How to Perform a Complete SEO Audit in 12 Steps?

An SEO audit evaluates a website’s current performance and identifies areas for optimization. It’s an essential first step when starting work on any new site.
Having audited numerous websites throughout my career, I’ve developed a reliable and repeatable process. In this guide, I’ll walk you through that approach, highlighting what to check and the tools that can support each step.
But before we get started, let’s align on the basics.

What Is an SEO Audit?

An SEO audit is a comprehensive review of a website’s optimization for search engines. It helps uncover opportunities for improvement by examining key areas such as:

• Technical performance
• Content quality
• Backlink strength
• User experience

You could say this process acts as an overall evaluation of a website’s “health” in search.

How to Do an SEO Audit (Step by Step)

Here are the steps I follow when performing a thorough SEO audit.

I also created a reference checklist you can keep handy to ensure you won’t miss anything important.

1. Confirm Your Site Is Indexed

Is your website visible in Google’s search results?

Indexing is the process by which search engines add webpages to their database, allowing them to appear in search results.

I once audited a site where none of the pages were ranking. The issue? A developer had accidentally deployed a sitewide “noindex” tag, blocking the entire site from being indexed.

To quickly check if your site is indexed, run a simple site search in Google using: site:yourdomain.com

Type “site:yourdomain.com” in Google’s search without the quotation marks. This operator should return most pages from your domain that Google has indexed.

If you see:

• No results: Your entire site might be blocked from indexing
• Fewer pages than expected: Some sections of your site may have indexing issues
• Strange or outdated pages appearing: You might have canonicalization problems, in which Google is confused about which version to display in search results

To get a better sense of what’s happening, use Google Search Console. It’s a free tool from Google that can offer detailed insights into your site’s indexing status.

Open the tool and head to the “Pages” report from the sidebar.

Here, you can see a graph of all pages based on their indexing status.

Underneath, you’ll see a list of reasons why the pages haven’t been indexed.

It’s perfectly normal for some URLs on your site to remain unindexed.

Common examples include:

• Redirected pages
• Admin or login pages
• Alternate versions with canonical tags
• RSS or feed pages

However, if you come across a page that should be indexed but isn’t, investigate the cause and resolve it according to Google’s guidelines.

Once you’ve made the necessary changes, click the “Validate Fix” button in Google Search Console to prompt reindexing.

If your site isn’t indexed, no amount of optimization will help you rank in search results until you fix this fundamental issue. So make this your top priority.

2. Check for Duplicate Versions of Your Website

Having multiple accessible versions of your site can hurt your SEO by splitting link equity and confusing search engines.

This issue is especially common on new websites that haven’t standardized their URL structure. For example, your site might be available at:

• http://yourdomain.com
• https://yourdomain.com
• http://www.yourdomain.com
• https://www.yourdomain.com

Google may treat each as a separate site, weakening your overall ranking potential.

To fix this, ensure that only one version is accessible—ideally the HTTPS version for better security and trust—and set up 301 redirects from all others to your preferred URL.

3. Ensure Your Site Is Mobile-Friendly

Since Google primarily uses the mobile version of your site for indexing and ranking, a poor mobile experience can significantly hurt your SEO performance.

The quickest way to test mobile usability is with Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test. Just enter your URL, and the tool will analyze whether your page meets mobile standards.

If your site isn’t mobile-friendly, focus on improving the following:

• Text readability – Ensure content is easy to read without zooming
• Tap targets – Make buttons and links large enough to tap easily
• Viewport settings – Configure your site to scale correctly on different devices
• Media playback – Verify that videos and interactive elements work smoothly on mobile
• Load speed – Optimize for fast loading on slower mobile networks

If you’re using WordPress, most modern themes are mobile-optimized. For custom-built websites, collaborate with a developer to implement responsive design best practices.

4. Evaluate Your Site Speed

Site speed is a confirmed Google ranking factor—and a crucial part of user experience. Fast-loading websites typically enjoy lower bounce rates and higher engagement, positively influencing SEO performance.

To assess your site’s speed, use Google’s PageSpeed Insights. Enter your URL and click “Analyze.” The tool will provide:

• Speed scores (out of 100) for both mobile and desktop
• Actionable recommendations to improve performance

Focus on fixing the major issues first, such as render-blocking resources, unoptimized images, or slow server response times. Work with a developer if needed.

