The 20-Step SEO Audit Checklist for 2025 (Free Template)

An SEO audit checklist is your site’s health chart. By lining up every technical, on-page, and off-page factor in one place, you spot crawl errors, content gaps, and link liabilities before they bleed traffic. Done right, it’s the fastest path to fresh ranking wins in 2025, when search is shaped by AI snapshots, stricter Core Web Vitals, and higher trust requirements.

Below you’ll find a free Google Sheet and Excel template pre-filled with columns for task, priority, owner, and deadline. Copy it, open your favorite tools, and work through the 20 bite-size steps that follow. Most sites under 5,000 pages can finish the audit in a single afternoon; sprawling catalogs can spread it over a week without losing momentum. Every item reflects 2025 realities—Search Generative Experience previews, INP replacing FID, tougher EEAT scoring, and Google’s new stance on AI-generated copy. Ready? Start with Step 1 and tick as you go.

1. Prepare Your Audit Workspace (Copy the Free Template)

Before you pop open crawlers or dashboards, set up a workspace that keeps every finding—from rogue 404s to thin content—in one tidy row. Make a copy of the free Google Sheet/Excel file linked above, rename it for your domain, and share it with anyone who will touch the project. A disciplined workspace prevents “where-did-that-note-go?” chaos and lets you turn the seo audit checklist into an actionable roadmap.

What the template includes

Task ID & Step #
URL (or “Site-wide”)
Issue description
Severity (P1 / P2 / P3)
Owner
Status (Open, In Progress, Fixed, Won’t Fix)
Target deadline
Notes & evidence (screenshots, tool exports)

Gather your tool stack

Free essentials:

Google Search Console
GA4
PageSpeed Insights

Freemium/Paid (pick at least one crawler + one backlink suite):

Screaming Frog SEO Spider
Ahrefs or Semrush
Sitebulb for visual audits

Quick setup tip: set project crawl limits to your estimated page count to avoid burning credits.

Define success criteria

Agree on measurable wins before the first crawl:

+20 % organic sessions in 90 days
All Core Web Vitals in the “Good” range
Zero 4xx errors on money pages
30 % reduction in crawl budget waste

Document these KPIs in the sheet header so every fix ties back to business impact.

2. Benchmark Current Organic Performance

Before touching code or content, capture a “before” photo. These numbers become the yardstick for every fix you log in the SEO audit checklist, making it crystal-clear whether the work moved the needle or just shuffled tasks around.

Pull baseline metrics

Fire up Google Search Console and GA4, set the date range to the last full 28 days, and record:

Total organic sessions
Clicks, impressions, and average CTR
Conversions and assisted revenue from organic
Top 20 queries by clicks and impressions
Average position and click-through gap (CTR expected – CTR actual)

Drop each data point into the “Baseline” tab of your template so future comparisons are one filter away.

Segment data for clarity

Raw totals hide problem pockets. Slice the same metrics by:

Device: mobile vs. desktop vs. tablet
Geography: top five countries or states
Content type: blog posts, product pages, support docs
Funnel stage: awareness, consideration, decision

Color-code any segment lagging 10 % or more behind the site average. These become early hypotheses for traffic leaks.

Snapshot competitors

A benchmark isn’t complete without context. Using Ahrefs, Semrush, or similar, note for three primary rivals:

Domain Rating/Authority and total referring domains
Estimated monthly organic traffic and top-ranking keywords
Notable content gaps you could fill (e.g., they rank, you don’t)

Log these figures in the “Competitor” sheet and timestamp them. When you revisit the audit next quarter, you’ll see whether you’re closing the gap or need fresh tactics.

3. Crawl Your Site with a Modern SEO Crawler

A site crawl is the diagnostic heartbeat of your SEO audit checklist. By simulating how search-engine bots move through your pages—including the JavaScript they now fully render—you surface structural blockers that analytics alone can’t show. Fire up a desktop crawler (Screaming Frog, Sitebulb) or a cloud option (Ahrefs Site Audit, Semrush Audit) and let the data paint the first draft of your technical to-do list.

Configure an accurate crawl

Enable JavaScript rendering so frameworks like React or Svelte output true HTML instead of blank shells.
Respect robots.txt but toggle an “ignore” crawl if you suspect critical sections are accidentally disallowed.
Set crawl depth to the logical end of your navigation (usually 5–7 levels) and limit query parameters with an exclusion regex such as \?.*=.
Input authentication cookies if parts of the site require login.
Adjust the user-agent and speed (1–2 requests/second) to avoid server strain that could skew performance metrics.

