Technical SEO Audit Checklist for Small Sites

TL;DR

Small sites do not need enterprise SEO audit processes. This checklist covers the technical SEO fundamentals that actually matter for sites under 500 pages: crawlability, indexing, page speed, mobile usability, schema markup, and security. Each item includes what to check, how to check it, and how to fix it.

Why Small Sites Need a Different Audit Approach

Explain why enterprise SEO audit checklists overwhelm small site owners with irrelevant items. Cover what technical issues actually impact small sites versus what only matters at scale.

Crawling and Indexing

Robots.txt Review

How to check that your robots.txt is not accidentally blocking important pages. Cover common mistakes and the correct format for small sites.

XML Sitemap Check

How to verify your sitemap is present, submitted to Search Console, and contains only pages you want indexed. Cover sitemap generators and maintenance.

Indexing Coverage

How to check how many of your pages are indexed and identify any indexing issues in Search Console. Cover the “Pages” report interpretation.

Canonical Tags

How to verify canonical tags are correct and not pointing to wrong URLs. Cover common canonical mistakes on small sites.

Page Speed and Performance

Core Web Vitals Assessment

How to test your key pages against Core Web Vitals thresholds. Cover LCP, INP, and CLS with specific targets and common fixes.

Image Optimization

How to find and fix unoptimized images that slow down your site. Cover format selection, compression, and lazy loading.

Hosting and Server Response

When your hosting is the bottleneck and what to do about it. Cover TTFB targets and upgrade considerations for small sites.

Mobile Usability

Mobile Rendering Check

How to verify your site renders correctly on mobile devices. Cover viewport settings, font sizes, and tap target spacing.

Mobile-Specific Issues

Common mobile problems that affect rankings: interstitials, horizontal scrolling, and unplayable content.

On-Page Technical Elements

Title Tags and Meta Descriptions

How to audit all title tags and meta descriptions for duplicates, missing tags, and length issues.

Header Structure

How to verify proper H1-H6 hierarchy across your pages.

Schema Markup

How to add and validate schema markup for small sites. Cover the most impactful schema types: Organization, Article, FAQ, and LocalBusiness.

Security

HTTPS Check

How to verify your entire site runs on HTTPS without mixed content warnings.

Security Headers

Basic security headers that affect both trust and SEO. Keep this simple for small site owners.

Internal Linking Structure

How to audit internal links for orphan pages, broken links, and shallow link depth. Link to on-page SEO guide for internal linking best practices.

Running the Audit With Free Tools

Complete list of free tools for each checklist item. Cover Google Search Console, PageSpeed Insights, Screaming Frog (free tier for under 500 URLs), and browser developer tools.

Post-Audit Action Plan

How to create a prioritized fix list from your audit findings. Cover the order of operations for maximum impact with minimum effort. Mention that Delulu9 can complement your technical audit by identifying keyword opportunities your fixed pages should target.

How long does a full technical SEO audit take for a small site?

For a site under 500 pages, expect 2-4 hours for a thorough technical audit using this checklist. The 30-minute version covers the essentials (see our quick SEO audit guide), but a full technical review requires more depth.

Do small sites really need technical SEO?

Yes. Technical issues block search engines from properly crawling and indexing your content. Even a 10-page site loses traffic if pages are not indexed, load slowly, or fail on mobile. The basics covered here are universal.

Should I hire someone for a technical SEO audit?

If your site has under 100 pages and no complex JavaScript framework, you can handle it with this checklist and free tools. For sites with custom code, SPAs, or e-commerce complexity, professional help is worth the investment for the initial audit.