Technical SEO Audit Tools You Need to Improve Site Performance

Introduction: Why Technical SEO Matters

When we talk about SEO (Search Engine Optimization), most people think about keywords and content. But what many forget is the technical side of SEO—things happening behind the scenes that help your website rank better on Google. This is called Technical SEO.

Technical SEO focuses on improving the structure and performance of your website so that search engines can crawl, index, and rank your site more efficiently. It deals with page speed, mobile-friendliness, broken links, duplicate content, security, and more.

If you ignore technical SEO, your content might not even be seen by search engines, no matter how good it is.

That’s where technical SEO audit tools come in. These tools help you find and fix hidden issues on your website. In this article, we’ll cover the best tools you should use to perform a technical SEO audit and boost your site’s performance.

1. Google Search Console (GSC) – The Must-Have Free Tool

You must have heard about Google Search Console that shows how your website appears in search results.

Why It’s Important for Technical SEO:

GSC helps you monitor and fix many technical issues:

• Shows crawl errors like 404 pages or server errors
• Displays mobile usability problems
• Lets you check indexing status of your pages
• Provides Core Web Vitals data (site speed & performance)
• Reveals security issues like hacking or malware
• Lists backlinks to your website

How to Use It:

Once your site is verified in GSC, you can explore the “Pages,” “Experience,” “Mobile Usability,” and “Indexing” sections to find issues. Fix the ones marked in red or warning signs.

Pro Tip: Submit a sitemap through GSC to help Google discover your pages faster.

2. Screaming Frog SEO Spider – Your Deep Scanner

What It Does:

Screaming Frog is a downloadable software that crawls your entire website just like search engine bots.

Why It’s Useful:

It gives a complete technical breakdown of your site:

• Finds broken links (404 errors)
• Detects duplicate content and titles
• Identifies missing meta tags or headers
• Flags slow-loading pages
• Lists all redirects (301, 302)
• Helps you understand crawl depth

How to Use It:

Download Screaming Frog, enter your website URL, and start the crawl. Once done, explore different tabs like "Response Codes," "Page Titles," and "Redirects."

Free vs Paid:

The free version lets you crawl up to 500 URLs. For larger websites, you’ll need the paid version.

Pro Tip: Export reports into Excel to easily sort and fix issues one by one.

3. Ahrefs – For Technical + Backlink Analysis

What It Does:

Ahrefs is a powerful SEO tool that offers full site audits along with backlink and keyword research.

Technical SEO Benefits:

• Performs deep site audits with visual reports
• Detects crawl errors, HTTPS issues, and slow pages
• Checks internal linking problems
• Finds orphan pages (not linked from anywhere)
• Includes mobile SEO checks

How to Use It:

Go to the “Site Audit” tool inside Ahrefs, add your site, and let it crawl. It will generate a health score and list all technical errors grouped by priority.

Extra Advantage:

You can also spy on your competitors’ backlink profiles to find linking opportunities.

Pro Tip: Run audits every week to keep your site technically healthy.

4. SEMrush Site Audit – Easy Visual SEO Fixes

What It Does:

SEMrush is an all-in-one marketing toolkit, and its “Site Audit” feature is especially helpful for technical SEO.

Features That Matter:

• Detects over 130 technical issues
• Shows HTTPS, JavaScript, CSS, and AMP errors
• Visual site structure (crawlability map)
• Core Web Vitals testing
• Insights on internal linking and crawl depth

Why Beginners Like It:

SEMrush explains each error and gives actionable tips on how to fix it. It also shows the severity level—errors, warnings, and notices.

Pro Tip: Use the “Compare Crawls” option to see improvements over time.

5. GTmetrix – Speed and Performance Checker

What It Does:

GTmetrix analyzes your website’s loading speed and performance.

Why Speed Matters in SEO:

Google uses site speed as a ranking factor. A slow website leads to high bounce rates and low rankings.

What GTmetrix Shows:

• Total page load time
• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
• Total Blocking Time (TBT)
• Suggestions for improvement (e.g., compress images, remove unused CSS)

How to Use It:

Enter your URL and let GTmetrix test it. You’ll get a performance score with detailed fixes.

Pro Tip: Run tests from multiple locations to understand how speed differs across regions.

6. Google PageSpeed Insights – Mobile + Desktop Focus

What It Does:

Google PageSpeed Insights gives you both lab and field data on how fast your page loads on desktop and mobile.

