SEO website audit

A technical website audit demonstrates how well a website functions for search engines and users. A specialist checks URL accessibility, server responses, indexing settings, duplicates, redirects, mobile version, loading speed, and other elements that may interfere with search engine processing.

A technical SEO audit is especially important for online stores, portals, and multilingual projects, where the number of generated URLs grows rapidly. A single error in the canonical template, filters, or hreflang can affect hundreds or thousands of pages simultaneously, so such issues require a comprehensive audit.

Scanning and indexing

First, a specialist scans the site in a manner similar to how a search robot would crawl it, and then compares the resulting data with the Google index and Google Search Console reports. Accessible pages, closed URLs, orphan pages, internal links, and sections that are present in the structure but practically inaccessible are checked.

Robots.txt, meta robots, and XML sitemap are analyzed separately. The sitemap should include the required canonical pages that are available for indexing and respond with a 200 status code. Random filters, service parameters, or restricted sections typically require separate processing.

For large projects, a crawl budget is assessed. If the robot is constantly crawling thousands of useless GET parameter combinations, this can slow down the re-crawl of truly valuable pages.

HTTP codes, redirects, and page errors

During scanning, the HTTP codes of all accessible URLs and internal links are checked. Pages with a 200 code should open correctly, permanent redirects typically use a 301 code, and remote URLs without a suitable replacement may return a valid 404 page.

Special attention is paid to redirect chains and cycles. If internal links point first to an old URL, then through several redirects to the final page, the search engine crawler makes unnecessary requests, and the user experiences additional loading delays.

5xx errors are also logged, as they may indicate server or application issues. If these responses appear regularly, it's important to work with the server developer or administrator to determine the cause.

Canonical and duplicate pages

Rel="canonical" helps search engines determine the preferred version of a page among similar URLs. During the audit, we check for the presence of a canonical, consistency with the target URL, self-canonicalization of primary pages, and the absence of situations where an important URL points a canonical link to another section.

Duplicates often occur due to GET parameters, sorting, filters, pagination, URL spelling variations, and CMS features. For online stores, the generation of category pages, product pages, and parameter combinations is additionally checked.

HTTP and HTTPS versions, www and non-www variants, and addresses with and without slashes are also analyzed. All technical versions must be converted to the selected format without creating competing copies of the pages.

Speed and Core Web Vitals

Loading speed is assessed on real, typical pages, not just the homepage. Categories, product cards, service pages, articles, and other templates are typically tested separately, as performance metrics can vary significantly across them.

Core Web Vitals uses LCP, INP, and CLS metrics. These reflect the loading speed of the main content, the responsiveness of the interface, and the visual stability of the page. Therefore, the analysis is conducted in conjunction with technical data from PageSpeed Insights and the actual site architecture.

Low performance is often caused by large images, large amounts of JavaScript, blocking resources, caching errors, or slow server response times. It's a good idea to document the specific sources of the problem in the report so the developer knows what changes need to be checked.

Mobile version of the site

Most websites receive a significant share of their search traffic from mobile devices, so responsiveness is tested on the main types of pages. The specialist evaluates the correctness of blocks, text size, button placement, forms, menus, tables, and elements that may extend beyond the screen.

Mobile navigation and accessibility of key content are tested separately. Users should be able to open the desired category, navigate to the service or product, and perform the primary target action without any unnecessary interaction.

Mobile auditing is also about speed. Heavy scripts and images often create more noticeable issues on smartphones with limited performance or unstable connections.

Multilingualism and hreflang

For multilingual sites, separate language version URLs, hreflang, and canonical are checked. Each page must link to the appropriate alternatives, and language pairs must be correctly linked.

The specialist checks for situations where a Ukrainian page canonically points to a Russian or English version without a technical reason. Missing reverse hreflangs, incorrect language or regional codes, and pages with a non-existent alternative are also analyzed.

For Ukrainian projects, interface and content consistency are carefully considered. System strings, breadcrumbs, meta tags, and keywords from another language must not be accidentally mixed in one language version.

The structure must correspond to the product range, services, and actual search demand. During SEO analysis, a specialist checks categories, subcategories, service pages, filters, and other landing URLs that are or could potentially be used for search engine optimization.

The depth of nesting and the logic of transitions between sections are checked. If an important commercial page is only accessible after five or six clicks from the main page and receives almost no internal links, its role in the structure needs to be reconsidered.

