Technical SEO Audit FAQ

A technical SEO audit is a comprehensive analysis of your website's technical infrastructure to identify issues preventing search engines from crawling, indexing, and ranking your site effectively. Think of it as a full diagnostic health check for your website.

Our audits examine 100+ technical factors including:

• Site speed and Core Web Vitals performance
• Mobile-friendliness and responsive design
• Crawlability and indexability issues
• URL structure and redirect chains
• XML sitemaps and robots.txt configuration
• Schema markup implementation
• Internal linking architecture
• HTTPS security and mixed content
• Duplicate content and canonicalisation

We use professional tools combined with manual expert review to uncover hidden problems automated scans miss. You receive a prioritised action report categorising issues by impact and difficulty, with specific recommendations for fixes. Technical audits are essential before any content or link building work—there's no point creating great content if Google can't properly access or understand your site.

Core Web Vitals are a confirmed Google ranking factor since 2021. These three metrics measure page experience:

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Loading speed—should be under 2.5 seconds
• First Input Delay (FID): Interactivity—should be under 100 milliseconds
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Visual stability—should be under 0.1

Poor Core Web Vitals can cause ranking drops even if your content is excellent. For South African businesses, this is particularly important because many websites use international hosting with slower local load times. South African internet users are also predominantly mobile-first, making page speed even more critical.

The business impact is significant: A 1-second delay in page load time can reduce conversions by 7%. We optimise Core Web Vitals through image compression, code minification, server response improvements, and lazy loading. Our technical SEO services include Core Web Vitals optimisation with before/after reporting showing measurable improvements.

We handle the majority of website speed optimisations in-house as part of our technical SEO services, though some changes may require your developer for complex implementations.

Fixes we handle directly:

• Image optimisation and compression
• CSS and JavaScript minification
• Enabling Gzip compression and browser caching
• Basic server configuration recommendations
• Lazy loading implementation for images
• Removal of unused code and plugins

Changes requiring your developer:

• Switching hosting providers
• Implementing CDNs (Content Delivery Networks)
• Major theme or template modifications
• Server-level configuration changes

Most WordPress sites see 40-60% speed improvements from our standard optimisations alone. For changes requiring developer involvement, we provide detailed technical specifications they can follow, or we can recommend trusted development partners we've worked with.

During your free audit, we clearly distinguish between fixes we handle directly and those requiring developer involvement, so you know exactly what you're getting.

Schema markup is structured data code that helps search engines understand your website content more accurately. It translates your human-readable content into machine-readable format, enabling enhanced search results called "rich snippets."

Rich snippets include:

• Star ratings and review counts
• Product prices and availability
• Event dates and locations
• FAQ dropdowns directly in search results
• Business hours and contact information

For Durban businesses, schema is crucial because it:

• Increases click-through rates by 30% on average
• Enables voice search optimisation for Alexa and Google Assistant
• Powers Google Business Profile insights
• Prepares your site for AI search visibility

We implement LocalBusiness schema for your company details, Service schema for your offerings, FAQ schema for question pages, Review schema for testimonials, and Breadcrumb schema for navigation. Schema is particularly valuable for local businesses because it directly influences the knowledge panels and rich results that appear for branded searches.

WordPress and static HTML sites require different optimisation approaches due to their fundamental architectural differences.

WordPress optimisation focuses on:

• Plugin bloat reduction and removal of unnecessary plugins
• Database optimisation and cleaning
• Cache plugin configuration (WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache)
• Theme efficiency improvements
• Image optimisation plugins
• Security hardening

Static HTML optimisation focuses on:

• Manual optimisation of HTML structure
• Adding structured data (schema) manually
• Creating XML sitemaps
• Ensuring mobile responsiveness
• Minifying CSS and JavaScript files

WordPress offers easier ongoing content management but requires more maintenance. Static sites are inherently faster but need developer involvement for updates. We work with both platforms regularly—about 70% of our clients use WordPress, while 30% use static HTML, custom CMS platforms, or frameworks. We also specialise in WordPress security to protect your site while optimising performance.

Mobile-first indexing means Google predominantly uses the mobile version of your website for indexing and ranking, rather than the desktop version. Since 2019, this has been the default for all new websites.

