Comprehensive Guide to Performing an SEO Audit in 2025

What is an SEO Audit?

An SEO audit is a process of taking inventory and analyzing the state of your search engine optimization efforts. This evaluation examines several different elements that impact your site’s ability to rank on search results, including technical, on- and off-page SEO, content quality, and so much more. Think of an SEO audit as a check-up at the doctor’s office. It can be as infrequent as once a year and gets more or less extensive depending on your ailments.

It’s important to conduct SEO audits regularly to keep an eye on and improve long-term website performance. This is not only because errors on your site may be keeping you from ranking on search results but, more importantly, because they affect the user experience on your website.

Routine checks on your website’s overall health (broken links, site speed, outdated content, for instance) are essential to keep companies competitive in an online world that never stops competing for the top spots on Google. Over time, these audits help build a solid ranking that adapts to algorithm changes and responds to user trends.

Preparing for an SEO Audit

Starting an SEO audit is not a light task to squeeze in after your morning coffee and before your lunch break. In fact, you might want to consider asking a professional for help. Otherwise, there are tools that can help you do some of what an expert would do during an SEO audit. Preparing for an audit will get you the best results, so before you start, make sure you take the following steps:

Gather the tools needed

For a thorough audit, you’ll want to work with the following tools to get the most valuable data about your website possible.

• Google Analytics: This is a free tool you may already be using regularly to track traffic, bounce rates, user engagement, and conversion data. Insights from Google Analytics will help prioritize which rates need optimization and which pages indicate issues based on high bounce rates or low conversion rates.
• Google Search Console: Google Search Console offers different insights than Analytics, showing you Google indexing results, search visibility, crawling errors, and more technical concerns you might need to look into.
• Ahrefs or SEMrush: Outside of the free tools, you’ll find pro tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush, which provide in-depth analyses of backlinks, keyword rankings, and competitor insights that allow you to know where you stand and what to work towards. By understanding your keyword positions and site authority, you can pinpoint problem areas where you need to focus.
• Screaming Frog: Experts like Single Origin Media use Screaming Frog to uncover technical issues like duplicate content. Screaming Frog mimics search engines’ process to crawl websites and highlight technical roadblocks and elements that hurt your rankings.

Set clear goals

A very real danger of performing an audit is not setting clear limits and goals for what you’ll be inspecting. Not only could your audit drag out indefinitely, it could end up incomplete due to a lack of resources. To avoid this, define a time frame and a team that will be in charge of this audit and establish which goals you’ll be looking to achieve. Here are some examples of goals:

• Assess and improve technical health: Address site speed, crawlability, mobile responsiveness, and error fixes.
• Pinpoint and fix content optimization issues: Improve relevance and keyword use, update content, and realign it with user search intent to improve content quality.
• Perform and take action on a link profile assessment: Review the quality of your backlinks, remove any harmful links, and focus on building high-authority connections to boost your site’s credibility and SEO.

Gather initial site data

Get a clear picture of your site’s current performance so you can measure improvements later. Start by benchmarking key performance indicators (KPIs) and collecting data on these metrics:

• Traffic levels (organic, referral, direct)
• Keyword rankings for priority terms
• Conversion rates from organic search
• Bounce rates and time-on-page metrics

With this preparation, you’re ready to start your technical SEO audit.

Technical SEO Audit

The technical part of an SEO audit may not be the most exciting for someone who’s not an expert, but it’s the backbone of an effective SEO strategy. The core technical elements determine how search engines “read” your website and rank your site. So what should you focus on in a technical SEO audit?

Crawling and Indexing

Since this is what search engines do to rank you, crawling and indexing will be the foundation of your visibility audit. During this process, make sure your site’s critical pages are crawlable and indexed. If any page isn’t indexed or can’t be crawled for some reason, it’s essentially invisible in search results. Tools like robots.txt and sitemap.xml will help index all these pages.

Robots.txt directs search engines on which pages to crawl or ignore. Exclude unnecessary pages, like login pages, to prioritize the content you want to be visible. 

Sitemap.xml is a dynamic, updated sitemap that can streamline indexing as your site grows. Use tools like Screaming Frog to fine-tune crawlability and Google Search Console’s URL Inspection tool to monitor and request indexing for specific pages.  

Site Speed & Performance

Site speed, part of Google’s Core Web Vitals, impacts both user experience and ranking. Heavier elements like large images and videos can slow your site, affecting metrics like:

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Measures main content load time; aim for under 2.5 seconds.
• First Input Delay (FID): Tracks interactivity responsiveness; aim for under 100 milliseconds.
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Measures visual stability; minimize unexpected shifts to improve user experience.

Optimizing these metrics ensures a smooth, fast experience, which Google values highly.

Mobile-Friendliness

With more mobile than desktop visits, mobile optimization is crucial. Here are some tools that will help make sure your web vitals are in tip-top shape:

• PageSpeed Insights: This Google tool offers detailed reports on mobile and desktop speeds, including Core Web Vitals scores. PageSpeed Insights goes beyond data and suggests recommendations for improvements, making it an excellent tool for an audit, especially if you’re doing it internally without the help of an expert.
• GTMetrix: GTMetrix evaluates the stability, load time, and page size, breaking down issues and their possible causes. The detailed charts point to problems like large images and unoptimized scripts.
• Google Mobile-Friendly Test: This Google tool is more basic, giving you a report on usability issues specific to mobile. Still, the feedback on mobile compatibility will help users optimize the cross-device experience.

