SEO Technical Audit Checklist 2025: What to Fix for Better Rankings

If your site isn’t ranking despite having great content and backlinks, chances are you’re dealing with technical SEO issues. These behind-the-scenes factors are what make your site crawlable, indexable, and usable—and they play a huge role in search engine optimization and how Google ranks your pages.

At Alex Furfaro SEO Consulting, we’ve audited hundreds of websites across industries, identifying and fixing the hidden issues that silently kill rankings. This 2025 SEO technical audit checklist covers the most critical areas to review so your site performs at its best.

Why a Technical SEO Audit Matters More Than Ever in 2025

Google’s algorithm is increasingly focused on user experience, speed, mobile performance, and technical precision. If your site is slow, hard to crawl, or misconfigured, no amount of content will get you to the top.

Here’s what a strong technical foundation gives you:

• Easier crawling and indexing by search engines
• Faster load times and better UX metrics
• Higher trust signals via security and clean architecture
• Better performance in Core Web Vitals and SERP features

Let’s get into the checklist.

1. Crawlability and Indexation

🔹 Make Sure Search Engines Can Crawl Your Site

• Check your robots.txt file (block only what should be private)
• Use Google Search Console to spot crawl errors
• Ensure important pages aren’t mistakenly blocked

🔹 Submit and Optimize Your Sitemap

• Submit XML sitemaps in Google Search Console
• Keep your sitemap clean—only include canonical, indexable URLs
• Split large sitemaps into manageable chunks if needed

🔹 Use a Crawl Tool

Use tools like Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, or Ahrefs Site Audit to simulate how search engines view your site.

2. Page Speed and Core Web Vitals

🔹 Run Your Site Through PageSpeed Insights

Pay attention to:

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
• First Input Delay (FID)
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)

🔹 Fix Common Speed Bottlenecks

• Compress images and use next-gen formats (e.g., WebP)
• Minify CSS, JS, and HTML
• Use lazy loading for images and videos
• Implement a fast, secure hosting environment
• Leverage browser caching and CDN delivery

3. Mobile Optimization

🔹 Ensure Mobile-Friendly Design

• Test with Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool
• Use responsive design—not separate mobile URLs
• Avoid elements that break on small screens (popups, large tables)

🔹 Optimize web design for Mobile UX

• Make buttons easy to tap
• Use legible font sizes
• Ensure content isn’t cut off or hidden

4. HTTPS and Site Security

🔹 HTTPS Is Non-Negotiable

• Every page must be served over HTTPS
• No mixed content (HTTP resources on HTTPS pages)
• Your SSL certificate should be valid and auto-renewed

Google has explicitly stated that HTTPS is a ranking factor. Security also improves user trust.

5. Redirects and Canonical Tags

🔹 Fix Redirect Chains and Loops

• Redirects should go directly from point A to B (no chains A > B > C > D, etc…)
• Avoid 302 redirects for permanent changes—use 301s

🔹 Use Canonical Tags Correctly

• Every page should point to its own canonical (unless duplicating)
• Prevent duplicate content from diluting your SEO value
• Double-check for conflicting canonicals vs. sitemap/index settings

6. Structured Data and Schema Markup

🔹 Implement Schema Where It Makes Sense

• Blog Posts → Article schema
• Local Business → LocalBusiness schema
• Products → Product schema
• FAQs → FAQPage schema
• Reviews → Review or AggregateRating schema

Use Google’s Rich Results Test to verify your markup.
Structured data helps your content qualify for featured snippets and rich SERP enhancements.

7. Broken Links and 404 Errors

🔹 Identify Internal and External Broken Links

Use tools like Ahrefs or Screaming Frog to find 404s and broken links.

• Fix or redirect broken internal links
• Update or remove broken outbound links
• Create custom 404 pages that guide users back into your site

8. Thin and Duplicate Content

🔹 Audit for Low-Value Pages

• Pages with <300 words may not be offering enough value
• Use content consolidation for similar or overlapping topics
• Check for duplicate content with tools like Siteliner or Copyscape

🔹 Check for Internal Duplication

• Tag archives, search results, and pagination can cause internal duplicate issues
• Use noindex or canonical tags where needed

9. Crawl Depth and Site Architecture

🔹 Keep Important Pages Within 3 Clicks

• Flatten deep site structures
• Link top-performing pages from your homepage or main nav

🔹 Use Breadcrumbs and Clean URLs

• Breadcrumbs improve user navigation and internal linking
• Use short, keyword-relevant URLs
• Avoid excessive parameters and session IDs

10. JavaScript and Rendering Issues

🔹 Can Google Render Your Content?

Use the “Inspect URL” tool in Search Console to test how Google sees your JavaScript-rendered pages.

If your main content loads via JS (especially on SPAs), make sure it’s rendered server-side or pre-rendered.

🔹 Audit With Google’s Mobile Crawler

What works for desktop might fail on mobile. Always verify that content loads properly on both crawlers.

11. Orphan Pages and Internal Linking

🔹 Every Indexable Page Needs Links

• Identify orphaned pages (those with no internal links)
• Link relevant content clusters together
• Use descriptive anchor text that includes target keywords

Orphan pages often go unnoticed by Google—and users.

12. Index Bloat

🔹 Keep Google Focused on Your Best Content

• Noindex tag on thin, duplicate, or low-value pages
• Block faceted navigation or filtered URLs from being indexed
• Audit indexed pages in Search Console > Pages report

A bloated index can dilute authority and waste crawl budget.

13. Monitor SEO Errors Regularly

🔹 Use These Tools Consistently:

• Google Search Console: Monitor indexation, errors, Core Web Vitals
• Ahrefs or SEMrush Site Audit: Deeper insights into health and issues
• Screaming Frog: Technical and crawl depth analysis
• GTmetrix: Page speed monitoring

Set a quarterly technical audit cadence—or more often for large or dynamic sites.

When to Bring in a Technical SEO Consultant

Some issues—like JavaScript rendering, schema misfires, or canonical conflicts—can be hard to diagnose without experience.
At Alex Furfaro SEO Consulting, we provide deep-dive technical audits, full implementation plans, and performance tracking to keep your SEO on solid ground.

Final Thoughts: Don’t Skip the Technical SEO

Content and backlinks get all the attention—but technical SEO is the bedrock of high search rankings.
Without a clean, crawlable, and fast site, even the best strategies will fall short.

If you’re unsure what’s holding your site back, book a technical SEO audit with us. We’ll uncover the issues, fix what matters, and help you move up the rankings in 2025.

Contact us today for more help.

FAQ

How often should I do a technical SEO audit?
At minimum, once per quarter. For large, frequently updated websites, once per month is ideal.

What’s the difference between a technical audit and a content audit?
A technical audit focuses on crawlability, speed, indexation, and code structure. A content audit focuses on keyword targeting, value, and optimization.

Do Core Web Vitals affect rankings in 2025?
Yes. Google continues to use CWV as part of its page experience signals, especially LCP, FID (now INP), and CLS.

Can I do a technical audit myself?
Basic audits can be done with tools like GSC and Screaming Frog. But for complex sites or persistent issues, a professional audit is worth the investment.