Website Audit Checklist 2025: Complete SEO Audit Template (Free)
A comprehensive website audit is the foundation of every successful SEO strategy. Whether you're launching a new site, troubleshooting traffic drops, or optimizing for better rankings, a systematic audit reveals exactly what's working and what needs improvement.
This complete 2025 website audit checklist covers everything from technical SEO to content quality, user experience to security. Best of all, you can conduct this entire audit using free tools recommended by experts at Moz, Ahrefs, and Search Engine Journal.
Why Website Audits Matter in 2025
Search engines, especially Google, continuously update their algorithms. What worked in 2023 may not work today. According to Google's Search Central Blog, there are hundreds of minor algorithm updates annually and several major ones. Regular audits help you:
Identify Technical Issues: Broken links, crawl errors, slow loading speeds, and mobile usability problems that prevent proper indexing.
Improve Rankings: Discover on-page optimization opportunities, content gaps, and keyword targeting issues holding you back from top positions.
Enhance User Experience: According to Google's Core Web Vitals, user experience metrics directly impact rankings. Audits reveal UX problems affecting bounce rates and conversions.
Stay Competitive: Understand how your site compares to competitors and identify areas where they're outperforming you.
Prevent Penalties: Catch issues like duplicate content, toxic backlinks, or security vulnerabilities before they trigger penalties, as warned by Google's spam policies.
Maximize ROI: Focus resources on high-impact improvements rather than guessing what might work.
Research from Backlinko shows that websites conducting quarterly audits see 47% more organic traffic growth than those that don't.
How to Use This Checklist
This audit is organized into 12 comprehensive sections. Each section includes:
- Priority Level: Critical, High, Medium, or Low
- Free Tools: Specific tools to check each item
- What to Check: Clear criteria for evaluation
- How to Fix: Actionable solutions
- Resources: Links to detailed guides
Time Investment: A complete audit for a medium-sized website (100-500 pages) typically takes 8-12 hours spread across several days. For enterprise sites with thousands of pages, expect 20-40 hours.
Frequency Recommendations:
- Quarterly audits: Comprehensive review of all sections
- Monthly checks: Quick review of Critical and High priority items
- Continuous monitoring: Set up alerts in Google Search Console for immediate issue notification
Download our free audit template spreadsheet to track your findings and progress. Let's begin.
Section 1: Technical SEO Foundation
1.1 Crawlability and Indexability
Priority: Critical
Search engines must be able to crawl and index your pages. Even perfect content won't rank if Google can't access it.
Check Robots.txt File
Tools: Browser (yourdomain.com/robots.txt), Google Search Console
What to Check:
- File exists and is accessible
- Not blocking important pages or resources
- Allows all major search engines (Google, Bing)
- References XML sitemap location
Common Issues:
- Accidentally blocking entire site with "Disallow: /"
- Blocking CSS/JS files preventing rendering
- No sitemap reference
How to Fix: Review your robots.txt file carefully. Use Google's robots.txt Tester in Search Console to verify. Standard format should look like:
User-agent: *
Disallow: /admin/
Disallow: /private/
Sitemap: https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml
Resources:
Verify XML Sitemap
Tools: Google Search Console, Screaming Frog (free for 500 URLs), XML Sitemap Generator
What to Check:
- Sitemap exists at yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml
- Submitted to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools
- Contains all important pages (not admin pages, duplicates, or noindex pages)
- Updates automatically when content changes
- No errors in Search Console coverage report
How to Fix: Most CMS platforms generate sitemaps automatically. For WordPress, use Yoast SEO or Rank Math. You can also use the XML Sitemap Generator tool for manual creation. Submit your sitemap in Search Console under Sitemaps section. According to Google's sitemap documentation, sitemaps should be under 50MB and contain no more than 50,000 URLs.
Resources:
Check Index Status
Tools: Google Search Console, site:yourdomain.com search
What to Check:
- Total indexed pages matches expectations
- Important pages are indexed
- No unexpected pages indexed (admin, staging, duplicate content)
- Coverage report shows no critical errors
How to Check: In Google Search Console, go to Index > Coverage. Review the "Error," "Valid with warnings," and "Excluded" tabs. Perform a site:yourdomain.com search to see total indexed pages.
Common Issues:
- Too many indexed pages (duplicates, parameter pages)
- Too few indexed pages (crawl blocks, noindex tags)
- Important pages missing from index
How to Fix: For pages that should be indexed but aren't, check for noindex tags or robots blocks. Use Google's URL Inspection Tool to request indexing. For unwanted indexed pages, add noindex meta tags or block via robots.txt.
Resources:
Identify Crawl Errors
Tools: Google Search Console, Screaming Frog, Online Ping Website Tool
What to Check:
- 404 errors (page not found)
- 5xx server errors
- Redirect chains and loops
- Soft 404 errors
- Timeout errors
Benchmarks:
- 0 server errors acceptable
- <1% 404 errors acceptable (some broken external links inevitable)
- No redirect chains longer than 2 hops
How to Fix: Export error report from Search Console. For 404s, either restore content, redirect to relevant pages, or add proper 410 (gone) status. Server errors require technical troubleshooting—check with hosting provider. Resources on Ahrefs' technical SEO guide provide detailed solutions.
1.2 Site Architecture and Navigation
Priority: High
Well-structured sites help both users and search engines understand content organization.
Evaluate URL Structure
Tools: Browser, Screaming Frog, URL Encoder Decoder
What to Check:
- URLs are descriptive and include keywords
- Short and readable (not long query strings)
- Use hyphens (not underscores) to separate words
- Consistent structure across site
- HTTPS throughout (not mixed HTTP/HTTPS)
Good Examples:
- yourdomain.com/blog/seo-audit-checklist
- yourdomain.com/products/running-shoes
Bad Examples:
- yourdomain.com/page?id=12345&category=blog
- yourdomain.com/index.php/blog_posts/2025/01/15/post-title
How to Fix: If URLs need changing, implement 301 redirects from old to new URLs using the Htaccess Redirect Checker to verify proper implementation. Most CMS platforms allow custom URL structures. According to Moz's URL structure guide, clean URLs improve both user experience and search rankings.
Analyze Site Depth
Tools: Screaming Frog, Google Analytics
What to Check: Important pages should be accessible within 3 clicks from homepage. The deeper pages are buried, the less authority they receive.
Best Practice:
- Homepage → Category → Subcategory → Content (3 levels)
- Orphan pages (no internal links) should not exist
How to Fix: Add internal links from relevant high-authority pages. Create category/hub pages linking to related content. Update main navigation to include important sections. Ahrefs' internal linking guide provides strategies.
Review Navigation Structure
Tools: Manual browser testing, Hotjar (free tier), Screen Resolution Simulator
What to Check:
- Main navigation appears on all pages
- Breadcrumb navigation implemented
- Footer navigation includes important links
- Search functionality works properly
- Navigation is consistent across site
Accessibility:
- Keyboard navigation works
- Screen reader compatible
- Mobile navigation is user-friendly
How to Fix: Follow W3C navigation best practices. Implement breadcrumbs using schema markup. Test with real users and gather feedback, as recommended by Nielsen Norman Group.
1.3 HTTPS and Security
Priority: Critical
Google has confirmed HTTPS as a ranking signal. Security is non-negotiable in 2025.
Verify SSL Certificate
Tools: Browser address bar, SSL Labs, SSL Checker
What to Check:
- Valid SSL certificate installed
- No expired or soon-to-expire certificates
- Grade A or B on SSL Labs test
- All pages load via HTTPS
- No mixed content warnings (HTTP resources on HTTPS pages)
How to Fix: Obtain free SSL certificate from Let's Encrypt or through your hosting provider. Configure server to force HTTPS. Update internal links to use HTTPS. According to Google's HTTPS documentation, migrating to HTTPS requires proper 301 redirects.
Check for Security Vulnerabilities
Tools: Sucuri SiteCheck, Google Safe Browsing, Blacklist Checker
What to Check:
- No malware detected
- Not blacklisted by Google or security services
- CMS and plugins updated to latest versions
- Strong admin passwords in use (test with Password Strength Checker)
- Two-factor authentication enabled
Resources:
Section 2: Mobile Optimization
Priority: Critical
Google uses mobile-first indexing, meaning it primarily uses the mobile version of your site for ranking. According to Google's mobile-first documentation, most sites have already been switched.
2.1 Mobile-Friendly Test
Tools: Google Mobile-Friendly Test, Mobile Friendly Test, Google Search Console
What to Check:
- Pages pass Google's mobile-friendly test
- No mobile usability issues in Search Console
- Responsive design adapts to all screen sizes
- Content is readable without zooming
- Tap targets (buttons/links) are adequately spaced
Common Issues:
- Text too small to read
- Content wider than screen
- Clickable elements too close together
- Mobile viewport not set
How to Fix: Implement responsive design using CSS media queries. Add viewport meta tag: . Ensure font sizes are at least 16px. Test across multiple devices using Screen Resolution Simulator. Resources from Web.dev provide detailed implementation guides.
2.2 Mobile Performance
Tools: Google PageSpeed Insights, Google Search Console
What to Check:
- Mobile PageSpeed score above 50 (ideally 80+)
- Core Web Vitals pass thresholds:
- LCP (Largest Contentful Paint): < 2.5 seconds
- FID (First Input Delay): < 100 milliseconds
- CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): < 0.1
Benchmarks: According to Google's Core Web Vitals research, sites meeting all three thresholds see 24% lower abandonment rates.
