Free SEO Audit Checklist (Step-by-Step, Printable)

This checklist walks you through a full SEO audit of a website, in the order problems usually need fixing: first make sure search engines can crawl and index the site, then check structure, pages, content, performance and links, and finally confirm that measurement is working. Use it on your own site, a client site or a practice project. Tick each item, note what you found and turn every failed check into a prioritised task.

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Crawling and indexing

Check that robots.txt does not block important pages, CSS or JavaScriptOpen yourdomain/robots.txt and test key URLs with the robots.txt report and URL Inspection in Search Console.
Review the Page indexing report in Search ConsoleLook at why pages are not indexed, for example "Excluded by noindex tag" or "Crawled - currently not indexed", and check the affected URLs.
Find pages with an unintended noindexFilter your crawl for meta robots and X-Robots-Tag noindex on pages that should rank.
Confirm an XML sitemap exists and is submittedIt should list only canonical, indexable URLs that return 200, and be submitted in the Sitemaps report.
Compare indexed pages with the pages you expectA big gap either way suggests blocked sections, duplicate URLs or thin pages being indexed.
Check canonical tags on key templatesEach page should point to its own preferred URL; URL Inspection shows which canonical Google actually chose.
Look for crawl trapsEndless calendars, filter combinations and session IDs in URLs waste crawling; the Crawl stats report can reveal them.

Site architecture and URLs

Keep important pages within about three clicks of the homepageUse the crawl depth report in your crawler; deep pages tend to be crawled less and receive less internal link value.
Find orphan pagesCompare the crawl with the sitemap and analytics landing pages to find URLs that no internal link points to.
Use one consistent URL versionHTTP, HTTPS, www and non-www, and trailing-slash variants should all redirect to a single version.
Check URLs are short, readable and lowercaseUse words separated by hyphens and avoid unnecessary parameters and IDs in public URLs.
Review navigation and breadcrumbsMain categories should be linked from the menu, and breadcrumbs should reflect the real hierarchy.
Check faceted navigation and parametersDecide which filter combinations deserve indexing; canonicalise, noindex or block the rest consistently.

On-page elements

Give every indexable page a unique, descriptive title tagFilter the crawl for missing, duplicate or very long titles; put the main topic near the start.
Write a unique meta description for important pagesIt is not a ranking factor, but a clear summary can improve clicks; Google may still rewrite it.
Use one clear H1 and a logical heading structureHeadings should describe the sections that follow, not be used for styling.
Match each page to one main search intentCheck the current top results for the target query to see whether searchers want a guide, a product, a list or a tool.
Check images have descriptive alt text and file namesAlt text helps accessibility and image search; decorative images can use an empty alt attribute.
Look for keyword cannibalisationIf several pages target the same query, merge them or give each a distinct purpose and link between them.

Content quality

Identify thin or near-empty pagesSort the crawl by word count and check pages with little unique content, such as empty tag archives.
Find duplicate and near-duplicate contentUse your crawler's near-duplicate report; consolidate or canonicalise copies.
Check content is original and genuinely helpfulAsk whether each page offers first-hand experience, clear answers or detail that competing pages lack.
Review outdated contentUpdate facts, screenshots, prices and dates, or redirect pages that are no longer useful.
Show who wrote or reviewed the contentAuthor names, bios and an About page support trust, especially on health, finance and legal topics.
Prune or improve pages with no traffic or linksUse Search Console and analytics data; improve, merge or remove pages that serve no purpose.

Performance and Core Web Vitals

Check the Core Web Vitals report in Search ConsoleIt groups URLs by field data from real Chrome users and shows which templates are poor or need improvement.
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) at or under 2.5 secondsGoogle's "good" threshold, measured at the 75th percentile of page loads. Optimise the hero image, server response time and render-blocking CSS.
Interaction to Next Paint (INP) at or under 200 millisecondsINP replaced FID in March 2024. Reduce long JavaScript tasks and heavy third-party scripts.
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) at or under 0.1Set width and height on images and embeds, and reserve space for ads and banners.
Test key templates in PageSpeed InsightsCompare field data (real users) with lab data (Lighthouse) and fix the largest opportunities first.
Serve modern, compressed imagesUse WebP or AVIF where supported, correct dimensions and lazy loading for below-the-fold images only.
Check server response time and cachingA slow Time to First Byte delays everything else; use caching and a CDN where appropriate.

