Technical SEO Audit: Fix Critical Issues

💡 Key Point: Technical SEO issues often have the biggest impact on rankings because they can prevent Google from even discovering or understanding your content. Fixing these issues should be your first priority.

🚫 Issue #1: Pages Blocked from Crawling

Symptoms: Important pages not appearing in Google Search Console's coverage report

How to Check:

• Google Search Console → Coverage → Excluded tab
• Look for "Blocked by robots.txt" errors

How to Fix:

• Review your robots.txt file (yoursite.com/robots.txt)
• Remove any Disallow directives blocking important pages
• Test changes using Google Search Console's robots.txt Tester

🕷️ Issue #2: Orphaned Pages

Symptoms: Pages exist but aren't linked from anywhere on your site

How to Check:

• Use SEO PowerSuite or Semrush Site Audit
• Compare XML sitemap URLs with crawled pages
• Look for pages with zero internal links

How to Fix:

• Add internal links from relevant pages
• Include in navigation if appropriate
• Link from category or hub pages
• Consider deleting if truly orphaned and unimportant

⚡ Issue #3: Slow Server Response Time

Symptoms: Google Search Console shows "Crawled - currently not indexed" or slow crawl rate

How to Check:

• Google Search Console → Settings → Crawl Stats
• Check average response time (should be under 200ms)

How to Fix:

• Upgrade hosting if on shared hosting
• Implement server-side caching
• Optimize database queries
• Use a CDN for static resources

🔍 Issue #1: Noindex Tags on Important Pages

Symptoms: Pages aren't showing up in search results despite being crawled

How to Check:

• View page source and search for: <meta name="robots" content="noindex">
• Check HTTP headers for: X-Robots-Tag: noindex
• Google Search Console → Coverage → Excluded → "Excluded by 'noindex' tag"

How to Fix:

• Remove noindex meta tags from pages you want indexed
• Remove X-Robots-Tag headers from server configuration
• Request re-indexing in Google Search Console after fixing

📄 Issue #2: Thin or Low-Quality Content

Symptoms: Pages crawled but labeled "Crawled - currently not indexed"

How to Check:

• Google Search Console → Coverage → Excluded
• Review pages with minimal content (under 300 words)
• Check for duplicate or near-duplicate content

How to Fix:

• Expand thin content with more valuable information
• Consolidate similar pages into comprehensive resources
• Add noindex to genuinely low-value pages (thank you pages, etc.)
• Delete pages that serve no purpose

# Allow all crawlers to access everything
User-agent: *
Allow: /

# Block specific directories
Disallow: /admin/
Disallow: /private/
Disallow: /wp-admin/

# Sitemap location
Sitemap: https://yoursite.com/sitemap.xml

❌ Mistake #1: Blocking CSS and JavaScript

Bad:

User-agent: *
Disallow: /css/
Disallow: /js/

Why it's bad: Google needs CSS and JavaScript to render your pages properly. Blocking these prevents Google from seeing your site as users do.

Fix: Remove these Disallow rules or use Allow to explicitly permit them.

❌ Mistake #2: Blocking Entire Site Accidentally

Bad:

User-agent: *
Disallow: /

Why it's bad: This blocks all crawlers from accessing your entire website!

Fix: Change to Allow: / or remove the Disallow line entirely.

# General crawlers
User-agent: *
Allow: /
Disallow: /admin/
Disallow: /cart/
Disallow: /checkout/
Disallow: /search/
Disallow: /*?s=
Disallow: /*?p=

# Sitemap
Sitemap: https://yoursite.com/sitemap.xml
Sitemap: https://yoursite.com/sitemap-images.xml

⚡ Pro Tip: Use Google Search Console's robots.txt Tester (Settings → robots.txt) to verify your file is working correctly before deploying changes to production.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
  <url>
    <loc>https://yoursite.com/</loc>
    <lastmod>2025-01-15</lastmod>
    <changefreq>weekly</changefreq>
    <priority>1.0</priority>
  </url>
  <url>
    <loc>https://yoursite.com/important-page/</loc>
    <lastmod>2025-01-10</lastmod>
    <changefreq>monthly</changefreq>
    <priority>0.8</priority>
  </url>
</urlset>

