An SEO audit is a structured review of everything that affects how a site is crawled, indexed, understood and chosen in search. This checklist covers 64 checks across eight areas: crawling, indexing, on-page content, site structure, performance, structured data, AI search readiness and measurement. Work through it in order, record each result as pass, fix or not applicable, then prioritise the fixes by impact.
Most audits fail not because they miss issues but because they produce a 200-row spreadsheet nobody acts on. This checklist is designed to be used: every check says what to look for and where to find it, and the final section explains how to turn findings into a short, ranked fix list. You can run most of it with free tools, mainly Google Search Console, PageSpeed Insights, a crawler and your browser. It suits in-house marketers, founders and developers doing a first audit or a quarterly review.
Key takeaways
- Start with indexing. If Google cannot crawl or index a page, nothing else on this list matters for that page.
- Common basics are still missed. The 2024 Web Almanac found only 66.4% of mobile home pages had a meta description, and 65% of mobile pages had a canonical tag.
- Use free tools first. Search Console and a crawler cover most checks; paid tools add speed, not essentials.
- Prioritise by impact, not count. One noindex on the main service page outweighs a hundred missing alt attributes on old blog images.
- Repeat quarterly. Sites change with every release, plugin update and new page.
What do you need before starting an audit?
- Owner or full access to Google Search Console for the site, ideally a Domain property.
- Analytics access (for example GA4) to see landing pages and conversions.
- A crawler. Screaming Frog’s free version crawls up to 500 URLs; alternatives exist.
- A list of the 10 to 20 most important pages: services, top guides, contact and the home page.
- A sheet with columns for check, result (pass / fix / n/a), page or template, impact, effort and owner.
How common are basic SEO issues?
The HTTP Archive Web Almanac 2024 SEO chapter analysed millions of pages. Its findings show how often fundamentals are missing across the web.
Titles are almost universal; descriptions and canonicals are not
The same chapter found that 3.9% of mobile pages and 4.7% of desktop pages carried a noindex directive, and that the Lighthouse robots.txt check failed on 7.4% of mobile pages. Small percentages across the web, but if one of those pages is your main service page, it is your biggest problem.
Section 1: Crawling (checks 1–9)
| # | Check | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | robots.txt loads with a 200 status at /robots.txt | Browser; Search Console robots.txt report |
| 2 | robots.txt does not block important pages, CSS or JavaScript | Search Console robots.txt report; URL Inspection |
| 3 | robots.txt references the XML sitemap | robots.txt file |
| 4 | XML sitemap exists and is submitted in Search Console | Search Console, Sitemaps |
| 5 | Sitemap lists only canonical, indexable URLs returning 200 | Crawler, sitemap crawl mode |
| 6 | Server responds reliably; no spikes in server errors | Search Console, Settings → Crawl stats |
| 7 | Navigation and key links are real <a href> links |
View source; crawler |
| 8 | No internal links to 4xx or 5xx URLs | Crawler, response codes |
| 9 | Faceted or parameter URLs are controlled, not creating endless crawl paths | Crawler; Crawl stats |
Section 2: Indexing (checks 10–18)
| # | Check | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Important pages are indexed | Search Console, URL Inspection |
| 11 | No unintended noindex tags or X-Robots-Tag headers | Crawler, directives; URL Inspection |
| 12 | Page indexing report reviewed; reasons for non-indexed pages understood | Search Console, Pages |
| 13 | Every indexable page has a self-referencing or correct canonical | Crawler, canonicals |
| 14 | Google’s chosen canonical matches yours for key pages | URL Inspection |
| 15 | HTTP redirects to HTTPS, and one hostname version (www or non-www) is used | Browser; crawler |
| 16 | No redirect chains or loops on internal links | Crawler, redirect chains |
| 17 | Removed pages return 404 or 410, or redirect to a relevant replacement | Crawler; spot checks |
| 18 | Thin, duplicate or auto-generated archive pages are improved, consolidated or noindexed | Crawler; manual review |
Section 3: On-page content (checks 19–30)
| # | Check | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| 19 | Every page has a unique, descriptive title tag | Crawler, page titles |
| 20 | Titles lead with the main topic and are not truncated badly | Crawler; search results |
| 21 | Every key page has a unique meta description that summarises it | Crawler, meta descriptions |
| 22 | One clear H1 per page that matches the page’s purpose | Crawler, H1 |
| 23 | Headings follow a logical order and describe sections | Browser extension or crawler |
| 24 | Each page targets one primary intent, without competing pages | Search Console queries by page |
| 25 | Main content answers the question directly near the top | Manual review |
| 26 | Content shows first-hand experience, examples or data | Manual review against Google’s helpful content questions |
| 27 | Author or company information is visible where trust matters | Manual review |
| 28 | Statistics are sourced and dated | Manual review |
| 29 | Images have descriptive alt text where they carry meaning | Crawler, images |
| 30 | Outdated pages are updated, merged or retired | Analytics; Search Console; content inventory |
Section 4: Site structure and internal links (checks 31–38)
| # | Check | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| 31 | Key pages are within three clicks of the home page | Crawler, crawl depth |
| 32 | No orphan pages (indexable pages with no internal links) | Crawler vs sitemap and Search Console |
| 33 | Service pages are linked from relevant guides | Crawler, inlinks |
| 34 | Anchor text describes the destination; few “click here” links | Crawler, anchor text export |
| 35 | Breadcrumbs are present on inner pages | Browser |
| 36 | URLs are readable, lowercase and hyphenated | Crawler |
| 37 | Main navigation reflects the services buyers look for | Manual review |
| 38 | Related content blocks link to genuinely related pages | Manual review |
For detail on fixing these, see our guide to site architecture and internal linking.
