Looking to boost your website’s performance, rankings, and make it shine for users and search engines alike? Perfect. One of the smartest ways to achieve this is by running a Technical SEO Audit. And don’t worry, while it might sound like technical wizardry, I’ll walk you through each step. Let’s dive into everything you need to conduct a stellar audit that keeps your website in top shape!
What is a Technical SEO Audit?
Think of a Technical SEO Audit as a “health check-up” for your site. It’s an in-depth process where you look at everything that impacts SEO—from loading speed and mobile usability to crawling and indexing. Basically, it’s like spring cleaning for your website, rooting out any issues that might be keeping you from ranking high. Plus, regular audits help you keep up with Google’s ever-evolving algorithms and user expectations. Ready to roll? Here we go!
Step 1: Crawl Your Website
The first step in your audit is to crawl your website, which means scanning every page to identify any red flags like broken links, missing meta tags, and duplicate content.
Here’s How to Do It:
- Pick a Tool: Popular options are Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, or Ahrefs’ Site Audit tool.
- Run the Crawl: Enter your website’s URL and let the tool do its magic.
- Analyze the Results: Look for errors, warnings, and notices. Pay special attention to high-priority issues, as these will have the biggest impact on SEO.
Pro Tip! If you’re working with a smaller site (up to 500 URLs), Screaming Frog’s free version is a great option to start with.
Step 2: Check Indexability and Crawlability
Once you’ve crawled your site, the next priority is to make sure it’s easy for search engines to crawl and index. Crawling lets search engines read your site, while indexing means they store it for search results.
Steps:
- Check Your Robots.txt File: This file tells search engines which pages to ignore. It’s worth a look to make sure it isn’t accidentally blocking essential pages.
- Analyze Your XML Sitemap: Your sitemap is like a map for search engines. Ensure it’s current and includes all the pages you want indexed.
- Submit to Google Search Console: Once your sitemap is updated, submit it to Google Search Console. This will help Google discover and index your pages faster.
Extra Tip! Run a quick test in Google Search Console to see if your key pages are indexed. Just paste the URL into the “URL Inspection” tool. If they aren’t indexed, you might need to take a closer look.
Step 3: Optimize Site Speed
Speed matters—a lot! A slow website is frustrating for users and can tank your rankings. Google’s made it clear: fast-loading pages are preferred. Time to cut the fat!
How to Speed Things Up:
- Run Speed Tests: Google PageSpeed Insights and GTmetrix can help you see where your site stands and offer tips for improvement.
- Compress Images: Big, beautiful images are great, but they don’t have to be heavy. Use tools like TinyPNG or ShortPixel to compress images without losing quality.
- Enable Caching: Caching speeds things up for return visitors. On WordPress? Try W3 Total Cache or WP Rocket.
- Minify Code: Tools like Autoptimize can minify CSS, JavaScript, and HTML, which can shave off some loading time.
Insider Tip! Run speed tests on both desktop and mobile. Mobile speed is extra important since Google prioritizes mobile-first indexing.
Step 4: Ensure Mobile-Friendliness
With over half of all web traffic coming from mobile, mobile-friendliness is non-negotiable. Plus, Google’s switched to mobile-first indexing, which means it ranks sites based on their mobile versions.
How to Check Mobile-Friendliness:
- Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test: Just pop in your URL, and the tool will flag any mobile issues.
- Responsive Design: Your site should adjust seamlessly across devices, from desktops to tablets to smartphones.
- Optimize Touch Elements: Make sure buttons and links are easy to tap without accidentally hitting something else. This is especially important on smaller screens!
Quick Note: If users can’t easily scroll, click, or view your content on mobile, they’re likely to bounce—and Google will take note.
Step 5: Fix Duplicate Content Issues
Duplicate content confuses search engines because it’s hard for them to decide which page to rank. If you’ve got duplicate content floating around, it could be hurting your SEO.
Fixing Duplicate Content:
- Find Duplicates: Most crawl tools (like Screaming Frog) will flag duplicates in the “Duplicate” tab.
- Use Canonical Tags: If you need similar content (e.g., for product pages), use canonical tags to indicate which page is the “main” one.
- Avoid Messy URLs: Messy parameters can create multiple URLs for the same content. Stick to clean URLs to avoid duplication.
Step 6: Optimize Your Site’s Structure
A well-organized structure helps both users and search engines. Think of it like a tree: all pages should branch logically from the homepage.
Tips for Solid Site Structure:
- Organize with Categories: If you have a blog, group content into categories based on topics.
- Limit Click Depth: Make sure important pages are accessible within 2-3 clicks from the homepage.
- Add Internal Links: Link-related pages to help search engines understand their relationship and to guide users through your site.
Pro Insight: A clear structure isn’t just good for SEO—it also boosts engagement since users find what they need more easily.
Step 7: Check Your Core Web Vitals
Google’s Core Web Vitals measure user experience and are now an SEO ranking factor. These metrics include loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability.
Key Metrics to Focus On:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Measures how fast the main content loads. Aim for under 2.5 seconds.
- First Input Delay (FID): Measures how quickly users can interact with your site. Shoot for under 100ms.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Measures visual stability. Target a score of less than 0.1.
Use Google PageSpeed Insights or Google Search Console to check your Core Web Vitals. If you fall short, they’ll provide specific recommendations to improve.
Step 8: Review Security and HTTPS
If your site isn’t secure (using HTTPS), it’s a trust-buster for users and can negatively impact SEO. Switching from HTTP to HTTPS is a relatively easy upgrade.
Steps:
- Check SSL Certificate: Make sure it’s installed and working. It encrypts data and assures users that your site is safe.
- Check for Mixed Content: Sometimes, even with HTTPS, elements like images may still load over HTTP, causing security warnings. Make sure everything loads securely.
Reminder: Google Chrome flags non-HTTPS sites as “Not Secure,” which can scare away visitors.
Step 9: Monitor Broken Links
Broken links are a big no-no for both SEO and user experience. They create dead ends that frustrate users and stop search engines from fully crawling your site.
How to Fix Broken Links:
- Identify Broken Links: Use your crawl tool or Dead Link Checker to locate broken links.
- Fix or Redirect: If you find broken links, either update them or set up 301 redirects to guide users to relevant pages.
Pro Tip: Regularly check for broken links—especially after site updates or URL changes.
Technical SEO Audit Tools to Try
Here’s a quick toolkit to make your audit easier:
- Google Search Console – For indexation issues, crawl stats, and insights.
- Google PageSpeed Insights – To assess and improve page load speed.
- Screaming Frog (Free Version) – Crawl your site (up to 500 URLs).
- Ahrefs Webmaster Tools – Great for backlink insights and keyword performance.
- Google Mobile-Friendly Test – To ensure responsiveness on mobile.
And there you have it—a full, start-to-finish guide to conducting a technical SEO audit! As you run through these steps, remember: that technical SEO is a continuous journey, not a one-and-done project. Regular audits help you keep up with SEO best practices, adapt to search engine updates, and ensure your site’s always ready to deliver top-notch performance.
If this feels like a lot to handle, no worries! A technical SEO audit may take time, but the payoff is well worth it. Or, if you’d prefer expert assistance, Garage Collective is here to help. As a leading digital marketing agency, we bring years of SEO expertise to the table, so you can focus on what you do best—growing your business! Ready to level up your site? Reach out today!