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<sitemapindex xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
  <sitemap>
    <loc>https://yoursite.com/sitemap-posts.xml</loc>
    <lastmod>2025-01-15</lastmod>
  </sitemap>
  <sitemap>
    <loc>https://yoursite.com/sitemap-pages.xml</loc>
    <lastmod>2025-01-15</lastmod>
  </sitemap>
  <sitemap>
    <loc>https://yoursite.com/sitemap-products.xml</loc>
    <lastmod>2025-01-15</lastmod>
  </sitemap>
</sitemapindex>

Homepage
├── Category 1
│   ├── Subcategory 1.1
│   │   ├── Product/Article 1
│   │   └── Product/Article 2
│   └── Subcategory 1.2
│       ├── Product/Article 3
│       └── Product/Article 4
├── Category 2
│   ├── Product/Article 5
│   └── Product/Article 6
└── Category 3
    └── Product/Article 7

1. Keep Important Pages Shallow

The 3-Click Rule: Users (and crawlers) should be able to reach any page within 3 clicks from the homepage.

Why it matters: Pages deeper in your site structure receive less link equity and may be crawled less frequently.

How to check: Use crawling tools like SEO PowerSuite to visualize click depth.

2. Use Descriptive URLs

Good: yoursite.com/seo/technical-audit/

Bad: yoursite.com/p?id=12345

URL structure should reflect your site hierarchy and be readable by humans.

3. Implement Breadcrumb Navigation

Breadcrumbs show users (and search engines) where they are in your site hierarchy:

Home > SEO Tutorials > Technical SEO Audit

Breadcrumbs also appear in search results, improving click-through rates.

4. Create Topic Clusters

Organize related content around pillar pages:

• Pillar Page: Comprehensive guide on a broad topic (e.g., "Complete SEO Guide")
• Cluster Content: Detailed articles on specific subtopics (e.g., "Technical SEO," "Link Building," "Keyword Research")
• Internal Linking: Cluster articles link to pillar page and each other

This structure helps establish topical authority and improves rankings for competitive terms.

1. HTTP vs HTTPS Versions

If both versions are accessible, you have duplicate content:

• http://yoursite.com
• https://yoursite.com

Fix: Implement 301 redirects from HTTP to HTTPS and update internal links.

2. WWW vs Non-WWW Versions

Choose one version and redirect the other:

• www.yoursite.com
• yoursite.com

Fix: Pick your preferred version in Google Search Console and set up 301 redirects.

3. URL Parameters

Different parameters creating duplicate versions:

• yoursite.com/product
• yoursite.com/product?color=blue
• yoursite.com/product?sort=price

Fix: Use canonical tags or configure URL parameters in Google Search Console.

4. Trailing Slash Issues

Be consistent with trailing slashes:

• yoursite.com/page/
• yoursite.com/page

Fix: Choose one format and redirect the other using .htaccess or server configuration.

5. Pagination

E-commerce and blog sites often have duplicate content across paginated pages.

Fix: Use rel="prev" and rel="next" tags, or consolidate onto a single page with "Load More" functionality.

<link rel="canonical" href="https://yoursite.com/preferred-url/" />

❌ Mistake #1: Canonical Pointing to Noindexed Page

Don't set a canonical tag pointing to a page with a noindex directive. This sends conflicting signals.

Fix: Either remove the canonical or remove the noindex tag.

❌ Mistake #2: Multiple Canonical Tags

Having more than one canonical tag on a page causes Google to ignore all of them.

Fix: Ensure only one canonical tag exists per page.

❌ Mistake #3: Canonical to 404 or Redirected Page

Canonical tags should only point to accessible pages that return 200 status codes.

Fix: Update canonical to point to the final, working URL.

<!-- On page: https://yoursite.com/page/ -->
<link rel="canonical" href="https://yoursite.com/page/" />

🔴 High Priority: Internal 404s

Internal links on your site pointing to pages that don't exist. These must be fixed!