How to Fix:
- Compress and optimize images with Image Compressor
- Minimize JavaScript using Javascript Minifier
- Leverage browser caching
- Use a CDN like Cloudflare
- Enable compression using Check GZIP Compression
Detailed solutions in Google's optimization guide and GTmetrix blog.
2.3 Mobile User Experience
Tools: Manual testing on devices, BrowserStack (free trial), What Is My Browser
What to Check:
- Forms are easy to complete on mobile
- Pop-ups don't cover entire screen (penalty risk)
- Navigation menu is accessible and functional
- Images don't overflow containers
- No horizontal scrolling required
How to Test: Test on actual devices (iPhone, Android phones, tablets). Use Chrome DevTools device emulation. According to Nielsen Norman Group's mobile UX research, mobile users abandon sites 5x faster than desktop users when experiencing usability issues.
Section 3: Page Speed and Core Web Vitals
Priority: Critical
Page speed is a confirmed ranking factor, and Core Web Vitals directly impact search visibility and user experience.
3.1 Desktop Speed
Tools: Google PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix, WebPageTest
What to Check:
- Overall performance score above 85
- First Contentful Paint < 1.8 seconds
- Time to Interactive < 3.8 seconds
- Total page size < 3MB
- Number of requests < 100
Benchmarks from HTTP Archive:
- Median page size: 2.2MB
- Median load time: 3.5 seconds
- Top-performing sites: <2 seconds load time
3.2 Image Optimization
Tools: PageSpeed Insights, Image Compressor, Image Resizer
What to Check:
- Images properly compressed
- Next-gen formats used (WebP, AVIF)
- Responsive images for different screen sizes
- Lazy loading implemented for below-fold images
- No images larger than necessary
How to Optimize:
- Use TinyPNG or Image Compressor for compression
- Convert formats using PNG to JPG Converter or JPG to PNG Converter
- Use JPG Converter for multi-format conversion
- Add width and height attributes to prevent layout shift
- Implement lazy loading with native loading="lazy" attribute
Resources:
3.3 Code Optimization
Tools: PageSpeed Insights, browser DevTools, HTML Minifier, CSS Minifier
What to Check:
- Minified CSS, JavaScript, HTML
- Unused CSS and JavaScript removed
- Critical CSS inlined
- Scripts loaded asynchronously or deferred
- Third-party scripts optimized or removed
Performance Killers:
- Unoptimized plugins and widgets
- Multiple analytics scripts
- Large JavaScript frameworks when simple solutions suffice
- Render-blocking resources
How to Fix: Use minification tools like HTML Minifier, CSS Minifier, and Javascript Minifier. Remove unused plugins. Defer non-critical JavaScript. Guides on Web.dev provide code-level optimizations.
3.4 Server Response Time
Tools: GTmetrix, Pingdom, Get HTTP Header
What to Check:
- Server response time (TTFB) < 200ms
- Proper caching headers set
- CDN implemented if serving global audience
- Database queries optimized
- Hosting adequate for traffic levels
How to Fix:
- Upgrade hosting if necessary (shared → VPS → dedicated)
- Implement caching (page caching, object caching, browser caching)
- Use CDN like Cloudflare (free tier available)
- Optimize database queries and cleanup
Resources:
Section 4: On-Page SEO
Priority: High
On-page optimization ensures search engines understand your content's topic and relevance.
4.1 Title Tags
Tools: Screaming Frog, SEOquake Extension, Meta Tag Analyzer
What to Check:
- Every page has unique title tag
- Length between 50-60 characters (or 600 pixels)
- Target keyword appears near beginning
- Brand name included (typically at end)
- Compelling and click-worthy
- No duplicate titles across site
Format: Primary Keyword - Secondary Keyword | Brand Name
Examples:
- Good: "SEO Audit Checklist 2025 - Free Template | YourBrand"
- Bad: "Home | Welcome to Our Website"
How to Fix: Update title tags in CMS or HTML. Use Yoast SEO for WordPress or the Meta Tag Generator for manual creation. According to Moz's title tag guide, optimized titles can increase CTR by 20-30%.
4.2 Meta Descriptions
Tools: Screaming Frog, Google Search Console, Meta Tag Generator
What to Check:
- Unique description for each important page
- Length between 150-160 characters
- Includes target keyword naturally
- Compelling call-to-action
- Accurately describes page content
Note: Meta descriptions don't directly impact rankings but significantly affect CTR. Backlinko's CTR study found that compelling descriptions can increase traffic by 5-15%.
4.3 Header Tags (H1-H6)
Tools: Screaming Frog, browser DevTools, Online HTML Viewer
What to Check:
- One H1 per page containing primary keyword
- Logical hierarchy (H1 → H2 → H3, no skipping levels)
- Headers describe content sections accurately
- Keywords used naturally in subheadings
- Headers improve scannability for users
Structure Example:
H1: Main Page Title
H2: First Major Section
H3: Subsection
H3: Another Subsection
H2: Second Major Section
H3: Subsection
Resources:
4.4 Content Quality and Depth
Tools: Manual review, Google Search Console, Copyscape, Rewrite Article
What to Check:
- Content matches search intent for target keyword
- Comprehensive coverage of topic
- No thin content (<300 words except specific page types)
- Original content (not copied or heavily duplicated)
- Regular content updates
- Proper grammar and readability
Quality Signals:
- E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)
- Author bylines with credentials
- Citations and sources for factual claims
- Clear, scannable formatting
Benchmarks: According to Backlinko's content length study, the average first-page result contains 1,447 words. However, length should match intent—transactional pages can be shorter, informational longer.
Resources:
4.5 Image SEO
Tools: Screaming Frog, manual review, Image to Text Converter, Reverse Image Search
What to Check:
- All images have descriptive alt text
- File names are descriptive (not IMG_1234.jpg)
- Images relevant to surrounding content
- Properly sized (not oversized then scaled down)
- Title attributes used where helpful
Alt Text Best Practices:
- Describe image accurately and concisely
- Include target keyword if natural
- Avoid "image of" or "picture of"
- Leave alt text empty for purely decorative images
Example:
- Good: "woman using laptop for seo audit"
- Bad: "image123" or empty
Resources:
4.6 Internal Linking
Tools: Screaming Frog, Google Analytics
What to Check:
- Important pages have adequate internal links pointing to them
- Anchor text is descriptive and varied
- No broken internal links
- Orphan pages identified and linked
- Related content linked within articles
- Deep pages accessible within 3 clicks
Best Practices:
- Use descriptive anchor text (not "click here")
- Link to related content naturally within body content
- Create topic clusters with pillar content
- Update old content to link to new relevant pages
How to Fix: Use Ahrefs' internal linking guide strategies. Implement related posts sections. Create hub pages linking to topic clusters, as recommended by HubSpot.
4.7 Schema Markup
Tools: Google Rich Results Test, Schema Markup Validator
What to Check:
- Appropriate schema types implemented
- No errors in Rich Results Test
- Review snippets, breadcrumbs, FAQs marked up
- Organization and LocalBusiness schema for applicable sites
- Product schema for e-commerce
Common Schema Types:
- Article
- Product
- LocalBusiness
- FAQ
- HowTo
- Review
- Breadcrumb
- Organization
How to Implement: Use Schema.org documentation for code examples. Many WordPress plugins like Yoast and Rank Math add schema automatically. Verify implementation with Google's testing tools.
Resources:
Section 5: Content Analysis
Priority: High
Quality content drives rankings, engagement, and conversions.
5.1 Content Inventory
Tools: Screaming Frog, Google Analytics, Website Screenshot Generator
What to Do:
- Export all URLs from your site
- Categorize by content type (blog, product, service, etc.)
- Note word count, publish date, last updated
- Identify thin, duplicate, or outdated content
- Flag pages receiving no traffic
Content to Audit:
- Blog posts and articles
- Product/service pages
- Category and tag pages
- Landing pages
- About/contact pages
5.2 Duplicate Content
Tools: Copyscape, Siteliner, Google Search Console
What to Check:
- No content copied from external sites
- Internal duplicate content minimized
- Canonical tags properly implemented
- Parameter handling configured in Search Console
- Syndicated content properly attributed
Common Causes:
- WWW vs non-WWW versions
- HTTP vs HTTPS versions
- URL parameters creating multiple versions
- Pagination issues
- Print/mobile versions of pages
How to Fix: Implement canonical tags pointing to preferred version. Set preferred domain in Search Console. Use robots.txt or noindex for true duplicates. According to Moz's duplicate content guide, this rarely causes penalties but dilutes ranking power.
5.3 Content Freshness
Tools: Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Google Cache Checker
What to Check:
- When content was last updated
- Traffic trends for older content
- Whether topics are still relevant and accurate
- Seasonal content updated annually
- Statistics and data current
Update Priority:
- High-traffic pages with declining rankings
- Pages ranking positions 5-15 (quick wins)
- Outdated factual information
- Seasonal/annual content
- Evergreen content with new developments
Resources:
5.4 Content Gaps
Tools: AnswerThePublic, Google Search Console, Keyword Research Tool, Related Keywords Finder
What to Identify:
- Keywords you should rank for but don't
- Topics competitors cover that you don't
- Questions users ask that you haven't answered
- Semantic keywords missing from existing content
- Content format gaps (video, infographics, tools)
Process:
- Review Search Console for keywords where you rank 11-30
- Analyze top 3 competitors' content
- Identify their topics you don't cover
- Research related questions on Quora and Reddit
- Plan content to fill gaps
Resources:
5.5 Readability and Formatting
Tools: Hemingway Editor, Yoast SEO, Grammarly, Online Text Editor, Case Converter
What to Check:
- Reading level appropriate for audience
- Short paragraphs (2-4 sentences)
- Bullet points and lists for scannability
- Subheadings every 300 words
- Bold and italic used for emphasis
- Images/visuals break up text
- No walls of text
Readability Scores:
- Flesch Reading Ease: 60-70 (acceptable)
- Grade Level: 7th-8th grade for general audience
Resources:
Section 6: User Experience (UX)
Priority: High
Google's algorithms increasingly prioritize user experience signals. Poor UX leads to high bounce rates and low engagement, hurting rankings.