Identify critical errors

Scan the crawl report and flag:

4xx and 5xx status codes—especially on URLs that currently earn clicks or links.
Redirect chains or loops that waste crawl budget and torch link equity.
Orphan pages: crawled but not internally linked; fix with contextual links or decide to deindex.
Duplicate content buckets discovered via identical titles, rel="canonical" conflicts, or hashed parameter pages.
Crawl traps such as calendar pages, endless faceted URLs, or session IDs that balloon index size.

Anything that blocks bots from reaching high-value content is an automatic P1.

Export & tag issues

When the crawl completes:

Export the full dataset to CSV, filter by error type, and paste priority rows into the “Technical” tab of your template.
Use a simple naming convention—P1_Sitewide_404s—so devs know what to attack first.
Assign owners, deadlines, and evidence links (screenshots, crawl URLs).
Add a “Retest” column; once fixes deploy, rerun the crawl to confirm the issue count drops to zero.

With the crawl logged, you have a single source of truth guiding the rest of the audit.

4. Verify Indexation Status in Google and Bing

A crawler report tells you what could be indexed; Search Console and Bing Webmaster show what is indexed. This cross-check is Step 4 of the SEO audit checklist because fixing index bloat or gaps pays compounding dividends: every future optimization only matters if the right URLs sit in the search engines’ databases.

Use Search Console Index Coverage

Open Google Search Console → Index → Pages. Work through each bucket:

Error – pages blocked by robots.txt yet submitted, soft 404s, server errors. Prioritize these; they often hide revenue pages.
Excluded – duplicates, noindex, canonicalized URLs. Confirm each is intentionally excluded.
Crawled — Currently Not Indexed – Google saw the page but declined to rank it, usually due to thin content, crawl budget limits, or quality concerns. Flag any money pages here as P1 content fixes.

Log counts per bucket in your template so trends are visible quarter to quarter.

Manual checks

Run a quick site:example.com Google query and compare the result count with total pages from your crawl; a big mismatch signals hidden problems. Spot-check key URLs with the URL Inspection tool—look for “URL is on Google.” Do the same in Bing Webmaster Tools → URL Inspection; Bing’s index often surfaces issues Google hides.

Ensure only desired versions rank

Search site:staging.example.com, inurl:?, or site:example.com test to catch stray staging, parameter, or placeholder versions. When you find one:

Add a 301 to the canonical live URL.
Apply rel="canonical" on the source page.
Request re-indexing in both consoles.

With indexation verified, you’ve confirmed search engines focus exclusively on URLs worth ranking—and you’re ready to tackle duplication in Step 5.

5. Eliminate Duplicate Versions and Canonicalize Correctly

Google hates indecision. When the same content is reachable through half-a-dozen URL variants, you force the algorithm to guess which one to rank—and you split link equity in the process. The fifth step of your seo audit checklist is to hunt down look-alike pages, pick a primary version, and send unmistakable canonical signals so every backlink and crawl hit flows to the right place. A tight canonical strategy also keeps Search Generative Experience citations consistent, because Google only quotes the URL it trusts the most.

Locate competing versions

Start with a quick crawl filter for “Duplicate hash” or “Near duplicate” content, then manually verify offenders such as:

HTTP vs. HTTPS and www vs. non-www
Trailing slash (/page/ vs /page) and uppercase path segments
Query parameters like ?ref=, ?sort=, or session IDs
Printer-friendly or AMP pages still accessible after 2024 sunsetting

Document each duplicate cluster in your template, noting which version currently has stronger backlinks or traffic.

Implement canonical signals

Once you’ve chosen the “master” URL:

Add a server-side 301 redirect from every variant to the preferred page.
Insert a <link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/preferred-url/" /> tag on the destination page itself.
Standardize internal links—menus, breadcrumbs, XML sitemaps—so they all point to the canonical path.
For faceted or filtered e-commerce URLs you want indexed, set rel="prev/next" is obsolete; rely on self-referencing canonicals plus parameter rules in Search Console.

Verify with tools

Rerun Screaming Frog’s Canonicals report and confirm:

“Canonical Link Element 200” matches the URL column
No chains where a canonicalized page points to another canonicalized page
Then hop into Search Console → URL Inspection and check the “User-declared canonical” vs “Google-selected canonical” lines. They should match—if not, tweak signals or eliminate remaining duplicates and re-submit for indexing.

