How to Run an SEO Audit

An SEO audit is a comprehensive evaluation of your website's search engine health. It identifies technical issues, content gaps, on-page optimisation opportunities, and backlink profile weaknesses. A thorough audit provides the foundation for any SEO strategy — you cannot plan improvements without first understanding your current position.

Audit Preparation

Tools You Need

Tool	Purpose	Cost
Google Search Console	Index, performance, and error data	Free
Google Analytics 4	Traffic and behaviour data	Free
PageSpeed Insights	Core Web Vitals and speed analysis	Free
Screaming Frog	Technical crawling and analysis	Free (500 URLs) / Paid
Ahrefs or Semrush	Backlink analysis and keyword data	Paid
Google Mobile-Friendly Test	Mobile usability	Free
Rich Results Test	Schema validation	Free

Data to Gather Before Starting

• Google Search Console performance data (last 12 months)
• Google Analytics traffic data (last 12 months)
• Current keyword rankings (from rank tracker)
• Complete backlink profile export
• Competitor list (3–5 SERP competitors)

Part 1 — Technical SEO Audit

Crawlability

• Robots.txt file exists and is correctly configured
• Important pages are not blocked from crawling
• XML sitemap exists and is submitted to Search Console
• Sitemap URLs match actual pages (no 404s in sitemap)
• Sitemap is up to date and auto-generated

Indexation

• Index Coverage report reviewed in Search Console
• Important pages are indexed
• No important pages excluded from index
• No unexpected pages indexed (staging, admin, duplicates)
• site:yourdomain.com search returns expected page count

Site Speed

• Core Web Vitals passing on mobile (LCP, INP, CLS)
• PageSpeed Insights score above 90 (desktop) and 70 (mobile)
• No render-blocking resources identified
• Images optimised (format, compression, lazy loading)
• Server response time under 200ms

Mobile

• Mobile-friendly test passing for all key pages
• Responsive design working correctly
• No horizontal scrolling on mobile
• Touch targets appropriately sized
• Mobile content parity with desktop

HTTP/HTTPS

• All pages served over HTTPS
• No mixed content warnings
• HTTP-to-HTTPS redirects in place
• HSTS header configured
• SSL certificate valid and not expiring soon

URL Structure

• URLs are clean, descriptive, and keyword-inclusive
• No unnecessary parameters or session IDs
• Consistent URL conventions (lowercase, hyphens)
• No broken redirect chains (A → B → C)
• 404 errors reviewed and addressed

Structured Data

• Organisation/LocalBusiness schema implemented
• Article schema on blog posts
• Breadcrumb schema on all pages
• FAQ schema where applicable
• All schema validates in Rich Results Test

Part 2 — On-Page SEO Audit

Title Tags

• Every page has a unique title tag
• Title tags are 50–60 characters
• Primary keyword appears in title tag
• No duplicate title tags across the site
• Title tags are compelling for click-through

Meta Descriptions

• Every page has a unique meta description
• Descriptions are 120–155 characters
• Descriptions include a call to action
• No duplicate descriptions across the site

Heading Structure

• Every page has exactly one H1
• H1 includes the primary keyword
• Heading hierarchy is logical (H1 → H2 → H3)
• Headings describe the content beneath them

Internal Linking

• No orphan pages (pages with zero internal links)
• Important pages have the most internal links
• Anchor text is descriptive
• Link depth is 3 clicks or fewer from homepage
• Breadcrumbs implemented and functioning

Images

• All images have descriptive alt text
• Images are optimised for file size
• Next-gen formats used (WebP, AVIF)
• Lazy loading implemented for below-fold images

Part 3 — Content Audit

Quality Assessment

• All pages provide genuine value to users
• No thin content pages (under 300 words without justification)
• Content demonstrates E-E-A-T signals
• Content is up to date and accurate
• No duplicate or near-duplicate content

Gap Analysis

• Keyword opportunities identified without existing content
• Competitor content coverage compared
• Topic clusters complete (no missing supporting pages)
• Content formats diversified (guides, lists, comparisons, tools)

Content Performance

• Top-performing pages identified (traffic + conversions)
• Underperforming pages identified for improvement or removal
• Declining pages flagged for content refresh
• Content refresh schedule established

Part 4 — Backlink Audit

Profile Health

• Total referring domains documented
• Domain authority/rating noted
• Link quality distribution assessed (high, medium, low)
• Toxic links identified (if any)
• Anchor text distribution analysed

Growth

• New referring domains per month tracked
• Link velocity compared to competitors
• Link building opportunities identified

Competitive Comparison

• Competitor referring domain counts compared
• Link gap analysis completed
• Competitor link sources analysed for outreach opportunities

Part 5 — Local SEO Audit (If Applicable)

• Google Business Profile claimed and fully optimised
• NAP consistent across all citations
• Top citation directories listed on
• Review count and rating assessed
• Local keyword rankings tracked
• LocalBusiness schema implemented

Creating the Action Plan

Prioritisation Matrix

After the audit, categorise findings:

Priority	Criteria	Timeline
Critical	Blocking indexing/ranking, security issues	Fix within 1 week
High	Significant impact on performance	Fix within 1 month
Medium	Meaningful improvement opportunity	Address within 3 months
Low	Nice-to-have improvements	Address as resources allow

Action Plan Format

For each issue:

1. Issue: What is wrong
2. Impact: How it affects SEO performance
3. Solution: Specific steps to fix
4. Priority: Critical / High / Medium / Low
5. Effort: Hours or resources required
6. Owner: Who is responsible

Key Takeaways

• An SEO audit covers five areas: technical, on-page, content, backlinks, and local SEO.
• Use the right tools: Search Console + GA4 (free) supplemented by Screaming Frog and Ahrefs/Semrush (paid).
• The most valuable output is a prioritised action plan, not just a list of issues.
• Run comprehensive audits annually and health checks quarterly.
• Fix critical issues immediately, then work through high and medium priorities systematically.

Quick Audit Summary Checklist

• Technical: crawlability, indexation, speed, mobile, HTTPS, structured data
• On-page: title tags, descriptions, headings, internal links, images
• Content: quality, gaps, performance, freshness
• Backlinks: profile health, growth, competitive comparison
• Local: GBP, citations, reviews, schema
• Action plan created with priorities and owners
• Follow-up audit scheduled (quarterly health check)

Tools & Resources (Coming Soon)

• SEO Audit Template (Coming soon)
• Priority Matrix Builder (Coming soon)
• Automated Health Check Script (Coming soon)

Related SEO Documentation

• Google Search Console
• Core Web Vitals Explained
• What Is Technical SEO?
• Building an SEO Strategy
• Site Speed Optimisation