Session 17: Technical SEO Audit Toolkit

Block 3: The Real-World Technical SEO/SEM Audit (A3)

View lecture slides: Session 17 Slides

Template: log audit findings in the SEO Triage Matrix as you go — impact and effort for every issue, no raw tool dump.

1-Hour Lecture (Theory & Strategy)

  • Technical SEO underpins everything else: if a page can’t be crawled or indexed, on-page and content work is wasted.
  • Core checks: crawlability (robots.txt, sitemap.xml), indexation (site: search, Search Console coverage), Core Web Vitals (LCP, CLS, INP), mobile-friendliness, HTTPS, duplicate/canonical issues.
  • Read the full theory here: Technical SEO and SEO Tools.
  • Recap the Phase 1 checklist for a quick refresher: On-Page SEO Checklist.
flowchart TD
    T[Audit Target: Sandbox or Client Site] --> TOOLS[Free Tools Run]
    TOOLS --> CRAWL[Crawlability: robots.txt / sitemap.xml]
    TOOLS --> INDEX[Indexation: site: search / GSC coverage]
    TOOLS --> CWV[Core Web Vitals: PageSpeed Insights]
    CRAWL --> LOG[Audit Sheet: Issue / Evidence / Severity]
    INDEX --> LOG
    CWV --> LOG
    LOG --> TOP3[Flag Top 3 High-Severity Issues]
    TOP3 --> A3[A3 Part 1: Technical Findings Log]

Figure 1: Technical SEO audit workflow for A3

1-Hour Lab (Agency Execution)

  1. Pick your audit target: your Phase 1 sandbox site, or (with instructor approval) a real local business site for a more realistic A3.
  2. Run free tools: Google PageSpeed Insights / Core Web Vitals report, a site: search on Google, and a manual robots.txt / sitemap.xml check.
  3. Log every issue found in a simple audit sheet: Issue, Page(s) affected, Evidence (screenshot/URL), Severity (High/Med/Low).
  4. Flag the 3 highest-severity technical issues — these carry into Session 19’s prioritization work.

Deliverable: Feeds Assignment A3 (Part 1 of 3)

Raw technical audit findings log — the evidence base for your SEO Mini-Audit report.