The Best Technical SEO Tools
TL;DR Technical SEO is the part of SEO most specialists like least, but without it, good content may never be crawled, indexed or shown. These are the tools we use in technical SEO audits, grouped by task. For keyword and rank tracking tools, see our SEO tools overview. Which technical SEO tools are worth using? […]
TL;DR
- Start with the free tools from search engines: Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools, PageSpeed Insights and the Rich Results Test.
- Add a crawler (Screaming Frog or Sitebulb) to see the site the way a search engine does.
- Use Chrome DevTools and Lighthouse to check rendering, code and speed on a single page.
- For larger sites, add log file analysis and an all-in-one suite (Ahrefs or Semrush) for audits and links.
- In 2026, also check how AI crawlers access your site and how your pages appear in AI search reports.
Technical SEO is the part of SEO most specialists like least, but without it, good content may never be crawled, indexed or shown. These are the tools we use in technical SEO audits, grouped by task. For keyword and rank tracking tools, see our SEO tools overview.
Which technical SEO tools are worth using?
| Tool | Best for | Price model |
|---|---|---|
| Google Search Console | Indexing, performance, Core Web Vitals, structured data reports, AI performance | Free |
| Bing Webmaster Tools | Indexing in Bing, IndexNow, AI Performance report (Copilot) | Free |
| PageSpeed Insights | Core Web Vitals: lab (Lighthouse) and field (CrUX) data | Free |
| Rich Results Test / Schema Markup Validator | Testing structured data | Free |
| Chrome DevTools + Lighthouse | Rendering, code, network, performance on one page | Free |
| Screaming Frog SEO Spider | Desktop crawl: status codes, canonicals, titles, redirects, JS rendering | Free up to 500 URLs; annual licence |
| Sitebulb | Crawl with visual reports and prioritised hints | Subscription (desktop and cloud) |
| Ahrefs (incl. Webmaster Tools) | Site audit, backlinks; free audit for verified sites | Subscription; AWT free |
| Semrush Site Audit | Site audit as part of an SEO suite | Subscription |
| GTmetrix / WebPageTest | Detailed speed tests from different locations | Free tier; paid plans |
| Screaming Frog Log File Analyser | Which URLs bots really crawl, including AI crawlers | Free tier; annual licence |
| Google Analytics 4 | Organic traffic, engagement and conversions per page | Free |
Make your brand visible – from Google to AI chatbots.
What can you check in Google Search Console?
Search Console is still the first tool to open. It shows what Google actually sees:
- Performance: queries, clicks, impressions, CTR and positions per page; useful for finding pages that rank but get few clicks.
- Page indexing: which URLs are indexed and why others aren’t (indexing problems).
- URL Inspection: the rendered HTML Google sees, and a request to index a new or updated URL (with a daily limit) (Google).
- Core Web Vitals, HTTPS and structured data reports (for types such as Product, Breadcrumb or Video).
- Links, Manual actions and Security issues.
- AI performance: since June 2026, a report on how your pages appear in Google’s generative AI features (Google).
Connect Search Console with GA4 to see organic queries and landing pages next to engagement and conversions. Bing Webmaster Tools offers similar reports for Bing, plus IndexNow and, since February 2026, an AI Performance report showing citations in Copilot (Search Influence).
Which tools crawl your site like a search engine?
Screaming Frog SEO Spider
The industry standard desktop crawler. It finds broken links and error status codes, redirect chains, canonical and hreflang errors, missing or duplicate titles and meta descriptions, large images, noindex and robots directives, and can render JavaScript to compare raw and rendered HTML. It connects to Search Console, GA4 and the PageSpeed Insights API, so you can add clicks or Core Web Vitals to every URL. The free version crawls up to 500 URLs; a paid licence removes the limit (pricing).
Sitebulb
A crawler focused on explaining problems: prioritised hints, crawl maps showing internal link structure and orphaned pages, and reports that are easy to share with clients or developers. Available as desktop software and in the cloud for larger sites.
