Key Takeaways:

• Technical SEO problems can nullify all other optimizations
• A systematic audit uncovers hidden problems costing rankings
• Regular checks (at least quarterly) prevent problems from accumulating

The best content strategy is useless if Google can't crawl or index your pages. Technical SEO is the foundation on which everything else is built.

An SEO audit systematically checks all technical aspects of your website. This checklist guides you through every important area – from basic crawling settings to advanced performance optimizations.

Crawling and Indexing

Check robots.txt

The robots.txt file controls what crawlers may visit. Check:

• robots.txt exists at /robots.txt
• Important pages aren't accidentally blocked
• Sitemap is linked in robots.txt
• No valuable resources (CSS, JS) are blocked

Test with the Google robots.txt tester.

Check XML Sitemap

The sitemap shows Google all important pages. Verify:

• Sitemap exists and is current
• All important pages are included
• No error pages (404, 5xx) in sitemap
• Sitemap submitted in Search Console
• For large sites: Sitemap index used

Indexing Status

In Google Search Console:

• No critical indexing errors
• Important pages are indexed
• Excluded pages are intentionally excluded
• Canonical tags correctly set

Page Speed

Slow pages rank worse and lose visitors. Load speed is critical.

Core Web Vitals

Test with:

• PageSpeed Insights
• Chrome DevTools (Lighthouse)
• Search Console Core Web Vitals report

Common Performance Problems

• Images compressed and in modern formats (WebP)
• CSS and JavaScript minified
• Browser caching enabled
• GZIP/Brotli compression active
• No render-blocking resources
• Lazy loading for images below the fold

Mobile Optimization

Google primarily indexes the mobile version. Mobile-First is mandatory.

Responsive Design

• Page adapts to all screen sizes
• No horizontal scrollbar
• Viewport meta tag present
• Touch elements large enough (min. 48x48px)
• Adequate spacing between clickable elements

Mobile Content

• Same content on mobile and desktop
• Structured data on mobile version
• Internal links functional on mobile
• Images display correctly on mobile

URL Structure and Navigation

Check URLs

• URLs are short and descriptive
• No special characters
• Hyphens as word separators
• Consistent lowercase
• No session IDs in URLs

More in our guide on URL structure.

Redirects

• No redirect chains (A → B → C)
• 301 instead of 302 for permanent redirects
• Old URLs redirect to new ones
• No soft 404 errors

Internal Linking

• Important pages well linked
• No orphan pages
• Broken internal links fixed
• Logical page hierarchy

Check with our Link Checker.

HTTPS and Security

• SSL certificate installed and valid
• All pages accessible via HTTPS
• HTTP redirects to HTTPS
• No mixed content warnings
• HSTS enabled (optional but recommended)

Structured Data

Schema markup helps Google understand content and can lead to rich results.

Check Implementation

• Relevant schema types implemented
• JSON-LD format used (recommended)
• No errors in Rich Results Test
• Markup matches visible content

Important Schema Types

Duplicate Content

Duplicate content confuses Google and dilutes rankings.

Checkpoints

• Canonical tags on all pages
• www and non-www unified
• Trailing slash consistent
• Parameter URLs with canonical
• No copied content from other sites
• Pagination correctly implemented

Internationalization (if applicable)

For multilingual websites:

• hreflang tags correctly implemented
• Each language version links to all others
• x-default set for default version
• Language URLs consistently structured
• Content actually translated (not just automated)

JavaScript SEO

If your website relies heavily on JavaScript:

• Important content visible without JS
• Links as real <a> tags
• Google can render JS content (use URL Inspection tool)
• No critical content only generated client-side

Audit Tools

These tools help with technical audits:

Setting Priorities

Not all problems are equally critical. Prioritize:

Critical (fix immediately):

• Indexing blocks on important pages
• Severe server errors
• Security issues

High (within a week):

• Core Web Vitals in red
• Many broken links
• Mobile usability problems

Medium (within a month):

• Missing structured data
• URL structure optimizations
• Duplicate content without canonical

Low (when time permits):

• Minor performance improvements
• Optimal image compression
• Extended schema types

Check your website now with our SEO Analyzer for an automated initial analysis.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How often should I perform a technical SEO audit?

A comprehensive audit quarterly, critical checks (indexing, errors) monthly. After major website changes like relaunches or CMS switches, always check immediately.

Can I perform a technical audit myself?

The basics yes, with the right tools. For complex websites or if you lack experience, professional help makes sense. At least interpretation and prioritization can be complex.

What's the most important technical SEO element?

Crawlability and indexing. If Google can't find or index your pages, everything else is irrelevant. Therefore: Always first check if important pages are in the index.