Technical SEO Audit: A Step-by-Step Guide

A technical SEO audit is a check of the behind-the-scenes foundations that let Google find, read and rank your website — things like site speed, mobile usability, crawlability and indexing. Great content won't rank on a site Google can't properly read, which is why the technical audit comes first. Here's a clear, step-by-step way to run one.

1. Check crawlability and indexing

Start with the most basic question: can Google actually see your pages? Open Google Search Console and check the Pages report to see which URLs are indexed and which aren't — and why. Look for pages wrongly blocked by your robots.txt file or a stray "noindex" tag. If your important pages aren't indexed, nothing else matters until that's fixed.

2. Test your site speed and Core Web Vitals

Speed is both a ranking factor and a make-or-break for visitors. Run your key pages through a tool like PageSpeed Insights and look at your Core Web Vitals — the metrics Google uses for loading, interactivity and visual stability. Oversized images, bloated code and slow hosting are the usual culprits. A slow site loses rankings and customers at the same time.

3. Confirm mobile usability

Google ranks based on the mobile version of your site, and most Cameroonian users browse on phones. Check that your pages are fully responsive — text readable without zooming, buttons easy to tap, nothing cut off. A site that only looks good on desktop is quietly losing most of its audience.

4. Fix broken links and redirects

Broken links (404 errors) frustrate visitors and waste Google's crawl budget. Redirect chains — where one URL redirects to another, which redirects again — slow things down. Use a crawler to find both, then fix broken links and simplify redirects so each points straight to its final destination.

5. Review site structure and internal links

A clear structure helps Google understand which pages matter and how they relate. Check that your important pages are reachable in a few clicks, that you have a logical URL structure, and that pages link to each other sensibly. Look especially for "orphan" pages with no internal links pointing to them — Google may barely notice they exist.

6. Check your sitemap and structured data

Make sure you have an XML sitemap listing your important pages, and that it's submitted in Search Console. Then check your structured data (schema) — the code that helps Google understand your content and can earn rich results like FAQs and star ratings in the search listings.

7. Turn findings into a prioritised list

The audit's real value isn't the list of problems — it's knowing which to fix first. Prioritise by impact: issues blocking indexing come before minor speed tweaks. A technical audit that ends with a clear "do this first" plan is worth ten reports that just dump every warning on you. That prioritisation is exactly what we deliver in our SEO services.

Frequently asked questions

How often should I do a technical SEO audit?

A full audit once or twice a year is enough for most sites, plus a check before or after any big change like a redesign or migration. Ongoing monitoring in Search Console catches issues between audits.

Can I do a technical SEO audit myself?

You can run the basic checks — indexing, speed, mobile, broken links — with free tools. Interpreting the results and knowing which issues actually cost you rankings is where experience helps, especially on larger sites.

What's the difference between a technical audit and an SEO audit?

A technical audit focuses on the site's foundations (crawling, speed, indexing). A full SEO audit also covers content, keywords and authority. The technical audit is usually the starting point.

Want a technical audit that finds and fixes what's holding you back? See our SEO services or get a free review.