Technical SEO Audit Framework: Step-by-Step Site Health Check

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Behind every top-ranking website is a strong technical SEO foundation. While content earns authority, technical SEO ensures that search engines can find, crawl, understand, and index it effectively. Without a healthy site infrastructure, even the best content strategy struggles to perform.

Technical SEO doesn’t boost rankings directly — it removes the barriers that stop you from ranking.

This framework provides a practical, repeatable process for performing a full site health audit — from crawlability to Core Web Vitals — ensuring your site performs efficiently, loads fast, and communicates meaning clearly to Google’s crawlers and AI systems.

What Is a Technical SEO Audit?

A technical SEO audit → analyses → how search engines access, interpret, and evaluate your website.

Unlike content audits, which focus on topics and quality, a technical audit focuses on structure, speed, signals, and systems.

Key pillars include:

Crawlability: Can Googlebot reach every page?
Indexation: Are only the right URLs indexed?
Site Speed & Core Web Vitals: Does your site load fast enough?
Architecture: Is internal linking logical and scalable?
Security & Schema: Is your site secure and semantically rich?

A well-audited site is a discoverable site.

/eael accordion: Why Is Technical SEO Still Critical in 2025?
Because Google’s AI systems (MUM, RankBrain, SGE) still rely on structured, efficient site data. Semantic content performs best when your site architecture is technically flawless. Technical SEO ensures your topical authority is visible and indexable.

Step 1: Crawl Your Website

Crawling → reveals → how search engines experience your site.

Use tools like Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, or JetOctopus to perform a full crawl.

Collect insights on:

Broken internal/external links (404s).
Redirect chains and loops.
Missing or duplicate title tags and metas.
Canonical tag consistency.
Robots.txt and sitemap integrity.

Export results into Google Sheets or Looker Studio for comparison over time.

If crawlers can’t see it, users never will.

What’s the Ideal Crawl Frequency?

Run a full crawl every month for large sites, and quarterly for smaller ones. Automate this via n8n or Make.com to detect sudden changes in URL health.

Step 2: Check Indexation and Coverage

Indexation → determines → what appears in search results.

Access Google Search Console → Pages (Indexing) to review:

Indexed Pages: Should all be intentional.
Excluded Pages: Investigate if key URLs are missing.
Crawl Anomalies: Address “Discovered – currently not indexed” or “Duplicate without user-selected canonical.”

For deeper index analysis, use Ahrefs’ Site Explorer to verify which pages actually rank and which exist without impressions.

Indexation isn’t about quantity — it’s about control.

What Causes Pages to Be Excluded from Indexing?

Thin content, blocked resources, duplicate content, canonical errors, or crawl budget inefficiency. Google prioritises pages it deems valuable, so irrelevant or repetitive pages are skipped.

Step 3: Audit Site Architecture

Site architecture → structures → how authority flows through your site.

A strong internal structure ensures both search engines and users can navigate intuitively.

Check:

Logical hierarchy (Homepage → Category → Subpage).
Consistent internal linking between related entities.
Clean URL structures (no excessive parameters).
Breadcrumb navigation with proper schema markup.

Use your Internal Linking Framework to strengthen contextual bridges between content clusters.

Your site architecture is your SEO infrastructure.

What’s the Ideal Click Depth?

Important pages should be accessible within 3 clicks from the homepage. Deeper pages risk being ignored by crawlers and users alike.

Step 4: Analyse Page Speed and Core Web Vitals

Speed → influences → both rankings and user satisfaction.

Audit your Core Web Vitals using:

PageSpeed Insights (LCP, CLS, FID/INP).
Lighthouse Reports.
Chrome UX Report (CrUX).

Target thresholds for 2025:

LCP (Largest Contentful Paint): < 2.5s
CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): < 0.1
INP (Interaction to Next Paint): < 200ms

Optimise by compressing images, minifying JavaScript, and enabling caching/CDN delivery.

A fast site converts faster and ranks longer.

Does Core Web Vitals Affect Rankings Directly?

Yes, but moderately. Google uses CWV as a tiebreaker. When content quality is equal, faster sites win.

Step 5: Review Mobile Usability and Responsiveness

Mobile optimisation → ensures → accessibility across devices.

