How to Run a Technical SEO Audit: A Step-by-Step Guide

Technical SEO covers the infrastructure a website needs so search engines can find, crawl, and index it. Even the most carefully crafted content strategy underperforms if the technical foundation isn't solid. This guide walks through the core steps of a technical SEO audit worth repeating regularly.

1. Check Crawling and Indexing Status

The "Coverage" report in Google Search Console shows which pages are indexed and which are excluded. Make sure robots.txt isn't accidentally blocking important pages, and that sitemap.xml is up to date. This is also the time to confirm canonical URLs point to the right page.

2. Measure Site Speed and Core Web Vitals

Google treats user experience as a direct ranking factor. Use PageSpeed Insights to check LCP (loading speed), INP (interactivity), and CLS (visual stability). Common culprits include unoptimized images, unnecessary JavaScript, and slow server response times.

3. Verify Mobile-Friendliness

Google now evaluates sites primarily on their mobile version (mobile-first indexing). Make sure the viewport tag is set correctly, tap targets are large enough, and mobile content matches desktop content.

4. Review Site Architecture and Internal Linking

In a healthy site architecture, every important page should be reachable within 3 clicks. Identify orphan pages (pages with no internal links pointing to them) and build a logical internal linking structure. Descriptive anchor text clarifies the topic of a page for both users and search engines.

5. Check Structured Data (Schema)

JSON-LD structured data can enable rich snippets in search results - star ratings, breadcrumbs, FAQs, and more. Use Google's Rich Results Test to check whether your existing schema markup has errors.

Conclusion

Technical SEO isn't a one-time task - it's a process worth repeating. Running these checks regularly protects the return on your content and marketing investment. Want to see where your own site stands? Try our free SEO analysis tool, or explore our SEO consultancy for a deeper audit.