Fixing Broken Links & 404 Errors

Broken links and 404 errors disrupt the user experience, impacting SEO performance. So what are they, and why do they matter? 

A broken link is a hyperlink that leads to a page that doesn’t work or isn’t available. This happens when the page has been deleted, the URL has been changed without being redirected, or the site is unavailable. As a user, it can look like clicking on a product you need to buy just to land on a blank page. This causes frustration and wastes time, so Google “punishes” pages that have them by lowering their ranking over time.

404 Error pages show a “Page Not Found” message when you follow a link to a page that no longer exists. When a browser tries to load a page on your site, but the page doesn’t exist anymore, you get a 404 error. This error creates “dead ends” with no content, which can disrupt user experience and impact SEO.

Use tools like Broken Link Checker and Screaming Frog to identify 404 errors and broken links across your site. Google Search Console can also help you pinpoint errors and request a new crawl after fixing errors. With these tools, you can scan your site for non-functional internal and external broken links to update, remove, or redirect them to existing pages. 

Structured Data & Schema Markup

Structured data is a code format that helps search engines process your site content and context. This is implemented through schema markup, a standardized way to tag content. This code gives search engines details about things like product prices, reviews, and other information to create rich snippets. These enhanced search results, which you’ve likely seen on Google, stand out and make your content more engaging on the search results page. 

Using schema markup aligns your content with how search engines interpret information, increasing the likelihood of your content appearing in rich snippets. Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool helps verify that you have correctly implemented structured data by allowing you to test pages or code snippets to see how Google interprets them. It also helps you identify errors that may be holding you back. Schema.org is another resource you can use to find and implement the latest types and properties to optimize your structured data.

On-Page SEO Audit

On-page SEO refers to optimizing individual pages to improve their ranking and attract traffic. Key elements of on-page SEO include title tags and meta descriptions, URLs, keywords and content, internal linking, and media optimization.

Title Tags & Meta Descriptions

Both title tags and meta descriptions help search engines and users alike interpret your page content. These text elements appear on the search engine results page (SERP) and influence whether users click through to your page. Have you ever encountered a page title or description on the results page that didn’t quite fit the content — like a grocery shopping guide paired with a recipe summary? You probably thought twice about clicking through. Getting these details right is essential for attracting the right audience and maximizing your traffic.

You can avoid such errors by following these best practices:

• Title tags should be 50-60 characters long and summarize the page’s content, using keywords and compelling language.
• Meta descriptions are displayed below the title and should be 150-160 characters long to avoid getting cut off. Clearly show users how your content meets needs without overloading the description with keywords.

URL Structure

Clean, descriptive URLS should include keywords and reflect the page content without going on for too many words. Keep them under 60 characters so they’re easy to share and read. For example, “/seo-content-checklist” will perform better than “/page3242-2.” It helps to separate words with hyphens, avoid special characters, and skip filler words like “and,” “or,” and “but.” Additionally, steer clear of excessive folder paths that create overly nested URLs, such as “yoursite.com/blog/seo/2024/audit-basics.”

Following these best practices helps create clear, memorable, and SEO-friendly URLs, supporting both user experience and search visibility.

Content Optimization

Optimizing your content ensures each page of your website is crafted to meet user needs and rank well in search results. To achieve this, align your content with user search intent and maintain high standards of relevance, quality, and length. 

Start by checking for duplicate content. Duplicate content includes text or pages that are identical or too similar to content found elsewhere, whether on your site or others. If the search engine cannot determine which is the “original” source, it will dilute the ranking potential of each page. Addressing duplicate content keeps your content unique and conveys the value of your site to both users and crawlers.

Content relevance and length are other important but sometimes overlooked aspects of SEO. While the length of your content may vary, the key is to thoroughly cover the topic and meet user expectations. Even high-quality content may struggle to rank if it doesn’t align with the target keyword. Additionally, your pages should directly answer user queries and provide valuable information on the content topic. To boost engagement, use clear headings, subheadings, and bullet points to enhance scannability. Finally, double-check your content for duplicate issues on sites like Copyscape, and check clarity, readability, and grammar with tools like Grammarly.

By addressing content quality, length, and intent alignment, you’ll improve your chances of ranking and check off another part of your SEO audit.

Internal Linking Structure

Hyperlinks that live on your site and link to your site may seem minor, but they serve an important role as directional cues for search engines, guiding them to relevant content. For example, if you link the term “influencer marketing” to a high-authority marketing site like Sprout Social — and hundreds of other sites do the same — that site gains even more authority on that topic. The same principle applies to links pointing to your site, helping it build credibility as an authority. Internally, links enhance navigation and show search engines the relationships and hierarchy between pages on your site.

Internal links not only guide users to related content but also benefit SEO by directing search engines to discover and index more of your pages. If you strategically link to high-value pages, you can improve their visibility and authority with crawlers. 

