DIY Technical SEO Audit: The 5-Minute Checklist for Hidden Errors

The term “technical SEO” sounds daunting to many business owners, as if it’s a dark world understood only by programmers. But your website’s technical health is the foundation of your digital presence. If this foundation is creaking, even the most beautiful design and best content won’t be able to bring in customers.

The good news is that you don’t have to be a developer to uncover the most critical errors. We’ve put together a 5-minute checklist that anyone can perform to quickly assess your website’s condition, using completely free tools.

The Necessary Tools (All Free)

Before we dive in, open the following pages in new browser tabs:

1. Google PageSpeed Insights: Google’s official speed measuring tool.
2. Google Mobile-Friendly Test: Google’s mobile-friendly tester.
3. Your Website and Google Search

The 5-Minute Checklist

Start the clock, and let’s see what your site can do!

Minute 1: The Speed Test (Mobile First!)

Open PageSpeed Insights, type in your website address, and click “Analyze”. Wait a bit, then the most important tab on the resulting page is “Mobile”.

• What to watch? The “Performance” score. If this number is below 90 (orange or red), it means your site is slow according to Google, which degrades the user experience and your ranking as well.

Minute 2: The Mobile-Friendly Test

Now go to the Mobile-Friendly Test tab. Type in your website address and run the test.

• What to watch? The result should clearly be a “Page is mobile friendly” message. If it indicates any errors, it requires immediate action, as Google considers the mobile version primary for ranking.

Minute 3: Security Check (The Pledge of Trust)

Open your own website. Look up at the browser address bar, in front of your domain name.

• What to watch? You should see a padlock icon, and the address should start with https://. If you see a “Not secure” warning, or the padlock is crossed out, it means your SSL certificate is missing or expired. This is the fastest way to lose a potential customer’s trust.

Minute 4: The Google Indexing Test (“Site:” Search)

Go to Google search and type the following, with your own domain name: site:yourwebsite.com

• What to watch? Google should list your website’s subpages.
  • If it says “No results”, then there’s a big problem: your site is blocked from Google.
  • Look at the titles and descriptions that appear! Do they look good? These are what users see too. If nonsensical texts or incomplete descriptions appear, they need to be fixed.

Minute 5: Hunting for “Dead Links”

Broken links (pointing to a non-existent page) are frustrating and degrade SEO. Search on Google: “free broken link checker”, and any of the first few results will do. Type in your website address and run the check.

• What to watch? If the program finds “404” errors, those links need to be fixed.

What Does the Result Mean?

If you found an error in any of the above points (e.g., speed score below 90, mobile-friendly problems, missing pages from Google), it means your website’s technical foundations have deficiencies that hinder your online growth.

This 5-minute test is only the tip of the iceberg, but it’s an excellent starting point. To uncover and fix deeper problems, expert help is already needed.

I’d like a Detailed, Professional SEO Audit!