Key takeaways
- You can check a lot from outside a site: indexing, robots.txt, sitemaps, redirects, canonicals, structured data and speed.
- Use light, respectful crawls and free tools; never hammer a small business’s server.
- Pick two or three issues with a clear business impact rather than sending a long automated report.
- Build the target list first — by sector and location — then audit the most promising companies.
Technical checks you can run from the outside
- 01Indexing: a site: search shows roughly which pages Google has indexed and whether important pages are missing.
- 02robots.txt: open /robots.txt to check that important sections are not accidentally blocked.
- 03XML sitemap: look for /sitemap.xml or a sitemap reference in robots.txt.
- 04HTTPS and redirects: the http and www versions should redirect cleanly to one preferred address.
- 05Canonical tags and titles: view the page source for duplicate titles or canonicals pointing to the wrong place.
- 06Structured data: Google’s Rich Results Test shows whether LocalBusiness, Product or FAQ markup is present and valid.
- 07Core Web Vitals: PageSpeed Insights reports loading, responsiveness and layout stability.
Crawling responsibly
A desktop crawler such as the free version of Screaming Frog SEO Spider (limited to 500 URLs) can reveal broken links, redirect chains and missing titles across a small site. Keep crawl speed low, respect robots.txt and only crawl sites you are seriously considering. Heavy automated crawling of many small sites can affect their performance and is not a good first impression.
Choosing which sites to audit
Technical audits take time, so apply them to a qualified list. In ClientFinch, search the sectors where organic search drives revenue — for example online retail (47910), estate agencies (68310) or solicitors (69102) — and save companies that are established and active. Then audit the ones whose sites suggest they depend on search.
Turning technical findings into a pitch
Translate each issue into its consequence: “your service pages are blocked in robots.txt, so Google cannot show them in search”, or “the http version of your site does not redirect, splitting your links between two addresses”. Choose the two or three most important, explain the fix in one line each, and offer a short call or written summary. Record the findings in your ClientFinch notes so the context stays with the prospect.
Try it: established online retailers
Live data- SIC: 47910 Retail via internet
- Status: Active
Free account required — the first companies are free to explore.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. For data protection questions, see the ICO’s direct marketing guidance.