Essential Technical SEO Checks You Can Do for Free
Technical SEO forms the foundation upon which all other SEO efforts are built. While many marketers focus on content and backlinks, technical issues can silently undermine your entire strategy. The good news? You don't need expensive tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush to identify and fix critical technical problems.
This comprehensive guide covers 8 essential technical SEO checks you can perform completely free. Each check includes step-by-step instructions using free tools and resources available to everyone.
Important: Technical SEO issues often accumulate gradually. Even if your site is ranking well today, undetected technical problems can cause sudden ranking drops tomorrow. Regular audits are essential preventative maintenance.
Why Technical SEO Matters More Than Ever
Google's Core Web Vitals update made technical performance an official ranking factor. But beyond algorithms, technical SEO directly impacts user experience:
- Site Speed: 1-second delay reduces conversions by 7%
- Mobile Usability: 61% of users unlikely to return to mobile-unfriendly sites
- Crawl Efficiency: Googlebot spends limited time on each site
- Indexing: Technical errors can prevent pages from being indexed
1. Mobile-Friendly Test
Why It Matters: Google uses mobile-first indexing. If your site doesn't work well on mobile devices, it won't rank well for any device.
Free Tool: Google's Mobile-Friendly Test
How to Check:
- Visit Google's Mobile-Friendly Test
- Enter your website URL
- Click "Test URL"
What to Look For:
- "Page is mobile friendly" confirmation
- No "content wider than screen" warnings
- Clickable elements properly spaced (Google recommends 48px tap targets)
- Text readable without zooming
Common Fixes:
- Use responsive design (media queries)
- Ensure viewport meta tag is present:
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"> - Increase button sizes and spacing
- Avoid Flash content
2. Core Web Vitals Assessment
Why It Matters: Core Web Vitals are official Google ranking factors measuring loading performance, interactivity, and visual stability.
Free Tool: PageSpeed Insights
How to Check:
- Visit PageSpeed Insights
- Enter your URL
- Select "Mobile" (more important than desktop)
- Review the Core Web Vitals section
Key Metrics:
| Metric | What It Measures | Good Score | Poor Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) | Loading performance | < 2.5 seconds | > 4.0 seconds |
| FID (First Input Delay) | Interactivity | < 100 milliseconds | > 300 milliseconds |
| CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) | Visual stability | < 0.1 | > 0.25 |
Quick Wins:
- Optimize images (reduce file sizes)
- Minify CSS and JavaScript
- Remove unused CSS
- Implement lazy loading for images
3. XML Sitemap Validation
Why It Matters: XML sitemaps help Google discover and index your pages. Errors can prevent important content from being found.
Free Tool: XML Sitemap Validator
How to Check:
- Find your sitemap (usually at
yoursite.com/sitemap.xml) - Visit XML Sitemaps Validator
- Paste your sitemap URL
- Check for errors and warnings
Common Issues:
- Missing pages in sitemap
- Incorrect date formatting
- Priority values outside 0.0-1.0 range
- URLs returning 404 errors
- Sitemap exceeds 50,000 URLs or 50MB (requires splitting)
Best Practices:
- Include only canonical URLs
- Update
lastmoddates when content changes - Submit sitemap via Google Search Console
- Create separate sitemaps for different content types if needed
4. Robots.txt Analysis
Why It Matters: Your robots.txt file tells search engines which pages they can and cannot crawl. Mistakes can accidentally block important content.
Free Tool: Google's Robots.txt Tester
How to Check:
- Visit your robots.txt file (
yoursite.com/robots.txt) - Check for common errors manually or use Google Search Console's tester
Critical Checks:
- No accidental blocking of important pages or directories
- Proper syntax (one directive per line)
- Correct user-agent specifications
- Sitemap location specified
Common Problem Patterns:
Disallow: /(blocks entire site)Disallow: /wp-admin/without allowing necessary resources- Missing
Sitemap:directive - Case sensitivity issues (Linux servers are case-sensitive)
5. Structured Data Validation
Why It Matters: Structured data helps Google understand your content and can generate rich results (like recipes, events, or FAQs) in search.
