SEO Audit Checklist: 40+ Points to Check

An SEO audit without a checklist is an audit that misses things. Even experienced SEO professionals who have audited hundreds of sites benefit from working through a structured checklist because the human tendency to focus on familiar issues means less common (but equally damaging) problems get overlooked. A checklist enforces systematic coverage of every factor that affects search performance.

This checklist contains over 40 individual checks organised into five categories: on-page, technical, content, off-page, and local SEO. Each check includes what to look for, which tool to use, and what constitutes a pass or fail. Work through it sequentially for new audits, or use it as a reference to verify specific areas when investigating a ranking problem.

The checklist is designed to be tool-agnostic — you can complete it with free tools (Google Search Console, Screaming Frog free version, PageSpeed Insights) or with premium platforms (Ahrefs, Semrush, Sitebulb). The methodology is the same regardless of the tools you use.

On-Page Checks

On-page checks evaluate the elements on individual pages that communicate relevance to search engines and influence click-through rates in search results.

1. Every page has a unique title tag — export all title tags from your crawl data. Sort alphabetically to identify duplicates. No two pages should share the same title. Duplicates indicate either genuine duplicate content or templating issues where the CMS generates identical titles for different pages. Fix duplicates by writing unique, keyword-targeted titles for each page.
2. Title tags are under 60 characters — check character counts in your crawl export. Titles exceeding 60 characters risk truncation in search results, potentially cutting off your most important keywords or call to action. Rewrite overlong titles to convey the same message in fewer characters.
3. Primary keyword appears in the title tag — for each page's target keyword, verify that the keyword appears naturally in the title, ideally within the first 40 characters. Pages targeting keywords that do not appear in their titles are at a fundamental disadvantage.
4. Every page has a unique meta description — check for missing and duplicate meta descriptions. Write custom descriptions for at least your top 50 pages by organic traffic. Each description should be 120-155 characters, include the target keyword, and contain a compelling reason to click.
5. Each page has exactly one H1 tag — multiple H1s dilute the topical signal. Missing H1s leave the page without a primary heading for search engines. Verify that the H1 contains or closely matches the target keyword and accurately describes the page content.
6. Heading hierarchy is logical — headings should follow a sequential order: H1, then H2s, then H3s within H2 sections. Skipping levels (H1 to H3 with no H2) breaks the content structure. Check heading hierarchy across all page templates.
7. Images have descriptive alt text — every meaningful image should have alt text that describes the image content. Decorative images should have empty alt attributes. Check for missing alt text, generic alt text ("image1.jpg"), and keyword-stuffed alt text that does not describe the actual image.
8. Images are served in modern formats — check that images use WebP or AVIF where browser support exists. JPEG and PNG files should be compressed to under 200KB for standard images. Large unoptimised images are the most common cause of slow page loads.
9. Internal links use descriptive anchor text — review a sample of internal links across the site. Anchor text should describe the destination page's topic, not use generic phrases like "click here" or "read more." Descriptive anchors pass topical relevance to the linked page.
10. No broken internal links — run a crawl and identify all internal links pointing to 4xx or 5xx pages. Fix each broken link by updating the URL to the correct destination or removing the link if the page no longer exists.
11. Canonical tags are correctly implemented — every indexable page should have a self-referencing canonical tag. Verify that canonical tags point to the correct URL (HTTPS, correct trailing slash convention, no parameter variations). Check for accidental cross-domain canonicals and canonical chains.
12. Open Graph tags are present — pages likely to be shared on social media should have og:title, og:description, and og:image tags. Check that OG images are the correct dimensions (1200x630 pixels for optimal display) and that OG titles and descriptions are compelling for social sharing.

Technical Checks

Technical checks assess the infrastructure that determines whether search engines can access, crawl, render, and index your content.

