Technical SEO Audit: What to Check First
Check crawlability, indexing, canonical URLs, response codes and website speed in a logical order.
A technical audit should distinguish blocking defects from tidy-up opportunities. For example, a slow page deserves testing, while a deliberately excluded login screen does not need to be indexed. Fixes should preserve working customer journeys and avoid broad changes without testing.
Confirm the correct URL can be discovered
Begin with canonical HTTPS URLs that serve the intended content. A page should not be treated as an indexing candidate simply because a crawler can discover it.
- Identify target landing pages and their final status codes.
- Confirm robots directives and canonical choices are intentional.
- Avoid adding private account or duplicate filter pages to the sitemap.
Inspect redirects and internal links
Redirects are useful when pages move, but chains slow navigation and introduce more points of failure.
- Record each HTTP hop and final destination.
- Point internal navigation directly at the destination.
- Keep relevant permanent redirects for existing incoming links.
Check metadata and structured data
Search engines need useful page-specific descriptions. Structured data should describe real entities or content and should not invent ratings.
- Compare HTML titles and descriptions on similar templates.
- Check that the visible primary heading matches the page topic.
- Validate applicable JSON-LD against its documented requirements.
Investigate response time
High server response times can come from cache misses, PHP execution, database queries or third-party services.
- Measure repeat tests from more than one location.
- Inspect web-server and PHP logs alongside application metrics.
- Only cache safe public pages; protect account and payment responses.
What the audit can and cannot tell you
A scanner can detect signs of issues and provide evidence, but it cannot guarantee Google rankings, determine every search intent or replace a careful review of the live site. Confirm any changes in Search Console and recheck the affected pages after editing.
Useful next steps
Use the relevant free tools to test individual pages, and a full website scan when you need site-wide coverage.
Find the problems worth fixing first
Start with a free SEO summary, then review detailed evidence in the full audit if you need broader coverage.