Technical SEO Audit Checklist

Check robots.txt doesn't block critical pages. Common mistake: blocking CSS/JS files.

Sitemap should list all important pages. Submit to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.

Every page should be reachable via internal links. Orphaned pages are hard for Google to discover.

Block low-value pages from crawling (admin, search results, faceted nav). Focus crawl budget on important content.

Calendar pages, pagination, or filters can create infinite URL variations. Use canonical tags or robots.txt.

200 for live pages, 301 for moved, 404 for deleted, 410 for permanently gone. Never soft 404s.

Check for accidental "noindex" tags on important pages. Verify "nofollow" only on appropriate pages.

Server-level directives for PDFs, images, or dynamic pages. Don't accidentally block indexing.

Use hyphens, lowercase, keywords. Avoid: /page?id=123. Good: /products/organic-cotton-t-shirt.

Important pages should be 2-3 clicks from homepage. Deep pages get less crawl priority and link equity.

URL structure should mirror site structure. Example: /category/subcategory/product.

All pages, images, and resources load over HTTPS. Check for http:// references in code.

Pick one (www.site.com OR site.com), redirect the other. Update DNS and Search Console.

Decide: /page/ OR /page. Redirect non-canonical version. Prevents duplicate content.

If content exists on staging.site.com, prevent indexing with robots.txt or noindex.

Use rel="next" and rel="prev" or canonicalize to page 1. Don't let paginated pages compete.

Main content should load fast. Optimize images, reduce server response time, use CDN.

Page should respond quickly to user input. Minimize JavaScript execution time.

Prevent layout shifts. Set image/video dimensions, reserve space for ads.

Use modern formats, compress to <100KB when possible, lazy load below fold.

Inline above-the-fold CSS, defer the rest. Reduces render-blocking.

Minify JS, use defer/async attributes. Load non-critical JS after page interactive.

Fast server responses improve all metrics. Use caching, optimize database queries, consider CDN.

Set cache headers for static assets (images, CSS, JS). 1 year for immutable assets.

Compress HTML, CSS, and JS on server. Reduces file sizes by 70-90%.

Serve images, videos, and files from geographically distributed servers.

Site adapts to all screen sizes. Test on real devices (iPhone, Android).

<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">

Buttons and links should be easy to tap on mobile. Avoid tiny click targets.

Base font size should be 16px or larger. Avoid forcing users to zoom.

Avoid full-screen popups that block content on mobile. Google penalizes these.

Mobile version should have same content as desktop. Google uses mobile-first indexing.

Article, Product, FAQPage, LocalBusiness, Organization, etc. Match to content type.

Use Google Rich Results Test to check for errors. Fix warnings when possible.

Add FAQ schema to pages with questions. Increases AI Overview visibility by 3.2x.

Shows navigation path in search results. Improves user experience.

E-commerce sites: include all required fields (price, currency, availability, reviews).

AggregateRating can trigger star ratings in search results. Must have genuine reviews.

No duplicate titles. 50-60 characters. Primary keyword near beginning.

150-160 characters. Include call-to-action. Compelling copy that drives clicks.

H1 should clearly describe page topic. Include target keyword naturally.

Don't skip heading levels. Use headings to structure content logically.

Describe image content. Include keywords when relevant and natural.

3-5 contextual internal links per page. Distribute link equity, help users discover content.

Pages should provide value. Competitive pages often have 1,500-2,500 words.

Fresh content signals relevance. Update old posts, add new sections, refresh examples.

Every page should have a canonical pointing to itself or preferred version. Prevents duplicate content.

Tell Google which language/region version to show. Required for multi-country sites.

og:title, og:description, og:image. Controls how content looks when shared.

twitter:card, twitter:title, twitter:description, twitter:image.

Improves brand recognition in search results and browser tabs.

Use parameters wisely. Don't create thousands of duplicate URLs via filters/sorting.

Understand how Google crawls your site. Identify crawl budget waste.

HTTPS is a ranking factor. Ensure certificate is valid and not expiring soon.

Check Search Console for security issues. Google deindexes hacked sites.

Block /wp-admin/, /admin/ from search engines. Use strong passwords.

Make site accessible. Good accessibility often correlates with good UX.

All functionality should be accessible via keyboard. Test Tab navigation.

Text should be readable. WCAG AA requires 4.5:1 contrast ratio for body text.

Check weekly for errors, coverage issues, and manual actions.

Bing has 3-5% market share. Easy to set up, provides additional insights.

Fix broken pages or redirect to relevant content. Monitor 404s in Search Console.

Redirect directly: A → C. Chains waste crawl budget and dilute link equity.

If sites link to old/broken URLs, set up redirects. Don't lose that link equity.

Identify thin content, outdated info, or pages with declining traffic. Update or consolidate.

Track CWV trends. Google flags pages that fail thresholds.