Most websites that struggle in Google do not have a content problem. They have a technical problem that stops good content from being crawled, indexed or trusted. Before I write a single keyword plan for a client, I run a technical SEO audit. This is the checklist I use, in the order I work through it.
1. Crawling and indexing
If Google cannot crawl and index your pages, nothing else matters. I start here every time.
- Index coverage in Google Search Console. I check the Pages report for pages marked “Crawled, currently not indexed” or “Discovered, currently not indexed”. A high number usually points to thin content, duplicate pages or weak internal linking.
- robots.txt. I make sure it is not blocking important folders, CSS or JavaScript files.
- Noindex tags. Staging sites often go live with a sitewide noindex left on. It happens more than you would think.
- XML sitemap. It should list only indexable, canonical URLs that return a 200 status, and it should be submitted in Search Console.
- Canonical tags. Every page should point to itself or to the correct preferred version, never to a redirected or broken URL.
2. Site structure and internal links
Google discovers and values pages through links. A clear structure helps both users and crawlers.
- Important pages should be reachable within three clicks of the homepage.
- I look for orphan pages, pages with no internal links pointing to them.
- Anchor text should describe the destination page, not just say “click here”.
- Category and service pages should link to their supporting articles, and those articles should link back.
3. Broken links and redirects
- Internal links that return 404 errors waste crawl budget and frustrate visitors.
- Redirect chains (A to B to C) slow down crawling. Every redirect should go straight to the final URL.
- Old URLs with backlinks should use 301 redirects to the most relevant live page, not all to the homepage.
4. Page speed and Core Web Vitals
Speed affects rankings and conversions. I test key templates (homepage, service page, blog post) with PageSpeed Insights and the Core Web Vitals report in Search Console.
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): usually fixed by compressing and properly sizing hero images, and by using good hosting and caching.
- Interaction to Next Paint (INP): often caused by heavy JavaScript from page builders, sliders and third-party scripts.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): fixed by setting image dimensions and reserving space for ads and embeds.
5. Mobile usability
Google indexes the mobile version of your site first. I check that text is readable without zooming, buttons are easy to tap, and no content is hidden or missing on mobile.
6. On-page basics at scale
Using a crawler like Screaming Frog, I review every page for:
- Missing, duplicate or overly long title tags
- Missing or duplicate meta descriptions
- Pages with no H1, or more than one H1
- Images without alt text
- Thin pages with very little unique content
7. Duplicate content
Duplicate content confuses Google about which page to rank. Common causes are www and non-www versions both loading, HTTP and HTTPS both loading, tag and archive pages, and URL parameters from filters. Each should be consolidated with redirects or canonical tags.
8. HTTPS and security
Every page should load over HTTPS with no mixed-content warnings. I also check that the site has no security issues or manual actions listed in Search Console.
9. Structured data
Schema markup helps Google understand your content and can unlock rich results. I check for valid Organization, LocalBusiness, Article, FAQ, Product or Breadcrumb schema where relevant, and test it with Google’s Rich Results Test.
10. Turning the audit into an action plan
An audit is only useful if it leads to action. I never hand clients a 100-page tool export. Instead, every issue gets ranked by impact and effort, so the fixes that will move rankings the most get done first. A typical plan looks like this:
- Critical: indexing blocks, sitewide noindex, broken redirects on high-value pages
- High: Core Web Vitals failures, duplicate content, orphan pages
- Medium: title and meta description issues, missing schema
- Low: minor alt text and formatting fixes
Need a technical SEO audit?
If your traffic has dropped or your pages are not ranking the way they should, I can run this full audit on your website and give you a clear, prioritized fix list. See my audit pricing or get in touch.