals: Clearly define the purpose of your audit, such as improving search rankings, fixing technical errors, or enhancing user experience.
• Determine Audit Frequency:

• Assign Responsibilities: Designate team members (e.g., content editors and developers) to address identified issues and allocate sufficient time for corrections.

• Paid Tools: If available, configure tools like Screaming Frog, SEMrush, or Ahrefs to conduct deep scans at regular intervals.
• Free Resources: Utilize free tools such as Google Analytics and Atomseo Broken Links Checker for essential insights.

• Page Speed: Analyze loading speeds and identify areas for improvement.
• Mobile Usability: Test the site's responsiveness and functionality on mobile devices.
• Core Web Vitals: Evaluate key metrics like Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS).

• Broken links (404 errors).
• Duplicate content.
• Missing or incorrect metadata (e.g., title tags, meta descriptions).

• Prioritize Fixes: Address high-impact issues first, such as technical errors or elements that directly affect user experience.
• Collaborate: Work closely with team members (developers, SEO specialists) to implement necessary changes.

• Create a Detailed Report: Include:

• Highlight Progress: Improve metrics to demonstrate your efforts' effectiveness.

• Treat your website as a "living organism" that requires continuous attention.
• Schedule Regular Audits: Consistent reviews will help you identify and resolve new issues promptly, ensuring steady growth in SEO performance.