Check using Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test and Search Console → Mobile Usability Report for:

Overlapping or too-small tap targets.
Text readability issues.
Broken layouts or misplaced images.

Ensure design consistency across breakpoints and avoid intrusive interstitials (pop-ups).

Mobile-first indexing means your mobile site is your site.

Should You Use AMP in 2025?

AMP is largely deprecated. Focus on Core Web Vitals and responsive design instead.

Step 6: Validate Canonicals, Redirects, and Duplicates

Canonicalisation → prevents → content dilution and duplication.

Check that:

Every page has a self-referencing canonical.
Canonicals are consistent with internal linking targets.
Redirects use 301s (not 302s for permanent moves).
Duplicate pages or UTM variants are properly consolidated.

Run site-level duplicate content checks using Screaming Frog or Sitebulb.

Canonicals are your signal of intent to Google.

How Do You Handle Pagination Canonicals?

Use rel=”next” and rel=”prev” only for UX continuity. Canonicalise page 2+ back to the root collection to avoid splitting equity.

Step 7: Evaluate Structured Data and Schema Markup

Schema → translates → meaning to machines.

Audit your schema using Google’s Rich Results Test and Schema.org Validator.

Ensure proper implementation of:

Organization, Person, and WebPage schema.
Breadcrumb, FAQ, and Article schema for content.
Product or Review schema for commercial pages.
sameAs links for entity verification.

Integrate schema strategy with your Entity Optimisation Framework.

Structured data bridges human intent and algorithmic understanding.

Can Incorrect Schema Hurt SEO?

Yes. Invalid or spammy markup can trigger manual actions or loss of rich results. Always validate before deployment.

Step 8: Check Crawl Budget and Log Files

Crawl efficiency → impacts → discovery speed and indexing priority.

Analyse server log files (via tools like JetOctopus or Screaming Frog Log File Analyser) to identify:

Pages crawled most frequently.
Wasteful crawls on noindex or irrelevant URLs.
Slow or blocked resources.

Optimise crawl paths by fixing broken links and updating XML sitemaps regularly.

Optimised crawl budget means Google spends time where it matters.

How Can You Improve Crawl Efficiency?

Consolidate duplicate URLs.
Limit faceted navigation.
Use internal links to signal priority.
Keep sitemaps clean and updated.

Step 9: Audit Site Security and Technical Integrity

Security → underpins → user trust and data integrity.

Check:

HTTPS enforced sitewide.
Valid SSL certificates.
No mixed-content warnings.
Updated CMS, plugins, and dependencies.

Add HSTS headers and ensure cookies comply with GDPR.

Secure sites signal credibility to both users and algorithms.

Does HTTPS Still Impact SEO in 2025?

Yes, though it’s now a baseline expectation. Lack of HTTPS is a negative signal, especially for transactional or data-collection sites.

Step 10: Compile, Report, and Prioritise Fixes

Reporting → turns → audits into actions.

Create a Technical SEO Dashboard in Looker Studio, combining:

Crawl data (Screaming Frog).
CWV metrics (PageSpeed API).
Indexation coverage (Search Console).
Error logs (server data).

Categorise fixes by impact and effort:

High Impact / Low Effort: Meta duplicates, 404s, sitemap clean-up.
High Impact / High Effort: Site structure rebuilds, Core Web Vitals optimisation.
Low Impact: Minor redirect loops, non-critical errors.

Audits are worthless unless they lead to implementation.

How Often Should You Run a Technical SEO Audit?

Perform a full audit quarterly and a light audit monthly. Schedule automatic reports with Make.com or n8n to detect anomalies early.

Conclusion

The Technical SEO Audit Framework is your diagnostic system for long-term website performance. By maintaining crawlability, indexation control, speed, and structure, you build a technical foundation that amplifies every content and link strategy you deploy.

Next step:
Use this framework alongside your Content Audit Template and Internal Linking Framework to achieve full technical and semantic optimisation.

A healthy site is a visible site — and visibility drives growth.

Kasra Dash

Kasra Dash is a UK-based SEO and digital strategist known for link building, content systems, and running The Masterminders conference.

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