The structure is also compared with the semantic core. Individual search clusters may require their own landing page, while overly similar URLs sometimes create cannibalization and compete with each other for the same queries.

Internal links help users navigate between related sections and convey information about the project's structure to search engines. An audit examines which pages receive the most internal links, which remain weakly linked, and how logically the anchor text is distributed.

Particular attention is paid to links from menus, breadcrumbs, categories, articles, and thematic sections. Important pages should not be isolated or located too deeply relative to the main sections.

After analysis, pages that require internal linking can be identified. Recommendations are contextualized to ensure that interlinking aids navigation and doesn't appear as a mechanical placement of key anchors.

An on-page SEO audit covers the optimization of specific pages and templates. A specialist checks meta tags, titles, URLs, images, microdata, and the relevance of content to search intent.

The goal of this stage is to understand how search engines understand the content of each important page. Even a technically sound URL can have poor visibility if the Title doesn't match the query, the H1 is duplicated on dozens of pages, and the body text doesn't answer the user's questions.

Title, Description, and H1–H6 headings

The title is checked for uniqueness, length, relevance to page content, and the primary search cluster. Excessively similar titles across a large number of URLs can make it difficult to distinguish between landing pages.

The description is evaluated as a search snippet element. It should briefly explain the page's content and complement the title, although the search engine may generate its own snippet for a specific query.

The H1–H6 structure is checked separately. The main H1 should correspond to the page's topic, while H2 and H3 help logically divide large semantic blocks without artificially repeating identical keywords.

Page URLs

The page address must remain clear and stable. The audit checks URL length, directory nesting, parameter usage, duplicate address variations, and compliance with the current site structure.

When old or unsuccessful URLs are discovered, a specialist evaluates whether they are truly worth changing. Unnecessarily mass-changing URLs creates additional risks, so such recommendations should take into account current rankings, links, and indexing history.

If a change is necessary, a 301 redirect map is prepared simultaneously. Internal links, sitemaps, and canonicals should also point directly to the new destination URLs after the transfer.

Images

An image audit includes checking file sizes, formats, Alt attributes, and the impact of graphics on page speed. For large images, it often makes sense to use modern formats and correct dimensions instead of uploading multi-megabyte source files.

The alt tag should describe the image content where it truly helps to understand its meaning. Filling every attribute with the same commercial keyword is not necessary, as such optimization reduces the quality of the markup and creates unnecessary spam.

Additionally, lazy loading and correct image loading are checked. For pages where Google Images traffic is significant, image indexing and file structure can be assessed separately.

Schema.org micro-markup

Schema.org helps search engines better interpret individual entities and page elements. During an audit, existing micro-markup is verified, ensuring its validity, consistency with visible content, and the absence of conflicting data.

The Schema type is selected based on the actual page content. Organization or LocalBusiness can be used for companies, BreadcrumbList for navigation, Product for products, and Article or BlogPosting for articles.

Fake prices, reviews, and ratings are not allowed. Microdata must reflect information that is actually present on the page and accessible to the user.

Content is reviewed for search intent and the role of the specific page. A commercial page should answer potential clients' questions and help them make a decision, while informational content should fully address the stated topic without deviating into other categories.

During the audit, duplicates, thin content, outdated materials, and pages with insufficient topic coverage are identified. The quality of titles, semantic consistency, repetition of similar paragraphs, and unnecessary keyword stuffing are also assessed.

EEAT is reviewed in the context of a specific project. For expert and sensitive topics, authorship, information reliability, company information, sources, editorial responsibility, and other trust indicators are verified.

A website's SEO analysis includes checking queries for which the resource is already receiving impressions and clicks. Google Search Console data is compared with the semantic core, current URLs, and rankings to identify strong pages, missed clusters, and potential cannibalization.

If multiple pages are regularly displayed for a single commercial query, a specialist checks their intent and content. Sometimes, separating the semantics between existing URLs is sufficient, while other times, merging pages with proper 301 redirects is required.

We also identify queries for which the site lacks a relevant landing page. This data is used for further expansion of the structure and preparation of a content plan.

An external website audit includes an analysis of backlinks and referring domains. The specialist evaluates link dynamics, anchor text, site quality, link distribution between pages, and significant differences from competitors in search results.