6.1 Navigation and Site Structure
Tools: Hotjar (free tier), Google Analytics, Spider Simulator
What to Check:
- Intuitive navigation structure
- Consistent navigation across site
- Clear calls-to-action (CTAs)
- Breadcrumb navigation implemented
- Search function works effectively
- Important pages accessible from homepage
User Testing: Ask 5 users to complete common tasks. Note confusion points. According to Nielsen Norman Group, testing with 5 users identifies 85% of usability problems.
6.2 Design and Visual Appeal
Tools: Manual review, peer feedback, PageSpeed Insights, Favicon Generator
What to Check:
- Professional, modern design
- Consistent branding and styling
- Adequate white space
- Readable font sizes and types
- Good color contrast (WCAG compliance)
- No intrusive ads or pop-ups
- Mobile design is polished
- Proper favicon implemented
Accessibility: Use WAVE to check accessibility. Ensure site works for users with disabilities. Follow WCAG 2.1 guidelines.
6.3 Forms and Conversions
Tools: Google Analytics, Hotjar
What to Check:
- Forms work properly on all devices
- Minimal required fields
- Clear error messages
- Progress indicators for multi-step forms
- Confirmation/thank you pages set up
- Form abandonment tracked
Optimization:
- Remove unnecessary fields
- Use autocomplete where appropriate
- Provide helpful placeholder text
- Test submission process regularly
Resources:
6.4 Engagement Metrics
Tools: Google Analytics, Google Search Console
What to Monitor:
- Average session duration
- Pages per session
- Bounce rate by page type
- Scroll depth
- Time on page
- Return visitor rate
Benchmarks by Industry (from Contentsquare):
- Average bounce rate: 47%
- Average session duration: 2:30 minutes
- Pages per session: 3-4
Red Flags:
- Bounce rate > 70% on content pages
- Average time on page < 30 seconds
- Most users not scrolling past 25%
How to Improve: Analyze high-performing pages vs. low-performing ones. Identify patterns. Improve content quality, add compelling CTAs, reduce load times, enhance visual appeal. Resources from Google Analytics Academy teach proper interpretation of these metrics.
Section 7: Backlink Profile
Priority: High
Backlinks remain one of Google's top ranking factors. Quality and relevance matter more than quantity.
7.1 Backlink Quantity and Quality
Tools: Google Search Console, Ahrefs Free Backlink Checker, Moz Link Explorer (free tier), Mozrank Checker
What to Check:
- Total number of backlinks
- Total referring domains
- Domain Authority/Rating of linking sites
- Relevance of linking sites to your niche
- Link growth rate (steady and natural)
- Diversity of link sources
Healthy Backlink Profile:
- Links from diverse domains
- Mix of dofollow and nofollow links
- Varied anchor text (branded, URL, generic, partial match)
- Links from relevant, authoritative sites
Warning Signs:
- Sudden spikes in backlinks (possible negative SEO)
- Links primarily from low-quality directories
- Over-optimized anchor text (too many exact matches)
- Links from spammy or penalized sites
Resources:
7.2 Toxic Link Detection
Tools: Moz Link Explorer (Spam Score), Google Search Console
What to Check:
- Spam score of linking domains
- Links from known spammy sites
- Links from irrelevant foreign language sites
- Links with suspicious anchor text
- Links from penalized domains
How to Address:
- Export backlink list from Search Console and free tools
- Identify genuinely toxic links (spam score > 8, irrelevant sites, known spam)
- Attempt manual outreach requesting removal
- Document removal attempts
- If necessary, use Google's Disavow Tool
Important: According to Google's John Mueller, disavowing should only be used for extreme cases. Google is generally good at ignoring spammy links automatically.
Resources:
7.3 Anchor Text Distribution
Tools: Ahrefs Free Backlink Checker, Google Search Console
What to Check: Natural anchor text distribution should include:
- Branded (30-40%): "YourBrand"
- URL (20-30%): "yourdomain.com"
- Generic (10-20%): "click here," "read more"
- Partial match (10-15%): "SEO tips"
- Exact match (5-10%): "SEO audit checklist"
- Random/Misc (5-10%): various phrases
Red Flags:
- Over 30% exact match anchor text
- Unnatural repetition of keyword-rich anchors
- Sudden changes in anchor text patterns
How to Fix: For future link building, vary anchor text naturally. For existing over-optimization, build diverse anchor text links to balance profile. Guidance from Backlinko's anchor text guide provides strategies.
7.4 Lost and Broken Backlinks
Tools: Ahrefs Free Backlink Checker, Google Search Console
What to Check:
- Recently lost backlinks
- Links pointing to 404 pages
- Links from removed content
- Broken internal links on your site
How to Reclaim:
- Identify valuable lost links
- Contact site owner politely asking about removal
- Offer updated content or fix issues they had
- For links to 404 pages, restore content or implement 301 redirects
Prevention: Set up monitoring for your most valuable backlinks. Use tools like Google Alerts to track brand mentions that should include links.
Section 8: Local SEO (For Local Businesses)
Priority: High (for local businesses) / Low (for non-local)
8.1 Google Business Profile
Tools: Google Business Profile, Google Search
What to Check:
- Profile claimed and verified
- NAP (Name, Address, Phone) consistent across web
- Business category accurate and specific
- Hours updated and accurate
- Photos added (at least 10 high-quality images)
- Description optimized with keywords
- Services/products listed
- Attributes selected appropriately
Optimization Tips:
- Post weekly updates
- Respond to all reviews promptly
- Upload new photos monthly
- Use Q&A section proactively
Resources:
8.2 Local Citations
Tools: Moz Local (free scan), BrightLocal
What to Check:
- NAP consistency across all citations
- Presence on major directories (Yelp, Facebook, Yellow Pages)
- Industry-specific directories
- No duplicate listings
- Citations from local chamber of commerce, local blogs
How to Build: List on Bing Places, Apple Maps, Facebook, Yelp, and industry directories. Ensure exact NAP match everywhere.
Resources:
8.3 Local Reviews
Tools: Google Business Profile, Yelp, Facebook
What to Monitor:
- Average star rating (aim for 4.0+)
- Total number of reviews
- Recent review frequency
- Response rate to reviews
- Review sentiment and common themes
Review Generation:
- Ask satisfied customers for reviews
- Make process easy (direct links)
- Never buy reviews or offer incentives
- Respond to all reviews (positive and negative)
According to BrightLocal's research, 87% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses, and 79% trust them as much as personal recommendations.
8.4 Local Content
Tools: Google Keyword Planner, AnswerThePublic, Keyword Research Tool
What to Create:
- Location-specific landing pages
- Local event coverage
- Neighborhood guides
- Local business spotlights and partnerships
- Community involvement content
Optimization: Include city/neighborhood names naturally in content, titles, and meta descriptions. Create separate pages for each service area. Add local schema markup.
Resources:
Section 9: E-commerce Specific (If Applicable)
Priority: High (for e-commerce sites)
9.1 Product Page Optimization
Tools: Google Search Console, Screaming Frog
What to Check:
- Unique product descriptions (not manufacturer copy)
- High-quality product images (multiple angles)
- Clear pricing information
- Stock availability indicated
- Product reviews displayed
- Detailed specifications
- Related products recommended
Schema Markup: Implement Product schema including:
- Price
- Availability
- Review ratings
- SKU
- Brand
Resources:
9.2 Category Page Optimization
Tools: Google Search Console, Ahrefs
What to Check:
- Unique descriptions for each category
- Optimized H1 headers
- Proper internal linking structure
- Breadcrumb navigation
- Filters and sorting options
- Pagination handled correctly (rel="next" and rel="prev")
Avoid:
- Thin content on category pages
- Duplicate content across categories
- Poor faceted navigation creating duplicate pages
9.3 Shopping Feed Optimization
Tools: Google Merchant Center, Facebook Commerce Manager
What to Check:
- Product feed error-free
- All required attributes included
- Images meet platform requirements
- Titles optimized with key attributes
- GTINs/MPNs provided where applicable
- Availability and pricing accurate
Resources:
9.4 Checkout Process
Tools: Google Analytics, funnel analysis
What to Check:
- Guest checkout option available
- Minimal steps to completion
- Progress indicator present
- Multiple payment options
- Security badges visible
- Mobile checkout optimized
- Cart abandonment emails set up
Benchmarks: Average cart abandonment rate is 69.8% according to Baymard Institute. Optimized checkouts can reduce this by 10-20%.
Section 10: Analytics and Tracking
Priority: Critical
You can't improve what you don't measure. Proper tracking is essential.
