Start with access, indexation and conversion paths before cosmetic warnings. Confirm that important URLs return the intended status, are crawlable, render useful HTML, declare consistent canonical signals and can be reached through internal links. Then assess mobile behavior, LCP, INP, CLS, structured data and international signals. Prioritize by impact, confidence and effort.
1. Define the scope and baseline
- List commercial pages, important templates and languages.
- Record current indexed pages, organic queries and enquiries when data exists.
- Collect URLs from navigation, XML sitemaps and Search Console.
- Agree what success means and who can implement each class of fix.
2. Check crawling, indexation and consolidation
- Important URLs return 200; removed URLs return 404/410 or a relevant redirect.
- robots.txt does not block required resources or pages.
- XML sitemaps list only canonical, indexable URLs.
- Canonical tags, redirects, internal links and hreflang agree.
- HTTP/HTTPS, www/non-www and index-file variants consolidate in one hop where practical.
- Noindex is intentional and does not conflict with the sitemap.
Use Google’s documentation for robots controls and the SEO Starter Guide as primary references.
3. Check architecture and internal links
- Every important page receives contextual internal links.
- No important page is orphaned or buried unnecessarily deep.
- Anchor text describes the destination without repetitive stuffing.
- Filters, parameters and pagination do not create uncontrolled crawl paths.
- Language alternates link reciprocally where true equivalents exist.
4. Check rendering, mobile and performance
- Important copy and links exist in rendered HTML.
- Forms and deep links work on direct load, refresh and back/forward navigation.
- Mobile pages have no horizontal overflow and important controls are easy to tap.
- Measure field LCP, INP and CLS when eligible; use lab tests to diagnose mechanics.
- Images have dimensions, useful alternatives and efficient formats.
- Structured data matches visible facts and passes validation.
The current Core Web Vitals are documented by web.dev. Do not substitute lab responsiveness proxies for field INP without explaining the limitation.
5. Decide what to fix first
| Impact | Confidence | Effort | Typical decision |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | High | Low | Schedule immediately |
| High | Medium | High | Validate, then plan |
| Low | High | Low | Batch with maintenance |
| Unknown | Low | Any | Gather evidence first |
Download the audit report template to assign owners, dates and acceptance criteria, or review the technical audit service.
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