A sharp increase in similar commercial anchors or a large number of weak, irrelevant links requires a separate assessment. The decision to work with specific links is made based on a contextual analysis, not just a relative toxicity score for a single service.

Additionally, lost links and pages that receive the bulk of external link equity are checked. This data helps understand the current distribution of link equity and develop a further link building strategy.

Competitive analysis is conducted on websites that rank prominently in Google for the project's priority queries. Comparing a website solely to well-known companies in the market is insufficient, as actual search competitors can differ significantly from direct business competitors.

Page structure, semantics, content, meta tags, link profile, commercial blocks, and search visibility are all checked. Particular attention is paid to repeating elements that appear on multiple strong pages in the search results.

After the comparison, a list of gaps is generated. For example, a competitor may have separate pages for important clusters, a more complete catalog structure, or a significantly stronger link profile, all of which must be taken into account when planning promotion.

Google Search Console shows how the search engine sees a website: which queries generate impressions, which pages receive clicks, and where indexing issues arise. This data helps connect technical findings with the project's actual search performance.

GA4 is used to evaluate organic traffic, user behavior, and conversions. With properly configured events, you can determine which search pages drive inquiries, purchases, or other targeted actions.

Sudden changes in metrics and their dates are also checked. If a drop in traffic coincided with a migration, template change, or mass de-indexing of pages, this fact becomes an important part of further analysis.

An SEO audit may include a basic UX check if interface issues prevent users from completing a target action. The specialist examines navigation, forms, CTAs, contact information, the mobile interface, trust elements, and ease of navigation between key pages.

Transparency is essential for a commercial website. Users should quickly understand what services the company offers, what region it operates in, how to contact the team, and what terms and conditions apply.

A thorough UX audit requires a separate investigation, but obvious issues should be identified immediately. Form errors, a poorly visible button, or complex mobile navigation can reduce conversions even with good search traffic.

A comprehensive SEO audit typically includes technical condition, indexation, structure, internal linking, on-page optimization, content, semantics, links, and competitor analysis. Additionally, the specialist examines Google Search Console and GA4, if access to these systems is available.

The exact composition depends on the project. For a small service website and a large online store, the depth of technical analysis and the number of patterns tested will vary.

The cost of an SEO audit depends on the number of URLs, site type, language versions, structure complexity, and audit depth. Therefore, a fixed price for a small corporate website and a large online store typically doesn't reflect the actual scope of work.

After a preliminary review of the project, we can determine the scope of the audit and calculate the cost of the website audit. The client understands in advance which areas will be analyzed and the expected results.

The time frame depends on the site's size and the number of areas of analysis. A simple project requires less time, while a large portal with multiple languages, a large index, and a complex structure takes longer to analyze.

Data availability also impacts the timeframe. If Google Search Console, GA4, and a history of previous changes are available, a specialist can more quickly connect identified errors with the actual site performance.

A technical audit examines crawling, indexing, response codes, canonical, sitemap, robots.txt, speed, and other technical elements. This format is suitable when a specific technical aspect of a project needs to be verified.

A comprehensive audit additionally covers semantics, structure, content, links, competitors, and analytics. It is often chosen before a full-fledged SEO campaign or when it is necessary to understand the reasons for a lack of growth.

Yes, a preliminary audit helps understand the current state of the site and determine the next steps. Without an audit, the team may begin expanding content or links while technical issues continue to limit the indexing of important pages.

After reviewing, a prioritized task list is created. This provides the basis for further SEO strategy and helps plan development and content resources.

Free services are suitable for basic automated checking. They can reveal some technical errors, problems with meta tags, speed, or individual page elements.

A full SEO analysis requires manual review and comparison of multiple data sources. An automated report doesn't identify all the causes of low visibility and doesn't take into account the business objectives of a specific project.

After verification, the client receives a report with identified issues, URL examples, and recommendations. Tasks are prioritized so the team understands the implementation sequence.

For technical issues, requirements are prepared that can be passed on to the developer. Additionally, the audit may include areas for improvement and recommendations for further SEO.

A full audit doesn't need to be performed at short, regular intervals without good reason. A re-audit is useful after major technical changes, migrations, redesigns, noticeable traffic drops, or an extended period of active website development.

Individual technical checks can be performed more frequently. After implementing recommendations, it's helpful to verify that errors have actually been corrected and that the new changes haven't created any additional problems.