6. Test Site Speed and Core Web Vitals

Slow pages tank conversions and rankings alike. Google confirmed again in 2025 that Core Web Vitals feed directly into the Search Generative Experience—the faster your site, the more likely your content is surfaced in AI previews. That makes performance testing a non-negotiable step in any serious SEO audit checklist. You’ll need both “field” data (what real users experience) and “lab” data (repeatable tests) to spot and fix bottlenecks.

Gather field & lab data

PageSpeed Insights (PSI) – paste a representative mix of URLs and copy the Field Data panel sourced from Chrome User Experience Report (CrUX).
CrUX BigQuery – pull site-wide medians for LCP, INP, and CLS if you want granular slices by country or form factor.
WebPageTest – run a scripted test on a real device at 4G throttling; record the waterfall and filmstrip.
Lighthouse in DevTools – grab lab metrics for staging pages before pushing live.

Highlight Interaction to Next Paint (INP)—now the official responsiveness metric replacing FID. An INP spike often correlates with bloated JavaScript bundles or long tasks that freeze the main thread.

Common speed killers

Gigantic hero images served at full resolution to mobile.
Render-blocking CSS in <head>; defer non-critical styles or inline critical CSS.
Monolithic JS frameworks shipping unused code; split with dynamic import().
Third-party marketing scripts tracking everything under the sun—audit and async-load the essentials only.
Chat widgets or session-replay tools initiating multiple web socket connections.

Flag each culprit URL-by-URL in your template, tag as P1 if it touches high-traffic or revenue pages.

2025 target thresholds

Metric	Pass Score	Why it matters
LCP	`< 2.5 s`	Perceived load of main content
INP	`< 200 ms`	Seamless interactivity
CLS	`< 0.10`	Visual stability

Quick-win checklist:

Losslessly compress images (AVIF/WebP2) and specify width/height attributes.
Enable HTTP/3 + server-push for critical assets.
Use fetchpriority="high" on above-the-fold hero images.
Lazy-load below-the-fold media with loading="lazy" and decoding="async".
Implement code-splitting & tree-shaking; aim for < 150 kB total JS per route.

Document baseline scores, apply fixes, then rerun PSI. A green set of Core Web Vitals is the clearest proof your speed work paid off.

7. Ensure Mobile-Friendliness and Responsive Design

More than 65 % of organic sessions now come from phones, and Google’s crawler only “reads” the mobile HTML for ranking signals. If your layout breaks on a 360 px screen, the rest of the SEO audit checklist is lipstick on a pig—you’ll leak traffic no matter how perfect your Core Web Vitals look.

During the audit, treat the handheld experience as the default. Verify that every template, widget, and pop-up is built with fluid grids and flexible images so content scales from a 4-inch device all the way to a desktop ultrawide.

Mobile-first indexing realities

Googlebot-Smartphone ignores desktop-only content; hidden elements won’t rank or get crawled.
Structured data must be identical across mobile and desktop DOMs; mismatches trigger “Markup issue” warnings in Search Console.
Separate m-dot sites are living on borrowed time—migrate to responsive or dynamic serving before the next core update.

Testing workflow

Open Chrome DevTools, choose Dimensions → Moto G4, and run Lighthouse Mobile.
Spin up BrowserStack or a real phone lab to spot device-specific glitches you can’t reproduce in emulators.
Export the Lighthouse report, paste key fails (viewport not set, text too small, tap targets tiny) into the “Mobile” tab of your template.

Touch UX best practices

Make interactive elements at least 48 × 48 px with 8 px padding to avoid fat-finger friction.
Use a base font size of 16 px and maintain a 1.4–1.6 line-height for readability.
Ban horizontal scroll; set overflow-x:hidden and test every major breakpoint.
Keep sticky CTAs below 15 % viewport height and provide an obvious close icon so they don’t trigger intrusive interstitial penalties.

8. Review Site Architecture and Internal Linking

Page speed and mobile usability get the headlines, but a messy structure silently bleeds equity every day. Search bots allocate crawl budget hierarchically: the fewer clicks and redirects between your homepage and deep content, the faster—and cheaper—they discover updates. A logical, well-linked architecture also funnels human users toward conversions without dead ends. Spend this step mapping how information flows, then tighten the links so authority and relevance pass exactly where you want.

