7 Common Technical SEO Audit Mistakes to Avoid

A technical SEO audit is only as good as its methodology. After reviewing hundreds of audits from other providers, we've identified the most common mistakes.

Mistake #1: Only Crawling the Homepage

Many quick audits only look at the homepage or a small sample. This misses issues on deeper pages, which often represent the majority of a site.

Mistake #2: Ignoring JavaScript Rendering

With modern JavaScript frameworks, what you see isn't always what search engines see. Audits must check rendered content, not just source code.

Mistake #3: Not Checking Mobile Separately

With mobile-first indexing, mobile versions need separate analysis. Desktop-only audits miss mobile-specific issues.

Mistake #4: Focusing on Issues, Not Impact

Listing every technical issue without prioritization leaves clients overwhelmed. Good audits focus on issues that actually impact rankings.

Mistake #5: Missing Log File Analysis

Server logs show how Googlebot actually crawls your site. Without this data, audits miss crawl budget issues and bot behavior.

Mistake #6: Not Validating Schema

Checking if schema exists isn't enough. It must be validated for errors and tested for rich result eligibility.

Mistake #7: Ignoring Core Web Vitals Field Data

Lab data from tools is useful, but real user data from CrUX tells you what Google actually measures for rankings.