The SEO Audit Checklist: 50 Things to Check on Your Website

Introduction

An SEO audit is like a health checkup for your website. You're looking for problems—some critical, some minor, all fixable. The challenge is knowing what to look for.

I've conducted hundreds of audits. I've seen sites with massive potential held back by simple technical issues. I've also seen sites that look perfect on the surface but have serious underlying problems.

Technical SEO Checklist

Site Speed & Performance

Use our Page Speed Checker to analyze your site's performance. Aim for Core Web Vitals scores in the "good" range. Every second of delay costs you traffic and rankings.

Mobile Friendliness

Test your site on mobile devices. Use our Mobile Friendliness Checker. Google prioritizes mobile-first indexing, so your mobile experience is critical.

SSL Certificate

Make sure your site uses HTTPS. Google ranks HTTPS sites higher, and it's essential for user trust.

XML Sitemap

Create an XML sitemap and submit it to Google Search Console. This helps Google discover and crawl all your pages.

Robots.txt

Make sure your robots.txt file isn't blocking important pages. Use Google Search Console to test your robots.txt.

On-Page SEO Checklist

Title Tags

Each page should have a unique, descriptive title tag that includes your primary keyword. Keep it under 60 characters.

Meta Descriptions

Write compelling meta descriptions that include your primary keyword and a benefit. Keep them under 160 characters.

H1 Tags

Each page should have exactly one H1 tag that matches your primary keyword.

Heading Structure

Use our Heading Analyzer to check your heading structure. Make sure you're using H2, H3, etc. in a logical hierarchy.

Content Quality Checklist

Content Length

Aim for at least 1,500 words for competitive keywords. Longer content tends to rank better.

Keyword Density

Use our Keyword Density Checker to analyze your keyword usage. Aim for 1-2% keyword density.

Readability

Use our Readability Score tool to check your content's readability. Aim for an 8th-grade reading level.