Don’t worry about achieving a perfect score. A rating in the mid-80s or above is generally strong. In most cases, pushing scores beyond that doesn’t yield significant SEO improvements.

5. Crawl Your Site for Technical Errors

Running a full site crawl helps identify hidden technical issues that can negatively impact your SEO performance, even if everything appears fine on the surface.

For this task, use a dedicated SEO crawler. Semrush’s Site Audit tool is highly recommended, as it checks for over 140 potential issues, making it one of the most comprehensive options available.

To get started:

1. Set up a project in Semrush and configure the crawl settings.
2. Click “Start Site Audit.”
3. Once complete, you’ll see a dashboard with your Site Health score—an overall indicator based on the number and severity of issues found.

Issues are categorized into three levels:

• Errors – Critical problems that need immediate attention
• Warnings – Moderate issues that may impact performance
• Notices – Low-priority suggestions for improvement

To investigate further, go to the “Issues” tab. You can click on any issue type to see which URLs are affected.

Common technical errors include:

• Broken internal links – Links that lead to 404 errors
• Redirect chains and loops – Inefficient or circular redirects
• Orphan pages – Pages not linked from anywhere on your site
• Sitemap issues – Incorrect or outdated URLs listed
• Duplicate content – Identical or near-identical content on different URLs

Each issue comes with a “Why and how to fix it” link, offering clear explanations and guidance to help you resolve the problems effectively.

6. Check Core Web Vitals

Core Web Vitals are a set of performance metrics that reflect real-world user experience, and Google uses them as ranking signals.
The three key metrics are:

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): The time it takes for the largest element to load. Target: ≤ 2.5 seconds
• Interaction to Next Paint (INP): The time the site takes to respond to user input. Target: < 200 milliseconds
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Measures unexpected layout shifts. Target: < 0.1

Sites that meet these benchmarks tend to have better engagement, like longer session durations and lower bounce rates.

You can monitor your Core Web Vitals directly in Google Search Console under the “Core Web Vitals” report in the sidebar.

Here, you’ll find separate reports for “Desktop” and “Mobile.” Click “Open Report” at the top of either chart for more details.

The report labels pages as “Good,” “Needs improvement,” or “Poor.” Expand each issue to see the affected pages.

7. Review Content Quality

High-quality content is essential for strong search rankings.

Google’s algorithms now prioritize content that truly meets user intent, so your content needs to be valuable, relevant, and trustworthy.

When auditing, evaluate whether your content:

• Clearly answers the user’s query
• Covers the topic in depth and with accuracy
• Is original—not duplicated or lightly rephrased
• Reflects expertise and authority in the subject matter
• Is well-structured and easy to scan
• Contains current, up-to-date information

Start by focusing on your highest-value pages. Use the “Search Results” report in Google Search Console to identify which pages receive the most impressions and clicks—those should be your top priority for content review and optimization.

8. Check Your Site’s On-Page SEO

On-page SEO helps search engines understand your content.

Elements include:

• Title tags
• Meta descriptions
• Header tags (H1, H2, etc.)
• URL slugs

While these elements might seem basic, I’m consistently surprised when websites get these fundamentals wrong.

Start by examining your homepage. Open it in the Google Chrome browser, right-click, and choose “View Page Source.”

Look for:

• A concise title tag (under ~55 characters) that includes your main keyword
• A unique meta description (~120 characters) that accurately summarizes the page
• A single H1 tag that clearly communicates the main topic
• Subheadings (H2s, H3s) are used logically to structure the content
• Descriptive alt text for all images that add meaning to the content
• Clean, descriptive, and keyword-rich URL structures

If you have a large site, analyzing each page manually would be time-consuming. Semrush’s On-Page SEO Checker can audit your on-page elements at scale.

To start, set up a project for your website. And let the tool analyze your site.

You’ll see a list of pages with recommendations for each.

Implement the recommendations to help your pages perform better.

9. Analyze Your Backlink Profile

Backlinks—links from other websites to yours—act as endorsements in the eyes of Google. Both the quality and quantity of these links influence your site’s authority and rankings.

During your audit, use Semrush’s Backlink Analytics tool. Enter your domain and click “Analyze.” You’ll get a detailed overview of your backlink profile.

Start with the Referring Domains graph to track link growth over time.