Three-click & topical cluster rule

Start with a visual crawl export from Sitebulb or Screaming Frog’s directory tree view. Your goals:

No important URL should sit more than three clicks from the homepage.
Each hub (parent topic or category page) should collect and link out to its spokes (supporting articles or product SKUs) to form a topical cluster.
URL depth should mirror hierarchy—e.g., /blog/technical-seo/seo-audit-checklist/—without unnecessary folders.

If the map shows deep “string-of-pearls” paths or disconnected islands, list them as P1 navigation fixes.

Internal link audit

Run a crawler “Orphan URLs” report and record any page with zero internal links; add at least one contextual link from a relevant article or category hub. Then sort by “Crawl Depth > 3” to surface pages buried too deeply.
Check anchor text while you’re at it: repetitive exact-match anchors look spammy. Aim for a natural mix of:

Exact keyword (20–30 %)
Partial or contextual phrases (40 %)
Generic calls to action (30 %)

Balance ensures Google understands topical relationships without triggering over-optimization filters.

Faceted navigation and pagination

E-commerce filters can explode URL counts. In Search Console’s “Crawl Stats,” look for spikes that coincide with parametered URLs like ?color=red&size=l. For pages you do want indexed, allow crawling and use self-referencing canonicals. For expendable combinations, either:

Block via robots.txt (safest), or
Add meta noindex while still allowing crawl for link discovery.

rel="prev/next" was deprecated—Google now handles paginated series automatically—but maintain logical numbering in URLs (/category?page=2) and include strong “View All” pages when feasible.

Tidy architecture paired with strategic internal linking amplifies every other fix in this SEO audit checklist—essentially giving your best pages a permanent, free backlink.

9. Audit XML Sitemaps and Robots.txt

Search engines still rely on two classic signposts—your XML sitemaps and robots.txt—to decide what to crawl, index, and rank. If either file is out of sync with reality, you’ll waste crawl budget or, worse, hide revenue pages. Spend a few focused minutes on each and you’ll avoid chasing ghosts later in the seo audit checklist.

XML sitemap hygiene

Export your live URLs from the crawler, filter to Status 200, and compare the count with the sitemap total; mismatches = action items.
Remove any 301/404 URLs and parameter variants; every entry must be canonical.
Populate <lastmod> dates only when content truly changes to prevent unnecessary recrawls.
Break mega-sites into logical sitemap indexes (e.g., /blog-sitemap.xml, /product-sitemap.xml) and keep each file under 50 MB or 50 k URLs.
Add image, video, or news sitemaps if those assets drive organic traffic.

Robots.txt directives

Open example.com/robots.txt and scan for blanket blocks like Disallow: /; lift them unless they’re intentional.
Confirm important resources—CSS, JS, images—aren’t disallowed; blocked assets can tank rendering and Core Web Vitals.
If your server struggles, use Crawl-delay sparingly; modern bots respect bandwidth automatically.
Document all user-agent–specific rules so future devs don’t overwrite them.

Submit and validate

Resubmit updated sitemaps in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
Check “Sitemap status” for “Success” and zero “Invalid URL” errors.
Review Crawl Stats after a week; a healthier crawl rate signals you nailed the job.

A clean sitemap–robots combo means bots spend their time on pages that actually move the revenue needle.

10. Check HTTPS, Security, and Redirect Chains

Google confirmed in multiple core updates that a secure, friction-free connection is a ranking requirement, not a “nice to have.” A flaky certificate or a four-hop redirect dilutes PageRank, bloats load times, and can even trigger browser warnings that kill conversions. Lock this down before you move on.

HTTPS implementation health

Run your domain through SSL Labs. Look for an A grade, TLS 1.3 support, and HSTS (Strict-Transport-Security) with a six-month max-age.
Hunt “mixed content” by filtering your crawl for http:// assets; swap them for protocol-relative or secure URLs.
Check that every canonical URL resolves to https:// and that your .xml sitemaps list only secure versions.

Redirect chain audit

Export all 3xx URLs from the crawl and sort by “Redirect hops.” Anything > 1 hop wastes crawl budget—map it to a direct 301.
Verify that HTTP → HTTPS redirects use 301 (permanent), not 302/307.
Re-test critical paths (/, /checkout/, /blog/) in WebPageTest; Time to First Byte should improve after pruning chains.

Security signals that influence SEO

Scan Google Safe Browsing for malware/phishing flags; immediate cleanup is a P0.
Limit intrusive interstitials—ads or sign-up modals covering > 30 % of the viewport invite demotion.
Add a Content-Security-Policy header to curb script injection and demonstrate proactive security—an emerging EEAT trust factor.