Impact: Wastes crawl budget, poor user experience, broken navigation

🟡 Medium Priority: Previously Ranked Pages

Pages that used to rank and receive traffic but now return 404.

Impact: Lost rankings, lost traffic, lost backlink value

🟢 Low Priority: Never-Existed URLs

Random URLs from typos, spam bots, or external sites with incorrect links.

Impact: Minimal - these are normal and can often be ignored

Step 1: Purchase and Install SSL Certificate

• Get SSL from your hosting provider (often free with Let's Encrypt)
• Or purchase from certificate authorities like Comodo, DigiCert
• Install on your server (your host can usually help)
• Verify it's working by visiting https://yoursite.com

Step 2: Update Internal Links

• Update all internal links to use HTTPS
• Update canonical tags to HTTPS versions
• Update image and resource URLs
• Search and replace in database if needed

Step 3: Set Up 301 Redirects

• Redirect all HTTP URLs to HTTPS equivalents
• Use server-side redirects (.htaccess for Apache)
• Redirect individual pages, not just to homepage

Step 4: Update External Services

• Update Google Search Console (add HTTPS property)
• Update Google Analytics
• Update social media profile links
• Update third-party integrations

Step 5: Monitor and Test

• Check for mixed content warnings (HTTP resources on HTTPS pages)
• Use SSL Labs to test your SSL configuration
• Monitor Google Search Console for errors
• Verify analytics tracking works correctly

⚠️ Mixed Content Warnings

Problem: HTTPS page loading HTTP resources (images, CSS, JS)

Fix: Update all resource URLs to use HTTPS or protocol-relative URLs (//)

Check: Browser developer console will show mixed content warnings

Crawling & Indexing

• ☐ Verify Google can crawl important pages (Google Search Console)
• ☐ Check for crawl errors in Search Console
• ☐ Review robots.txt file for blocking issues
• ☐ Ensure no noindex tags on important pages
• ☐ Check for orphaned pages (no internal links)
• ☐ Verify XML sitemap is submitted and error-free
• ☐ Review indexation status (Coverage report)
• ☐ Check crawl budget usage (Crawl Stats)

Site Structure

• ☐ Verify logical URL structure
• ☐ Check click depth (max 3 clicks from homepage)
• ☐ Implement breadcrumb navigation
• ☐ Create topic clusters around pillar content
• ☐ Ensure proper internal linking
• ☐ Review navigation hierarchy

Duplicate Content

• ☐ Check for HTTP vs HTTPS duplicates
• ☐ Check for www vs non-www duplicates
• ☐ Review URL parameter handling
• ☐ Check for trailing slash inconsistencies
• ☐ Audit pagination implementation
• ☐ Run duplicate content checker

Canonical Tags

• ☐ Verify all pages have canonical tags
• ☐ Check for self-referencing canonicals
• ☐ Ensure canonicals use absolute URLs
• ☐ Check no canonical chains exist
• ☐ Verify canonicals don't point to noindexed pages
• ☐ Ensure only one canonical per page

404 Errors & Redirects

• ☐ Identify all 404 errors (Google Search Console + crawl)
• ☐ Fix internal links to 404 pages
• ☐ Set up 301 redirects for valuable 404s
• ☐ Create helpful custom 404 page
• ☐ Check for redirect chains
• ☐ Audit redirect loops
• ☐ Update redirects to final destinations

HTTPS & Security

• ☐ Verify SSL certificate is valid
• ☐ Check all pages load via HTTPS
• ☐ Set up HTTP to HTTPS redirects
• ☐ Check for mixed content warnings
• ☐ Update internal links to HTTPS
• ☐ Test SSL configuration (SSL Labs)
• ☐ Implement HSTS header (optional)

💡 Recommended Approach: Start with Google Search Console and Screaming Frog's free version. As your site grows, invest in SEO PowerSuite or Semrush for more comprehensive auditing and ongoing monitoring.