When did you last audit your site’s SEO health? An SEO audit checklist is an effective way to check whether your website aligns with current search engine standards and best practices.

Search engines like Google roll out search updates frequently. Without a way to proactively find threats to your site’s visibility, an algorithm shakeup might leave it at rock bottom overnight.

Imagine waking up to lower visibility, reduced traffic, and skimpier earnings.

Don’t risk it in 2025.

Luckily for you, this 15-step SEO audit checklist can help.

Disclaimer: This content contains some affiliate links for which we will earn a commission (at no additional cost to you). This is to ensure that we can keep creating free content for you.

What is SEO Audit?

Before we go through the SEO audit checklist, it's essential to understand what an SEO audit includes..

An SEO audit is a comprehensive review of your website to assess its performance in search engines. It uses various SEO audit tools to examine technical issues, on-page content, and off-page factors that could be affecting your search rankings.

Think of an SEO audit checklist as a health check for your site, identifying problems that could be hindering it from getting more traffic.

By performing regular SEO audits, you ensure your site stays technically sound, content-rich, and competitive in search results, giving you a better chance to reach and retain your audience.

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Types of SEO Audits

There are several types of SEO audits, and each focuses on different aspects of search engine optimization. Let’s quickly explore some of the most common ones that you should include on your SEO audit checklist.

Technical SEO Audit

This is the type of SEO audit that checks if a website is running smoothly. It examines factors such as site speed, crawlability, indexing, and broken links. If a site has issues, search engines might not rank it well. 

A solid SEO audit checklist always includes technical SEO audits. This is because even small problems can significantly impact rankings, so it’s smart to review this regularly.

On-Page SEO Audit

An on-page SEO audit is another important type that should be included in your SEO audit checklist. An on-page SEO audit focuses on everything visible on a website. That includes title tags, meta descriptions, header tags, and keyword optimization.

This audit also looks at internal linking. Pages should link to each other naturally to help visitors and search engines navigate the site more effectively. Image optimization is another key part. Large, unoptimized images slow down a site, affecting user experience and rankings. 

Off-Page SEO Audit

Your SEO audit checklist also needs an off-page SEO audit that focuses on how other sites interact with yours. It checks for backlinks, social signals, and overall domain authority. 

For example, high-quality backlinks from reputable sites help rankings, while spammy links can do the opposite. An off-page SEO audit keeps track of all these to ensure you don’t jeopardize your website’s chances of ranking high.

This audit also looks at brand mentions. If a website is mentioned on forums, blogs, or social media, search engines consider it more trustworthy.

Local SEO Audit

This is an audit for businesses that want to rank in specific areas and a necessary item on any SEO audit checklist. The key metrics checked here include Google Business Profile, local citations, and NAP (name, address, and phone number).

Why is local SEO audit important? If your business details are inconsistent across platforms, it can confuse search engines and negatively impact your rankings.

Another essential element of a local SEO audit is optimizing for location-specific keywords. Your pages should include relevant local terms, and you should actively encourage customer reviews to boost visibility and credibility in local search results.

Good reviews help boost rankings and build trust. Local link-building strategies, like partnering with nearby businesses, also improve visibility.

Mobile SEO Audit

A mobile SEO audit ensures your website delivers a seamless experience on smartphones and tablets. As a key part of any comprehensive SEO audit checklist, it focuses on mobile responsiveness, fast loading times, and touch-friendly navigation.

A mobile SEO audit also ensures that images load fast, pop-ups don’t block content, and fonts are easy to read. If users struggle with buttons or text sizes, they’ll leave quickly, which can hurt rankings. 

Content SEO Audit

Content is a significant factor in SEO and should be included in your SEO audit checklist. A content SEO audit checks if a website’s content is relevant, engaging, and optimized for the right keywords.

This audit also looks at readability, formatting, and engagement. If a page has a high bounce rate, it may need better headlines, clearer structure, or more visual elements. Updating old content and improving calls-to-action is also part of the content SEO audit.

Core Web Vitals Audit

This is an audit that focuses on checking things like Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS). These measure how fast a page loads, how quickly users can interact, and how stable the layout is.

A site with poor Core Web Vitals scores may struggle in search rankings. Fixing slow load times, improving server response, and optimizing images can make a big difference. 

