Technical SEO Audit: What Is It and How to Do It? Complete Guide
A technical SEO audit is a crucial step in optimizing your website and ensuring it ranks highly in search engines. According to HubSpot, 60% of the traffic generated by searches are in the first three results, and impressive 75% of users do not go beyond the first page. These numbers emphasize the importance of optimizing the technical aspects of your website to gain visibility. Being at the top can increase your conversion rate by up to 34.36%, significantly improving the chances of access to your website.
What is a Technical SEO Audit?
A technical SEO audit is the process of analyzing the technical elements of your website to ensure that it is optimized for search engines. This assessment is essential for identifying issues that could harm your website’s visibility and performance in search results.
Among the main aspects analyzed during an audit are:
- Site Speed: Slow pages impact user experience and rankings;
- Tracking and indexing: Checks whether search engines can access and understand your pages;
- Navigation problems: Issues like broken links or confusing menus;
- Security: Use of HTTPS and protection against vulnerabilities;
- Duplicate content: Avoids confusion in search engines and penalties;
- Responsiveness: Ensures a consistent experience across devices.
Why is Technical SEO Audit Important?
Investing in a technical SEO audit is essential to ensure that your website functions efficiently and that search engines can crawl, index, and display your pages correctly. Here are some reasons to perform this audit:
- Improve user experience: A fast, responsive website is more pleasant to browse;
- Avoid penalties: Issues like duplicate content or broken links can hurt your rankings;
- Increase security: The use of HTTPS and other protection measures are essential to gain the trust of visitors;
- Maximize organic visibility: Technically optimized websites have a better chance of reaching the top positions;
- Identify performance bottlenecks: Such as slow pages or crawl errors that affect digital presence.
How to Do a Technical SEO Audit?
Performing an audit may seem complicated, but with a structured plan, it becomes easier. Here is a complete step-by-step guide to help you understand how to perform a technical SEO audit:
1. Check Site Indexing
The first step is to make sure your site is properly indexed. Use tools like Google Search Console to identify common errors, such as:
- Pages blocked by the archive robots.txt;
- Tags noindex applied improperly;
- Problems in the XML sitemap.
These errors can prevent your pages from appearing in search results. Fixing these issues is essential to improving your site's visibility.
2. Test Website Speed
Website speed is crucial to user experience. Studies show that 47% of consumers expect charging to occur in 2 seconds or less. Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights are useful for measuring speed. They provide actionable suggestions such as:
- Image compression;
- Code optimization;
- Cache activation.
3. Analyze the URL Structure
A good URL structure is essential for both search engines and users. Organized URLs reflect the hierarchy of your site. Avoid using underscores (_) instead of hyphens (-). For example, instead of domain.com/?produto123=categoria45, use domain.com/product-name.
4. Check Structured Data
Structured data helps search engines better understand the content on your site. It is a snippet of code that organizes information. Optimizing it improves the chances of your pages standing out in search results. rich snippets. Use tools like Rich Results Test to check the configuration.
5. Review the XML Sitemap and Robots.txt
Make sure your XML sitemap is up to date and includes all important pages. Use tools like Google Search Console to submit and test your sitemap. In the case of robots.txt, set it to only block pages that are not useful for ranking.
6. Audit Internal and External Links
Internal and external links play a key role in SEO optimization. An internal link audit should ensure that all important pages are linked. Use tools like Screaming Frog and Ahrefs to identify broken links.
7. Check Mobile Compatibility
With 99% of Brazilians accessing the internet via cell phone, mobile compatibility is essential. Google prioritizes responsive websites. Use tools like Small SEO Tools to test the responsiveness of your website.
8. Review SSL and Website Security
Website security is one of the pillars of technical SEO. Using a certificate SSL is crucial. Secure sites transmitting https are prioritized by Google. Therefore, it is essential to ensure that your website is protected.
Common Mistakes in Technical SEO and How to Fix Them
Some websites face technical issues that affect performance, such as:
- Slow loading pages;
- Lack of an updated sitemap;
- Broken links.
Fixing these issues requires detailed analysis. Small improvements can make a big difference in visibility and performance.
Tools for Technical SEO Auditing
Performing a technical SEO audit can be made easier with specialized tools. Free options like Google Search Console and PageSpeed Insights are valuable. For more in-depth analysis, consider paid tools like Semrush and Ahrefs.
When to Hire an SEO Agency?
If the technical issues seem complex, hiring an SEO consultancy may be the solution. Specialized agencies have the expertise to identify problems quickly. This can save resources and maximize results.
Therefore, performing a technical SEO audit is an essential step to ensure the digital success of your website. If you need help optimizing your website, Contact Quick Commerce and discover how SEO consulting can transform your business.
