Free SEO Audit Template

Crawling and indexing 8 checks

If Google cannot crawl and index a page, nothing else in this template matters for it.

1. robots.txt does not block important pagesProduct, service and blog folders are allowed, and CSS and JavaScript files are not blocked.
2. The XML sitemap is clean and submittedIt lists only pages you want indexed (no redirects, no 404s, no noindexed pages) and is submitted in Search Console.
3. Important pages are indexedIn Search Console's Pages report, read the reasons listed under "Not indexed" and look for key pages among them.
4. No stray noindex tagsA noindex left over from a staging site is one of the most common causes of sudden traffic loss.
5. Canonical tags point to the right URLEach page points to itself unless it is a genuine duplicate.
6. One version of the sitehttp and https, www and non-www all redirect to a single version in one step.
7. No redirect chains or loopsEach old URL goes straight to its final destination.
8. Broken pages are fixed or redirectedFind 404s and soft 404s (empty pages that return a normal status), then restore them or redirect them to the closest match.

Page experience and speed 4 checks

1. Core Web Vitals pass for real visitorsA page is good when, for 75% of visits, Largest Contentful Paint is 2.5 seconds or less, Interaction to Next Paint is 200 milliseconds or less and Cumulative Layout Shift is 0.1 or less. web.dev: Web Vitals
2. The site works on a phoneText is readable without zooming, buttons are easy to tap, and nothing is wider than the screen.
3. HTTPS everywhereEvery page loads over https, with no images or scripts still loading over http.
4. No pop-ups that cover the content on arrivalOn mobile especially, a pop-up that blocks the page as it loads frustrates visitors and can hurt how Google rates the page.

On-page basics 6 checks

1. Every page has a unique, descriptive title tagThe main topic near the start, short enough to show in full.
2. Meta descriptions are unique and written for the clickGoogle often rewrites them, but a good one still earns clicks when it is shown.
3. One H1 per page that says what the page is aboutH2s follow the questions a reader has.
4. Key pages get internal linksYour most important service or product pages are linked from the menu and from related pages. Look for orphan pages that nothing links to.
5. Images have alt text and a sensible file sizeDescribe what the image shows, and compress large photos.
6. No thin or near-duplicate pagesPages with a few lines of text, or many pages that differ only by a city name, are merged, improved or removed.

Content and search intent 4 checks

1. Each page targets one search intentIf two of your pages compete for the same search, Google often shows neither well. Merge them or give each a clear, different purpose.
2. Pages on page two get attention firstIn Search Console, filter for queries with an average position between 11 and 20. Those pages usually need better content, internal links or a sharper title, not a rebuild.
3. Pages losing traffic are refreshedCompare the last three months with the same period a year earlier and update pages whose clicks have fallen.
4. Readers can see who is behind the contentAuthor or reviewer names, business details, dates and sources help both readers and search engines trust a page.

Structured data 2 checks

1. Structured data is validTest key templates with Google's Rich Results Test and fix the errors.
2. It matches what the page showsReviews, prices and FAQs in the markup must be visible on the page. Markup that does not match is ignored at best.

Links 2 checks

1. No broken internal or outbound linksYour crawler lists them; fix or remove each one.
2. The backlink profile is growing, not shrinkingCheck new and lost links in a backlink tool and note which lost links were worth recovering. Google says most sites will not need its disavow tool, so leave it alone unless you have a manual action. Google: disavow links

Local and AI search 3 checks

1. Your Google Business Profile is complete and matches the siteName, address, phone number, hours and categories are the same everywhere.
2. AI search crawlers can read the siterobots.txt does not block crawlers such as OAI-SearchBot (ChatGPT search) or PerplexityBot if you want to appear in their answers. Blocking Google-Extended does not affect Google Search. Google: common crawlers
3. Key pages answer questions directlyThe first two sentences under each heading answer that heading's question, which makes the page easier for Google's AI Overviews and other engines to quote.

Tracking and conversions 3 checks

An audit that only looks at rankings misses the point. These checks tell you whether search visitors become customers.

1. Calls, forms and bookings are trackedThey are key events in Google Analytics 4, and the numbers match what actually arrives.
2. Search Console is verified for the whole domainIt is linked to Google Analytics, so you can see which searches lead to which pages.
3. The paths to contact you workSubmit every form, tap every phone number on a phone, and check that confirmation emails arrive.