10.1 Google Analytics Setup
Tools: Google Analytics
What to Verify:
- GA4 properly installed on all pages
- Tracking code firing correctly (check with Tag Assistant)
- Goals and conversions configured
- E-commerce tracking enabled (if applicable)
- Events set up for key actions
- Filters excluding internal traffic
- Site search tracking enabled
Essential Goals to Track:
- Contact form submissions
- Phone clicks
- Email clicks
- Downloads
- Video plays
- Purchases (e-commerce)
Resources:
10.2 Google Search Console Setup
Tools: Google Search Console
What to Verify:
- All property versions added (www, non-www, HTTP, HTTPS)
- Preferred version specified
- Sitemaps submitted and processing
- All site owners have access
- Email notifications enabled
- Mobile usability reports reviewed
- Core Web Vitals report monitored
Regular Monitoring:
- Coverage issues
- Performance trends
- Manual actions
- Security issues
10.3 Conversion Tracking
Tools: Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager
What to Track:
- Macro conversions (purchases, leads, sign-ups)
- Micro conversions (downloads, video views, scroll depth)
- Conversion paths and attribution
- Assisted conversions
- Time to conversion
Implementation: Use Google Tag Manager for easier management. Set up event tracking for all important interactions. Create custom reports for conversion analysis.
Resources:
10.4 Custom Dashboards and Reports
Tools: Google Data Studio, Google Analytics
What to Create:
- Executive summary dashboard
- SEO performance report
- Content performance report
- E-commerce dashboard (if applicable)
- Technical health report
Key Metrics to Monitor:
- Organic traffic trends
- Conversion rates
- Average position
- Top landing pages
- Goal completions
- Revenue (e-commerce)
Free templates available from Google Data Studio Template Gallery.
Section 11: Competitive Analysis
Priority: Medium
Understanding your competition reveals opportunities and threats.
11.1 Identify True Competitors
Tools: Google Search, Ahrefs Free Backlink Checker, SERP Checker
Process:
- Search your primary 10 target keywords
- Note who consistently ranks in top 5
- These are your true SEO competitors (may differ from business competitors)
- Analyze top 3-5 competitors thoroughly
11.2 Competitor Content Analysis
Tools: Manual review, AnswerThePublic, Website Screenshot Generator
What to Analyze:
- Topics they cover that you don't
- Content depth and quality
- Publishing frequency
- Content formats (blog, video, tools, etc.)
- Engagement on content (comments, shares)
- Content gaps you can fill
Action Items:
- List competitor topics you should cover
- Identify areas where you can create better content
- Note unique angles they haven't explored
11.3 Competitor Backlink Analysis
Tools: Ahrefs Free Backlink Checker, Moz Link Explorer
What to Identify:
- Their highest authority backlinks
- Sites linking to multiple competitors but not you
- Link building strategies they're using
- Link sources in your industry
- Broken competitor links you can reclaim
Strategy: Create a list of sites linking to 2+ competitors. These sites are clearly open to linking to your type of content—they're your best outreach targets.
Resources:
11.4 Competitor Technical Analysis
Tools: MozBar Extension, BuiltWith, WordPress Theme Detector, Domain Hosting Checker
What to Check:
- Domain Authority vs. yours
- Page load speeds
- Mobile optimization
- Schema markup usage
- Site architecture
- Technologies and platforms used
Identify:
- Technical advantages they have
- Technical weaknesses you can exploit
- Tools and platforms that help them succeed
Section 12: International and Multi-language Sites
Priority: Low (unless applicable)
12.1 Hreflang Implementation
Tools: Google Search Console, Hreflang Tags Testing Tool
What to Check:
- Hreflang tags properly implemented
- All language/region variations linked
- Return links exist (bidirectional)
- Self-referencing tags included
- X-default specified for unlisted languages
- No conflicting signals
Common Formats:
Resources:
12.2 Content Translation Quality
Tools: Manual review by native speakers
What to Check:
- Content professionally translated (not machine-translated)
- Culturally appropriate for target region
- Local idioms and expressions used correctly
- Currency, dates, and measurements localized
- Contact information appropriate for region
Avoid:
- Direct word-for-word translation
- Ignoring cultural differences
- Duplicate content in multiple languages on same URLs
12.3 International Server Setup
Tools: Pingdom, GTmetrix, Domain To IP, Find DNS Record
What to Check:
- CDN implemented for global delivery
- Server locations appropriate for target markets
- Page load times acceptable in all regions
- Hosting can handle traffic from all regions
Options:
- Country-specific domains (.co.uk, .de, .fr)
- Subdirectories (example.com/uk/, example.com/de/)
- Subdomains (uk.example.com, de.example.com)
Each option has pros/cons discussed in Search Engine Land's international SEO guide.
Creating Your Audit Action Plan
After completing your audit, prioritize fixes using this framework:
Impact vs. Effort Matrix
Quick Wins (High Impact, Low Effort):
- Fix broken links
- Optimize title tags and meta descriptions
- Add missing alt text
- Fix mobile usability issues
- Improve page speed (compress images)
Major Projects (High Impact, High Effort):
- Site architecture redesign
- Comprehensive content creation
- Technical infrastructure changes
- Link building campaigns
Fill-ins (Low Impact, Low Effort):
- Minor content updates
- Social media optimizations
- Small design tweaks
Time Wasters (Low Impact, High Effort):
- Avoid these unless required for other reasons
Priority Scoring System
Assign scores 1-10 for:
- Impact on SEO: How much will this improve rankings?
- Impact on Conversions: Will this increase conversion rates?
- Ease of Implementation: How easy is this to fix?
- Resource Requirements: What time/money/skills needed?
Formula: Priority Score = (SEO Impact + Conversion Impact) × Ease of Implementation / Resource Requirements
Sort by priority score and tackle highest scoring items first.
Implementation Timeline
Week 1-2: Critical Fixes
- Security issues
- Major crawlability problems
- Severe mobile issues
- Broken user journeys
Month 1: High Priority
- Core Web Vitals improvements
- Major on-page SEO issues
- Critical content problems
- Important technical fixes
Months 2-3: Medium Priority
- Content expansion and optimization
- Link building initiatives
- UX improvements
- Schema implementation
Ongoing: Low Priority and Maintenance
- Regular content updates
- Continued link building
- Performance monitoring
- Quarterly re-audits
Complete Free SEO Audit Tools List (144 Tools)
Here's your comprehensive toolkit for conducting professional website audits without spending money:
Essential Foundation (7 tools)
- Google Search Console - Critical for all SEO work
- Google Analytics - Essential for tracking performance
- Google PageSpeed Insights - Performance and Core Web Vitals
- Google Mobile-Friendly Test - Mobile optimization
- Google Rich Results Test - Schema validation
- Mobile Friendly Test - Alternative mobile testing
- Website SEO Score Checker - Overall SEO health check
Technical SEO (17 tools)
- Screaming Frog SEO Spider - Comprehensive crawling (500 URLs free)
- SSL Labs - SSL certificate testing
- GTmetrix - Performance analysis
- Pingdom - Speed testing
- WebPageTest - Detailed performance testing
- SSL Checker - Verify SSL certificates
- Check GZIP Compression - Compression testing
- Get HTTP Header - HTTP header analysis
- Htaccess Redirect Checker - Redirect validation
- Online Ping Website Tool - Server response testing
- XML Sitemap Generator - Generate sitemaps
- XML Formatter - Format XML files
- Spider Simulator - Simulate search engine crawlers
- Google Cache Checker - Check cached version
- What Is My Browser - Browser detection
- Screen Resolution Simulator - Test different resolutions
- Adsense Calculator - Calculate AdSense revenue
On-Page SEO (11 tools)
- Yoast SEO - WordPress SEO plugin
- Rank Math - WordPress SEO alternative
- MozBar - Browser extension for metrics
- SEOquake - SEO browser extension
- Keyword Surfer - Keyword data in search results
- Meta Tag Generator - Create meta tags
- Meta Tag Analyzer - Analyze existing tags
- Twitter Card Generator - Social media optimization
- Open Graph Generator - Facebook optimization
- Online HTML Viewer - View HTML code
- HTML Editor - Online HTML editor
Content and Readability (10 tools)
- Hemingway Editor - Readability analysis
- Grammarly - Grammar and writing quality
- Copyscape - Duplicate content checking
- Siteliner - Find duplicate internal content
- AnswerThePublic - Question research
- Rewrite Article - Content spinning tool
- Paraphrased - Paraphrasing tool
- Case Converter - Text case transformation
- Online Text Editor - Text editing
- Word Combiner - Combine words creatively
Backlinks (4 tools)
- Ahrefs Free Backlink Checker - Top 100 backlinks
- Moz Link Explorer - Link metrics (limited free)
- Google Search Console Links Report - Your complete link profile
- Mozrank Checker - Check Moz metrics
Keyword Research (6 tools)
- Google Keyword Planner - Search volume data
- Ubersuggest - Keyword suggestions
- Keyword Research Tool - Find keyword opportunities
- Related Keywords Finder - Discover related terms
- Keywords Rich Domains Suggestions - Domain ideas
- SERP Checker - Check search rankings
Local SEO (4 tools)
- Google Business Profile - Local listing management
- Bing Places - Bing local listings
- Moz Local - Citation audit (free scan)
- BrightLocal Citation Finder - Find citation opportunities
Domain and IP Tools (8 tools)
- What Is My IP - Check your IP address
- IP Address Location - IP geolocation
- Domain Age Checker - Check domain age
- Domain Name Search - Search available domains
- [Domain Hosting Checker](https://brightseo# Website Audit Checklist 2025: Complete SEO Audit Template (Free)
A comprehensive website audit is the foundation of every successful SEO strategy. Whether you're launching a new site, troubleshooting traffic drops, or optimizing for better rankings, a systematic audit reveals exactly what's working and what needs improvement.
