A comprehensive SEO audit template covering technical, on-page, and off-page factors. Use this to evaluate any website's search performance and identify improvement opportunities.
Start by assessing the technical foundation. Run a site crawl and check crawlability, indexation, and Core Web Vitals — target LCP under 2.5 seconds, FID under 100ms, and CLS under 0.1. Verify the SSL certificate is valid, all pages redirect to HTTPS, and there are no mixed content warnings. Confirm the XML sitemap is submitted to Google Search Console, robots.txt does not block important resources, and structured data is error-free.
For each critical page, evaluate title tags (50-60 characters, keyword near the front), meta descriptions (150-160 characters with a call to action), and heading structure (exactly one H1 per page). Check for original, comprehensive content — flag pages under 300 words and any signs of keyword stuffing. Ensure all images have descriptive alt text and compressed file sizes. URLs should be clean, readable, and include target keywords. Verify self-referencing canonical tags are in place.
Analyze the backlink profile — review total referring domains, domain authority distribution, and anchor text diversity. Identify toxic links for disavowal. Research competitor backlinks for new opportunities. For local businesses, verify Google Business Profile accuracy, NAP consistency across citations, and review volume.
Identify top-performing pages to update and expand, and underperforming pages with high impressions but low CTR — improve their titles and meta descriptions. Compare your content against competitors to find gaps, and flag pages that have lost traffic over the past 6-12 months for refresh.
Compile findings into a prioritized plan. Critical items (fix crawl errors, broken links, security issues) should be addressed within 30 days. High-priority optimizations (title tags, meta descriptions, duplicate content) within 60 days. Track every item with priority, owner, and status. Track every item with priority, owner, and estimated effort. Re-audit in 90 days to measure progress.
Common questions regarding how to implement, coordinate, and verify this blueprint in your organization:
Open source document designed for technical lead reviews and operational project coordination.
