How to Perform a Technical SEO Audit in 2025 (Step-by-Step Guide)

You’ve added great content, earned a few backlinks, and optimized your pages—but your traffic still isn’t growing. The problem may not be what your visitors see, but what search engines can’t.

That’s where technical SEO audits come in.

In 2025, with Google’s algorithm placing even greater importance on site speed, mobile-friendliness, and structured data, technical SEO is no longer optional—it’s critical. A poorly structured site with crawl errors, indexation issues, or slow load times can silently sabotage your entire SEO strategy.

In this easy-to-follow guide, you’ll learn:

• What a technical SEO audit is (and why it matters)
• Which tools to use (free & paid)
• How to fix the most common technical issues, step by step

No fluff. No jargon. Just a practical, beginner-friendly process you can apply immediately—even without a developer.

Part 1: What Is a Technical SEO Audit?

What Does It Mean to “Audit” Technical SEO?

A technical SEO audit is a comprehensive evaluation of your website’s infrastructure to ensure it’s optimized for crawling, indexing, performance, and user experience.

It goes beyond content and keywords to examine how your site functions under the hood.

A typical technical audit will help you:

• Identify crawl and indexation issues
• Detect slow-loading or unstable pages
• Pinpoint broken links or redirect loops
• Evaluate mobile usability and Core Web Vitals
• Review structured data and schema markup
• Find duplicate content or canonical errors

Think of it like a health check-up for your website. Fixing technical issues early prevents long-term SEO damage and keeps your content discoverable.

Why Technical SEO Audits Are Critical in 2025

Search engines have evolved to prioritize user experience, and that experience starts with a site that’s fast, accessible, and technically sound.

Here’s why a technical audit matters more than ever:

• Google uses Core Web Vitals (LCP, FID, CLS) as ranking signals
• Mobile-first indexing means your mobile version must be flawless
• Security (HTTPS) is a confirmed ranking factor
• Structured data drives rich results and higher click-through rates
• Crawl budget is limited—don’t waste it on unimportant or broken pages

Without regular audits, you risk:

• Losing rankings to technically superior competitors
• Getting pages deindexed without realizing it
• Having rich snippets removed due to schema errors
• Wasting money on content that search engines can’t find or understand

If you haven’t yet covered on-page SEO best practices, do that alongside your technical improvements.

Who Should Perform Technical SEO Audits?

Whether you’re a:

• Blogger or affiliate site owner
• Small business with a WordPress website
• SEO freelancer or agency
• E-commerce site manager

…you need technical SEO audits.

Even basic audits can uncover game-changing issues that are holding your site back from its true potential.

What’s Included in a Technical SEO Audit?

We’ll walk through each of the following in later sections, but here’s a high-level overview of what a full technical audit includes:

• Crawlability: Can Googlebot access all important content?
• Indexability: Are the right pages being indexed in Google?
• Site Speed: How fast does your site load on mobile and desktop?
• Core Web Vitals: Are you meeting Google’s UX performance benchmarks?
• Mobile Optimization: Is your site responsive and user-friendly?
• HTTPS: Is your site secure with a valid SSL certificate?
• Schema Markup: Are you sending clear signals to Google with structured data?
• Internal Linking & Architecture: Is your content well-organized and easy to navigate?
• Canonicalization & Duplicate Content: Are you consolidating similar pages effectively?
• Crawl Budget: Are you wasting crawl budget on unnecessary pages?

In the next part, we’ll cover how often to audit, the best tools to use (many are free!), and how to prepare before diving into the audit itself.

Part 2: When to Audit Your Site & Tools You’ll Need

When Should You Run a Technical SEO Audit?

Technical SEO isn’t a “set it and forget it” task. Your site changes over time—so do Google’s algorithms and expectations. That’s why regular audits are essential.

Here’s when you should run a technical SEO audit:

On a regular basis:

• Every 3 to 6 months (recommended for most websites)
• Monthly, if you’re publishing content frequently or run an e-commerce site

After specific events:

• Redesign or theme update
  → Changes to layout or code can break crawl paths, internal links, or load speed.
• Site migration or domain change
  → Ensure redirects are correct and pages are indexed under the new structure.
• Drops in organic traffic
  → A technical issue might be the culprit—like crawl errors, noindex tags, or Core Web Vitals changes.
• After algorithm updates
  → Google often adjusts how it values performance, structure, and content accessibility.

The sooner you detect technical problems, the faster you can fix them—and protect your rankings. If your site is already well-optimized on the surface, reviewing on-page SEO essentials alongside technical fixes can uncover missed opportunities.

Tools You’ll Need for a Technical SEO Audit

You don’t need a massive tech stack—just a combination of free and paid tools that cover crawling, indexing, performance, and page structure.