You can also optimize anchor text and link distribution for maximum effectiveness. Anchor text — the clickable text of a hyperlink — signals the topic to users and search engines. Using descriptive, keyword-rich anchor text improves SEO and provides context when it’s natural and relevant. Spread links evenly throughout the content to avoid overstuffing and ensure a smooth user experience.

A robust internal linking strategy can strengthen your website’s overall SEO foundation and seamlessly guide users and search engines to valuable content.

Image Optimization

Don’t forget, images are content too! You can use them to optimize your content for both SEO and user experience. Good images enhance page speed and help accessibility and search engine understanding of what’s on your site. Here are some things your images should include: 

• Alt text: Alternative text describes an image that makes it accessible for users with visual impairments or lower internet quality who can’t load the image. Use keywords sparingly to help search engines understand the image’s relationship to the text.
• File names: Use keyword-rich terms instead of generic labels like “IMG2314.jpg.” It adds context to help manage files and improve SEO.
• Image size: Compress images so they don’t slow down your page or site performance (this helps users stay on the page).

Use TinyPNG to compress images and reduce the file size without losing quality. You can also try ImageOptim to remove unnecessary metadata. 

Off-Page SEO Audit

Off-page SEO focuses on backlinks (links that point to your site), which impact your site’s trustworthiness and reputation. This part of your SEO audit is the least in your control since it involves links on other websites.

Backlink Profile Analysis

It’s important to check your backlink profiles — the collection of all links pointing to your site. High-quality, relevant backlinks show search engines that your site is credible and authoritative in your area of expertise. Low-quality or “toxic” links can harm your SEO, resulting in penalties. You can deal with the latter pretty quickly by disavowing those links. Start by reviewing your backlink profile to assess the quality of links pointing to your site.

Regularly monitor for low-quality links from spammy, irrelevant, or low-authority sites to identify harmful links using tools like Ahrefs or Moz Link Explorer. These tools show you the link quality and domain authority of the sites linking to your site and help you focus on link-building strategies.

A strong backlink profile is essential for successful off-page SEO, as it builds credibility and helps your site rank competitively in search results.

Anchor Text Distribution

Reviewing anchor text diversity for internal and external links is important for SEO and user experience. Diversifying anchor text means mixing exact-match keywords, partial keywords, branded terms, and, sparingly, “click here” anchor text. If search engines see too many similar anchor texts, especially from external sources, it looks like you’re buying links and you can be penalized. Make sure the anchor text is relevant to the linked page’s content and fits naturally with the surrounding text. Avoid forcing keywords into anchors and focus instead on clarity and user relevance. 

Competitor Backlink Analysis

You’re not the only one looking for backlinks to increase your site authority, your competitors are too. Identify their backlink strategies by studying their sources, which content attracts links, and how they’ve cultivated those relationships. This SEO audit strategy helps you find new opportunities for outreach. Target similar websites and approach them for link opportunities. Use tools like SEMrush to view competitor link profiles and prioritize targets based on quality and relevance. Ahrefs will also show competitor profiles and list potential partners.

Content SEO Audit

When looking at your content, you want to make sure your existing content is updated, aligned, and fresh. If you have a popular post, update it regularly to match user search intent and up-to-date information. Meet user’s needs with your content, remove any fluff, and incorporate long-tail keywords to capture specific niches. For instance, this can look like adding an “event marketing for real estate” section on an event marketing post if the search intent requires it.

Local SEO Audit

If you’re an online business, you can skip this part. Brick-and-mortar businesses on the other hand should perform local SEO audits to focus on factors that influence local search rankings and improve their chances of appearing in Google’s local results and listings. Brand recognition with local SEO can make or break your business for a pharmacy, restaurant, or store. Work on the following to improve your rankings:

• Google My Business (GMB): confirm up-to-date information like address and hours, correct map location, and consistency with other platforms.
• Local Citations: Mentions of your business name and other information should align online.
• Reviews: Strong positive reviews enhance your online reputation, so encourage happy clients to give feedback.

Use Moz Local and BrightLocal to manage listings, cover accuracy and rankings, and monitor reviews. You can even check out competitor efforts and how you measure up.

Reporting and Next Steps

After you audit, go through the following steps: document findings, plan improvements, and implement a strategy. Here’s a step-by-step:

• Create an audit report: consolidate findings with a clear summary of found issues, including recommendations and action steps.
• Prioritize fixes based on impact and effort: Categorize fixes into high, medium, and low priority based on the effort-impact ratio for the best use of your resources.
• Establish a plan for SEO monitoring: the work isn’t over once the audit is done. Set up a schedule for monitoring and improving constantly.

This will make future SEO efforts easier and ensure your rankings improve over time.

Conclusion

Regular SEO audits are essential to maintaining a competitive edge in today’s digital landscape. These audits keep your site optimized, adaptable to algorithm changes, and aligned with evolving user trends. Businesses that commit to routine SEO evaluations will be better positioned to improve rankings, maintain relevance, and meet the needs of an ever-changing audience. SEO audits lay the groundwork for long-term site health and sustainable growth by identifying opportunities and proactively addressing potential issues.