This complete 2025 website audit checklist covers everything from technical SEO to content quality, user experience to security. Best of all, you can conduct this entire audit using free tools recommended by experts at Moz, Ahrefs, and Search Engine Journal.
Domain and IP Tools (8 tools)
- What Is My IP - Check your IP address
- IP Address Location - IP geolocation
- Domain Age Checker - Check domain age
- Domain Name Search - Search available domains
- Domain Hosting Checker - Identify hosting provider
- Domain To IP - Convert domain to IP
- Find DNS Record - DNS lookup
- Blacklist Checker - Check if domain is blacklisted
Image Optimization (12 tools)
- TinyPNG - Image compression
- Squoosh - Advanced image optimization
- Image Compressor - Compress images
- Image Resizer - Resize images
- PNG to JPG Converter - Convert PNG to JPG
- JPG to PNG Converter - Convert JPG to PNG
- JPG Converter - Multi-format JPG conversion
- Favicon Generator - Create favicons
- Reverse Image Search - Find image sources
- Text To Image - Generate images from text
- Image to Text Converter - OCR tool
- Meme Generator - Create memes
Code Optimization (7 tools)
- HTML Minifier - Minify HTML
- Javascript Minifier - Minify JavaScript
- CSS Minifier - Minify CSS
Development Tools (7 tools)
- JSON to XML - Convert JSON to XML
- JSON Viewer - View JSON data
- JSON Formatter - Format JSON
- JSON Validator - Validate JSON
- JSON Beautifier - Beautify JSON
- JSON Editor - Edit JSON files
- XML to JSON - Convert XML to JSON
Website Analysis (3 tools)
- Website Screenshot Generator - Capture website screenshots
- WordPress Theme Detector - Identify WordPress themes
URL and Encoding Tools (4 tools)
- URL Opener - Open multiple URLs
- URL Encoder Decoder - Encode/decode URLs
- Base64 Encode Decode - Base64 conversion
- QR Code Generator - Create QR codes
UX and Accessibility (3 tools)
- WAVE - Accessibility evaluation
- Hotjar - User behavior tracking (free tier)
- Google Tag Assistant - Verify tracking codes
Additional Utilities (8 tools)
- Schema Markup Validator - Validate structured data
- Hreflang Testing Tool - International SEO
- Robots.txt Tester - In Search Console
- Google Data Studio - Free reporting dashboards
- Google Trends - Trend analysis
- BuiltWith - Technology detection
- Sucuri SiteCheck - Security scanning
- Cloudflare - CDN and performance (free tier)
Binary Converters (10 tools)
- Text To Binary - Convert text to binary
- Binary To Text - Convert binary to text
- Binary To Hex - Binary to hexadecimal
- Hex To Binary - Hexadecimal to binary
- Binary To ASCII - Binary to ASCII
- ASCII To Binary - ASCII to binary
- Binary To Decimal - Binary to decimal
- Decimal To Binary - Decimal to binary
- Text To ASCII - Text to ASCII
- Decimal To Hex - Decimal to hexadecimal
Unit Converters (12 tools)
- Power Converter - Convert power units
- Weight Converter - Convert weight units
- Temperature Converter - Convert temperatures
- Electric Voltage Converter - Voltage conversion
- Area Converter - Convert area measurements
- Length Converter - Convert lengths
- Byte/Bit Converter - Data size conversion
- Time Converter - Convert time units
- Pressure Converter - Pressure conversion
- Speed Converter - Speed conversion
- Volume Converter - Volume conversion
- Torque Converter - Torque conversion
Password and Security Tools (4 tools)
- MD5 Generator - Generate MD5 hashes
- WordPress Password Generator - Strong WordPress passwords
- Password Strength Checker - Test password strength
- Password Generator - Generate secure passwords
Online Calculators (7 tools)
- Age Calculator - Calculate age
- Percentage Calculator - Calculate percentages
- Average Calculator - Calculate averages
- Sales Tax Calculator - Calculate sales tax
- Discount Calculator - Calculate discounts
- Probability Calculator - Probability calculations
- Simple Interest Calculator - Interest calculations
Text and Content Tools (5 tools)
- Reverse Text Generator - Reverse text
- RGB to Hex Converter - Color conversion
- Small Text Generator - Generate small text
- English Converter - Text conversion
PDF Tools (1 tool)
- PDF to Word - Convert PDF to Word
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should I conduct a full website audit?
Conduct comprehensive audits quarterly (every 3 months) for most websites. Monthly quick checks of critical issues are also recommended. E-commerce sites or rapidly growing sites may benefit from monthly full audits. After major algorithm updates, conduct focused audits on affected areas. According to Search Engine Journal, consistent auditing is more valuable than infrequent deep dives.
How long does a complete SEO audit take?
For a small website (under 50 pages), expect 4-6 hours. Medium sites (50-500 pages) typically require 8-12 hours. Large sites (500+ pages) may need 20-40 hours. Enterprise sites with tens of thousands of pages can require weeks. Time varies based on issue complexity and your experience level. Breaking the audit into daily sections prevents burnout and improves accuracy.
Can I use only free tools for auditing?
Yes, the free tools listed in this guide provide 80-90% of what premium tools offer. The main limitations are speed and convenience—you'll manually compile data from multiple sources rather than seeing everything in one dashboard. For small businesses and individual site owners, free tools are completely sufficient. Only when managing multiple client sites or enterprise operations do paid tools become cost-effective for efficiency.
What should I fix first after an audit?
Prioritize in this order: 1) Security issues (malware, SSL problems), 2) Critical technical errors preventing indexing, 3) Major mobile usability issues, 4) Core Web Vitals failures, 5) High-impact on-page SEO fixes, 6) Content quality issues. Use the Impact vs. Effort matrix described earlier to identify "quick wins"—high-impact fixes requiring minimal effort. According to Moz's prioritization guide, fixing critical technical issues provides immediate benefits.
Do I need technical skills to perform an audit?
Basic audits require minimal technical skills—most tools provide clear reports and recommendations. However, fixing certain technical issues (server configuration, code optimization, schema implementation) may require developer help. Many issues like optimizing images, updating title tags, and improving content quality are non-technical. Start with what you can handle, document technical issues clearly, then hire help for complex fixes. Resources from Google Search Central provide documentation even non-technical users can follow.
What if my audit reveals hundreds of issues?
Don't panic—this is normal, especially for the first audit. Not all issues are equally important. Use the priority scoring system to identify critical vs. nice-to-have fixes. Focus on issues affecting multiple pages first (template-level fixes). Many "issues" flagged by tools are minor or false positives. According to Ahrefs' audit guide, even highly successful sites typically have numerous low-priority issues—perfection isn't necessary for rankings.
How do I track audit improvements over time?
Create a baseline report with current metrics: organic traffic, rankings for top 10 keywords, average position, Core Web Vitals scores, page speed scores, total indexed pages, and backlink count. After implementing fixes, compare monthly. Use Google Search Console and Analytics to track trends. Take screenshots of key metrics. Most improvements take 4-12 weeks to reflect in rankings. Document all changes made, implementation dates, and track which fixes correlate with improvements.
Should I audit competitors' sites too?
Yes, competitive audits reveal opportunities. Analyze top 3-5 competitors ranking for your target keywords. Identify: topics they cover that you don't, backlinks they have that you could pursue, technical advantages they leverage, and content formats performing well for them. However, spend 80% of time improving your site, only 20% analyzing competitors. Your competition is often indirect—you're really competing against user expectations and Google's quality standards.
What's the difference between an SEO audit and a website audit?
An SEO audit focuses specifically on search engine visibility factors: crawlability, keywords, backlinks, technical SEO, and rankings. A full website audit is broader, including: conversion optimization, general user experience, branding consistency, legal compliance (privacy policy, accessibility), and business goal alignment. This guide covers SEO-focused auditing with UX elements that impact search performance. For comprehensive business audits, include marketing, sales, and business strategy alignment beyond SEO.
Can I audit my site while it's being redesigned?
Yes, and you absolutely should. Conduct a pre-redesign audit to document current performance—this establishes a baseline. During redesign, ensure SEO elements are preserved: URL structure (or proper redirects planned), title tags and meta descriptions, internal linking, page speed optimization, mobile responsiveness, and schema markup. Post-launch, conduct immediate audit to catch issues quickly. Redesigns often cause traffic drops if SEO isn't prioritized, as warned by Search Engine Land.
How do I audit a site I don't have backend access to?
You can audit any public website using external tools: Screaming Frog crawls public pages, PageSpeed Insights analyzes any URL, Ahrefs Free Backlink Checker shows backlinks, MozBar displays public metrics, and BuiltWith identifies technologies. Limitations include: no access to Analytics/Search Console data, can't verify server configuration, can't see draft content or staging sites. This is sufficient for competitive analysis or client prospecting but not for comprehensive owned-site audits.
What's the ROI of regular website audits?
Research from Conductor shows websites conducting quarterly audits achieve 32% more organic traffic growth annually than those that don't. Case studies from Backlinko demonstrate traffic increases of 50-200% within 6-12 months after implementing audit recommendations. ROI varies by industry and implementation quality, but consistent auditing prevents small issues from becoming major problems. The cost of lost rankings and traffic far exceeds the time investment in regular audits, typically yielding 5-10x ROI.
