Technical SEO Audit Framework
Professional methodology for comprehensive technical SEO analysis aligned with 2025 best practices.
When to Use This Skill
- Full technical SEO audits
- Diagnosing crawling/indexation issues
- Core Web Vitals analysis
- Site architecture review
- Schema markup validation
- Mobile-first readiness assessment
- AI crawler configuration audit
Audit Workflow
Execute in priority order—crawlability issues block all downstream optimizations.
Phase 1: Crawlability & Indexation (CRITICAL)
1. robots.txt Analysis
□ Accessible at /robots.txt
□ No global Disallow: /
□ CSS/JS not blocked
□ Sitemap reference present
2. XML Sitemap Validation
□ Only canonical, 200-status URLs
□ No noindex pages included
□ Submitted to GSC
3. Indexation Status (GSC)
□ Check indexed vs excluded pages
□ Identify "Crawled - not indexed"
□ Find soft 404s
□ Verify canonical consistency
4. Meta Robots
□ Key pages: index,follow
□ No accidental noindex
□ Canonical self-referencesPhase 2: Core Web Vitals (2025 Standards)
Passing Thresholds:
| Metric | Good | Needs Improvement | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|
| LCP | ≤2.5s | 2.5-4.0s | >4.0s |
| INP | ≤200ms | 200-500ms | >500ms |
| CLS | ≤0.10 | 0.10-0.25 | >0.25 |
Data Sources (Priority Order):
- Google Search Console (field data)
- CrUX Dashboard (field data)
- PageSpeed Insights (lab + field)
Common Fixes:
- LCP: Optimize images, preload critical resources, reduce server response time
- INP: Break up long tasks, optimize JavaScript, use web workers
- CLS: Set dimensions on images/embeds, avoid inserting content above existing
Phase 3: Site Architecture
Optimal Structure:
□ Max 3 clicks from homepage to any page
□ Flat hierarchy (avoid deep nesting)
□ Logical URL structure: /category/subcategory/page
□ Breadcrumb navigation implemented
□ Internal linking strategy documented
URL Best Practices:
□ Descriptive, keyword-relevant
□ Lowercase, hyphens (not underscores)
□ Under 60 characters
□ No parameters when possiblePhase 4: Mobile-First Readiness
□ Mobile-friendly test passes
□ Responsive design (no horizontal scroll)
□ Touch targets ≥48px
□ Font size ≥16px base
□ No intrusive interstitials
□ Same content on mobile and desktopPhase 5: Security & HTTPS
□ HTTPS with valid certificate
□ HTTP → HTTPS redirects (301)
□ No mixed content warnings
□ HSTS header implemented
□ Security headers present (CSP, X-Frame-Options)Phase 6: Structured Data
Priority Schema Types:
- Organization/LocalBusiness
- BreadcrumbList
- Article/BlogPosting (with author)
- Product (for e-commerce)
- FAQPage (for AI visibility)
- HowTo (for tutorials)
Validation:
- Google Rich Results Test
- Schema.org validator
- Check for warnings, not just errors
Phase 7: AI Crawler Configuration
2025 robots.txt for AI Search:
# Allow AI search crawlers
User-agent: OAI-SearchBot
Allow: /
User-agent: ChatGPT-User
Allow: /
User-agent: PerplexityBot
Allow: /
User-agent: ClaudeBot
Allow: /
# Optional: Block AI training (not search)
User-agent: GPTBot
Disallow: /
User-agent: Google-Extended
Disallow: /Output Format
Generate reports using this structure:
# Technical SEO Audit Report
**Site:** [URL]
**Date:** [Date]
**Overall Score:** X/100
## Executive Summary
[2-3 sentence overview]
## Scores by Category
| Category | Score | Status |
|----------|-------|--------|
| Crawlability & Indexation | X/20 | [Good/Needs Work/Critical] |
| Core Web Vitals | X/20 | [Good/Needs Work/Critical] |
| Site Architecture | X/15 | [Good/Needs Work/Critical] |
| Mobile Readiness | X/15 | [Good/Needs Work/Critical] |
| Security & HTTPS | X/10 | [Good/Needs Work/Critical] |
| Structured Data | X/10 | [Good/Needs Work/Critical] |
| AI Crawler Readiness | X/10 | [Good/Needs Work/Critical] |
## Priority Issues (Fix First)
1. **[Issue]** - [Impact] - [Fix]
2. **[Issue]** - [Impact] - [Fix]
3. **[Issue]** - [Impact] - [Fix]
## Detailed Findings
[Category-by-category analysis]
## Action Plan
**Immediate (This Week):**
- [ ] Critical fix 1
- [ ] Critical fix 2
**Short-term (This Month):**
- [ ] High priority 1
- [ ] High priority 2
**Ongoing:**
- [ ] Monitoring task 1
- [ ] Regular audit 2Scoring Guide
- 90-100: Excellent - Minor optimizations only
- 70-89: Good - Some improvements needed
- 50-69: Needs Work - Significant gaps
- Below 50: Critical - Major overhaul required
Quick Audit (5-Point Check)
For rapid assessments:
- Indexation - Are key pages indexed? (GSC)
- Speed - Core Web Vitals passing? (LCP <2.5s)
- Mobile - Mobile-friendly test pass?
- Security - HTTPS with valid cert?
- Crawlability - robots.txt not blocking content?
Tools Reference
# Check robots.txt
curl -s https://example.com/robots.txt
# Check response headers
curl -I https://example.com
# Fetch and validate sitemap
curl -s https://example.com/sitemap.xml | head -50
# Check mobile-friendliness (requires API key)
# Use Google's Mobile-Friendly Test: https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendlyAdditional Resources
For detailed checklists and schema patterns, ask for:
- "Show me the full crawlability checklist"
- "Give me JSON-LD schema examples"
- "List all Core Web Vitals optimization techniques"