How to fix technical SEO issues on Semrush

intermediate 8 min read Updated 2026-03-13

Quick Answer

Semrush Site Audit uncovers technical SEO issues like broken links, missing meta tags, and crawlability problems with a Site Health score and prioritized fixes. Address Errors first using built-in guides, implement changes like redirects and tag fixes, then rerun audits to verify improvements. Most fixes boost crawlability and rankings quickly with developer help for server-side issues.

Prerequisites

Active Semrush account with Site Audit access
Verified domain/project setup in Semrush
Access to website backend or developer support
Google Search Console integration
Basic understanding of site HTML/code

Step-by-Step Instructions

Access Site Audit Tool

From your Semrush Project dashboard, click the set up button for Site Audit to begin scanning your website for technical issues. Configure settings like crawl source (add XML sitemap), page limit matching your indexed pages, Googlebot user-agent, and whitelist Semrush IPs if using bot protection.

Set recurring crawls for ongoing monitoring.

Review Site Health Score

After the audit completes, check your Site Health score and prioritized to-do list of issues categorized as errors, warnings, and notices. The score reflects overall SEO health based on 140+ checks including crawlability, performance, and markup.

Identify and Prioritize Issues

In the Issues tab, filter by category and start with critical errors like broken links or slow pages. Use the search bar for specifics like broken or redirect; each issue lists affected URLs with plain-English explanations.

Prioritize high-impact errors over warnings.

Fix Meta Tags Issues

Filter for Meta tags to find missing titles or descriptions. Click the issue count to view affected pages, then update each with concise titles (<55 chars), unique meta descriptions (~105 chars), and proper H1 tags per Semrush recommendations.

Check Core Web Vitals

Go to the Core Web Vitals section, click View details for a report on page experience metrics like loading speed and mobile usability. Follow recommendations to optimize images, reduce JS, or improve server response.

Focus on Largest Contentful Paint and Cumulative Layout Shift.

Validate Structured Data

Use Semrush's Schema Markup Generator for types like Organization or Product. Generate code, add to <head> section of HTML, then verify with Google's Rich Results Test tool.

Test implementation before full rollout.

Submit XML Sitemap

Locate your sitemap at yoursite.com/sitemap.xml or yoursite.com/sitemap_index.xml. In Google Search Console, go to Indexing > Sitemaps and submit the URL to aid crawling.

Follow Fix Recommendations

Click individual errors for detailed how-to-fix guides. Implement changes like setting 301 redirects for broken links or removing noindex tags, often requiring CMS or server access.

Involve developers for 5xx errors or robots.txt changes.

Rerun Audit and Validate

After fixes, click rerun campaign to recrawl and update your Site Health score. Cross-check in Google Search Console for indexing improvements and track over time.

Schedule weekly audits for large sites.

Common Issues & Troubleshooting

Broken Links & 4xx Errors

Set up 301 redirects to valid pages or remove links; use Semrush affected URLs list and rerun audit to confirm.

Redirect Chains/Loops

Simplify to single 301 redirects; check server configs or .htaccess and validate via recrawl.

Noindex Tags Blocking Indexing

Remove restrictive noindex meta tags or robots.txt blocks; verify in Google Search Console.

Server 5xx Errors

Contact hosting provider to fix server issues; monitor with recurring Semrush audits.

Thin Content or Orphan Pages

Add internal links from high-authority pages or consolidate content; include sitemap as crawl source.

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