Technical SEO Audit

What You'll Need

Access to Screaming Frog SEO Spider (free version works for sites under 500 URLs), Sitebulb account with active crawl credits, Google Search Console property verification for your domain, and basic familiarity with HTML status codes and technical SEO concepts. Ensure you have server access or can coordinate with your development team for any fixes requiring backend changes.

Step 1: Set Up Deep Site Crawl in Screaming Frog

Time: 20 minutes | Tool: Screaming Frog Launch Screaming Frog and enter your domain in the URL field. Before starting, configure the crawler settings by going to Configuration > Spider > Limits and setting a reasonable crawl limit based on your site size (start with 10,000 URLs for large sites). Enable JavaScript rendering under Configuration > Spider > Rendering if your site uses JavaScript for content or navigation. In the Advanced tab, enable "Store HTML" and "Store Headers" to capture detailed response data. Set up custom extraction rules under Configuration > Custom to pull specific elements like meta descriptions, H1 tags, and canonical URLs. This data becomes crucial for identifying duplicate content and missing optimization elements. Start the crawl and let it run completely - resist the urge to stop early as incomplete crawls miss critical deep-page issues.

Step 2: Analyze Crawl Accessibility Issues

Time: 45 minutes | Tool: Screaming Frog Review the Response Codes tab first, filtering for 4xx and 5xx errors. Export the "4xx Client Error" and "5xx Server Error" tabs to spreadsheets. Focus on high-priority pages returning errors - product pages, category pages, and previously well-ranking content. Check the "Redirect Chains" tab under Directives for chains longer than 3 redirects, which waste crawl budget and dilute page authority. Examine the "Blocked by robots.txt" section to ensure important pages aren't accidentally blocked. Cross-reference blocked URLs with your sitemap to identify conflicts. In the Images tab, look for large image files over 1MB and images returning 4xx errors. These technical issues directly impact user experience and search engine crawling efficiency.

Step 3: Audit Site Architecture and Internal Linking

Time: 30 minutes | Tool: Screaming Frog Navigate to the Internal tab and sort by "Inlinks" to identify orphaned pages with zero internal links. Export pages with only 1-2 internal links, as these likely lack proper internal link authority distribution. Use the "Crawl Depth" filter to find important pages buried more than 3-4 clicks from the homepage - these pages struggle to rank due to poor accessibility. Examine the "No Meta Description" and "Missing H1" reports under the Overview tab. Export these lists and prioritize fixing pages that receive organic traffic but lack these basic optimization elements. Check the "Duplicate Title Tags" section to identify pages competing against each other in search results.

Step 4: Run Comprehensive Sitebulb Analysis

Time: 40 minutes | Tool: Sitebulb Create a new project in Sitebulb and configure it for a thorough audit by enabling all audit categories: Technical SEO, Content, Links, and Accessibility. Set the crawl to "Full Website Audit" mode and include external links analysis. Enter your domain and any relevant subdomains that should be included in the audit. Under Advanced Settings, enable Log File Analysis if you have server log access - this reveals how search engines actually crawl your site versus what's crawlable. Configure the audit to check Core Web Vitals, structured data validation, and mobile usability. Start the crawl and allow 45-60 minutes for completion on medium-sized sites.

Step 5: Identify Critical Technical Issues in Sitebulb

Time: 35 minutes | Tool: Sitebulb Once crawling completes, review the Executive Summary dashboard for high-priority issues marked as "Critical" or "High". Focus on the Technical SEO section first, examining crawlability barriers, indexability problems, and duplicate content issues. Click into each critical issue to see affected URLs and specific recommendations. Pay special attention to the "Page Speed & Core Web Vitals" section, noting pages with poor Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) or Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) scores. Export the "Slow Loading Pages" report and cross-reference with your highest-traffic pages from Google Analytics. Review the "Mobile Usability" findings for viewport, touch target, and content width issues that affect mobile rankings.

Step 6: Cross-Reference with Google Search Console Data

Time: 30 minutes | Tool: Google Search Console In Google Search Console, navigate to the Coverage report under Index to see which pages Google can't index and why. Compare these blocked URLs with your Screaming Frog and Sitebulb findings to identify patterns. Focus on "Error" and "Valid with warnings" categories, as these represent immediate indexing problems. Check the Core Web Vitals report under Experience to see real-world performance data for your pages. Note URLs failing CLS, FID, or LCP thresholds, particularly those in the "Poor" category. Cross-reference the Page Experience report with your crawler data to prioritize technical fixes that impact both user experience and search rankings.

Step 7: Validate Performance with PageSpeed Insights

Time: 40 minutes | Tool: PageSpeed Insights Test your most important pages individually in PageSpeed Insights, starting with your homepage, top category pages, and highest-traffic content. Focus on the Core Web Vitals scores and note specific recommendations in the "Opportunities" section. Pay attention to issues like unused JavaScript, render-blocking resources, and image optimization opportunities. For each tested page, document the mobile and desktop scores separately, as Google uses mobile-first indexing. Export or screenshot the detailed diagnostics for large DOM size, excessive network payloads, and third-party code impact. These metrics directly correlate with search ranking factors and user experience signals that affect SEO performance.

Common Pitfalls

• Running incomplete crawls that miss deep pages and technical issues throughout the entire site
• Ignoring JavaScript rendering settings when auditing modern websites with dynamic content
• Focusing only on homepage performance instead of testing key landing pages and conversion paths
• Overlooking redirect chains and crawl budget waste that accumulates across hundreds of pages

Expected Results

You'll have a prioritized list of technical issues categorized by impact level, complete with specific URLs affected and clear remediation steps. Expect to identify 15-30 critical technical issues on most websites, with clear metrics showing current Core Web Vitals scores and crawlability problems. This audit provides the foundation data needed to improve site speed, fix indexing issues, and enhance search engine accessibility across your entire website.