How to Do a Basic SEO Audit Yourself: A Step-by-Step Checklist
A basic SEO audit is a structured check of your site to find what stops it appearing in Google. You do not need paid software. This guide gives you six checks in a sensible order, the free tools to use, and a way to decide what to fix first.
- Six checks in order
- Free tools only
- Fix-first priority table
- About 2 hours
| Check | Question |
|---|---|
| 1. Indexing | Is Google showing my pages? |
| 2. Technical | Can Google crawl my site? |
| 3. On-page | Are titles and headings clear? |
| 4. Content | Does each page help the reader? |
| 5. Links | Are links working and useful? |
| 6. Speed and mobile | Is it fast on a phone? |
What an SEO audit is and when to do one
An SEO audit reviews your website against the things that affect search visibility, then lists problems in priority order. A basic audit covers the essentials you can check yourself. A full professional audit goes deeper into crawling, log files and competitor analysis.
Do one when you launch a site, when traffic drops, after a redesign or migration, or about twice a year as routine maintenance. If you want an expert to do it for you, see our SEO audit service.
- A free Google Search Console account. See how to set it up
- A spreadsheet to record findings
- Two hours
- Access to your site settings
The basic SEO audit, step by step
Check indexing
In Google, search site:yourdomain.com to see roughly which pages appear. In Search Console, open Pages under Indexing and note how many pages are indexed and the reasons others are not. A search for your brand name should show your homepage. Common messages are explained in crawled, currently not indexed.
Check crawling and technical basics
Open yourdomain.com/robots.txt and make sure it does not block important pages. Confirm a sitemap exists and is submitted. Check the site uses HTTPS and that the www and non-www versions redirect to one. See robots.txt and sitemaps and canonical tags.
Check on-page elements
For your most important pages, check that each has a unique title, a meta description, one H1 and sensible subheadings, and that images have alt text. The on-page SEO checklist and title tags and meta descriptions guide explain each item.
Check content quality and intent
For each key page, ask what the searcher wants and whether the page delivers it. Look for thin pages, duplicates, and two pages targeting the same phrase. See search intent, keyword cannibalization and E-E-A-T.
Check links and errors
Look for broken pages (404s) in Search Console and fix or redirect them. Make sure important pages are linked from other pages on your site. See how to fix 404 errors, internal linking and backlinks.
Check speed and mobile
Run key pages through PageSpeed Insights and open them on a real phone. Check the Core Web Vitals report in Search Console. Google indexes the mobile version first, so mobile problems matter most. See mobile-first indexing.
Free tools for each check
| Tool | Use it for | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Google Search Console | Indexing, errors, performance, Core Web Vitals | Free |
| PageSpeed Insights | Speed and Core Web Vitals per page | Free |
| Rich Results Test | Checking structured data | Free |
| Browser view-source | Titles, canonical tags, robots meta tags | Free |
| Screaming Frog (free version) | Crawling up to 500 URLs for titles, status codes and links | Free tier |
What to fix first
Blocks visibility
- Pages blocked by robots.txt or noindex
- Important pages not indexed
- Site not on HTTPS
Hurts user experience
- Broken pages and links
- Slow or unusable mobile pages
- Missing or duplicate titles
Fix priority 1 problems first because they can stop pages appearing at all. This order is practical guidance rather than a Google rule.
How to record your findings
Make a simple spreadsheet with five columns: page or URL, problem found, why it matters, fix, and status. Keep it, and repeat the audit in six months to see what changed.
A finding is only useful if you act on it. After each fix, note the date so you can compare performance later.
- URL
- Problem
- Why it matters
- Fix
- Status and date
Audit mistakes to avoid
Trusting a tool score blindly
A single score hides context and may flag harmless items.
Fixing small things first
Tweaking alt text while key pages are noindexed wastes time.
Auditing every page
You will run out of steam.
Not recording anything
You cannot tell later what changed.
One audit and done
Sites change constantly.
SEO audit questions
How long does a basic SEO audit take?
About two hours for a small site following the steps above. Larger sites take longer.
Do I need paid tools?
No. Google Search Console, PageSpeed Insights and a spreadsheet cover the basics.
How often should I audit my site?
Roughly every six months, and after any big change such as a redesign.
What is the difference between a basic and a full audit?
A basic audit checks essentials you can see in free tools. A full audit adds deep crawl analysis, log files, competitor comparison and a detailed action plan.
My traffic dropped. Where do I start?
Start with indexing in Search Console, then check for recent changes to your site and compare the dates against the drop.
The step order, time estimates and priority levels are practical guidance, not Google requirements. No ranking is guaranteed.