When every URL loads over HTTPS in a single hop, you lock in speed, trust, and ranking equity at the same time.

11. Analyze Page Experience Signals (UX, Accessibility, CLS)

Google’s 2025 documentation bundles Core Web Vitals with broader “page experience” cues that measure how pleasant ‑ or frustrating ‑ a visit feels. The crawler sees the markup; the ranking system now also reads anonymized Chrome data to judge real-world usability. A page that loads fast but jitter-scrolls or hides content under ads can still slide down the SERP. Use this step of the SEO audit checklist to prove both bots and humans are happy.

UX signals tied to rankings

INP spikes after first interaction – profile long tasks in Chrome Performance and split blocking JS.
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) – keep below 0.10; reserve space for ads, use explicit width/height, and avoid late-injected fonts.
Smooth navigation – confirm menus are keyboard-friendly and the breadcrumb trail matches your canonical path.
Ad density & interstitials – limit above-the-fold ads to 30 % height and show pop-ups after, not before, first tap.

Quick accessibility scan

Run Lighthouse → Accessibility or axe DevTools and log fails:

Color contrast ratio < 4.5:1 on text? Flag it.
Missing alt text on functional images? P1 for screen readers and image search.
Absent ARIA landmarks (role="navigation", main) block assistive tech from mapping the page.
Fixing these improves inclusivity and positions content for voice queries surfaced in the Search Generative Experience.

Behavior metrics

Open GA4 → Engagement:

Average engagement time under site median could signal thin content.
Bounce rate > 70 % on intent-match pages often means UX, not keywords, is the issue.
Scroll depth – if users bail before 50 %, tighten intros or add jump links.

Cross-reference these numbers with pages that fail INP or accessibility checks; prioritize overlaps first for the biggest ranking lift.

12. Optimize URL Structure and Slug Best Practices

Search engines still use the bare URL as a primary relevance signal—humans scan it in the SERP, too. A clean, predictable slug helps both parties understand the page before it even loads, and it prevents analytics from fragmenting data across look-alike paths. While earlier steps of this SEO audit checklist fixed canonical conflicts, here you upgrade the remaining URL patterns so future content rolls out in perfect shape.

Identify problematic URLs

Session IDs (sid=123), tracking params (utm_source=), or filter strings (?size=xl&color=red) living in the index
Uppercase or mixed-case folders (/Blog/SEO/) that create accidental duplicates
Keyword-stuffed monsters like /best-cheap-affordable-budget-laptop-2025-review/
Dated slugs (/2021-seo-tips/) that age poorly unless the topic is truly year-specific

Export the list from your crawler, then decide which URLs must be cleaned versus redirected.

Rewrite guidelines

3–5 words, lowercase, hyphen-separated: /seo-audit-checklist/
Front-load the primary keyword; skip stop words unless they aid clarity
Avoid dates, numbers, or adjectives you’ll need to update annually
Keep folder depth shallow—reflect hierarchy but stop at three levels

Document the approved pattern in your CMS style guide so writers and devs stay aligned.

Redirect implementation

Map every retired slug to its shiny new counterpart in a 301 spreadsheet.
Deploy server-side 301s (not 302s) and update internal links, XML sitemaps, and canonical tags simultaneously.
Monitor Search Console → Coverage for sudden spikes in “Redirect error” or “Submitted URL not found” to catch typos early.

A streamlined URL framework future-proofs content launches and consolidates authority behind the pages that matter.

13. Evaluate On-Page Keyword Targeting and Gap

With technical plumbing tightened, shift focus to what searchers actually type. This step in your SEO audit checklist makes sure every high-value query has a single, well-optimized home—and that no two pages fight for the same term. Done right, you’ll surface untapped opportunities while preventing self-inflicted cannibalization that silently drags rankings down.

Keyword-to-page mapping

Build a two-column sheet:

Column A: primary keyword (one per row).
Column B: canonical URL that targets it.

Populate the list from Search Console top queries, paid search logs, and Ahrefs/Semrush keyword explorer. If a keyword points to “—” in Column B, that’s a content gap: mark it “Create.” If multiple URLs appear, flag them for consolidation.

SERP intent validation

Open an incognito window, Google each mapped keyword, and list the top-10 result types: how-to article, comparison table, product page, video, etc. Ask:

Does my page match the dominant format and depth?
Is the content fresher or more comprehensive than what’s ranking?

