Technical SEO Audit for Small Business: What It Checks and What It Costs
Quick answer: A technical SEO audit is a check of the behind-the-scenes settings that decide whether Google can find, read and show your pages. It finds problems like pages Google ignores, wrong address tags and broken redirects. My audit costs $150 to $500, and fixes are quoted separately. Fixes remove obstacles, but they do not promise rankings.
I'm Anas, a full-stack Next.js developer. I build custom websites, SaaS products and premium templates. This guide explains what an audit involves, so you can judge an offer before you hire anyone, including me.
What Does "Technical" SEO Mean?
SEO (search engine optimization) is the work of helping your pages appear in Google. It has three parts:
- Content. What your pages say, and whether it answers what people search for.
- Links. Other websites pointing to yours.
- Technical. Whether Google can actually reach, understand and list your pages.
Technical SEO is the foundation. You can write the best page in your industry, but if a hidden setting tells Google to ignore it, nobody will find it. I explain the basics in what technical SEO is.
Signs Your Site May Have a Technical Problem
You do not need to be a developer to notice these:
- Pages are not indexed. Indexed means Google has added the page to its list. If your page is not in the list, it cannot appear in results.
- Traffic dropped after a redesign or move. A sudden fall after changes to the site is a classic sign of broken redirects or wrong settings.
- Impressions with no clicks. Your pages show up in Google but nobody clicks, which can point to weak titles or the wrong page being shown.
- New pages are ignored for weeks. If Google does not pick up new content, something may be blocking it.
- Your site looks fine, but Google Search Console shows errors. Search Console is Google's free tool that shows how it sees your site.
None of these proves a technical problem, but together they are a reason to look.
What Does the Audit Check?
Here is what I look at, in plain words.
Indexing. Are your important pages in Google's list, and are the unimportant ones kept out? I also check for a setting called noindex, which tells Google to skip a page, and which is sometimes left on by accident. If your pages are listed but still do not perform, indexed but not ranking explains why.
Canonical tags. A canonical tag is a hidden note on a page that says which address is the "main" one for that content. A wrong one can make Google ignore the page you care about. I cover how they work in canonical URLs explained.
Sitemap. A sitemap is a list of your pages for Google. I check that it exists, that it lists the right pages and that it has been submitted. XML sitemaps explained goes into more detail.
Redirects. A redirect forwards an old address to a new one. I look for missing ones, chains of several in a row and ones that send visitors to the wrong place.
Page speed. Slow pages hurt visitors, and Google takes page experience into account. I check what slows your pages down.
Mobile. Most visitors use phones. I check that your pages work and read well on a small screen.
Metadata. Metadata is the page title and description that appear in search results. Missing, duplicate or poorly written ones weaken your listing.
Structured data. Structured data is extra code that helps Google understand what a page is about, such as a product or a business address. I check that it exists where useful and has no errors.
What my audit covers: indexing, canonical tags, sitemap, page speed, mobile, redirects, metadata and structured data.
A Real Example From My Own Site
I know how small these problems can be, because I had one. My blog pages were telling Google that their "main" address was the homepage, because of a canonical tag bug. It hurt their visibility for weeks.
The pages looked completely normal to a visitor. I found the problem in Search Console, fixed the code and asked Google to recrawl, meaning to visit the pages again. A good site was held back by one hidden setting, and nothing on the screen showed it.
That is what an audit is for: finding what you cannot see by looking at the site.
What You Get at the End
An audit is only useful if you can act on it. Here is what you receive:
- A written report that lists what I found, in plain language.
- A priority list, ordered by what matters most, so you know what to fix first and what can wait.
- Fixes, if you want me to make them. These are quoted separately.
- A call to go through the report together and answer your questions.
What Does a Technical SEO Audit Cost?
My audit alone costs $150 to $500. Fixes are quoted per project, after I have seen what needs doing. Typical timeline for the audit: 3 to 7 days.
The price depends on:
- Site size. Fifty pages take less time to check than five thousand.
- Platform. Some platforms make settings easy to inspect, and others hide them.
- Number of issues. A site with a few problems is quicker than one with many.
- Whether fixes are included. An audit shows the problems. Fixing them is extra work.
For a rough idea of what bigger changes cost, see what a website redesign costs.
What an Audit Cannot Do
I will be straight about this.
It will not create demand. If nobody searches for what you sell, fixing technical problems will not change that.
It will not guarantee rankings or traffic. Fixes remove obstacles. Whether your pages then rank depends on your content, your competition and many things I do not control.
It will not show results immediately. After fixes, Google has to revisit your pages and reassess them. That can take weeks or longer, and I cannot give you a firm timeline.
A good audit makes it possible for your site to perform. It does not do the performing.
Who This Is For
This is for an owner of a business site or online store that is not getting traffic from Google, who suspects something technical is wrong, and who wants to know what a developer would check and what it costs before hiring one.
Who This Is Not For
If your site is brand new and has no content yet, an audit is premature. Write the pages first. It is also not for you if you want a promise of first-page rankings, because I do not make that promise and neither should anyone else.
What to Prepare Before Asking for a Quote
- Your site link.
- Search Console access, if you have it. If you do not, I can tell you how to set it up.
- What changed and when. A redesign, a move to a new platform, a new plugin.
- What you have noticed. Traffic drop, missing pages, errors.
- Your budget range.
- Your platform, if you know it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if I need a technical audit?
If your site is not getting traffic from Google and your content is good, a technical problem is worth ruling out. A sudden drop after a redesign is another strong reason.
Can I do an audit myself?
You can start with Search Console, which shows indexing problems and errors for free. Many issues are easy to see there. Finding hidden causes and fixing them correctly is where a developer helps.
How long until I see results after the fixes?
It varies. Google has to revisit and reassess your pages, which can take weeks or longer. Results depend on your site and your competition, so I do not promise a timeline.
Do I need to give you access to my site?
For an audit, I can often work from your public pages and Search Console. If you want me to make fixes, I will need access to the site itself, and we agree on that first.
What to Send Me
If you want a technical SEO audit that tells you plainly what is wrong, send me your site link, what changed and when, what you have noticed, Search Console access if you have it, and your budget range. I will tell you what I would check first and whether an audit is the right step now.
You can see what I take on at my services page, then send your details through pixelanas.com/contact.
Anas, full-stack Next.js developer building custom websites, SaaS products and premium templates.
