🔍 Want to know why your site isn’t ranking? You need an SEO audit—done properly.

This isn’t just a quick check for broken links or missing tags. A real SEO audit dives into every element of your website, from how search engines crawl it to how users experience it. And in 2025, expectations are higher than ever. Google’s AI systems don’t just scan your content—they try to *understand* it.

This ultimate checklist gives you everything you need to run a comprehensive audit on your own site or a client’s—from crawlability and page speed to backlinks and trust signals.

🗺️ 1. Crawlability & Indexation

• ✅ Run a crawl with Screaming Frog (SEO Spider) to detect broken links, redirects, canonical issues, and indexable pages
• ✅ Check your robots.txt file for unnecessary disallows
• ✅ Review sitemap.xml and submit to Google Search Console
• ✅ Inspect important URLs using URL Inspection Tool in GSC
• ✅ Compare pages indexed vs published—are important ones missing?

Tool Tips:

• SEOptimer – quick crawl diagnostics
• Ahrefs Site Audit – visualise crawl depth, indexation, and coverage

🚀 2. Speed & Core Web Vitals

• ✅ Test your site on PageSpeed Insights and Lighthouse
• ✅ Check LCP (Largest Contentful Paint), FID (First Input Delay), and CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift)
• ✅ Optimise images with WebP or AVIF formats
• ✅ Minify CSS/JS and defer non-critical scripts
• ✅ Use a CDN like Cloudflare and lazy-load media

Pro Tip:

Check the “Experience” tab in GSC for real-world Core Web Vitals data.

📑 3. Content & On-Page Checks

• ✅ Each page should target a specific primary keyword (check cannibalisation)
• ✅ Review titles & meta descriptions (length, uniqueness, click appeal)
• ✅ Ensure H1 to H3 hierarchy follows a logical structure
• ✅ Images should have descriptive alt tags
• ✅ Add internal links from high-performing pages to new/important ones
• ✅ Check for duplicate content with tools like Siteliner

Also check:

• Content freshness and last update
• Grammar and readability
• Original insights (avoid regurgitated info)

🔗 4. Internal Linking & Site Structure

• ✅ Create topic clusters with a central pillar page
• ✅ Use descriptive anchor text, not generic (“click here”)
• ✅ Limit orphan pages—each should have at least 1 internal link
• ✅ Keep link depth shallow: important pages should be 3 clicks max from homepage
• ✅ Check for broken internal links and redirect chains

Tool Suggestions:

• Link Whisper – smart internal link suggestions
• Sitebulb – amazing visual crawl maps

🧱 5. Technical SEO Essentials

• ✅ Use HTTPS everywhere (SSL/TLS certificate installed)
• ✅ Check canonical tags for every indexable page
• ✅ Use rel="nofollow" and noindex where appropriate
• ✅ Make sure your mobile version is fully functional and matches desktop
• ✅ Check for schema markup (Article, Product, FAQ, LocalBusiness)

Use Google’s Rich Results Test to validate.

🔍 6. Backlink Profile & Off-Page Authority

• ✅ Review domain authority (via Moz, Ahrefs or Semrush)
• ✅ Analyse anchor text variety—avoid over-optimised exact matches
• ✅ Identify and disavow spammy backlinks if needed
• ✅ Track new vs lost backlinks over time
• ✅ Look for linking gaps vs top-ranking competitors

Recommended Tools:

• Ahrefs Backlink Checker
• Moz Link Explorer

🧭 7. User Experience & Conversion Signals

• ✅ Ensure clear navigation and page hierarchy
• ✅ Check CTAs are visible, useful, and working
• ✅ Review layout on mobile and tablet devices
• ✅ Make forms short, accessible, and fast to complete
• ✅ Avoid annoying pop-ups and intrusive interstitials

Bonus Checks:

• Test journey from organic page → conversion
• Use heatmaps (like Hotjar) to observe user flow

📊 8. SEO Reporting & Ongoing Monitoring

• ✅ Set up GA4 and ensure conversions are tracked
• ✅ Use Google Search Console for performance, indexing, and enhancement data
• ✅ Create monthly reports using Looker Studio or GSC exports
• ✅ Track branded vs non-branded queries separately

📅 Schedule a quarterly full audit and monthly mini-audits to stay on top.

💬 What the Experts Are Saying

“You can’t optimise what you haven’t measured. Your audit is your blueprint.” — Lily Ray

“Most traffic drops are self-inflicted. Audit before you panic.” — Barry Schwartz

“The more thorough the audit, the less time you spend fixing the wrong things.” — Britney Muller

📝 Recap and Clarify: Post-Specific FAQs

💡 Final Thought

“Treat your website like an engine. An SEO audit isn’t a report—it’s the maintenance manual.” — David Roche