How to audit a website for technical health (Core Web Vitals + 2026 guide)
The 8 technical-health checks that decide whether Google ranks your site, AI engines cite it, and visitors stick - Core Web Vitals, WCAG 2.2 mobile, SEO basics, crawlability, semantic HTML, image optimisation, resource loading, and accessibility.
Frequently asked questions
How often should I re-run a technical audit?
Monthly is reasonable for active sites. After any deploy that changes the homepage or main service pages.
My Lighthouse score is 95. Why does AuditHQ score me lower?
Lighthouse runs a simulated lab test on a fast desktop. AuditHQ uses Field data from PSI's CrUX dataset - real visitors on real devices.
Do Core Web Vitals matter for B2B SaaS where buyers are patient?
Yes. INP failure (>500ms) is a B2B SaaS-killer - every form, dropdown, and button feels broken.
What's the single biggest technical win for SMBs?
Convert hero images from JPEG to WebP/AVIF, add loading="lazy" to below-fold images, add fetchpriority="high" to the hero.
Does AI visibility overlap with technical health?
Yes - about 60% overlap. Crawlability, schema, semantic HTML, page speed all matter for both.