Want to audit your own website's SEO? Here's a comprehensive checklist of 25 things to check to improve your rankings and attract more customers.
Use this checklist quarterly to keep your SEO in top shape.
Technical SEO (8 Items)
1. Page Speed
How to Check: Use Google PageSpeed Insights
Goal: Score of 80+ (desktop and mobile)
Fix: Compress images, enable caching, minify code
2. Mobile-Friendliness
How to Check: Google Mobile-Friendly Test
Goal: Pass the test with no errors
Fix: Use responsive design, test on actual devices
3. SSL Certificate (HTTPS)
How to Check: Look at your URL—does it start with "https://"?
Goal: All pages use HTTPS
Fix: Install SSL certificate, redirect HTTP to HTTPS
4. Broken Links
How to Check: Use Screaming Frog or Ahrefs
Goal: Zero broken links
Fix: Update or remove broken links, set up 301 redirects
5. XML Sitemap
How to Check: Visit yoursite.com/sitemap.xml
Goal: Sitemap exists and is submitted to Google Search Console
Fix: Create sitemap, submit to Google
6. Robots.txt
How to Check: Visit yoursite.com/robots.txt
Goal: File exists and doesn't block important pages
Fix: Create or update robots.txt file
7. Crawl Errors
How to Check: Google Search Console > Coverage
Goal: No critical errors
Fix: Address server errors, fix blocked pages
8. Duplicate Content
How to Check: Use Siteliner or Screaming Frog
Goal: No duplicate pages
Fix: Consolidate pages, use canonical tags
On-Page SEO (8 Items)
9. Meta Titles
How to Check: View page source or use Screaming Frog
Goal: Every page has a unique, keyword-rich title under 60 characters
Fix: Write unique titles for each page
10. Meta Descriptions
How to Check: View page source or use Screaming Frog
Goal: Every page has a unique description under 160 characters
Fix: Write compelling, keyword-rich descriptions
11. Header Tags (H1, H2, H3)
How to Check: View page source
Goal: One H1 per page, logical hierarchy of H2s and H3s
Fix: Add proper header structure to all pages
12. Keyword Optimization
How to Check: Review your content
Goal: Target keywords appear naturally in titles, headers, and content
Fix: Optimize pages for specific keywords without stuffing
13. Image Alt Text
How to Check: View page source or use Screaming Frog
Goal: Every image has descriptive alt text
Fix: Add alt text to all images
14. Internal Linking
How to Check: Review your pages manually
Goal: Pages link to related content, no orphan pages
Fix: Add internal links between related pages
15. Content Quality
How to Check: Review your pages manually
Goal: Pages have at least 500-800 words of valuable content
Fix: Expand thin content, delete or consolidate low-value pages
16. Schema Markup
How to Check: Google Rich Results Test
Goal: LocalBusiness schema on homepage, Service schema on service pages
Fix: Add schema markup to key pages
Local SEO (5 Items)
17. Google Business Profile
How to Check: Search for your business on Google
Goal: Profile is claimed, verified, and 100% complete
Fix: Complete every section, add photos, update regularly
18. NAP Consistency
How to Check: Search for your business online
Goal: Name, address, phone number match exactly everywhere
Fix: Update inconsistent listings
19. Google Reviews
How to Check: Look at your Google Business Profile
Goal: At least 25-50 reviews, mostly 4-5 stars, recent reviews
Fix: Ask customers for reviews, respond to all reviews
20. Local Citations
How to Check: Search for your business on Yelp, Yellow Pages, etc.
Goal: Listed on 20-50+ relevant directories
Fix: Submit to missing directories, update existing listings
21. Local Keywords
How to Check: Review your content
Goal: City/service area mentioned in titles, headers, and content
Fix: Add local keywords naturally throughout your site
Off-Page SEO (2 Items)
22. Backlink Quantity
How to Check: Use Ahrefs, Moz, or SEMrush
Goal: Comparable to or better than your competitors
Fix: Start a link-building campaign
23. Backlink Quality
How to Check: Use Ahrefs or Moz
Goal: Links from relevant, high-authority sites; no toxic links
Fix: Disavow toxic links, build quality links
Analytics and Tracking (2 Items)
24. Google Analytics
How to Check: Log into Google Analytics
Goal: Installed and tracking correctly
Fix: Install Google Analytics if missing
25. Google Search Console
How to Check: Log into Google Search Console
Goal: Property verified, no critical errors
Fix: Verify your site, fix any errors
How to Use This Checklist
Step 1: Go Through Each Item
Check off items as you review them. Note any issues you find.
Step 2: Prioritize Fixes
Start with critical issues (broken site, no SSL, major speed problems), then move to high-impact items (Google Business Profile, meta tags).
Step 3: Create an Action Plan
Break fixes into weekly or monthly tasks. Don't try to fix everything at once.
Step 4: Track Progress
Monitor your rankings, traffic, and leads as you make improvements.
Step 5: Repeat Quarterly
SEO isn't one-and-done. Run through this checklist every 3 months to catch new issues.
Quick Wins (Do These First)
- Complete your Google Business Profile
- Add missing meta titles and descriptions
- Fix broken links
- Add alt text to images
- Compress large images
- Ask for Google reviews
Common Issues and How to Fix Them
"My page speed score is 45"
Fix: Compress images, enable caching, upgrade hosting
"I have 30 broken links"
Fix: Update links or set up 301 redirects
"My Google Business Profile is only 60% complete"
Fix: Add services, photos, hours, description, and attributes
"I only have 5 Google reviews"
Fix: Ask every happy customer for a review
"My competitors have 10x more backlinks"
Fix: Start building links from local directories, suppliers, and industry sites
Tools You'll Need
Free Tools:
- Google PageSpeed Insights
- Google Mobile-Friendly Test
- Google Search Console
- Google Analytics
- Google Rich Results Test
Paid Tools (Optional):
- Screaming Frog ($149/year)
- Ahrefs or SEMrush ($99-199/month)
- Moz Local ($129/year)
When to Hire Professional Help
DIY If:
- You're comfortable with technical tasks
- You have 10-20 hours to dedicate
- Your site is relatively simple
Hire Help If:
- You find more than 10 critical issues
- You're not technical
- You don't have time
- You want guaranteed results
Get a Professional Audit
If you want a comprehensive, expert analysis of your website's SEO—not just a checklist—we can help.
Our Site and SEO Audit includes a complete review of all 25 items on this checklist plus competitor analysis, keyword research, and a prioritized action plan to improve your rankings and attract more customers.
Get your professional audit today and get a clear roadmap to SEO success.