13. Robots.txt does not block important pages — review your robots.txt file and verify that no critical pages, sections, CSS files, or JavaScript files are disallowed. Common mistakes include blocking /wp-admin/ resources needed for rendering, blocking staging site rules left on the live site, and blocking entire directories containing important content.
14. XML sitemap is accurate and submitted — your sitemap should contain every indexable page and no non-indexable pages (noindexed, redirected, 404, or canonicalised URLs). Submit the sitemap in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools. Verify the sitemap is referenced in your robots.txt file.
15. All pages return 200 status codes — crawl the site and flag any pages returning 3xx, 4xx, or 5xx status codes. Investigate every non-200 response. Redirects should resolve in a single hop to the final destination. 404 errors on pages with inbound links or historical traffic need redirects.
16. No redirect chains exist — identify URLs that redirect to another URL that redirects again. Each hop in a chain loses link equity and adds latency. Resolve all chains so that every redirect points directly to the final destination URL.
17. HTTPS is fully implemented — verify that every page loads via HTTPS, that HTTP requests redirect to HTTPS with a 301, and that no mixed content warnings exist (HTTP resources loaded on HTTPS pages). Check SSL certificate validity and expiration date.
18. Core Web Vitals pass on mobile — check the Core Web Vitals report in Search Console for field data. Targets: LCP under 2.5 seconds, INP under 200 milliseconds, CLS under 0.1. If field data is unavailable, use Lighthouse lab data as a proxy. Test on the three most important page templates.
19. Mobile usability has no errors — review the mobile usability report in Search Console. Common failures include text too small to read, clickable elements too close together, and content wider than the screen. Test key pages on an actual mobile device, not just a desktop emulator.
20. Page load time is under three seconds — test your top landing pages with PageSpeed Insights and WebPageTest. Pages taking more than three seconds to load on mobile have significantly higher bounce rates. Focus on reducing server response time, optimising images, and deferring non-critical JavaScript.
21. Structured data validates without errors — test a sample of pages using Google's Rich Results Test. Check the Search Console enhancements report for site-wide schema errors. Every page type should use the appropriate schema: Article for blog posts, LocalBusiness for location pages, Product for product pages, FAQPage for FAQ sections.
22. No orphan pages exist — identify pages in your sitemap or Search Console that receive zero internal links. These orphan pages are effectively invisible to crawlers that navigate via links. Add contextual internal links from related content to connect orphan pages to the rest of the site.
23. Hreflang is correct (if applicable) — for multilingual or multi-regional sites, verify that hreflang tags are bidirectional (every page that references another also gets referenced back), language codes are correct, x-default is specified, and hreflang URLs match canonical URLs.
24. JavaScript-rendered content is indexable — if your site uses a JavaScript framework, verify using the URL Inspection tool in Search Console that Google can render all critical content. Compare the rendered HTML to the source HTML. Content that only appears after JavaScript execution may not be indexed reliably.

Content Checks

Content checks evaluate whether your content meets the quality, depth, and relevance standards required to rank and satisfy search intent.

25. No thin content pages exist — identify pages with fewer than 300 words of unique body content. These thin pages are unlikely to rank and may drag down your site's overall quality signals. For each thin page, decide whether to expand, consolidate with a related page, or remove and redirect.
26. Content matches search intent — for your top 20 target keywords, check the current SERP to see what content format Google ranks (guides, lists, tools, videos). If Google ranks how-to guides and your page is a product page, there is an intent mismatch. Align your content format with what the SERP tells you Google expects.
27. No keyword cannibalisation — export query data from Search Console and identify keywords where multiple pages appear. If two or more pages compete for the same keyword without either ranking well, consolidate them into a single authoritative page and redirect the weaker URLs.
28. Content is fresh and current — check publication and last-modified dates across your content library. Flag pages in time-sensitive topics that have not been updated in 18 months or more. Content referencing outdated statistics, defunct tools, or superseded practices needs refreshing or removal.
29. E-E-A-T signals are present — verify that content pages have author bylines linked to author bio pages, that authors have relevant credentials, that claims are supported by citations, and that the overall site has clear about, contact, and editorial policy pages. For YMYL topics, E-E-A-T signals are critical ranking factors.
30. Content covers subtopics comprehensively — for your top pages, compare your content depth against the top three ranking competitors. Use People Also Ask and related search suggestions to identify subtopics your content should address but currently does not. Comprehensive content that answers all related questions consistently outranks partial coverage.
31. No duplicate content across pages — check for pages with substantially similar content. Common causes include product variants with identical descriptions, location pages with only the city name changed, and syndicated content without canonical attribution. Consolidate or differentiate duplicate content.
32. Content has clear structure — every content page should have a clear introduction, logically organised sections with descriptive headings, supporting detail under each section, and a conclusion or summary. Unstructured content that reads as a wall of text performs poorly for both users and search engines.

