How to Run a Technical SEO Audit
A technical SEO audit checks whether search engines can crawl, render and index the pages you want found, and whether anything is wasting or confusing that process. Start with Google Search Console's Page indexing and Core Web Vitals reports, crawl the whole site with a desktop crawler, then review robots.txt, sitemaps, status codes, redirects, canonicals, duplicate content, internal links, JavaScript rendering, mobile usability and structured data. Prioritize fixes by how many important pages each issue affects.
- Search Console shows what Google actually did with your pages; a crawler shows what is on the site. Use both.
- Indexing problems on money pages matter far more than warnings on low-value URLs.
- Canonicals, redirects and internal links should all point at the same preferred URL.
- If key content only appears after JavaScript runs, confirm Google's rendered HTML includes it.
- Fix by impact: blocked or deindexed important pages first, cosmetic warnings last.
The Steps
- Review Search Console reportsOpen the Page indexing, Sitemaps, Core Web Vitals and HTTPS reports. Note important pages that are excluded and the reasons Google gives, such as noindex, redirect, duplicate or crawled but not indexed.
- Crawl the entire siteRun a desktop crawler over the site to list every URL with its status code, title, meta description, canonical, robots directives, word count, inlinks and depth from the homepage.
- Check robots.txt and sitemapsConfirm robots.txt is not blocking pages, scripts or styles you need, and that sitemaps list only canonical, indexable URLs returning 200 with accurate lastmod dates.
- Fix status codes and redirectsFind internal links to 404s and redirected URLs, replace redirect chains with single 301s to the final URL, and make sure removed pages either redirect to a relevant page or return 404 or 410.
- Resolve duplicates and canonicalsPick one preferred URL for each page, covering www, https, trailing slashes and parameters, and make redirects, canonical tags, sitemaps and internal links all agree.
- Audit internal linkingFind orphan pages with no internal links and important pages buried many clicks deep. Link to them from navigation, hub pages and related content with descriptive anchor text.
- Test rendering and mobileUse URL Inspection to view the rendered HTML Google sees for key templates, confirm main content and links are present, and check that pages work properly on a phone.
- Check speed and structured dataReview Core Web Vitals field data by template, and validate structured data with Google's Rich Results Test. Fix errors on templates that affect many pages.
- Prioritize and track fixesRank issues by the number and value of affected pages and the effort to fix, assign owners, and re-check Search Console after each fix is deployed.
What a Technical Audit Should Answer
A technical SEO audit is not a list of every warning a tool can produce. It answers three questions: can search engines find the pages that matter, can they render and understand them, and are they choosing to index them. Content quality and links matter too, but if the technical foundation is broken, neither can help.
Plan on two data sources. Google Search Console tells you what Google actually crawled, indexed and excluded. A desktop crawler tells you what exists on the site and how it is linked. The gaps between the two are where most problems hide: pages in your sitemap that Google excluded, or pages Google indexed that you did not know existed.
Crawling and Indexing
Start with the Page indexing report and filter to the URLs you care about: service pages, location pages, products, key articles. For each excluded page, Google gives a reason. The common ones and what they usually mean:
- Excluded by noindex: often a staging setting or plugin default left on after launch. Check templates, not just individual pages.
- Blocked by robots.txt: a disallow rule that is too broad. Remember robots.txt controls crawling, not indexing; use noindex to keep a page out of results.
- Duplicate, Google chose different canonical: Google sees two URLs as the same page and picked the other one. Consolidate signals onto your preferred URL.
- Crawled, currently not indexed: a quality or uniqueness judgment. Improve, merge or remove the page.
Then compare your sitemap with the crawl. Sitemaps should list only canonical URLs that return 200. Including redirected, noindexed or parameter URLs sends mixed signals. If you are setting this up for the first time, see how to submit your website to Google and Bing.
Canonicals, Redirects and Duplicates
Every page should have one preferred URL, and every signal should agree on it. Typical conflicts found in audits: the canonical tag points to the https version but internal links use http and redirect; the sitemap lists URLs without a trailing slash while the site redirects to the slashed version; filter and tracking parameters create thousands of near-identical URLs. Each conflict wastes crawling and dilutes signals.
Clean up redirect chains (A to B to C) so links and old URLs go straight to the final destination with a single 301. Fix internal links that point at redirects or 404s rather than relying on the redirect. After a site migration, check that every old URL with traffic or backlinks redirects to its closest equivalent, not all to the homepage.
Rendering, Internal Links and Mobile
Sites built with JavaScript frameworks can look fine in a browser while Google sees a thin shell. Use the URL Inspection tool's rendered HTML for each key template and confirm that the main content, headings and internal links are in it. Links should be standard <a href> elements; Google does not follow click handlers that are not real links. Server-side rendering or static generation avoids most of these risks and also helps AI crawlers that do not run scripts.
Internal linking is the most underrated part of technical SEO. Find orphan pages (no internal links pointing to them) and important pages buried four or more clicks from the homepage. Link to them from navigation, hub pages and related content, using descriptive anchor text. Finally, Google uses mobile-first indexing, so confirm that the mobile version contains the same content, structured data and links as desktop.
Speed, Structured Data and Setting Priorities
Review Core Web Vitals in Search Console, which groups URLs by similar templates, and fix template-level issues first; see how to improve Core Web Vitals. Validate structured data with the Rich Results Test, prioritizing errors on templates such as products, articles or local business pages.
End the audit with a ranked list, not a raw export. For each issue record how many pages it affects, how important those pages are, the likely impact and the effort to fix. Blocked or deindexed money pages come first; missing meta descriptions on old archive pages come last. Re-check Search Console after each release, since some reports take days or weeks to reflect fixes. Where Search Console offers a Validate Fix button for an issue, use it so Google rechecks the affected URLs and confirms the problem is resolved.
Sources and Further Reading
We link to the primary documentation so you can verify the details yourself.
- Page indexing report, Google Search Console Help
- URL Inspection tool, Google Search Console Help
- Introduction to robots.txt, Google Search Central
- How to specify a canonical URL, Google Search Central
- Understand JavaScript SEO basics, Google Search Central
Related Questions
How often should I run a technical SEO audit?
A full audit once or twice a year for most small and mid-sized sites, plus a focused check after any redesign, migration, platform change or large content launch. Review Search Console's Page indexing report monthly to catch new problems early.
What tools do I need for a technical SEO audit?
At minimum, Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools, a desktop site crawler, PageSpeed Insights and Google's Rich Results Test. Larger sites benefit from server log analysis to see exactly what search engine crawlers request.
Will fixing technical issues improve rankings right away?
Fixes that unblock important pages or resolve indexing problems can show results within days or weeks after recrawling. Improvements such as better internal linking or faster templates tend to have gradual effects, and they cannot make up for weak content.
Should I noindex or delete thin pages?
If a page has no value to visitors, delete it and return a 404 or 410, or redirect it to a closely related page if it has links or traffic. If it serves users but not search, such as a login page, noindex is appropriate.