Where mismatch exists, adjust headers, multimedia, or page layout before chasing more links.

Detect & fix cannibalization

Run a Search Console export of queries where two or more URLs share impressions. Cross-reference with your map:

If pages are near-duplicates, 301 the weaker to the stronger.
If both add value, differentiate intent (e.g., “guide” vs “template”) and update titles, H1s, and internal anchors.
Add rel="canonical" only when consolidation isn’t possible.

After pruning, request re-indexing and watch average position stabilize as authority pools into the right URL.

14. Assess Content Quality, Depth, and Freshness

Google’s refinement of Helpful Content and the new AI Overviews means thin or outdated copy is filtered out long before links or Core Web Vitals come into play. Your job in this step is to grade every indexable page for substance, trust signals, and recency, then decide whether to improve, merge, or delete. Use the Content tab in your template to log scores and actions—doing so prevents quality issues from resurfacing when the next Helpful Content update rolls out.

EEAT checklist

Give each URL a 1–5 score against the four EEAT pillars:

Experience – Does the author reference first-hand use, data, or results?
Expertise – Is the writer’s bio, credentials, or LinkedIn link present?
Authoritativeness – Are external citations from gov/edu, journals, or recognized brands?
Trust – HTTPS, minimal ads, clear privacy policy, and editable timestamps.

Pages scoring 3 or below in any column are P1 rewrites.

Thin/duplicate content

Run a crawl filter for pages under 300 words and export “Exact Duplicate” hash groups. For each:

Expand – Add stats, visuals, FAQs, or a video transcript to reach topic completeness.
Merge – If two pages cover the same intent, consolidate into the stronger URL and 301 the other.
Prune – No traffic + no links? Mark “Remove” and set 410 Gone to reclaim crawl budget.

Aim to cut or combine at least 10 % of low-value pages; this boosts average quality site-wide.

Content refresh cadence

Evergreen pieces decay by ~5 % CTR per quarter. Build a “Refresh” column in your template and set review dates:

Quarterly: high-traffic money posts and YMYL topics
Bi-annually: cornerstone guides and comparison pages
Annually: legacy blog posts or seasonal round-ups

When updating, follow the 20-minute quick-win routine:

Update stats to the current year
Add new subhead for emerging questions from PAA boxes
Embed original images or short-form video
Re-submit via URL Inspection to trigger faster re-crawling

Regular refreshes keep your seo audit checklist gains compounding long after the initial audit is complete.

15. Audit Metadata: Title Tags, Meta Descriptions, Open Graph

Crawlers still rely on HTML metadata to understand topical focus, while real users scan it in the SERP or social feed before clicking. Tightening titles, descriptions, and social tags is therefore one of the highest-ROI tweaks in your seo audit checklist. Use the crawler export you pulled earlier, filter the metadata columns, and apply the 2025 standards below.

2025 title tag standards

Keep length to 50–60 characters or < 600 px to avoid ellipses.
Front-load the primary keyword, follow with a promise, and close with the brand:
How to Pass Core Web Vitals in 2025 | RankYak
Use only one separator (pipe or dash) to prevent truncation.
Eliminate duplicate titles; every canonical URL needs a unique hook.
For AI Overviews, add a clear numerical or how-to element that mirrors common PAA phrasing.

Meta description CTR hacks

Aim for 120–155 characters; shorter blurbs often get a full display even with rich snippets present.
Structure: Verb + Benefit + Emotion + CTA
Discover 20 quick fixes that can speed up your site and boost sales—grab the free checklist now.
Mirror search intent by reusing partial query language; Google bolds matching terms.
Sprinkle one secondary keyword naturally; avoid keyword stuffing.
Flag pages with missing or duplicate descriptions and prioritize money pages first.

Social metadata

Add complete Open Graph (og:title, og:description, og:image, og:url) and Twitter Card tags.
Use images sized 1200 × 630 px in JPG/PNG and < 150 kB for snappy loads.
Sync og:title with your SEO title but trim the brand if space is tight.
Include article:author and article:published_time to reinforce EEAT on platforms that parse it.
Test shares with Facebook’s Sharing Debugger and Twitter Card Validator; fix any scrape errors immediately.

