An SEO audit is a structured review of everything that affects how a website performs in search: its technical health, its content and its authority. Done well, it turns into a prioritised list of fixes rather than a long report nobody acts on. Here is what a proper audit should include.
1. Crawling and Indexing
The auditor crawls the site the way a search engine does, then compares the result with what Google has indexed. Common findings include pages blocked by robots.txt, important pages marked noindex, orphan pages with no internal links and duplicate versions of the same page.
2. Site Speed and Core Web Vitals
Slow templates, oversized images and heavy scripts hurt both rankings and conversions. An audit should identify which templates are slowest and what is causing it, not just report a score.
Google explains each metric in its Core Web Vitals guide.
3. Mobile Usability
Most searches happen on phones. The audit checks that text is readable, buttons are usable and content is the same on mobile as on desktop.
4. Site Structure and Internal Links
How pages link to each other tells Google which pages matter most. A good audit maps the structure and shows where key commercial pages are buried or poorly linked.
5. On-Page Elements
Titles, meta descriptions, headings and structured data are reviewed page by page, looking for missing, duplicated or mismatched elements.
6. Content Quality and Gaps
The audit compares your pages with those ranking above you: which questions they answer that you do not, which pages are thin or outdated, and which topics you are missing completely.
7. Backlinks and Authority
A review of the sites linking to you, how they compare with competitors’ links and whether any risky links need attention.
8. Local Signals
For local businesses, the audit also covers Google Business Profile, reviews and business listings. Our page on hiring a local SEO consultant explains this area in more detail.
9. A Prioritised Action Plan
The most important part of any audit is the plan at the end: each issue ranked by impact and effort, with clear owners. If you are on WordPress, many fixes can be made directly in the CMS, which our WordPress SEO consultant page covers.
Who Should Carry Out an Audit?
Automated tools are useful for spotting issues, but they cannot judge priority or business impact. Understanding what an SEO consultant does helps explain why human review still matters.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should a site be audited?
A full audit once a year is sensible, with lighter monthly checks and a fresh audit before any redesign or migration.
How long does an SEO audit take?
A small site can be audited in a few days; large e-commerce sites can take several weeks.
Is a free SEO audit tool enough?
Free tools are a good starting point, but they flag many minor issues and miss context. Use them alongside expert review.