Section 5: Performance and mobile (checks 39–47)
| # | Check | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| 39 | Core Web Vitals pass for mobile URL groups | Search Console, Core Web Vitals |
| 40 | LCP within 2.5 s on key templates | PageSpeed Insights |
| 41 | INP under 200 ms on key templates | PageSpeed Insights (field data) |
| 42 | CLS below 0.1 on key templates | PageSpeed Insights |
| 43 | Hero or LCP image is not lazy-loaded | View source; DevTools |
| 44 | Images are compressed, in modern formats and have set dimensions | PageSpeed Insights diagnostics |
| 45 | Third-party scripts are reviewed; unused tags removed | Tag manager; DevTools coverage |
| 46 | Pages are usable on a phone: readable text, tappable buttons, no horizontal scroll | Real device; Lighthouse |
| 47 | Page caching and a CDN are in place | Response headers; hosting panel |
Our Core Web Vitals guide explains each metric and the fix order we use.
Section 6: Structured data and entities (checks 48–53)
| # | Check | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| 48 | Organization (or LocalBusiness) schema with name, logo, URL and sameAs profiles | Rich Results Test; Schema Markup Validator |
| 49 | BreadcrumbList schema matches the visible breadcrumbs | Rich Results Test |
| 50 | Article schema on guides, with author and dates | Rich Results Test |
| 51 | Structured data matches visible content; no markup for hidden content | Manual comparison |
| 52 | No errors in Search Console enhancement reports | Search Console, Enhancements |
| 53 | Brand name, description and contact details are consistent across site and profiles | Manual review |
See our entity SEO and structured data guide for implementation detail.
Section 7: AI search readiness (checks 54–59)
| # | Check | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| 54 | Key pages are indexed and eligible for snippets (no restrictive nosnippet) | URL Inspection; page source |
| 55 | Guides open with a clear, direct answer of 40 to 60 words | Manual review |
| 56 | Headings phrased as the questions buyers ask | Manual review |
| 57 | robots.txt decisions on AI crawlers are deliberate, not accidental | robots.txt |
| 58 | AI Overviews and AI Mode impressions reviewed | Search Console, generative AI performance report |
| 59 | Brand appears accurately when key questions are asked in major AI assistants | Manual testing |
Google’s AI features documentation says there are no additional technical requirements for AI Overviews or AI Mode beyond being indexed and eligible to show a snippet. Google says its generative AI performance report in Search Console was rolled out to all websites by 31 August 2026. Our guides on answer engine optimization and generative engine optimization go further.
Section 8: Measurement and conversion (checks 60–64)
| # | Check | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| 60 | Analytics loads on every page and respects consent settings | Tag assistant; real-time report |
| 61 | Form submissions and key actions are tracked as conversions | Analytics, events |
| 62 | Leads from organic search can be traced in the CRM | CRM source fields |
| 63 | Search Console is linked to analytics | Analytics admin |
| 64 | A benchmark of clicks, impressions and conversions is recorded | Search Console export; analytics |
Our marketing analytics and attribution guide explains how to connect search activity to enquiries.
Which extra checks apply to ecommerce and local sites?
The 64 checks cover most business sites. Some site types need a few more.
Ecommerce and WooCommerce stores:
- Filter and sort parameters do not create thousands of indexable duplicate pages.