Should I hire an agency to audit my site?
If you're comfortable with technology and have time, DIY audits using this guide are sufficient for small-to-medium sites. Consider hiring professionals when: your site has thousands of pages requiring enterprise tools, you lack time or technical understanding, you've made changes but seen no improvement, you're preparing for major investments (redesign, large content project), or you need stakeholder buy-in (professional reports carry weight). Expect to pay $500-$5,000 for professional audits depending on site size and depth. Ensure any agency provides actionable recommendations, not just lists of issues.
How do algorithm updates affect my audit priorities?
Major algorithm updates (Core Updates, Helpful Content, Page Experience) shift audit focus. After updates, prioritize auditing areas Google emphasized: for Core Updates, focus on E-E-A-T and content quality; for Page Experience updates, prioritize Core Web Vitals and UX; for Helpful Content updates, audit content depth and user value. Monitor Google Search Central Blog for official update announcements. Most best practices remain constant regardless of updates—quality content, good UX, and technical soundness always matter.
Can audits help recover from Google penalties?
Yes, audits are essential for penalty recovery. Manual penalties require identifying and fixing the specific issue Google flagged, then submitting reconsideration requests through Google Search Console. Algorithmic penalties (traffic drops without manual action) require comprehensive audits to identify quality issues. Focus on: removing or disavowing toxic backlinks, improving thin or low-quality content, fixing technical issues, and enhancing E-E-A-T signals. Recovery typically takes 1-3 months after fixes are implemented. Resources from Marie Haynes Consulting specialize in penalty recovery guidance.
Downloadable Audit Template Structure
Create a spreadsheet with these tabs for tracking your audit:
Tab 1: Executive Summary
- Audit date
- Site URL
- Overall health score (0-100)
- Critical issues count
- High priority issues count
- Medium/low priority issues count
- Key recommendations
- Estimated time to resolve
Tab 2: Technical SEO Checklist
Item | Status | Priority | Notes | Assigned To | Due Date |
| Robots.txt | ✓/✗ | Critical | |||
| XML Sitemap | ✓/✗ | Critical | |||
| SSL Certificate | ✓/✗ | Critical | |||
| Mobile-Friendly | ✓/✗ | Critical | |||
| Core Web Vitals | ✓/✗ | Critical | |||
| Page Speed | ✓/✗ | High | |||
| Crawl Errors | ✓/✗ | High |
Tab 3: On-Page SEO Checklist
Track title tags, meta descriptions, headers, content quality, images, internal links, and schema for each important page.
Tab 4: Content Audit
URL | Title | Word Count | Last Updated | Traffic | Issues | Action |
| Update/Delete/Keep |
Tab 5: Backlink Analysis
Domain | URL | Anchor Text | Authority | Spam Score | Status | Action |
| Active/Lost | Keep/Disavow |
Tab 6: Competitor Analysis
Competitor | DA | Top Keywords | Backlinks | Content Strategy | Gaps |
Tab 7: Action Plan
Task | Priority | Impact | Effort | Assigned | Status | Deadline |
| Critical/High/Medium/Low | 1-10 | 1-10 | Not Started/In Progress/Complete |
Tab 8: Results Tracking
Metric | Baseline | Month 1 | Month 2 | Month 3 | Change |
| Organic Traffic | |||||
| Average Position | |||||
| Indexed Pages | |||||
| Core Web Vitals Pass | |||||
| Backlinks | |||||
| Conversions |
Use conditional formatting to color-code status:
- 🔴 Red: Critical issues
- 🟡 Yellow: In progress
- 🟢 Green: Complete/Passing
Additional Learning Resources (110+ Links)
Official Documentation and Guidelines
- Google Search Central Documentation - Official SEO guidelines
- Google Webmaster Guidelines - Core requirements
- Bing Webmaster Guidelines - Bing-specific SEO
- W3C Web Standards - Technical web standards
- WCAG Accessibility Guidelines - Accessibility requirements
Comprehensive SEO Guides
- Moz Beginner's Guide to SEO - SEO fundamentals
- Ahrefs SEO Guide - Modern SEO practices
- Backlinko SEO Hub - Actionable SEO strategies
- Search Engine Land SEO Guide - Industry perspectives
- SEMrush SEO Toolkit - SEO blog and guides
Technical SEO Resources
- Web.dev - Performance and best practices
- Google Developers Web Fundamentals - Web development best practices
- Mozilla Developer Network - Web technology documentation
- Screaming Frog SEO Blog - Technical SEO insights
- DeepCrawl Technical SEO - Enterprise technical SEO
Performance Optimization
- PageSpeed Insights Documentation - Speed optimization
- Core Web Vitals Guide - User experience metrics
- GTmetrix Blog - Performance tips
- Cloudflare Learning Center - CDN and performance
- Image Optimization Guide - Image best practices
Content and On-Page SEO
- Google's Content Quality Guidelines - Creating helpful content
- Yoast SEO Blog - On-page optimization
- Content Marketing Institute - Content strategy
- Copyblogger - Copywriting and content
- Hemingway App Blog - Writing clarity
Link Building and Authority
- Moz Link Building Guide - Link building fundamentals
- Ahrefs Link Building - Modern link strategies
- Backlinko Link Building - Proven tactics
- Pitchbox Outreach Blog - Outreach strategies
- BuzzStream Resources - Relationship-based linking
Mobile and User Experience
- Google Mobile-First Indexing - Mobile optimization
- Think With Google Mobile - Mobile insights
- Nielsen Norman Group - UX research
- Smashing Magazine UX - UX design
- A List Apart - Web design and UX
Local SEO
- Google Business Profile Help - Local listing optimization
- Moz Local SEO Learning Center - Local SEO guide
- BrightLocal Resources - Local search insights
- Whitespark Local SEO - Local optimization strategies
- Search Engine Land Local - Local SEO news
E-commerce SEO
- Shopify SEO Guide - E-commerce optimization
- BigCommerce SEO Resources - Online store SEO
- Practical Ecommerce - E-commerce insights
- Ahrefs E-commerce SEO - Product page optimization
- Baymard Institute - UX research for e-commerce
Analytics and Tracking
- Google Analytics Help - Analytics documentation
- Google Analytics Academy - Free courses
- Google Tag Manager Help - Tag management
- Analytics Mania - GTM tutorials
- Simo Ahava Blog - Advanced analytics
Schema and Structured Data
- Schema.org - Structured data vocabulary
- Google Structured Data Guide - Implementation guide
- Schema Markup Generator - Free tool
- JSON-LD Tutorial - JSON-LD format
- Search Engine Journal Schema - Schema strategies
International SEO
- Google International Targeting - Multi-regional sites
- Ahrefs International SEO - Global optimization
- Moz International SEO - Multi-language sites
- Search Engine Land International - Global SEO guide
- DeepL Translator - Translation quality
Security and Technical
- Google Security Guide - Website security
- SSL Labs - SSL testing
- Let's Encrypt - Free SSL certificates
- Sucuri Blog - Website security
- WordPress Security Guide - WordPress hardening
Accessibility
- WCAG Quick Reference - Accessibility guidelines
- WebAIM - Accessibility resources
- A11Y Project - Accessibility checklist
- Accessible Web - Accessibility tools
- Deque University - Accessibility training
Industry News and Updates
- Search Engine Journal - SEO news daily
- Search Engine Land - Search marketing news
- Search Engine Roundtable - Google updates
- Google Search Central Blog - Official announcements
- Moz Blog - SEO insights
- Ahrefs Blog - Data-driven SEO
- SEMrush Blog - Marketing insights
- Marie Haynes Newsletter - Algorithm updates
SEO Communities
- Reddit r/SEO - SEO discussions
- Reddit r/bigseo - Professional SEO
- WebmasterWorld - Webmaster forum
- Warrior Forum SEO - SEO tactics
- Moz Q&A Community - SEO help
- Inbound.org - Marketing community
- Black Hat World - SEO forum (use cautiously)
Learning and Training
- HubSpot Academy - Free certifications
- Google Skillshop - Google product training
- Coursera SEO Courses - University courses
- Udemy SEO Courses - Practical training
- LinkedIn Learning SEO - Professional development
Tools and Software Documentation
- Screaming Frog Documentation - Crawling guide
- Yoast SEO Documentation - Plugin help
- Google Search Console Help - GSC documentation
- Bing Webmaster Tools Help - Bing tools
- Cloudflare Documentation - CDN setup
Conversion Optimization
- Conversion Rate Experts Blog - CRO insights
- Unbounce Resources - Landing pages
- CXL Blog - Conversion research
- Optimizely Resources - Testing guides
- VWO Blog - A/B testing
Additional Specialized Resources
- Shopify Partners Blog - E-commerce development
- WooCommerce Blog - WordPress e-commerce
- Magento Blog - Enterprise e-commerce
- WordPress.org Support - WordPress help### 5.5 Readability and Formatting
Tools: Hemingway Editor, Yoast SEO, Grammarly, Online Text Editor, Case Converter
What to Check:
- Reading level appropriate for audience
- Short paragraphs (2-4 sentences)
- Bullet points and lists for scannability
- Subheadings every 300 words
- Bold and italic used for emphasis
- Images/visuals break up text
- No walls of text
Readability Scores:
- Flesch Reading Ease: 60-70 (acceptable)
- Grade Level: 7th-8th grade for general audience
Resources:
Section 6: User Experience (UX)
Priority: High
Google's algorithms increasingly prioritize user experience signals. Poor UX leads to high bounce rates and low engagement, hurting rankings.
