Learn how to perform an end-to-end technical SEO audit and transform organic growth. from your website.
One audit of Technical SEO is a complete health check of your website to ensure that Google can crawl, render, index, and rank your pages efficiently.
Without this foundation, even the best content loses strength and organic traffic opportunities remain on the table.
Below you will find a practical step by step (with checklists, examples, and tools) to conduct your audit, prioritize corrections, and measure results.
1. Preparation: Define scope, goals, and test environment
Determines a objective. Make clear what you want to improve (e.g.: category indexing, product page Core Web Vitals, 404 reduction, etc.).
Initial checklist:
- Domains/environments to include (www, no www, HTTP/HTTPS, subdomains, staging);
- Profile of sitemaps existing (single vs. by type: blog, products, categories);
- Access to Google Search Console, GA4 and server (logs);
- Plan of prioritization (business impact x technical effort).
Tip: work with an audit spreadsheet (create the columns: Items, Status, Responsible, Deadline, Impact, Evidence/URL, Observations).
2. Crawl the site and create an error map
Use Screaming Frog (or Sitebulb/Deepcrawl) to simulate Googlebot. Run a full crawl and rank findings by severity.
What to watch out for:
- Status codes: 2xx, 3xx, 4xx, 5xx;
- Metadata:
, meta description, headings H1/H2;
- Directives:
noindex, nofollow, canonical;
- Click depth (pages >3 clicks from the home page require attention);
- Orphan pages (discovered via GSC/Logs but not linked internally).
This first x-ray quickly reveals broken links, redirect chains, duplicates, and pages that are invisible to the user (and to Google).
3. Indexing and coverage: Confirm what Google can see
Open the “Page Indexing” report in Search Console to check for valid pages, warnings, exclusions, and errors. Use this report to validate what's actually entering the index, why, and in what volume (useful for large catalogs).
Frequent adjustments:
- “Page with redirection”: update internal links to final destination;
- “Alternate page with appropriate canonical tag”: check if the canonical is correct;
- “Discovery – currently not indexed”: lack of signals/internal links or low quality.
4. Robots.txt and indexing guidelines
Good practices:
- Never use
noindex node robots.txt (Google has not supported this directive since 2019). Use meta noindex or HTTP header;
- Block only what it is not necessary be tracked (internal pages, cart, infinite parameters);
- Avoid blocking critical resources (CSS/JS) that Google needs to render the page correctly.
5. XML Sitemaps: coverage and “lastmod”
- Submit and validate your sitemaps in Search Console;
- Separate by type (e.g. /sitemap-posts.xml, /sitemap-products.xml) to facilitate monitoring;
- Keep
lastmod updated to signal changes. Use only URLs indexable (200/OK, proper canonical, no noindex).
6. Canonicals and duplication (variations, parameters, HTTP/HTTPS)
Objective: consolidate signals and avoid competition between your own pages.
- Apply
<link rel="canonical"> in equivalent versions (e.g. color/size of the same product);
- Remove duplicate pages from HTTP vs. HTTPS and www vs. no www — with 301 redirects and consistent canonicals;
- Review parameters (sorting, filters); decide to index only what has real value.
7. Redirects and 404 (link hygiene)
- Prefer 301 for permanent changes; avoid chains (A→B→C) and loops;
- Replace internal links that point to redirected URLs;
- Treat 404 Critical: Redirect to the best alternative or remove from link meshes.
Why? Soft 404, chains, and loops waste crawl budget and deteriorate the user experience, also affecting the website's rating.
8. Performance and Core Web Vitals (LCP, INP, CLS)
Use PageSpeed Insights/Lighthouse and the report of Core Web Vitals in Search Console to diagnose by template (home, category, product, post).
Since 2024, the INP replaces FID as the responsiveness metric, and Google documents LCP, INP, and CLS as the current key metrics.
Practical actions:
- LCP: WebP/AVIF, preload hero image and critical fonts, reduce TTFB (CDN, cache);
- INP: split JS (code-splitting), reduce main thread work, postpone non-critical scripts;
- CLS: reserve space for images/iframes, avoid dimensionless injected ads, preload fonts.
9. JavaScript, Rendering, and SEO
Google processes JS, but there are limitations and render queue. The current guidance is: dynamic rendering was a workaround; prefer SSR, SSG or hydration for essential content.