- Out-of-stock products keep their page (with alternatives) rather than returning 404, unless discontinued permanently.
- Product schema includes price, availability and reviews only where they are real and visible.
- Category pages have unique introductory content, not just a product grid.
- Product images have descriptive file names and alt text.
Local and multi-location businesses:
- A Google Business Profile exists, is verified and matches the site’s name, address and phone number.
- Each location has its own page with genuinely local information, not a duplicated template with the city name swapped.
- LocalBusiness schema is used on location pages.
Our ecommerce SEO service page explains how we approach stores specifically.
How should you record and report findings?
A good audit report is short enough for leadership to read and detailed enough for developers to act on. We use three layers:
- A one-page summary: overall health in plain language, the three to five most important problems, and what fixing them will unlock.
- A ranked fix list of no more than 20 items, each with the affected pages or templates, the impact, the effort, the owner and a due date.
- The full checklist as an appendix, with pass, fix or n/a for every item and links to evidence such as screenshots or crawl exports.
Write each fix as an instruction, not an observation. “Remove loading="lazy" from the hero image on the service template” is actionable. “LCP could be improved” is not.
How do you prioritise the fixes?
After the checks, you will have a list of items marked “fix”. Score each one on impact and effort, then sort.
The Bargaon audit triage
A useful audit ends with no more than ten “fix now” and “this month” items. Everything else is scheduled.
| Finding | Impact | Effort | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main service page has noindex | Very high | Very low | Fix now |
| Contact form not tracked as a conversion | High | Low | Fix now |
| LCP image lazy-loaded on all service pages | High | Low | This month |
| Guides do not link to service pages | High | Medium | This month |
| Page builder causing poor INP sitewide | High | High | Plan |
| Old blog images missing alt text | Low | Medium | Batch |
The examples are illustrative, not from a specific site.
Once the ranked list is agreed, share it with everyone who will act on it and review progress every two weeks until the “fix now” and “this month” items are closed.
How often should you run an SEO audit?
- Full audit: once a year, and before any redesign or migration (see our website migration SEO guide).
- Quarterly review: sections 2, 5, 7 and 8, plus any new templates.
- Monthly: Search Console page indexing, Core Web Vitals and any new errors.
- After every major release: checks 1, 2, 10, 11, 13 and 61 on changed templates.
Running the audit as a team
Who should run the audit, marketing or development?
Both. Marketing or SEO should lead, because many checks involve content, intent and measurement. Developers should be involved for crawling, indexing, performance and structured data, since they will implement most of the technical fixes.
What should I do after the audit?
Fix the “fix now” items within a week, schedule the “this month” items, and turn larger items into planned projects with owners. Re-run the relevant checks after each fix to confirm it worked, and record a new benchmark so you can show progress at the next quarterly review.
Do I need to audit every page?
No. Audit templates rather than individual pages where possible. If the service page template has a problem, every service page has it, and one fix solves them all. Check important individual pages separately.
What an audit cannot tell you
An audit finds problems with how your site is built and presented. It cannot tell you whether your content is the best answer for your buyers, whether your offer is competitive or how much traffic fixes will bring. A site can pass every check and still struggle if competitors have stronger content and reputation. Pair the audit with your SEO strategy, your keyword research and the wider technical foundations in our technical SEO guide.
Frequently asked questions
Can I do an SEO audit with free tools?
Yes. Google Search Console, PageSpeed Insights, the Rich Results Test, a free crawler and your browser cover every check on this list for small and medium sites. Paid tools speed things up on large sites.
How long does an SEO audit take?
For a site under 100 pages, a first pass through this checklist typically takes one to two working days. Larger sites, ecommerce stores and multilingual sites take longer.
What is the most important check?
Whether your key pages are indexed. Use URL Inspection in Search Console on your top 10 to 20 pages before anything else.
Should I fix every issue a tool reports?
No. Tools report many low-impact warnings. Prioritise by impact on your important pages and conversions, and batch the rest.
Does an audit help with AI search?
Yes, indirectly. Google says AI Overviews and AI Mode use the same index and eligibility rules as Search, so fixing crawling, indexing and content issues supports both.
Sources and further reading
- HTTP Archive Web Almanac 2024: SEO chapter.
- HTTP Archive Web Almanac 2024: Performance chapter.
- Google Search Central: SEO Starter Guide.
- Google Search Central: Core Web Vitals.
- Google Search Central: AI features and your website.
Want a second pair of eyes? Bargaon’s technical SEO service runs this audit on your site, ranks the fixes and helps your team or ours implement them.