Off-Page Checks

Off-page checks assess external signals that influence your site's perceived authority and trustworthiness.

33. Backlink profile is healthy — pull your backlink profile from Ahrefs or Semrush. Check the ratio of referring domains with high domain authority versus low quality. A healthy profile has more links from relevant, authoritative sites than from spam directories, blog comment networks, or unrelated sites.
34. No toxic links require disavow — identify links from known spam networks, PBNs, link farms, and hacked sites. While Google claims to ignore most low-quality links, concentrations of toxic links can still trigger algorithmic or manual penalties. Document toxic links for potential disavow action.
35. Anchor text distribution is natural — export anchor text data and check the distribution. A natural profile is dominated by branded anchors (your site name, URL), naked URLs, and generic phrases. If more than 10-15% of anchors are exact-match keywords, the profile may appear manipulated.
36. Link velocity is consistent — chart the rate of new referring domains over time. Healthy profiles show steady growth. A sudden spike from a link-building campaign followed by a long plateau looks unnatural. Aim for consistent link acquisition through content quality, outreach, and digital PR.
37. Competitor link gap is assessed — compare your referring domain count and quality against your top three organic competitors. Quantify the gap and identify the types of links competitors have that you lack (editorial mentions, resource page links, directory listings, industry associations). This informs your link-building strategy.
38. Brand mentions are linked — search for your brand name across the web and identify mentions that do not include a link to your site. Reach out to site owners and request a link be added. Unlinked brand mentions are the lowest-friction link-building opportunity because the site has already demonstrated awareness of your brand.

Local SEO Checks

Local SEO checks apply to businesses that serve a specific geographic area. Skip this section if your business operates entirely online without a local presence.

39. Google Business Profile is complete and verified — verify your GBP listing. Check that business name, address, phone number, website URL, business hours, and categories are accurate. Complete all available fields including business description, attributes, services, and photos. Ensure the primary category is the most specific option available.
40. NAP is consistent across the web — your name, address, and phone number must be identical across every online directory, social profile, and citation source. Use a citation audit tool or manual search to identify inconsistencies. Even small differences (abbreviated street names, old phone numbers, former addresses) confuse local search algorithms.
41. Reviews are active and responded to — check your review count, average rating, and review velocity on Google and other relevant platforms. Reviews from the past three months carry more weight than older reviews. Respond to every review, positive and negative, with thoughtful replies that mention your business and services naturally.
42. Local schema markup is implemented — your website should include LocalBusiness schema (or a more specific subtype) with your business name, address, phone number, hours, geographic coordinates, and service area. This markup should appear on your homepage and any location-specific pages.
43. Location pages exist for each service area — if you serve multiple locations, each should have a dedicated page with unique content about the services available in that area. Location pages should include the address (if a physical office exists), local landmarks or geographic references, area-specific information, and embedded Google Maps.
44. Local content supports geographic relevance — check for blog posts, case studies, or news content that references your local area. Content about local events, community involvement, area-specific advice, and local industry news all reinforce geographic relevance signals that support local pack visibility.

This checklist provides the foundation for a thorough SEO audit. Work through it systematically, document your findings for each check, and prioritise fixes based on the expected impact on traffic and revenue. Not every check will surface issues — a site that passes all 40+ checks is in excellent SEO health. Most sites, however, will have findings across multiple categories, and the checklist ensures you catch them all rather than focusing only on the areas you happen to check first.