16. Check Structured Data and Schema Markup

Google’s AI-powered SERP features pull answers straight from your code, not just the visible copy. If your structured data is missing or malformed, you’ll never win rich results, FAQ drop-downs, or product stars—leaving clicks on the table. This step of the seo audit checklist verifies that every eligible page speaks fluent Schema.org, so search engines can parse price, rating, author, and more without guessing.

Must-have schema types

Organization – reinforces brand details, logo, and social profiles across every page.
BreadcrumbList – clarifies site hierarchy for both bots and users, improving sitelink accuracy.
Article / BlogPosting – unlocks AI Overview citations with headline, author, and dateModified.
FAQPage – surfaces accordions in organic and voice results; keep Q&A pairs tight.
Product – provides price, availability, and review data that feed Shopping Graphs.
HowTo – ideal for step-by-step tutorials; include image and estimated duration.

Validation process

Run the URL through Google’s Rich Results Test; screenshot any errors.
Check Search Console → Enhancements for warning counts by type.
After fixes, add ?structuredDataTestingTool=true to staging URLs and rerun tests before pushing live.

Common pitfalls

Mismatched on-page content vs. markup (e.g., price differs by $1).
Hidden or invisible schema—violates guidelines, risks manual actions.
Duplicate @id values causing graph conflicts.
Over-stuffed review schema with fake 5-star ratings; triggers spam filters.

Locking in clean, comprehensive schema boosts click-through rates today and secures your spot in tomorrow’s Search Generative Experience modules.

17. Review Images: Alt Text, Compression, Lazy Loading

Even lightning-fast code can feel sluggish if your media files are bloated or invisible to search bots. Treat image optimization as a standalone win in your SEO audit checklist: it sharpens accessibility, trims bandwidth, and pumps extra signals into Google Images and multisearch results.

Image SEO fundamentals

Write descriptive, factual alt text under 125 characters that mentions the primary keyword only when relevant—no stuffing.
Rename files from IMG_1234.jpg to seo-audit-template-sheet.avif; words here influence image SERPs.
Declare width and height so the browser reserves space and avoids layout shifts.

Next-gen formats and CDNs

Serve AVIF or WebP2 by default, fall back to JPEG/PNG via the picture element for legacy browsers.
Off-load delivery to a tuned CDN such as Cloudflare Images or Bunny Optimizer; enable automatic format negotiation and smart cropping.
Keep hero images under 150 kB; thumbnails under 20 kB.

Performance & UX

Implement srcset and sizes for responsive resolutions—phones don’t need 4K.
Use the native loading="lazy" and fetchpriority="high" on above-the-fold assets to balance speed and Largest Contentful Paint.
Test pages in WebPageTest’s “Visual Comparison” to verify no blank placeholders remain during scroll.

Document any file over 500 kB or missing alt text as P2 fixes, and rerun PSI to confirm LCP and CLS scores improve.

18. Analyze Backlink Profile and Toxic Links

Authority still hinges on who vouches for you. After tightening on-page and technical elements, shift your seo audit checklist to the links pointing into the site. A clean, relevant backlink profile amplifies every fix you’ve made so far, while spammy domains can trip Google’s 2025 SpamBrain filters and drag rankings overnight.

Collect backlink data

Pull exports from at least two sources for a fuller picture:

Google Search Console → Links → Top linking sites (CSV)
Ahrefs / Semrush / Majestic → Full referring-domain list, anchor text, first/last seen dates
Lost & broken backlinks report for reclaim opportunities
New links in the past 30 days to spot sudden spikes (positive PR or negative SEO)

Merge these into the “Backlinks” tab and dedupe by domain. Record headline metrics:

Metric	Value
Total referring domains	—
Dofollow %	—
Avg Domain Rating (DR)	—

Evaluate link quality

Score each domain 0–3 for relevance, authority, and trust:

High quality (2–3) – industry sites, .edu/.gov, niche journals, major news
Medium (1) – general directories, user-generated content
Toxic (0) – spam TLDs, casino/adult, spun content blogs, mirrored anchors

Red flags:

Exact-match anchor ratio > 10 %
Sudden influx from one IP block
Links embedded in footers or site-wide widgets

Quick formula to eyeball risk:

toxicity_ratio = toxic_links / total_links

Flag anything above 0.05 for immediate action.

