It’s almost always technical SEO.
Here’s the exact process we use at my 7-figure agency to run a full technical audit:
✅ Fix crawlability
• Robots.txt shouldn’t block key pages
• Remove accidental noindex tags
• Submit a clean sitemap in GSC
✅ Clean up index bloat
• Find tag, paginated, HTTP, non-www, empty & filter pages
• Noindex or delete them
✅ Redirects done right
• Use 301s (not 302s) for permanent moves
• Avoid chains, loops, and homepage redirects
• Force HTTP > HTTPS, non-www > www (or vice versa)
✅ Boost page speed
• Every 1s delay = -7% conversions
• Use PageSpeed Insights, CDNs, image compression
• Aim for <200ms server response
✅ Mobile-first always
• Use responsive design
• Avoid popups/interstitials
• Match mobile & desktop versions
✅ Add structured data
• Use JSON-LD
• Mark up products, reviews, FAQs
• Test with Google’s Rich Results tool
✅ Canonicals
• Use full, lowercase, HTTPS URLs
• Add self-referential canonicals
• Don’t block them or include duplicates in sitemap
✅ Check server logs
• See what Googlebot crawls, skips, or slows down
✅ JavaScript SEO
• Don’t hide key content behind JS
• Test rendering in GSC
✅ Site structure
• Flat > deep
• Max 3-4 clicks from homepage
• Strong internal linking & clean hierarchy
✅ Bonus: International SEO
• Use hreflang
• Avoid IP-based redirects
• Submit sitemaps by language
Most people skip this stuff. Then wonder why their traffic flatlines.
If your site has tech issues, content and links won’t save it.
Fix the engine before you paint the car.
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