6.1 Navigation and Site Structure
Tools: Hotjar (free tier), Google Analytics, Spider Simulator
What to Check:
- Intuitive navigation structure
- Consistent navigation across site
- Clear calls-to-action (CTAs)
- Breadcrumb navigation implemented
- Search function works effectively
- Important pages accessible from homepage
User Testing: Ask 5 users to complete common tasks. Note confusion points. According to Nielsen Norman Group, testing with 5 users identifies 85% of usability problems.
6.2 Design and Visual Appeal
Tools: Manual review, peer feedback, PageSpeed Insights, Favicon Generator
What to Check:
- Professional, modern design
- Consistent branding and styling
- Adequate white space
- Readable font sizes and types
- Good color contrast (WCAG compliance)
- No intrusive ads or pop-ups
- Mobile design is polished
- Proper favicon implemented
Accessibility: Use WAVE to check accessibility. Ensure site works for users with disabilities. Follow WCAG 2.1 guidelines.
6.3 Forms and Conversions
Tools: Google Analytics, Hotjar
What to Check:
- Forms work properly on all devices
- Minimal required fields
- Clear error messages
- Progress indicators for multi-step forms
- Confirmation/thank you pages set up
- Form abandonment tracked
Optimization:
- Remove unnecessary fields
- Use autocomplete where appropriate
- Provide helpful placeholder text
- Test submission process regularly
Resources:
6.4 Engagement Metrics
Tools: Google Analytics, Google Search Console
What to Monitor:
- Average session duration
- Pages per session
- Bounce rate by page type
- Scroll depth
- Time on page
- Return visitor rate
Benchmarks by Industry (from Contentsquare):
- Average bounce rate: 47%
- Average session duration: 2:30 minutes
- Pages per session: 3-4
Red Flags:
- Bounce rate > 70% on content pages
- Average time on page < 30 seconds
- Most users not scrolling past 25%
How to Improve: Analyze high-performing pages vs. low-performing ones. Identify patterns. Improve content quality, add compelling CTAs, reduce load times, enhance visual appeal. Resources from Google Analytics Academy teach proper interpretation of these metrics.
Section 7: Backlink Profile
Priority: High
Backlinks remain one of Google's top ranking factors. Quality and relevance matter more than quantity.
7.1 Backlink Quantity and Quality
Tools: Google Search Console, Ahrefs Free Backlink Checker, Moz Link Explorer (free tier), Mozrank Checker
What to Check:
- Total number of backlinks
- Total referring domains
- Domain Authority/Rating of linking sites
- Relevance of linking sites to your niche
- Link growth rate (steady and natural)
- Diversity of link sources
Healthy Backlink Profile:
- Links from diverse domains
- Mix of dofollow and nofollow links
- Varied anchor text (branded, URL, generic, partial match)
- Links from relevant, authoritative sites
Warning Signs:
- Sudden spikes in backlinks (possible negative SEO)
- Links primarily from low-quality directories
- Over-optimized anchor text (too many exact matches)
- Links from spammy or penalized sites
Resources:
7.2 Toxic Link Detection
Tools: Moz Link Explorer (Spam Score), Google Search Console
What to Check:
- Spam score of linking domains
- Links from known spammy sites
- Links from irrelevant foreign language sites
- Links with suspicious anchor text
- Links from penalized domains
How to Address:
- Export backlink list from Search Console and free tools
- Identify genuinely toxic links (spam score > 8, irrelevant sites, known spam)
- Attempt manual outreach requesting removal
- Document removal attempts
- If necessary, use Google's Disavow Tool
Important: According to Google's John Mueller, disavowing should only be used for extreme cases. Google is generally good at ignoring spammy links automatically.
Resources:
7.3 Anchor Text Distribution
Tools: Ahrefs Free Backlink Checker, Google Search Console
What to Check: Natural anchor text distribution should include:
- Branded (30-40%): "YourBrand"
- URL (20-30%): "yourdomain.com"
- Generic (10-20%): "click here," "read more"
- Partial match (10-15%): "SEO tips"
- Exact match (5-10%): "SEO audit checklist"
- Random/Misc (5-10%): various phrases
Red Flags:
- Over 30% exact match anchor text
- Unnatural repetition of keyword-rich anchors
- Sudden changes in anchor text patterns
How to Fix: For future link building, vary anchor text naturally. For existing over-optimization, build diverse anchor text links to balance profile. Guidance from Backlinko's anchor text guide provides strategies.
7.4 Lost and Broken Backlinks
Tools: Ahrefs Free Backlink Checker, Google Search Console
What to Check:
- Recently lost backlinks
- Links pointing to 404 pages
- Links from removed content
- Broken internal links on your site
How to Reclaim:
- Identify valuable lost links
- Contact site owner politely asking about removal
- Offer updated content or fix issues they had
- For links to 404 pages, restore content or implement 301 redirects
Prevention: Set up monitoring for your most valuable backlinks. Use tools like Google Alerts to track brand mentions that should include links.
Section 8: Local SEO (For Local Businesses)
Priority: High (for local businesses) / Low (for non-local)
8.1 Google Business Profile
Tools: Google Business Profile, Google Search
What to Check:
- Profile claimed and verified
- NAP (Name, Address, Phone) consistent across web
- Business category accurate and specific
- Hours updated and accurate
- Photos added (at least 10 high-quality images)
- Description optimized with keywords
- Services/products listed
- Attributes selected appropriately
Optimization Tips:
- Post weekly updates
- Respond to all reviews promptly
- Upload new photos monthly
- Use Q&A section proactively
Resources:
8.2 Local Citations
Tools: Moz Local (free scan), BrightLocal
What to Check:
- NAP consistency across all citations
- Presence on major directories (Yelp, Facebook, Yellow Pages)
- Industry-specific directories
- No duplicate listings
- Citations from local chamber of commerce, local blogs
How to Build: List on Bing Places, Apple Maps, Facebook, Yelp, and industry directories. Ensure exact NAP match everywhere.
Resources:
8.3 Local Reviews
Tools: Google Business Profile, Yelp, Facebook
What to Monitor:
- Average star rating (aim for 4.0+)
- Total number of reviews
- Recent review frequency
- Response rate to reviews
- Review sentiment and common themes
Review Generation:
- Ask satisfied customers for reviews
- Make process easy (direct links)
- Never buy reviews or offer incentives
- Respond to all reviews (positive and negative)
According to BrightLocal's research, 87% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses, and 79% trust them as much as personal recommendations.
8.4 Local Content
Tools: Google Keyword Planner, AnswerThePublic, Keyword Research Tool
What to Create:
- Location-specific landing pages
- Local event coverage
- Neighborhood guides
- Local business spotlights and partnerships
- Community involvement content
Optimization: Include city/neighborhood names naturally in content, titles, and meta descriptions. Create separate pages for each service area. Add local schema markup.
Resources:
Section 9: E-commerce Specific (If Applicable)
Priority: High (for e-commerce sites)
9.1 Product Page Optimization
Tools: Google Search Console, Screaming Frog
What to Check:
- Unique product descriptions (not manufacturer copy)
- High-quality product images (multiple angles)
- Clear pricing information
- Stock availability indicated
- Product reviews displayed
- Detailed specifications
- Related products recommended
Schema Markup: Implement Product schema including:
- Price
- Availability
- Review ratings
- SKU
- Brand
Resources:
9.2 Category Page Optimization
Tools: Google Search Console, Ahrefs
What to Check:
- Unique descriptions for each category
- Optimized H1 headers
- Proper internal linking structure
- Breadcrumb navigation
- Filters and sorting options
- Pagination handled correctly (rel="next" and rel="prev")
Avoid:
- Thin content on category pages
- Duplicate content across categories
- Poor faceted navigation creating duplicate pages
9.3 Shopping Feed Optimization
Tools: Google Merchant Center, Facebook Commerce Manager
What to Check:
- Product feed error-free
- All required attributes included
- Images meet platform requirements
- Titles optimized with key attributes
- GTINs/MPNs provided where applicable
- Availability and pricing accurate
Resources:
9.4 Checkout Process
Tools: Google Analytics, funnel analysis
What to Check:
- Guest checkout option available
- Minimal steps to completion
- Progress indicator present
- Multiple payment options
- Security badges visible
- Mobile checkout optimized
- Cart abandonment emails set up
Benchmarks: Average cart abandonment rate is 69.8% according to Baymard Institute. Optimized checkouts can reduce this by 10-20%.
Section 10: Analytics and Tracking
Priority: Critical
You can't improve what you don't measure. Proper tracking is essential.
