When it comes to ranking on Google, great content is only half the battle. The other half? Technical SEO.
You could have the most compelling blog post or service page in the world, but if your site has slow loading speeds, crawl errors, or broken links, Google won’t rank it, and customers won’t find it.
That’s where a **technical SEO audit** comes in — a behind-the-scenes health check for your website. As a trusted **Charleston SEO expert**, Results Driven Marketing is here to walk you through the process and show you how our team helps businesses uncover hidden issues, boost search performance, and turn their websites into lead machines.
Ready to dig in? Let’s start optimizing from the ground up.
What Is a Technical SEO Audit?
A technical SEO audit is a thorough examination of your website’s backend — the stuff search engines care about most. It ensures your site is crawlable, indexable, secure, mobile-friendly, and running like a well-oiled machine.
It’s not about what your site *says* — it’s about how well it *functions* for both users and search engines.
Step 1: Crawl Your Website
Before you do anything, you need to see your site the way Google sees it. Use tools like Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, or Semrush to run a crawl of your site. This will flag:
- Broken links
- Duplicate content
- Redirect chains
- Missing metadata
- Poor URL structure
At Results Driven Marketing, we use advanced SEO tools to crawl every nook and cranny of your site and create a roadmap for improvements. Many business owners are shocked to discover how many technical issues are quietly hurting their rankings.
Step 2: Check Site Speed & Core Web Vitals
Page speed is more important than ever. Google’s Core Web Vitals — metrics that measure load speed, interactivity, and visual stability — are key ranking factors in 2025.
Use tools like PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix to analyze how fast your site loads. Common culprits for slow speeds include:
- Unoptimized images
- Too many third-party scripts
- Lack of caching
- Render-blocking resources
As a Charleston SEO expert, we optimize site speed by compressing files, enabling lazy loading, cleaning up code, and working with developers to eliminate bottlenecks.
Faster websites keep users happy — and search engines too.
Step 3: Ensure Mobile-Friendliness
Over 60% of searches happen on mobile devices. If your site isn’t mobile-friendly, you’re losing traffic and hurting your SEO.
Test your site using Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool. Look for:
- Responsive design
- Easy-to-tap buttons
- Readable fonts
- No horizontal scrolling
At Results Driven Marketing, we make sure your site looks flawless across all devices. Whether someone’s browsing on a tablet or a phone in line at a coffee shop, your website should work like a charm.
Step 4: Fix Crawlability & Indexing Issues
Your site can’t rank if Google can’t crawl or index it. Start by checking Google Search Console to find:
- Crawl errors
- Blocked pages
- Disallowed content in robots.txt
- Improper use of noindex tags
Also, verify your XML sitemap is submitted and up-to-date. If pages are important, make sure they’re included in your sitemap and linked properly on your site.
As a trusted local SEO expert in Charleston, our team handles all the technical details — from sitemap creation to robots.txt optimization — so nothing gets in the way of Google indexing your pages.
Step 5: Audit Your URL Structure
Your URLs should be clean, descriptive, and keyword-friendly. Avoid URLs that are:
- Too long or complex
- Full of numbers or symbols
- Missing keywords
Good URL:
www.yoursite.com/seo-services
Bad URL:
www.yoursite.com/page?id=4890345&cat=23
We help businesses streamline their site architecture so URLs make sense to both users and search engines. Clean structure = better crawlability + improved user experience.
Step 6: Analyze Internal Linking
Internal linking helps Google understand your site’s hierarchy, and it keeps users engaged longer by guiding them to related content.
Ask yourself:
- Are you linking to important service pages from other content?
- Do blog posts reference related articles?
- Are there broken internal links?
At Results Driven Marketing, we implement smart internal linking strategies that distribute link equity, strengthen page authority, and keep people exploring your site longer.
Step 7: Secure Your Website with HTTPS
Security is a ranking factor. If your site still uses HTTP, it’s time for an upgrade. Make sure your SSL certificate is installed and working correctly. Google flags non-secure sites, and users are less likely to trust them.
We help clients migrate securely to HTTPS and fix any mixed content issues along the way.
Step 8: Eliminate Duplicate Content
Duplicate content confuses search engines and dilutes your ranking power. Common causes include:
- Repeated product descriptions
- Print-friendly pages without canonical tags
- Multiple pages targeting the same keyword
Use tools like Siteliner or Copyscape to identify duplicates. Then, consolidate, rewrite, or apply canonical tags where needed.
Our team helps businesses identify and resolve duplicate content issues so each page can rank to its fullest potential.
Step 9: Optimize Structured Data
Structured data (schema markup) helps search engines better understand your content. It can also enhance your listings with rich snippets, like star ratings, FAQs, or event dates.
Common schema types to implement:
- Local Business
- Product
- FAQ
- Service
- Review
As a top-rated **SEO expert**, we implement schema on service pages, blog posts, and local landing pages to help clients stand out in search results — and get more clicks.
Step 10: Set Up SEO Monitoring Tools
Once your audit is complete and fixes are implemented, the next step is **monitoring**.
You should regularly review:
- Google Search Console (indexing, errors, rankings)
- Google Analytics (traffic, bounce rate, conversions)
- Page speed tools (Core Web Vitals)
- SEO tools (Semrush, Ahrefs, etc.)
At Results Driven Marketing, we don’t just fix problems — we track progress and adapt. Our SEO services include monthly reporting, rank tracking, and proactive recommendations to keep your site performing at its best.
Why Trust Results Driven Marketing as Your SEO Expert?
You could spend hours tinkering with SEO tools and reading blog posts — or you could trust a team of digital pros who do this all day, every day.
Here’s what sets us apart:
**Local Expertise** – We understand the local market, the competition, and what your customers are searching for.
**Full-Service SEO** – From technical audits and on-page SEO to content strategy and local optimization, we handle every aspect of SEO for our clients.
**Transparent Reporting** – You’ll never be left wondering how your site is performing. Our reports are clear, visual, and packed with insights.
**Results-Driven** – It’s in our name for a reason. We focus on the metrics that matter — more traffic, more leads, and more growth for your business.
Ready to Get Technical?
Whether you’re a small business owner, a marketing manager, or just starting to grow your digital presence, technical SEO is not something to ignore. It’s the foundation of everything else. And with search algorithms only getting smarter, now is the time to audit, optimize, and get ahead.
Looking for a reliable digital marketing agency in Charleston to help you dig deep into your website’s technical health? You’re in the right place.
Contact Results Driven Marketing today and let’s get your site in top shape — fast, friendly, and 100% results-focused.
