SEO Audit Guide
Audit Tools
| Tool | Use Case | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Google Search Console | Index coverage, CWV, queries, links | Free |
| Google Analytics 4 | Traffic, behavior, conversions | Free |
| Screaming Frog | Full site crawl, broken links, redirects | Free (500 URLs) / ยฃ259/yr |
| Ahrefs | Backlinks, keywords, competitor analysis | $99+/mo |
| SEMrush | Keywords, site audit, position tracking | $129+/mo |
| PageSpeed Insights | Core Web Vitals, performance | Free |
| Bing Webmaster Tools | Bing indexation, SEO reports | Free |
Technical Audit Checklist
- Crawl site with Screaming Frog; review 4xx/5xx errors
- Check GSC for coverage issues (excluded, errors)
- Verify robots.txt not blocking important pages
- Validate XML sitemap (all pages present, correct lastmod)
- Check for duplicate content (tools vs canonical)
- Audit redirect chains and loops
- Measure Core Web Vitals in GSC and PageSpeed Insights
- Verify HTTPS and no mixed content
- Check mobile usability in GSC
- Review hreflang implementation (if multilingual)
- Check internal link structure and orphan pages
- Validate structured data in Rich Results Test
Content Audit Checklist
- Export all URLs from sitemap + GSC
- Check for thin content (under 300 words with no value)
- Identify duplicate or near-duplicate pages
- Find pages with no organic traffic in 12 months (prune or improve)
- Check title tags: duplicates, too long/short, missing KW
- Check meta descriptions: missing or duplicate
- Review content freshness: update outdated articles
- Find keyword cannibalization (multiple pages for same KW)
Backlink Audit Checklist
- Export full backlink profile from Ahrefs or GSC
- Identify toxic/spammy links
- Check for links from irrelevant niches
- Review anchor text distribution (over-optimized?)
- Find lost high-value backlinks (reclaim if possible)
- Submit disavow file if toxic links can't be removed
Issue Prioritization Matrix
| Priority | Impact | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | Blocks indexation or causes major traffic loss | robots.txt blocking site, HTTPS down, 5xx errors on key pages |
| High | Significant ranking impact | Broken canonical, CWV failures, missing title tags |
| Medium | Moderate ranking impact | Thin content, missing meta descriptions, redirect chains |
| Low | Minor improvements | Image alt text, minor structured data warnings |