10.1 Google Analytics Setup
Tools: Google Analytics
What to Verify:
- GA4 properly installed on all pages
- Tracking code firing correctly (check with Tag Assistant)
- Goals and conversions configured
- E-commerce tracking enabled (if applicable)
- Events set up for key actions
- Filters excluding internal traffic
- Site search tracking enabled
Essential Goals to Track:
- Contact form submissions
- Phone clicks
- Email clicks
- Downloads
- Video plays
- Purchases (e-commerce)
Resources:
10.2 Google Search Console Setup
Tools: Google Search Console
What to Verify:
- All property versions added (www, non-www, HTTP, HTTPS)
- Preferred version specified
- Sitemaps submitted and processing
- All site owners have access
- Email notifications enabled
- Mobile usability reports reviewed
- Core Web Vitals report monitored
Regular Monitoring:
- Coverage issues
- Performance trends
- Manual actions
- Security issues
10.3 Conversion Tracking
Tools: Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager
What to Track:
- Macro conversions (purchases, leads, sign-ups)
- Micro conversions (downloads, video views, scroll depth)
- Conversion paths and attribution
- Assisted conversions
- Time to conversion
Implementation: Use Google Tag Manager for easier management. Set up event tracking for all important interactions. Create custom reports for conversion analysis.
Resources:
10.4 Custom Dashboards and Reports
Tools: Google Data Studio, Google Analytics
What to Create:
- Executive summary dashboard
- SEO performance report
- Content performance report
- E-commerce dashboard (if applicable)
- Technical health report
Key Metrics to Monitor:
- Organic traffic trends
- Conversion rates
- Average position
- Top landing pages
- Goal completions
- Revenue (e-commerce)
Free templates available from Google Data Studio Template Gallery.
Section 11: Competitive Analysis
Priority: Medium
Understanding your competition reveals opportunities and threats.
11.1 Identify True Competitors
Tools: Google Search, Ahrefs Free Backlink Checker, SERP Checker
Process:
- Search your primary 10 target keywords
- Note who consistently ranks in top 5
- These are your true SEO competitors (may differ from business competitors)
- Analyze top 3-5 competitors thoroughly
11.2 Competitor Content Analysis
Tools: Manual review, AnswerThePublic, Website Screenshot Generator
What to Analyze:
- Topics they cover that you don't
- Content depth and quality
- Publishing frequency
- Content formats (blog, video, tools, etc.)
- Engagement on content (comments, shares)
- Content gaps you can fill
Action Items:
- List competitor topics you should cover
- Identify areas where you can create better content
- Note unique angles they haven't explored
11.3 Competitor Backlink Analysis
Tools: Ahrefs Free Backlink Checker, Moz Link Explorer
What to Identify:
- Their highest authority backlinks
- Sites linking to multiple competitors but not you
- Link building strategies they're using
- Link sources in your industry
- Broken competitor links you can reclaim
Strategy: Create a list of sites linking to 2+ competitors. These sites are clearly open to linking to your type of content—they're your best outreach targets.
Resources:
11.4 Competitor Technical Analysis
Tools: MozBar Extension, BuiltWith, WordPress Theme Detector, Domain Hosting Checker
What to Check:
- Domain Authority vs. yours
- Page load speeds
- Mobile optimization
- Schema markup usage
- Site architecture
- Technologies and platforms used
Identify:
- Technical advantages they have
- Technical weaknesses you can exploit
- Tools and platforms that help them succeed
Section 12: International and Multi-language Sites
Priority: Low (unless applicable)
12.1 Hreflang Implementation
Tools: Google Search Console, Hreflang Tags Testing Tool
What to Check:
- Hreflang tags properly implemented
- All language/region variations linked
- Return links exist (bidirectional)
- Self-referencing tags included
- X-default specified for unlisted languages
- No conflicting signals
Common Formats:
Resources:
12.2 Content Translation Quality
Tools: Manual review by native speakers
What to Check:
- Content professionally translated (not machine-translated)
- Culturally appropriate for target region
- Local idioms and expressions used correctly
- Currency, dates, and measurements localized
- Contact information appropriate for region
Avoid:
- Direct word-for-word translation
- Ignoring cultural differences
- Duplicate content in multiple languages on same URLs
12.3 International Server Setup
Tools: Pingdom, GTmetrix, Domain To IP, Find DNS Record
What to Check:
- CDN implemented for global delivery
- Server locations appropriate for target markets
- Page load times acceptable in all regions
- Hosting can handle traffic from all regions
Options:
- Country-specific domains (.co.uk, .de, .fr)
- Subdirectories (example.com/uk/, example.com/de/)
- Subdomains (uk.example.com, de.example.com)
Each option has pros/cons discussed in Search Engine Land's international SEO guide.
Creating Your Audit Action Plan
After completing your audit, prioritize fixes using this framework:
Impact vs. Effort Matrix
Quick Wins (High Impact, Low Effort):
- Fix broken links
- Optimize title tags and meta descriptions
- Add missing alt text
- Fix mobile usability issues
- Improve page speed (compress images)
Major Projects (High Impact, High Effort):
- Site architecture redesign
- Comprehensive content creation
- Technical infrastructure changes
- Link building campaigns
Fill-ins (Low Impact, Low Effort):
- Minor content updates
- Social media optimizations
- Small design tweaks
Time Wasters (Low Impact, High Effort):
- Avoid these unless required for other reasons
Priority Scoring System
Assign scores 1-10 for:
- Impact on SEO: How much will this improve rankings?
- Impact on Conversions: Will this increase conversion rates?
- Ease of Implementation: How easy is this to fix?
- Resource Requirements: What time/money/skills needed?
Formula: Priority Score = (SEO Impact + Conversion Impact) × Ease of Implementation / Resource Requirements
Sort by priority score and tackle highest scoring items first.
Implementation Timeline
Week 1-2: Critical Fixes
- Security issues
- Major crawlability problems
- Severe mobile issues
- Broken user journeys
Month 1: High Priority
- Core Web Vitals improvements
- Major on-page SEO issues
- Critical content problems
- Important technical fixes
Months 2-3: Medium Priority
- Content expansion and optimization
- Link building initiatives
- UX improvements
- Schema implementation
Ongoing: Low Priority and Maintenance
- Regular content updates
- Continued link building
- Performance monitoring
- Quarterly re-audits
Complete Free SEO Audit Tools List (144 Tools)
Here's your comprehensive toolkit for conducting professional website audits without spending money:
Essential Foundation (7 tools)
- Google Search Console - Critical for all SEO work
- Google Analytics - Essential for tracking performance
- Google PageSpeed Insights - Performance and Core Web Vitals
- Google Mobile-Friendly Test - Mobile optimization
- Google Rich Results Test - Schema validation
- Mobile Friendly Test - Alternative mobile testing
- Website SEO Score Checker - Overall SEO health check
Technical SEO (17 tools)
- Screaming Frog SEO Spider - Comprehensive crawling (500 URLs free)
- SSL Labs - SSL certificate testing
- GTmetrix - Performance analysis
- Pingdom - Speed testing
- WebPageTest - Detailed performance testing
- SSL Checker - Verify SSL certificates
- Check GZIP Compression - Compression testing
- Get HTTP Header - HTTP header analysis
- Htaccess Redirect Checker - Redirect validation
- Online Ping Website Tool - Server response testing
- XML Sitemap Generator - Generate sitemaps
- XML Formatter - Format XML files
- Spider Simulator - Simulate search engine crawlers
- Google Cache Checker - Check cached version
- What Is My Browser - Browser detection
- Screen Resolution Simulator - Test different resolutions
- Adsense Calculator - Calculate AdSense revenue
On-Page SEO (11 tools)
- Yoast SEO - WordPress SEO plugin
- Rank Math - WordPress SEO alternative
- MozBar - Browser extension for metrics
- SEOquake - SEO browser extension
- Keyword Surfer - Keyword data in search results
- Meta Tag Generator - Create meta tags
- Meta Tag Analyzer - Analyze existing tags
- Twitter Card Generator - Social media optimization
- Open Graph Generator - Facebook optimization
- Online HTML Viewer - View HTML code
- HTML Editor - Online HTML editor
Content and Readability (10 tools)
- Hemingway Editor - Readability analysis
- Grammarly - Grammar and writing quality
- Copyscape - Duplicate content checking
- Siteliner - Find duplicate internal content
- AnswerThePublic - Question research
- Rewrite Article - Content spinning tool
- Paraphrased - Paraphrasing tool
- Case Converter - Text case transformation
- Online Text Editor - Text editing
- Word Combiner - Combine words creatively
Backlinks (4 tools)
- Ahrefs Free Backlink Checker - Top 100 backlinks
- Moz Link Explorer - Link metrics (limited free)
- Google Search Console Links Report - Your complete link profile
- Mozrank Checker - Check Moz metrics
Keyword Research (6 tools)
- Google Keyword Planner - Search volume data
- Ubersuggest - Keyword suggestions
- Keyword Research Tool - Find keyword opportunities
- Related Keywords Finder - Discover related terms
- Keywords Rich Domains Suggestions - Domain ideas
- SERP Checker - Check search rankings
Local SEO (4 tools)
- Google Business Profile - Local listing management
- Bing Places - Bing local listings
- Moz Local - Citation audit (free scan)
- BrightLocal Citation Finder - Find citation opportunities
Domain and IP Tools (8 tools)
- What Is My IP - Check your IP address
- IP Address Location - IP geolocation
- Domain Age Checker - Check domain age
- Domain Name Search - Search available domains
- [Domain Hosting Checker](https://brightseo# Website Audit Checklist 2025: Complete SEO Audit Template (Free)
A comprehensive website audit is the foundation of every successful SEO strategy. Whether you're launching a new site, troubleshooting traffic drops, or optimizing for better rankings, a systematic audit reveals exactly what's working and what needs improvement.
This complete 2025 website audit checklist covers everything from technical SEO to content quality, user experience to security. Best of all, you can conduct this entire audit using free tools recommended by experts at Moz, Ahrefs, and Search Engine Journal.