Ahrefs and Semrush site audits
Cloud audits that run on a schedule and track issues over time, alongside backlink and keyword data. Ahrefs Webmaster Tools gives a free site audit and backlink data for sites you verify (Ahrefs). Fix errors first, then warnings and notices.
Log file analysis
Server logs show which URLs Googlebot, Bingbot and AI crawlers (such as GPTBot, ClaudeBot or PerplexityBot) really request, how often, and with which status codes. For large stores and sites with crawl budget issues, it’s the only way to see crawling directly.
How do you test page speed and Core Web Vitals?
Core Web Vitals measure loading (LCP ≤ 2.5 s), responsiveness (INP ≤ 200 ms) and visual stability (CLS ≤ 0.1) at the 75th percentile of real users (web.dev). They are part of Google’s page experience signals; see UX in SEO.
| Tool | Data type | Use it to |
|---|---|---|
| PageSpeed Insights | Field (CrUX) + lab (Lighthouse) | Check whether real users pass Core Web Vitals; get a list of fixes |
| Search Console – Core Web Vitals | Field, grouped by URL | Find groups of templates that fail |
| Chrome DevTools – Performance | Lab + live metrics | Find the LCP element and slow interactions |
| GTmetrix / WebPageTest | Lab, many locations | Waterfall analysis, test from a specific location or connection |
Lab tools simulate one load; field data shows what real users experienced. When they disagree, field data is what counts for Google.
How do you check code, rendering and structured data?
- Chrome DevTools: rendered HTML, network requests, blocked resources and mobile emulation (how to use DevTools for SEO).
- Web Developer extension: quickly disable JavaScript, CSS or images to see what’s left for a crawler that doesn’t render JavaScript, and check heading structure and alt text.
- Rich Results Test: whether Google can read your structured data and which rich results the page is eligible for (Google).
- Schema Markup Validator: general schema.org validation, including types Google doesn’t use for rich results (schema.org). Both replaced Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool (Google). More: structured data worth using.
Don’t block pages or resources with structured data in robots.txt; Google can’t read what it can’t crawl (Google).
Let your customers find you, wherever they look.
How do you check what AI crawlers see?
- robots.txt: check which AI crawlers you allow or block, and that the rules match your decision (search and training crawlers have different names).
- Raw HTML: most AI crawlers don’t run JavaScript (Vercel). View the page source or crawl without rendering to check that content and links are there.
- Server logs: confirm which AI crawlers visit and which pages they request.
- AI reports: Search Console’s AI performance report and Bing’s AI Performance report show where your pages appear in AI answers.
Technical SEO works best when it’s part of development, not a fix after launch; see SEO and web development.
FAQ
What replaced Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool?
The Rich Results Test for Google’s rich results and the Schema Markup Validator at validator.schema.org for general schema.org markup.
Is Screaming Frog free?
Yes, for up to 500 URLs per crawl. A paid annual licence removes the limit and adds features such as JavaScript rendering and integrations.
Screaming Frog or Sitebulb?
Screaming Frog is more flexible and configurable; Sitebulb explains issues and visualises structure more clearly. Many teams use both.
Which free tools are enough for a small site?
Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools, PageSpeed Insights, the Rich Results Test, Chrome DevTools and the free version of Screaming Frog.
Is page speed a ranking factor?
Core Web Vitals are one of many signals. They rarely outweigh relevance, but slow pages lose users and conversions.
Sources
- Google Search Central Blog: Structured Data Testing Tool update
- Google: Rich Results Test and Schema Markup Validator
- Search Console Help: URL Inspection tool
- Google Search Central Blog: Generative AI performance reports
- Search Engine Land: Google drops Mobile Usability report
- web.dev: Web Vitals
- Google Search Central Blog: Google does not use the keywords meta tag
- Screaming Frog: Pricing and Ahrefs Webmaster Tools
- Vercel: The rise of the AI crawler
About the author: This article was prepared by the Insightland SEO and GEO team. Insightland is a Wrocław-based agency, part of the Hexe Capital Tech Hub, that connects business, tech and data: SEO and GEO, performance marketing, UX and analytics, and SEO and AI training. Contact us.