Here are the top tools (many free) that we’ll reference in the step-by-step audit later:

1. Google Search Console (Free)

• Crawl errors, index status, mobile usability, Core Web Vitals, sitemaps
• Vital for real-time Google data

2. Screaming Frog SEO Spider (Free up to 500 URLs)

• Desktop crawler that analyzes internal links, redirects, status codes, canonicals, and duplicate content

3. Google PageSpeed Insights (Free)

• Checks speed and Core Web Vitals for both mobile and desktop
• Actionable recommendations for fixing slow pages

4. GTmetrix / WebPageTest (Free)

• Deep performance diagnostics
• Waterfall view of resource loading

5. Ahrefs Site Audit / Semrush Site Audit (Paid)

• Cloud-based crawlers with excellent issue tracking
• Show crawl depth, internal linking issues, site structure, and orphan pages

6. Sitebulb (Paid, desktop)

• Visual crawl maps and audit scoring
• Highlights issues by priority level and difficulty

7. Google Mobile-Friendly Test (Free)

• Checks whether your site is usable on mobile devices

8. Chrome DevTools (Free)

• Inspect how your page renders and loads
• Check for layout shifts, JavaScript errors, and resource load times

✅ Tip: Start with free tools like GSC + Screaming Frog, then scale with Ahrefs/Sitebulb if needed.

Prepare Before You Audit

Here are a few quick steps to prepare before diving into the audit process:

• Create a backup of your site: Some fixes involve redirects, robots.txt, or theme files—so always have a way to restore if needed.
• Make a copy of your sitemap: Use yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml — This helps cross-reference pages that should be indexed.
• Note down site changes: If you’ve recently updated your design, added plugins, or removed categories, document them for context.
• Know your top-performing pages: Use Google Analytics or GSC to identify your money pages so you can prioritize their technical health.

Part 3: Step-by-Step Technical SEO Audit Process

Each step below includes what to check, how to check it, and how to fix common issues. These are the essential components of a successful audit in 2025.

1. Crawlability: Can Search Engines Access Your Pages?

Why it matters:
If Googlebot can’t crawl your pages, they won’t be indexed — and won’t rank.

What to check:

• Are important pages being blocked in robots.txt?
• Are there any pages returning 4xx or 5xx errors?
• Are internal links helping bots navigate your site?

How to check it:

• Use Google Search Console > Coverage to see crawl errors and blocked pages
• Run Screaming Frog or Ahrefs Site Audit to crawl the entire site
• Check your robots.txt file at yourdomain.com/robots.txt
• Review your XML sitemap

How to fix it:

• Update robots.txt to allow crawling of important sections (avoid Disallow: /)
• Fix broken links or server errors (404/500)
• Ensure all valuable pages are linked internally
• Submit your sitemap in Google Search Console

2. Indexability: Are the Right Pages in Google’s Index?

Why it matters:
Pages need to be indexed to appear in search results. Too many unimportant pages indexed can waste crawl budget.

What to check:

• Which URLs are indexed vs. excluded?
• Are any key pages using noindex meta tags by mistake?
• Are canonical tags pointing to the correct version?

How to check it:

• Use site:yourdomain.com in Google to see indexed pages
• Check GSC > Pages > Indexed/Not Indexed
• Inspect pages using the URL Inspection Tool
• Crawl with Screaming Frog to flag noindex, canonical, robots issues

How to fix it:

• Remove noindex from valuable pages
• Add canonicals to preferred page versions
• Deindex thin or duplicate content using noindex or canonicalization
• Keep your sitemap updated with only indexable pages

3. Fix Broken Links & Redirect Chains

Why it matters:
Broken links hurt UX, waste crawl budget, and reduce link equity. Redirect chains slow down load times and confuse bots.

What to check:

• Are there broken internal or outbound links (404s)?
• Are there multiple redirects from one URL to another?

How to check it:

• Use Screaming Frog > Response Codes to find 404 and 301 chains
• GSC > Pages > Not Found
• Ahrefs or Semrush > Site Audit > Links

How to fix it:

• Update or remove broken links
• Use 301 redirects wisely — avoid long chains (1 redirect is fine, 3+ is bad)
• Fix internal links pointing to redirected or removed pages

4. Site Speed & Core Web Vitals

Why it matters:
Speed and experience metrics are part of Google’s ranking system. Poor performance = lost rankings and conversions.

What to check:

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
• First Input Delay (FID)
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)

How to check it:

• Use Google PageSpeed Insights and Search Console > Core Web Vitals
• Run tests in GTmetrix or WebPageTest
• Analyze with Lighthouse in Chrome DevTools

How to fix it:

• Compress images and use next-gen formats like WebP
• Reduce unused JavaScript and CSS
• Implement lazy loading for images/videos
• Use caching and a Content Delivery Network (CDN)
• Preload key fonts and assets

5. Mobile Optimization & Mobile-First Readiness

Why it matters:
Google indexes the mobile version of your site first. If it’s broken or incomplete, your rankings will suffer.

What to check:

• Is your site responsive and legible on all screen sizes?
• Are buttons and links easy to tap?
• Are pop-ups or interstitials blocking content?

How to check it:

• Run your site through Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test
• Use GSC > Mobile Usability
• Manually browse your site on different devices

How to fix it:

• Use responsive design (no separate mobile URLs)
• Increase button size, font legibility, and white space
• Avoid intrusive interstitials on mobile
• Ensure all mobile content matches the desktop version

6. HTTPS & Site Security

Why it matters:
Google prefers secure sites (HTTPS) and marks HTTP sites as “Not Secure” in browsers.

