What is a technical SEO audit
A technical SEO audit is a comprehensive analysis of a website's technical health from Google's perspective. Unlike content audits or link analysis, it focuses on whether Google can find, crawl, and correctly index your pages — and whether users experience them the way you intend.
The key insight: a site can have excellent content and a solid backlink profile and still rank poorly because technical issues prevent Google from properly evaluating those assets. A technical audit identifies exactly those barriers.
When do you need a technical audit
- Traffic drop without an obvious cause (Google algorithm update, competitor activity)
- Major site redesign or CMS migration
- Launching SEO promotion — to ensure the foundation is solid
- Poor rankings despite quality content and backlinks
- Adding a new language version or regional subdomain
- Routine check — recommended every 6–12 months
Technical audit checklist
1. Indexation and crawlability
The first question: can Google actually see your pages? Check in Google Search Console → Coverage report. Common problems:
- robots.txt — blocks key pages or entire directories (often left from development)
- noindex meta tags — accidentally set on production pages
- sitemap.xml — missing, not submitted to GSC, or contains incorrect/non-existent URLs
- Canonical tags — pointing to wrong pages or missing entirely on duplicate content
- hreflang — incorrect implementation causing international SEO issues
2. Page speed and Core Web Vitals
Since 2021 Google uses Core Web Vitals as a direct ranking signal. Check via PageSpeed Insights:
| Metric | Good | Needs improvement | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|
| LCP (loading) | <2.5s | 2.5–4s | >4s |
| CLS (stability) | <0.1 | 0.1–0.25 | >0.25 |
| INP (interaction) | <200ms | 200–500ms | >500ms |
Most common causes of poor CWV: unoptimised images (JPEG instead of WebP, no lazy-load), render-blocking JavaScript, slow server response (TTFB), fonts without font-display:swap.
3. On-page technical elements
- Title tags — duplicates, missing, or over 60 characters
- Meta descriptions — missing or duplicated across pages
- H1 structure — multiple H1s or H1 missing entirely
- Image ALT attributes — empty or missing on key images
- Schema.org markup — missing or incorrectly implemented
- HTTPS — mixed content (HTTP resources on HTTPS pages)
4. Site structure and internal linking
Google distributes PageRank through internal links. Poor structure means authority doesn't reach important pages. Check for:
- Orphan pages — no internal links pointing to them
- Broken internal links (404 errors)
- Redirect chains — A → B → C instead of A → C directly
- Navigation depth — important pages more than 3 clicks from the homepage
- Pagination — correct use of rel="next" / rel="prev" or self-referencing canonicals
A detailed report with prioritised fixes — delivered within 48 hours.
Tools for a technical SEO audit
| Tool | Purpose | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Google Search Console | Indexation, CWV, crawl errors | Free |
| PageSpeed Insights | Core Web Vitals, speed | Free |
| Screaming Frog SEO Spider | Full site crawl, redirects, broken links | Free up to 500 URLs / £259/year |
| Ahrefs / Semrush | Site Audit, backlinks, positions | From $99/month |
| GTmetrix / WebPageTest | Waterfall charts, server analysis | Free / Paid |
| Google Rich Results Test | Schema.org validation | Free |
How often to conduct a technical audit
Every 6–12 months — routine full audit. After major changes — redesign, CMS migration, domain change, adding a language version. Monthly monitoring — Google Search Console Coverage and Core Web Vitals reports. Sudden drops in either signal require an immediate audit response.
According to Google's SEO Starter Guide, technical accessibility is a prerequisite for effective ranking. No content strategy can compensate for crawling or indexation barriers.
