# Technical SEO audit checklist

- Source: https://simeoncreatives.com/resources/technical-seo-audit-checklist
- Hub: SEO, GEO & Digital Marketing

A structured pass for crawl, indexation, Core Web Vitals, structured data, and measurement. Use before a redesign, after a migration, or as a quarterly health check.

## 1. Crawl access & discovery

- [ ] robots.txt allows money paths and does not block CSS/JS needed to render
- [ ] XML sitemap lists only 200 indexable URLs; submitted in Google Search Console
- [ ] One preferred host (https + www or non-www); others 301 to it
- [ ] Staging / preview / parameter junk is noindex or blocked; production is indexable
- [ ] Crawl of production shows no critical 4xx/5xx on linked money pages
  Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, or equivalent.

## 2. Indexation & duplicates

- [ ] Self-referencing or correct canonicals on templates; no conflicting signals
- [ ] Titles and H1s are unique on key templates (home, services, hubs, top product/category pages)
- [ ] Facet, sort, and session parameters are canonicalized or noindexed as designed
- [ ] Search Console Pages report reviewed; soft 404s and “crawled – not indexed” investigated
- [ ] If multilingual, hreflang pairs are reciprocal and match live locales (or N/A marked)

## 3. Structure, links & content graph

- [ ] Important pages are reachable within a few clicks from home (no orphans)
- [ ] Hubs and spokes cross-link with descriptive anchors (not “click here”)
- [ ] Nav/footer links match real destinations; dead or redirect chains removed
- [ ] Thin tag/archive/doorway URLs are noindexed or consolidated

## 4. Performance & Core Web Vitals

- [ ] Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) is in a healthy range on key templates (field data preferred)
- [ ] Interaction to Next Paint (INP) is not degraded by heavy third-party scripts
- [ ] Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) controlled: images/embeds sized; late banners reviewed
- [ ] Time to First Byte (TTFB) is acceptable at the edge or origin for primary markets
- [ ] Mobile usability checked; viewport and tap targets sane on money pages

## 5. Structured data & AI discoverability

- [ ] JSON-LD matches visible content (Organization, WebSite, Article/BlogPosting, FAQ where used)
- [ ] Sample URLs pass Rich Results / schema validation after template changes
- [ ] Primary content is in the first HTML response (not blank SPA shell for bots)
- [ ] FAQPage schema only mirrors FAQs actually shown on the page

## 6. Local & ecommerce extras (if applicable)

- [ ] Google Business Profile categories, service areas, NAP, and hours match the site
  Skip if you have no local/service-area presence.
- [ ] LocalBusiness / ProfessionalService schema aligns with contact details
- [ ] Product + Offer schema is truthful on PDPs (price, availability, currency)
  Skip if you are not running a catalog.
- [ ] Facet URL rules documented and enforced (index only curated landings)

## 7. Measurement close-out

- [ ] Correct Search Console property verified; sitemap Success status confirmed
- [ ] Analytics (or equivalent) tracks organic landings and key conversions
- [ ] Issues logged with owner, severity, and due date (not a screenshot graveyard)
- [ ] Re-crawl / re-check scheduled after fixes ship

## Related guides

- [Technical SEO beginner's guide](https://simeoncreatives.com/blog/technical-seo-beginners-guide)
- [The modern SEO tool stack](https://simeoncreatives.com/blog/modern-seo-tool-stack-guide)
- [Complete guide to SEO](https://simeoncreatives.com/blog/the-complete-guide-to-search-engine-optimization)
- [GEO / RAG site architecture](https://simeoncreatives.com/blog/technical-site-architecture-rag-ai-engines)