• A gradual upward trend is a good sign.
• Sudden drops or stagnant growth may signal issues with your link-building strategy.

Then, review the anchor text distribution.

• A natural profile typically contains mostly branded or generic anchor texts.
• An overuse of exact-match, keyword-heavy anchors can appear manipulative and may risk penalties.

Finally, check the Referring Domains tab to evaluate the credibility of the websites linking to you. Prioritize links from authoritative, relevant sources, and identify any low-quality or suspicious domains that may need to be disavowed.

10. Analyze Your Organic Traffic

Organic traffic refers to visits that come from unpaid search results, and it’s a key indicator of your SEO performance.

To review this data, go to the “Search results” report in Google Search Console. Here, you’ll see total clicks and trends over time. Watch for sharp spikes or declines.

The “Clicks” metric at the top shows how many users arrived via search. Use the graph to track patterns. If you notice a significant drop, investigate potential causes such as:

• Google algorithm updates: Google frequently rolls out updates, some minor, others major. When large updates are released (usually announced on the Search Central Blog), they can dramatically affect rankings.
• Manual actions: These are penalties applied by Google when a site violates its quality guidelines.

If your traffic dip aligns with a known update, research what the update targeted and optimize accordingly.

To rule out manual penalties, check the “Manual Actions” report in Search Console. A green checkmark means your site is in good standing. If not, you’ll see a notification describing the issue.

For example, if penalized for thin content, you’ll need to either improve the affected pages with valuable information or remove them. Once resolved, submit a reconsideration request to Google.

11. Benchmark Against Competitors

Benchmarking allows you to see exactly where you stand when compared to your competitors and identify opportunities for improvement.

SEO is a multiplayer game. You’re competing with others in your space for the top spots in search rankings.

If you have a better SEO profile overall, you’ll be more likely to outrank them for your target keywords.

To evaluate how you stack up against competitors, use Semrush’s Domain Overview tool.

Enter your website URL and click “Search.”

Once you have your site’s data, you can add competitors to compare side by side. Head to the “Compare domains” tab and select up to four competitor domains. If you’re not sure who your main competitors are, pick the domains the tool suggests.

The tool will give you a solid comparison of the key metrics of the selected domains. These will give you a good overview of where you’re lagging behind or excelling.

To get the best overview, focus on these metrics:

• Authority Score: Shows the overall quality of the domain on a scale from 1 to 100 (based on its backlinks, search traffic, and other factors)
• Organic Traffic: Shows how much organic traffic the domain receives
• Organic Keywords: Shows how many keywords the domain ranks for
• Referring Domains: Shows how many different domains link to the analyzed domain (This provides a better picture for comparison than the overall number of backlinks.)

Authority score has the strongest correlation with ranking ability. So, pay special attention to this metric when comparing your site with competitors.

One of the best ways to improve this metric is by building backlinks.

In the next two steps, we’ll take a look at how to get the most out of your competitors’ keywords and backlink data.

12. Discover Keywords You’re Missing

Uncover keyword opportunities by analyzing what your competitors are ranking for—but you’re not.

While tools like Domain Overview show the total number of keywords your competitors rank for, they don’t reveal which ones you’re missing.

That’s where Semrush’s Keyword Gap tool comes in.

Open the tool and enter your domain alongside a few competitor domains. Click “Compare.” The tool will show a side-by-side breakdown of keyword rankings across the sites.

Pay close attention to the “Missing” and “Weak” tabs:

• Missing: Keywords your competitors rank for, but your site doesn’t.
• Weak: Keywords your competitors outrank you for.

These sections often reveal valuable keyword opportunities you may have overlooked.

Once identified, either create new content targeting these terms or optimize existing pages to improve rankings, giving you a competitive edge in search results.

Turning Your SEO Audit Into Action

Running a thorough SEO audit is just the first step in boosting your site’s search performance.

By following the steps in this guide, you’ll uncover key areas where your website can improve. But discovery alone isn’t enough—taking action is what truly moves the needle.

From fixing technical issues to optimizing content and filling keyword gaps, consistent implementation is what leads to lasting results.

Tools like Semrush not only help you identify these opportunities, they also support you in executing them effectively.

Looking for expert help with your SEO strategy? Engage Coders offers professional SEO services to elevate your online visibility and drive real results.

Ready to put your audit insights into action? Sign up and start optimizing today.