7 Site Health Checks to Run Regularly
Site health problems usually don’t show up all at once. They build slowly as sites change over time. Pages get renamed. Campaigns come and go. Tools get added and removed. Eventually, small issues start to stack up.
Most teams don’t notice these problems day to day because the site still works. Pages load. Forms submit. Nothing is obviously broken. But underneath the surface, friction accumulates for both users and search engines.
This post covers a handful of common site health issues that quietly hurt SEO, along with simple ways teams usually deal with them. The goal isn’t perfection. It’s keeping the site usable, understandable, and easier to maintain.
1. Fix broken internal links
Broken links are one of the easiest problems to overlook and one of the easiest to fix.
They usually appear after pages are deleted, renamed, or moved. Over time, links that once worked turn into dead ends.
Example: Older blog posts link to service pages that no longer exist. Navigation items point to redirects. Someone clicks a link and lands on a 404 page, or gets bounced through multiple redirects before reaching the right place.
Possible solutions
Run a basic site crawl to surface broken links.
Update links to point to the correct pages.
Remove links to pages that no longer belong.
Broken links don’t always cause obvious damage, but they signal neglect and make the site harder to navigate.
2. Clean up redirect chains
Redirects are useful, but they tend to pile up over time.
They’re often added during rebrands, site migrations, or content cleanups. If they’re never revisited, they can turn into long chains that slow down pages and confuse crawlers.
Example: A page is renamed, then renamed again a year later. Internal links still point to the original URL, which redirects to a second URL, which redirects again to the current page.
Possible solutions
Update internal links to point directly to the final URL.
Remove unnecessary redirects.
Review redirects after major site changes.
Redirects should be temporary helpers, not permanent infrastructure.
3. Deal with orphaned pages
Orphaned pages exist on the site but aren’t linked from anywhere else.
They’re easy to forget about because they don’t show up in navigation and don’t get much traffic. Over time, they become disconnected from the rest of the site.
Example: Landing pages created for past campaigns are still live but not linked from any other page. Blog posts exist only in archives and aren’t referenced anywhere else.
Possible solutions
Add internal links from relevant pages.
Decide whether the page still serves a purpose.
Remove pages that no longer make sense to keep.
If a page matters, it should be easy to find. If it doesn’t, it may not need to exist.
4. Update or remove outdated pages
Content ages whether you want it to or not.
When pages aren’t reviewed periodically, they start to reflect an older version of the business. That creates confusion for users and weakens trust.
Example: Service pages describe offerings that no longer exist. Old announcements are still indexed. Blog posts reference tools or processes the team no longer uses.
Possible solutions
Review key pages occasionally.
Update content to reflect current reality.
Merge or remove pages that are no longer relevant.
Fewer, better-maintained pages usually perform better than a large archive of outdated ones.
5. Keep page performance reasonable
Performance issues often come from gradual accumulation rather than a single bad decision.
Large images, unused scripts, and page builders can all add weight over time. Eventually, pages become slower than they need to be.
Example: Images are uploaded at full size and never compressed. Old tracking scripts are still loaded. Pages feel sluggish, especially on mobile connections.
Possible solutions
Compress large images.
Remove unused scripts and plugins.
Aim for pages that load reliably, not perfectly.
You don’t need a lightning-fast site. You need one that isn’t frustrating to use.
6. Avoid unnecessary complexity
Complex setups are harder to maintain and harder to fix when something breaks.
This usually happens when tools are added reactively without removing older ones, or when configurations are changed without documentation.
Example: Multiple plugins overlap in functionality. Custom rules exist that no one fully understands. Small changes feel risky because it’s unclear what might break.
Possible solutions
Remove tools you no longer need.
Document changes as they happen.
Favor simple setups over clever ones.
A simpler site is easier to keep healthy over time.
7. Pay attention on a regular basis
Most site health issues aren’t hard to solve. They just don’t get noticed until they pile up.
A small amount of regular attention prevents many larger problems later.
Example: The site hasn’t been crawled in years. Issues are only discovered when traffic drops or something breaks publicly.
Possible solutions
Run a basic site check periodically.
Fix obvious issues as you find them.
Treat site health as routine maintenance, not a project.
Consistency matters more than intensity.
Closing
Good site health isn’t about chasing scores or obsessing over tools. It’s about keeping the site clean, understandable, and reasonably up to date.
If links work, pages load, content reflects reality, and changes don’t feel risky, you’re in a good place. That foundation supports SEO without turning it into a constant effort.