Remediation and growth plan

Disavow prep – Compile toxic domains in a .txt file; submit via Search Console → Disavow (advanced users only).
Outreach for removal – Ping webmasters of borderline sites; attach screenshot evidence.
Reclaim – 301 redirect retired pages with lost 404 links back to live, relevant URLs.
Future growth – Schedule monthly digital PR sprints:
- Publish data-driven studies primed for journalist pickup
- Answer HARO/Help a B2B Reporter leads
- Create linkable assets (interactive tools, calculators) and internally link them from authority pages

Review backlink health quarterly; exporting fresh data keeps you ahead of algorithmic spam sweeps and maintains a compounding authority curve.

19. Assess Local and International SEO Factors

Even a flawless technical stack can miss revenue if it ignores geography. Whether you serve one city or ship worldwide, align the seo audit checklist with how search engines geo-target results. Start by confirming where traffic and sales originate in GA4, then work through the checks below.

Local SEO essentials

NAP consistency – Audit your name, address, and phone on every page, footer, and major citation site. Mismatched abbreviations (“St.” vs “Street”) can split ranking signals.
Google Business Profile – Verify categories, hours, services, and Q&A. Upload geotagged photos and post weekly to stay in the local pack carousel.
Local citations – Use a tool like Whitespark or manual spot checks to fix directory listings; aim for identical NAP on top 30 platforms.
Localized landing pages – Create city or neighborhood pages with unique copy, embedded maps, and schema LocalBusiness.

International targeting

hreflang annotations – Implement x-default and language-region pairs (en-us, fr-ca) in either HTML or sitemap. Validate with Screaming Frog’s International tab.
Language meta tags – Ensure <html lang="en"> etc. matches hreflang to prevent mixed signals.
Site structure – Prefer subfolders (/de/, /es/) over ccTLDs for shared authority and easier crawl management unless legal factors require local domains. Monitor Google Search Console’s Crawl Stats to confirm bots hit each locale evenly.

Voice & multisearch optimization

Conversational keywords – Add FAQ sections answering natural language queries (“Where can I buy X near me?”).
Speakable schema – Mark up news or how-to sections so smart speakers can cite your brand.
Visual search readiness – Compress and tag product images with descriptive alt text; Google Lens uses this to match local inventory.

Document action items in the “Geo” tab and retest rankings from in-market IP addresses to gauge improvement.

20. Prioritize Issues and Build a 90-Day Action Plan

An audit without a clear order of attack is just a data dump. This final step turns the mountains of findings in your SEO audit checklist into a focused roadmap the team can actually ship. The goal is to ship the highest-impact fixes in the next three months while scheduling deeper projects for later sprints.

Severity-impact matrix

Plot every logged issue on a 2×2 grid—Effort (Low/High) on the X-axis, SEO Impact (Low/High) on the Y-axis. Your Google Sheet already includes a drop-down for each quadrant:

Quadrant	Label	Example Fixes
High Impact / Low Effort	Quick Win	301 a broken backlink target
High Impact / High Effort	Strategic Project	Core Web Vitals overhaul
Low Impact / Low Effort	Nice to Have	Rename image files
Low Impact / High Effort	Defer	Replatform CMS

Color-code rows automatically with conditional formatting so priorities jump off the page.

Reporting framework

Condense the matrix into two artifacts:

Executive summary (one slide) – top 5 wins, projected traffic lift, resource ask.
Detailed workbook – every task with owner, due date, evidence link, and status.

Stakeholders skim the slide; implementers live in the workbook. Update both weekly so momentum stays visible.

Audit frequency & ownership

Quarterly mini-audits – recrawl, refresh KPIs, and slot new issues into the matrix.
Annual deep dive – repeat the full 20-step process to catch structural shifts.
Task owners – assign one name per row; “Team” means no one. Use the sheet’s @mention to nudge laggards.

By pairing ruthless prioritization with clear accountability, you convert your seo audit checklist from a one-time report into an engine of continuous ranking gains.

Next Steps to Boost Your Rankings

Work through the 20-step SEO audit checklist, update your template, and you’ll finish with a punch list of fixes prioritized by impact. Ship the quick wins first—404 redirects, title rewrites, Core Web Vitals tweaks—so you can watch organic clicks climb while the heavier projects (site architecture, content revamps, digital PR) move through backlogs. Block two calendar hours each week to revisit the sheet, close completed items, and add fresh findings from Search Console or GA4.

Finally, remember that an audit exposes problems; sustainable growth comes from publishing new, search-optimized content month after month. If keeping that pipeline full feels impossible, let AI handle it. Grab the 3-day free trial of RankYak and see how automated keyword research, content planning, and one-click publishing can keep every win from this audit compounding—without piling more tasks on your plate.