Your site is compliant if:

• The mobile version contains all the same content as desktop—including text, images, videos, and metadata
• Pages load quickly on mobile networks (3G/4G)
• Navigation and buttons are touch-friendly with adequate spacing
• Font sizes are readable without zooming (minimum 16px recommended)
• No intrusive interstitials block the main content

Many Durban businesses unknowingly have mobile compliance issues because they only check their site on desktop. Common problems include hidden content on mobile, unplayable videos, or tiny touch targets that frustrate users.

We test mobile compliance using Google's Mobile-Friendly Test, PageSpeed Insights, and real device testing across multiple screen sizes. Non-compliance means Google may not index your content properly, severely hurting rankings. Our technical audits include detailed mobile-first compliance checks with specific fix recommendations.

In most cases, we can optimise your existing website without requiring a complete rebuild. A full rebuild is only necessary in specific situations.

Rebuild typically required when:

• Your site uses outdated technology that's no longer supported
• Fundamental structural issues can't be fixed (poor URL architecture, broken CMS)
• You need a platform change for business reasons
• The cost of fixing exceeds rebuilding

For 80% of websites, our technical SEO optimisations deliver significant improvements:

• 40-60% speed improvements through optimisation
• Fixing indexing issues without changing design
• Implementing schema markup on existing pages
• Improving mobile responsiveness
• Resolving crawl errors and redirect issues

During your initial technical audit, we assess whether your site is optimisable or needs rebuilding. If rebuilding is recommended, we provide clear reasoning and cost comparisons. For businesses not ready for major investment, we prioritise "quick win" optimisations that deliver immediate results while planning larger improvements for future phases.

E-commerce and service business websites require fundamentally different technical SEO strategies due to their distinct structures and goals.

E-commerce specific challenges:

• Product page optimisation at scale (hundreds/thousands of products)
• Faceted navigation creating duplicate content issues
• Site speed with large product catalogues
• Out-of-stock product handling
• Complex internal linking structures

Service business specific challenges:

• Location page optimisation for multiple service areas
• Service-specific landing pages
• Lead generation form optimisation
• Appointment booking integration

Our approach differs by business type:

For e-commerce, we prioritise product schema markup, breadcrumb navigation, review integration, and checkout flow optimisation. For service businesses, we emphasise LocalBusiness schema, service area definitions, contact form optimisation, and click-to-call functionality.

Our technical SEO audits are customised based on your business type, ensuring we address the specific challenges relevant to your model rather than applying generic recommendations.

We use a comprehensive suite of industry-leading tools combined with manual expert analysis. Tools provide data, but human expertise interprets it correctly.

Primary tools in our arsenal:

• Google Search Console: Official Google data on indexing, Core Web Vitals, and search performance
• Google PageSpeed Insights: Performance metrics and optimisation suggestions
• Screaming Frog: Comprehensive crawling and technical audit capabilities
• SEMrush/Ahrefs: Backlink analysis and competitor research
• GTmetrix: Detailed speed testing with waterfall charts
• Schema.org Validators: Testing structured data implementation
• Mobile Testing Tools: Cross-device compatibility checking

However, tools alone aren't enough. Automated scans miss context and business-specific issues. Our 18+ years of experience means we manually review every audit finding, prioritising based on actual impact rather than just severity scores.

We provide clear reports showing what we found, why it matters for your specific business, and exactly how to fix it—no technical jargon, just actionable recommendations you can implement or brief to your developer.

We recommend comprehensive technical SEO audits every 12 months for established websites, with mini-checkups quarterly. However, certain situations warrant immediate audits.

Schedule an immediate audit when:

• Website redesigns or migrations (before and after)
• Major Google algorithm updates affecting rankings
• Significant traffic or ranking drops
• Adding new functionality or plugins
• Switching hosting providers
• Before major marketing campaigns or launches

Frequency by website type:

• New websites: At launch, then again at 6 months
• E-commerce sites: Quarterly reviews due to frequent changes
• Established sites: Annual comprehensive audits

Think of technical SEO like car maintenance—regular servicing prevents breakdowns, but you also need immediate checks when warning lights appear. We offer standalone audits from R8,500 or include quarterly technical reviews in our ongoing SEO packages, ensuring your site stays technically sound year-round.