Mobile

Confirm the mobile version has the same content as desktopGoogle indexes the mobile version of pages, so content, links and structured data missing on mobile may be ignored.
Check the viewport meta tag and responsive layoutTest in Chrome DevTools device mode and Lighthouse; Google retired its Mobile-Friendly Test in December 2023.
Make tap targets and text easy to useButtons and links should not sit too close together, and text should be readable without zooming.
Avoid intrusive interstitialsFull-screen pop-ups that hide the main content on mobile give a poor experience.

Structured data

List which schema types the site usesTypical types include Organization, BreadcrumbList, Article, Product and LocalBusiness.
Validate markup with the Rich Results TestIt shows errors and warnings for rich-result types; use the Schema Markup Validator for general schema.org checks.
Check the Enhancements reports in Search ConsoleEach detected rich-result type gets a report listing valid items and errors.
Make sure markup matches visible contentMarking up information users cannot see breaks Google's structured data guidelines and can lead to a manual action.

Local SEO (if relevant)

Claim and complete the Google Business ProfileCheck category, hours, services, photos and that the website link is correct.
Keep name, address and phone (NAP) consistentThe details on the website, profile and major directories should match exactly.
Create useful pages for each location you serveEach location page needs unique content, such as address, directions and local details, not swapped city names.
Add LocalBusiness structured dataInclude name, address, telephone, opening hours and geo coordinates.

Analytics and Search Console

Verify all versions of the site in Search ConsoleA Domain property, verified by DNS, covers every protocol and subdomain in one view.
Check analytics tracking fires on every templateUse GA4 DebugView or Tag Assistant to confirm page views and key events are recorded once.
Link GA4 and Search ConsoleThis lets you see search queries next to on-site behaviour.
Set up key events for business goalsTrack enquiries, sign-ups or purchases so SEO can be judged by results, not just traffic.
Check for manual actions and security issuesBoth reports are in Search Console and should show no issues detected.
Record a baseline before making changesExport clicks, impressions, indexed pages and Core Web Vitals so you can measure the effect of fixes.

Frequently asked questions

How often should I run an SEO audit?

A full audit every three to six months suits most sites, plus a quick check after any redesign, migration or major CMS update. Large or fast-changing sites benefit from monitoring key reports weekly.

What tools do I need for an SEO audit?

Google Search Console and a site crawler cover most of the checklist. PageSpeed Insights, the Rich Results Test and an analytics tool such as GA4 fill the remaining gaps; paid suites add backlink and keyword data.

What is the most important part of an audit?

Crawling and indexing. If important pages are blocked, noindexed or not chosen as canonical, nothing else on the page can help them rank.

Is a high audit-tool score the same as good SEO?

No. Tool scores are a quick health signal, but many flagged items have little impact. Judge each issue by how many important pages it affects and whether it stops them being crawled, indexed or understood.

SEO Audit Checklist

How to use this checklist

Crawling and indexing

Site architecture and URLs

On-page elements

Content quality

Performance and Core Web Vitals

Mobile

Structured data

Links

Local SEO (if relevant)

Analytics and Search Console

Frequently asked questions

How often should I run an SEO audit?

What tools do I need for an SEO audit?

What is the most important part of an audit?

Is a high audit-tool score the same as good SEO?

Want to Learn This Properly?

How to use this checklist

Crawling and indexing

Site architecture and URLs

On-page elements

Content quality

Performance and Core Web Vitals

Mobile

Structured data

Links

Local SEO (if relevant)

Analytics and Search Console

Frequently asked questions

How often should I run an SEO audit?

What tools do I need for an SEO audit?

What is the most important part of an audit?

Is a high audit-tool score the same as good SEO?

More free templates

Want to Learn This Properly?