How to Audit Your Website for SEO

Step 1Check for Technical SEO Issues

Start with your website’s foundations. Technical SEO makes sure search engines can access, crawl, and index your site properly.

There are many tools out there that you can use to scan your website. Some of these are free to use, such as Google Search Console and PageSpeed Insights, but some of them require a subscription to unlock all the available audit tools, such as Screaming Frog SEO Spider, Ahrefs Site Audit and Semrush.

You can use these audit tools to look for common technical issues, like the below:

• Broken links (404 errors)
• Redirect chains or loops
• Crawl errors or indexing issues
• Duplicate content across pages
• Slow page loading times

A clean, fast, and error-free website makes it easier for search engines (and users) to navigate and trust your site.

Step 2Assess Mobile-Friendliness

Google uses mobile-first indexing, which means it prioritises how your site performs on mobile devices over how it performs on desktop. It's important to check your website using Google’s free 'Mobile-Friendly Test', which will help you to review your website. This tool checks for:

• Responsive design (does it adapt to different screen sizes?)
• Easy-to-read text and legible fonts
• Buttons and links spaced out for tapping
• Fast mobile page speed

If your mobile experience is poor, your rankings will suffer - especially in mobile search results.

Step 3Review On-Page SEO

On-page SEO refers to the way your website’s pages are structured and optimised. You'll need to review each key page (especially your homepage and services pages) to make sure they're optimised correctly. Here's a quick checklist that you can work through for each page you want to optimise:

1. Page titles and meta descriptions
   Are they unique, descriptive, and keyword-rich?
2. Headers (H1, H2, H3)
   Are you using clear headings to structure your content logically?
3. Keyword optimisation
   Are you using relevant search terms naturally in your content?
4. Internal linking
   Are you linking to relevant internal pages to guide users and distribute authority?

Each page should have a clear focus, be easy to read, and target specific keywords relevant to your business.

Step 4Evaluate Your Website Content

Ask any SEO specialist and they'll tell you that "content is king". What this means is that great SEO performance needs great content. Your content should solve problems, answer questions, and provide real value to your website visitors.

Ask yourself:

• Does this content address the needs and search intent of my target audience?
• Is it better or more helpful than what competitors are offering?
• Is the information accurate, up to date, and free from spelling or grammar errors?
• Is the content well-structured with bullet points, headings, and visuals?

You can use tools like Surfer SEO or Clearscope to analyse how your content compares to top-ranking competitors.

Step 5Analyse Your Backlink Profile

Backlinks (links from other websites to yours) are a major ranking factor, although this has become an area of debate in more recent years. For now, we still believe that they're important, and the more high-quality links you have, the better.

You can use tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, or Moz to:

• See which sites are linking to you
• Identify high-authority backlinks
• Spot toxic or spammy links that could harm your site
• Discover new backlink opportunities

Consider link-building strategies like guest blogging, PR campaigns, or sharing helpful resources.

Step 6Check Your Local SEO

If you serve customers in specific areas, local SEO is essential. To maximise the effectiveness of your local SEO, we recommend checking the following:

• Google Business Profile is fully filled out with accurate info
• Your name, address, and phone number (NAP) is consistent across all online directories
• You’re using local keywords like "SEO agency in [Your City]" in your content
• You’re getting reviews and responding to them

Local SEO helps you appear in the "Map Pack" and local searches, driving foot traffic and leads.

Step 7Track and Measure Your SEO Performance

Once you’ve made improvements, you’ll need to track progress. The best way to do this is to create yourself an account on the following websites and check them frequently to monitor any changes in traffic as a result of your SEO efforts.

• Google Analytics - For website traffic, bounce rates, and conversions
• Google Search Console - For keyword rankings, impressions, and clicks
• Bing Webmaster Tools - Similar to Google Search Console but for Bing
• Keyword ranking tools - Like Ubersuggest, Ahrefs, or Semrush

Use the data to refine your SEO strategy over time.