What to check:

• Is every page loading over HTTPS?
• Are there mixed content warnings (some assets still served via HTTP)?
• Are all internal links pointing to HTTPS URLs?

How to check it:

• Visit your site and check the padlock icon
• Crawl your site with Screaming Frog > Protocol report
• Use WhyNoPadlock.com to detect insecure elements

How to fix it:

• Install an SSL certificate (free via Let’s Encrypt or your host)
• Update internal links, images, and scripts to use https://
• Redirect all HTTP traffic to HTTPS with 301 redirects

7. Structured Data & Schema Markup

Why it matters:
Structured data helps search engines better understand your content and display rich results in search (like star ratings, FAQs, prices, and breadcrumbs).

What to check:

• Is schema markup implemented where relevant?
• Are there any errors in your structured data?
• Are rich results being displayed in search?

How to check it:

• Use Google’s Rich Results Test
• Use Search Console > Enhancements to see schema-related issues
• Run a crawl with Screaming Frog > Structured Data tab

How to fix it:

• Use JSON-LD (Google’s recommended format)
• Add schema for:
  • Articles/blogs (Article)
  • Product pages (Product)
  • Local businesses (LocalBusiness)
  • FAQs (FAQPage)
  • Breadcrumbs (BreadcrumbList)
• Use SEO plugins like Rank Math, Yoast, or Schema Pro to simplify schema generation

8. Site Architecture & Internal Linking

Why it matters:
Good site structure helps search engines crawl your site efficiently and helps users find what they need quickly.

What to check:

• Is your site architecture shallow (important content within 3 clicks)?
• Are all key pages linked internally?
• Are there orphan pages (no internal links)?

How to check it:

• Use Screaming Frog > Crawl Depth & Orphan Pages
• Visualize structure with Sitebulb or Ahrefs > Site Structure report

How to fix it:

• Use a logical category > subcategory > post layout
• Add contextual internal links in blog posts
• Link to key pages from navigation or footer
• Create topic clusters with proper hub-and-spoke linking

9. Canonicalization & Duplicate Content

Why it matters:
Duplicate content can dilute SEO value across similar pages. Canonical tags help consolidate that value.

What to check:

• Are there pages with similar or identical content?
• Are canonical tags present and correctly set?
• Are pagination and parameters properly handled?

How to check it:

• Use Screaming Frog > Canonicals tab
• Compare www and non-www, HTTP vs HTTPS, trailing slashes, etc.
• Check canonical tags in source code (<link rel="canonical" href="..." />)

How to fix it:

• Add self-referencing canonical tags to each indexable page
• Consolidate similar content into one stronger page
• Use 301 redirects to resolve URL variations (e.g. trailing slashes, HTTP/HTTPS)

10. Crawl Budget & Index Bloat

Why it matters:
Google only spends so much time crawling your site. Wasting that budget on low-value or duplicate pages reduces your visibility.

What to check:

• Are too many thin, duplicate, or filtered pages being crawled?
• Is your sitemap clean and focused?
• Are archives, tags, and faceted navigation bloating the index?

How to check it:

• Check GSC > Pages > Discovered but not indexed
• Use Screaming Frog > Crawl Overview to assess total crawlable pages
• Audit sitemap files at yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml

How to fix it:

• noindex low-value pages (like tags, author archives, filters)
• Disallow unnecessary URL parameters via robots.txt
• Use canonical or pagination controls on filters
• Clean up and submit updated sitemaps

Exporting & Organizing Your Findings

Once your audit is complete, organize your issues by priority and page type. Here’s how:

Export From Tools:

• Screaming Frog: Export issues by type (e.g., 404s, canonicals, schema)
• GSC: Export Indexing > Pages reports
• Ahrefs/Sitebulb: Export full site audit with health score and visuals

Organize in a Spreadsheet:

Columns to include:

• Issue
• Affected URLs
• Severity (High, Medium, Low)
• Suggested Fix
• Status (To Fix, In Progress, Fixed)

Action Plan: What to Do With the Results

1. Fix critical issues first: Crawl errors, HTTPS issues, indexation problems
2. Improve user experience: Focus on Core Web Vitals, mobile optimization, page load times
3. Fix structure & schema: Canonicals, internal linking, structured data
4. Monitor improvements:
   • Recheck after 30–60 days using the same tools
   • Monitor GSC for index and performance gains

Conclusion: Make Technical SEO a Habit, Not a One-Time Fix

Running a technical SEO audit isn’t just about fixing what’s broken—it’s about creating a strong foundation for long-term SEO success.

In 2025, with user experience, speed, and crawlability more important than ever, a technically sound website isn’t optional. It’s essential.

By following this guide and auditing your site regularly, you’ll:

• Improve rankings
• Protect your content investments and other digital marketing spending.
• Deliver a better experience to both users and search engines

FAQs: Technical SEO Audit