How to do an SEO audit

What an SEO audit is

An SEO audit is a structured review of everything that affects how a website performs in search. A good audit ends with a prioritised plan, not a long list of warnings.

Step 1: Set goals and record a baseline

Decide what success means, such as more calls, leads or sales. Note your starting numbers: organic clicks, impressions, top keywords, conversions and, for local businesses, calls and profile actions. Without a baseline you can’t prove progress.

Step 2: Crawl the site

Use a crawler such as Screaming Frog to scan every page. Look for broken pages, redirect chains, missing or duplicate titles, thin pages and orphan pages.

Step 3: Check indexing

In Google Search Console, open the Pages report and review what is indexed and what isn’t, and why. Confirm your sitemap is submitted and that your key pages are indexed.

Step 4: Test speed and mobile experience

Run important pages through PageSpeed Insights. Aim for Largest Contentful Paint of 2.5 seconds or better, Interaction to Next Paint of 200 milliseconds or better and Cumulative Layout Shift of 0.1 or lower. Check the pages on a real phone.

Step 5: Review on-page SEO and content

For each key page, check the title, description, headings, content and internal links against the search it should answer. Look for content gaps by comparing what your competitors rank for and you don’t.

Step 6: Review your local presence

If you serve a local area, audit your Google Business Profile, consistency of name, address and phone number, review count and rating, and local pages.

Step 7: Review links and competitors

Check who links to you, the quality of those links and any suspicious patterns. Compare with three to five competitors to find links and topics you are missing.

Step 8: Prioritise

Score each issue by impact and effort. Fix high-impact, low-effort items first, then plan larger projects. Present the result as a short action plan with owners and dates.

Tools you can use

Google Search Console, Google Analytics, PageSpeed Insights, a crawler and a keyword and link tool. Free versions cover a lot.

Want it done for you?

We offer a paid SEO audit with a prioritised plan and a walkthrough call, or you can start with a free SEO audit.