JS Checklist:
- Critical content present in the initial HTML when possible;
- Avoid rendering-blocking with heavy bundles;
- Test JS pages node Lighthouse and in GSC “URL Inspection” (view rendered HTML).
10. Structure of headings, titles and meta descriptions
- 1 H1 per page, H2/H3 in logical hierarchy;
- Unique, clear titles aligned with search intent;
- Persuasive meta descriptions (impactful) CTR, not direct ranking), no duplicates.
Use the crawler to find missing, duplicated or too long and standardize by template.
11. Structured data (Schema.org)
Implement appropriate markup (Article, Product, FAQ, Organization, Breadcrumb). Validate with Rich Results Test.
Rich snippets increase visibility and CTR, signal context, and reduce ambiguity for Google.
12. Internal linking and depth
- Treat orphan pages and create thematic grids (pillar → satellites);
- Keep depth ≤3 clicks for strategic pages;
- Use breadcrumbs and “related” modules to distribute authority and facilitate navigation.
13. Pagination and listings
Google no longer uses rel="prev/next" as an indexing signal (since 2019). Focus on solid UX, unique titles per page, consistent canonicals, and clear links between pages in the series.
For very long pages, consider “see all” with optimized performance.
14. Internationalization and hreflang (when applicable)
If you work with multiple languages/regions, implement hreflang in all canonical versions, avoid chains, and keep reciprocity (A points to B and B points to A).
15. Security, HTTPS and Integrity
- HTTPS site-wide, 301 redirect from HTTP→HTTPS, assets loaded securely;
- Security headers (HSTS, X-Content-Type-Options, CSP) and clear cookie policy.
HTTPS is a trust requirement and technical component for modern SEO.
16. Accessibility and mobile-first
- Test the site on real devices; fix it tap targets, contrast and fonts;
- Avoid intrusive interstitials on mobile;
- Remember: indexing is mobile-first; if it's bad on mobile, it's bad for Google.
17. Server logs and crawl budget (advanced level)
Analysis server logs to understand how Googlebot navigates: frequency, response codes and ignored areas.
Cross-reference with the indexing report and adjust rules to save money budget where there is no value.
18. Thin, Duplicate, and Quality Content
- Consolidate very similar pages (canonical, redirect, or content merge);
- Remove or noindex low-value pages (tags, filters without demand);
- Improve EEAT (experience, expertise, authority, and trust) with clear on-page signals (authorship, sources, policies, contacts).
19. Prioritize: impact vs. effort
After scanning, prioritize:
- Indexing blockers (robots, noindex, 5xx);
- Crawl/Index (sitemap, duplication, 404, 301);
- Core Web Vitals (LCP/INP/CLS);
- Critical JS (SSR/SSG/hydration);
- Structured data and internal linking.
20. Action plan, implementation and QA
Convert findings into tickets (with evidence and acceptance criteria). Do QA staging technician and validate in production:
- URL Inspection in the GSC.;
- New segmented crawls;
- Re-execution of Lighthouse and PageSpeed per template.
21. Measurement, reporting and continuous cycle
- Leading indicators: GSC errors dropping, increase in valid URLs, better CWV;
- Lagging indicators: clicks, impressions, positions, organic sessions and conversions;
- Create a cadence (weekly/monthly) review and a biannual audit complete.
Common Pitfalls (and How to Avoid Them)
- Trust
noindex no robots.txt: does not work; use meta noindex.
- Old pagination: depend on
rel=prev/next; focus on UX, unique titles and clear linking.
- Critical JS client-side only: content disappears to Google; use SSR/SSG/hydration.
- Sitemap with non-indexable URLs: clears this before (301, canonical correct).
- Crawl budget wasted: infinite filters, chains of 301, 404 old.
Recommended tools (by step)
- Tracking: Screaming Frog / Sitebulb / Deepcrawl.
- Indexing: Google Search Console (Page Indexing Report).
- Core Web Vitals: PageSpeed Insights, Lighthouse, CrUX.
- Logs: Screaming Frog Log Analyzer/Splunk.
- Performance: WebPageTest, GTmetrix.
- JS/Render: Lighthouse + Google's JS SEO docs.
Turn technical SEO audit into revenue
One technical SEO audit well executed, it eliminates invisible bottlenecks, improves the experience, speeds up crawling, and expands indexing coverage.
If you want to speed up this process, we can help you.
Talk to the follow55 team. We will audit your website, prioritize what brings the most impact and turn each technical fix into organic growth.