Example of an SEO Audit: Step-by-Step Breakdown
If your website isn’t showing up on Google or your traffic has plateaued, it might be time for an SEO audit.
An SEO audit helps identify what’s holding your website back from ranking — and gives you a clear roadmap to fix it.
In this post, we’ll walk through an example of a complete SEO audit, step by step.
1. Technical SEO Audit
The first step is to check how search engines crawl and index your site.
If Google can’t access your pages properly, nothing else matters.
Key checks:
- ✅ Crawlability – Use tools like Google Search Console or Screaming Frog to see if all key pages are crawlable.
- ✅ Indexation – Check your
robots.txt, sitemap, and “noindex” tags.
- ✅ Site speed – Run your site through PageSpeed Insights and aim for <2 seconds load time.
- ✅ Mobile-friendliness – Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test.
- ✅ HTTPS – Make sure your site uses SSL (https://).
Example finding:
Product category pages take 6 seconds to load on mobile due to oversized images. Compressing them could improve load time and ranking potential.
2. On-Page SEO Audit
Once technical foundations are solid, analyze your page-level optimizations.
Key checks:
- 🏷️ Title tags & meta descriptions – Are they unique, keyword-rich, and under the right length?
- 💬 Headings (H1, H2, etc.) – Do they clearly structure the content and include primary keywords?
- 📄 Keyword optimization – Are you targeting the right intent (informational, transactional, etc.)?
- 🔗 Internal linking – Do your pages link to each other logically to pass authority?
- 🖼️ Image optimization – Are alt texts descriptive and filenames relevant?
Example finding:
Blog posts have missing meta descriptions and inconsistent H1 tags, causing lower CTR in search results.
3. Content Audit
Content is what helps your site rank and convert. The goal here is to find thin, outdated, or duplicate content.
Key checks:
- 📚 Identify pages with low word count or no clear keyword focus.
- 🔁 Find duplicate pages using tools like Siteliner or Ahrefs.
- 🧭 Review content freshness — when was it last updated?
- 📈 Check engagement metrics (bounce rate, time on page).
Example finding:
Several blog posts target the same keyword “best running shoes,” causing keyword cannibalization.
Action: Merge and update into one comprehensive guide.
4. Off-Page SEO Audit
Even with great content, backlinks are still crucial for ranking.
Key checks:
- 🔗 Backlink profile quality – Are your links from relevant, authoritative sites?
- ⚠️ Toxic links – Identify spammy or low-quality links to disavow.
- 📢 Brand mentions – Track unlinked mentions and turn them into backlinks.
- 🤝 Competitor analysis – Compare backlink profiles with top-ranking competitors.
Example finding:
Competitors have backlinks from industry blogs and directories that your site is missing.
Action: Build outreach campaigns to earn similar backlinks.
5. UX and Conversion Audit
Finally, SEO isn’t just about rankings — it’s about user experience and conversions.
Key checks:
- 🧭 Easy navigation and logical site structure.
- 🛒 Clear CTAs (calls to action) on key pages.
- 🧩 Readable fonts and mobile-friendly design.
- 📊 Tracking setup (Google Analytics, conversions, events).
Example finding:
High bounce rate (78%) on landing pages due to unclear CTA placement.
Action: Move the main button above the fold and simplify copy.
Final Thoughts
An SEO audit isn’t just a checklist — it’s a roadmap to better visibility, traffic, and conversions.
By systematically reviewing technical, on-page, content, and off-page elements, you can uncover what’s holding your site back and prioritize fixes that deliver the biggest impact.
If you don’t have time to do all this manually, you can use automated tools (like Keika.ai) that perform SEO audits and give you actionable insights in minutes.