Free Tool: Google's Rich Results Test
How to Check:
- Visit Rich Results Test
- Enter URL or paste HTML code
- Review detected structured data types
- Check for errors and warnings
What to Implement:
- Article: For blog posts and news articles
- FAQ: For question-and-answer content
- How-to: For step-by-step guides
- Local Business: For physical locations
- Product: For e-commerce items
Pro Tip: Start with the most relevant schema types for your content. Don't implement schema you don't need—it can create clutter and potential errors.
6. HTTPS and Security Check
Why It Matters: HTTPS is a ranking signal and essential for user trust. Mixed content errors can cause security warnings.
Free Tool: SSL Server Test
How to Check:
- Visit SSL Labs Test
- Enter your domain
- Review the grade (aim for A or A+)
- Also check for mixed content using browser developer tools
Key Security Factors:
- Valid SSL certificate (not expired)
- HTTPS redirects properly implemented
- No mixed content (HTTP resources on HTTPS pages)
- HSTS header implemented (optional but recommended)
Critical Steps:
- Ensure all pages redirect from HTTP to HTTPS
- Update internal links to use HTTPS
- Fix mixed content errors (update image/src URLs to HTTPS)
- Update canonical tags to HTTPS versions
7. URL Structure Analysis
Why It Matters: Clean URLs are easier for users and search engines to understand. Poor URL structures can create duplicate content issues.
Manual Analysis
How to Check:
- Manually review your site's URLs
- Examine URL patterns for consistency and clarity
- Check for common issues
URL Problems to Fix:
| Problem | Example | Solution | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duplicate content (WWW vs non-WWW) | site.com/page vs www.site.com/page | Choose preferred version, 301 redirect | High |
| Session IDs in URLs | site.com/page?sessionid=abc123 | Use cookies instead | Medium |
| Upper case letters | site.com/Page-Name | Convert to lowercase | Low |
| Dynamic parameters | site.com/page?source=fb&medium=social | Use URL parameters tool in GSC | Medium |
8. Crawl Error Detection
Why It Matters: Crawl errors waste Googlebot's time and can prevent pages from being indexed. Even minor crawl issues can signal bigger problems.
Free Tool: Google Search Console
How to Check:
- Set up Google Search Console (free)
- Navigate to Coverage report
- Check for errors, excluded pages, and valid with warnings
- Review Page Experience report for Core Web Vitals
Critical Reports to Monitor:
- Coverage: Indexing status of your pages
- Performance: Search traffic data
- Enhancements: Structured data and Core Web Vitals
- Links: Internal and external links
Setup Note: Google Search Console is completely free and essential for any website owner. Verification typically takes 5-10 minutes and provides invaluable data directly from Google.
Creating Your Technical SEO Audit Schedule
Technical SEO isn't a one-time task. Create a regular audit schedule:
| Check Frequency | Tasks | Estimated Time |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly | Google Search Console error review | 15 minutes |
| Monthly | Core Web Vitals check, mobile test | 30 minutes |
| Quarterly | Full technical audit (all 8 checks above) | 2-3 hours |
| After Major Changes | Site migrations, redesigns, platform changes | Varies |
"Technical SEO is like the foundation of a building. You don't see it when everything's working, but when it fails, everything else collapses with it."
Need Help Analyzing Your Content?
While technical SEO focuses on website infrastructure, quality content remains essential. Use our free tools to ensure your content is optimized for both readers and search engines.
Analyze Your Content NowConclusion: Technical SEO as Competitive Advantage
Performing these 8 free technical SEO checks gives you a significant competitive advantage. While your competitors might be paying thousands for SEO software, you can achieve similar insights using completely free resources.
Remember that technical SEO is cumulative. Fixing one issue might not cause dramatic ranking improvements, but systematically addressing all technical problems creates a solid foundation that supports all your other marketing efforts.
Start today with the highest-priority check (usually Core Web Vitals or mobile-friendliness). Document your findings, implement fixes, and retest. Within a few months of regular audits, you'll have a technically sound website that's ready to compete at the highest levels.