Important Metrics It Covers:

• LCP (how fast main content loads)
• FID (time before the page becomes interactive)
• CLS (how stable your layout is)

Technical Suggestions:

• Lazy-load images
• Use efficient cache policies
• Minimize JavaScript
• Eliminate render-blocking resources

7. Moz Pro Site Crawl – User-Friendly Technical Scanner

What It Does:

Moz Pro’s Site Crawl feature identifies technical issues on your site and offers simple guidance for fixing them.

Why It’s Good for Beginners:

• Simple language explanations
• Tracks technical SEO progress over time
• Highlights priority errors
• Covers duplicate content, redirect chains, and missing metadata

How to Use It:

Start a crawl under “Site Crawl,” and Moz will give a health score, plus detailed issue reports.

8. Sitebulb – Visual and Insightful SEO Audits

What It Does:

Sitebulb is a desktop software similar to Screaming Frog but focuses more on visual reports and insights.

Great for Technical SEO Because:

• Interactive crawl maps
• Prioritized audit reports
• JavaScript rendering analysis
• Mobile and desktop crawl comparison
• Internal linking graphs

Why It’s Unique:

It doesn’t just show errors—it gives you context, suggestions, and why they matter.

9. Ryte – All-in-One Website Health Checker

What It Does:

Ryte is a website quality management platform that includes SEO audits, content analysis, and monitoring tools.

SEO Technical Features Include:

• Checks crawlability and indexability
• Analyzes broken pages, redirects, and slow content
• Includes structured data testing
• Supports Core Web Vitals and mobile UX audits

How to Use It:

Sign up, connect your website, and run a full analysis. You can access a dashboard with technical SEO scores.

10. DeepCrawl (Now Lumar) – Enterprise-Level Audits

What It Does:

DeepCrawl is a cloud-based tool designed for large-scale, complex websites.

Why Enterprises Use It:

• Scalable crawls across thousands of pages
• Technical SEO automation
• Customizable reports and filters
• Team collaboration features
• Integrates with Google Data Studio, BigQuery, and more

11. Ahrefs Webmaster Tools – Free Lite Version

What It Does:

Ahrefs also offers a free version called Ahrefs Webmaster Tools (AWT) that’s great for basic site audits.

What You Get:

• Site health score
• Basic crawl report
• Limited backlink and keyword data
• Mobile usability checks
• Indexing issues

12. Google Mobile-Friendly Test – Mobile Optimization Checker

Why It Matters:

Google ranks mobile-friendly websites higher in mobile searches. With most traffic now from phones, this is essential.

What It Does:

• Tests if your page is mobile-optimized
• Highlights issues with fonts, buttons, layouts
• Simulates a smartphone view

How to Use It:

Just paste your URL, and Google will run a live test.

Final Thoughts: Mastering Technical SEO, One Tool at a Time

Technical SEO may sound complicated, but once you start using the right tools, everything begins to make sense. Think of your website as a house. You might have amazing furniture (your content), but if the foundation is weak (your technical setup), things will fall apart sooner or later.

The tools we’ve discussed—like Google Search Console, Screaming Frog, Ahrefs, SEMrush, GTmetrix, and others—act like expert inspectors. They help you spot cracks in the foundation, leaky pipes, broken windows, and anything else that might be silently hurting your website’s performance.

If you're just starting out, begin with the free tools. Google Search Console, PageSpeed Insights, and Ahrefs Webmaster Tools give you plenty of useful data to improve your site without spending a dime. These can help you fix common problems like slow-loading pages, crawl errors, or mobile usability issues.

As your website grows and you want deeper insights, tools like Screaming Frog, SEMrush, and Sitebulb offer advanced reports and ongoing tracking to keep your site in top shape. They not only identify errors but also guide you through how to fix them.

Remember, technical SEO isn’t a one-time job. The web is always changing—new updates from Google, new competitors entering your space, and even new pages or plugins added to your own site. That’s why regular audits using these tools are essential to stay ahead.

The real key to success is consistency. Don’t wait for problems to get worse. Audit your site regularly, fix issues early, and focus on improving the user experience. A technically strong website doesn’t just rank better—it loads faster, works smoothly on all devices, and gives your visitors a reason to stay longer.

So, whether you're managing a personal blog, a business website, or an eCommerce store, make technical SEO part of your regular routine. Use these tools to uncover hidden problems, make smarter decisions, and ensure your website runs like a well-oiled machine.

Because when your technical SEO is strong, everything else—rankings, traffic, conversions—gets a whole lot easier.