Competitor SEO Audit

A competitor SEO audit helps businesses see what others in their industry are doing right. It analyzes competitors' backlinks, content strategies, and keyword rankings. Learning from others can help a business adjust its SEO approach.

Having this in your SEO audit checklist helps you identify what you could be doing wrong and where to make improvements. 

Penalty and Recovery SEO Audit

If your site suddenly loses rankings, it might have been hit by a penalty.

A penalty and recovery SEO audit checklist should check for Google algorithm updates, manual penalties, and spammy backlinks. Google will drop your ranking quickly if it notices any bad SEO practices. 

So, what does this audit involve?

Recovering from a penalty involves removing harmful links, enhancing content, or correcting technical issues. Google needs to see if a site is following best practices again before rankings improve.

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The Only SEO Audit Checklist You’ll Ever Need

Think of an SEO audit checklist as your website's buddy, ensuring it stays in perfect SEO shape. With tools like Google Analytics and LinkStorm, you can proactively spot SEO issues.

Addressing them early prevents potential damage to your website. Use this 15-step SEO audit checklist to conduct a thorough audit of your website.

1. Check Website Crawlability and Indexability

 The first SEO audit checklist item is crawlability. It is about whether search engine bots can move through your site and access all your pages. If bots can’t crawl your content, it won’t show up in search results.

A few things can mess with crawlability:

  • Blocked Pages – If your robots.txt file is blocking important pages, search engines won’t crawl them.
  • Broken Links – If pages have dead links, crawlers might stop in their tracks.
  • Slow Load Times – If your site takes forever to load, crawlers might give up before seeing everything.
  • Orphaned pages – These are pages with no internal links pointing to them, making them hard to find.

Indexability, on the other hand, means Google not only crawls your site but also adds it to its search index. If a page isn’t indexed, it won’t show up in search results. Even if bots can crawl a page, indexing problems can keep it from ranking.

Some of the things that can block indexing include the following.

  • Noindex Tags – If you accidentally add a noindex tag to a page, Google won’t add it to search results.
  • Duplicate Content – Google doesn’t want to index the same content twice, so duplicate pages might get ignored.
  • Canonical Tags – If a page points to another page as the “main” version, search engines might skip indexing it.

For your SEO audit checklist, use tools like Lumar, Screaming Frog, or Semrush to analyze your entire site. They identify crawlability and indexability issues and produce a site health score report.

Take a look at the example below showing a crawlability and indexability analysis by Semrush.

semrush site audit

Image via Semrush

So, how do you keep these two components in check?

Here are some tips:

2.  Audit Site Speed and Performance 

Your audience is an impatient lot.

That’s why site speed remains one of the most significant ranking factors, especially for measuring real-world user experience (UX).

The ideal page load speeds are about 2.5 seconds.

Leverage website speed test tools like Google Analytics and PageSpeed Insights for page-by-page load time analysis.

Check this example of Google Analytics in action.

GA page load time

Image via Loves Data

Boost your site speed and performance through:

Trimming even a few seconds off page load times can make a huge difference, so ensure you prioritize page speeds in your SEO audit checklist.

3.  Review the Linking Structure

The dreaded 404 error from broken or dead links can frustrate visitors and confuse search bots. For that reason, reviewing your website's linking structure should be a priority in your SEO audit checklist.

Your website’s linking structure refers to how your pages connect through internal and external links. Internal links point to other pages on your site, while external links connect to other websites.

A good linking structure helps search engines understand your content and improves user navigation.

If your internal links are broken, point to irrelevant pages, or are missing altogether, search engines may struggle to crawl your site properly. That means your pages may not appear in search results as they should.

You can use several audit tools like Semrush, Screaming Frog, or Majestic to visually map your current link landscape and analysis through:

  • Crawling your site
  • Evaluating internal link structure to identify broken, dead, or excess internal links
  • Identifying and creating links between related content
  • Discovering and implementing new internal linking opportunities. Check out this LinkStorm Review on how to do that
  • Reviewing redirects and URLs
  • Optimizing anchor text
  • Balancing internal and external links
  • Checking for pages with stuffed links

If you use Semrush, for example, you’ll get a backlink audit report like this.

backlink audit

Image via Semrush

The right linking strategy strengthens organic search visibility, so a backlink audit is a must-have step on your SEO audit checklist.

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4.  Check Content Quality

Unlike spinning straw into gold, a mere SEO audit won't miraculously enhance poor content. You may have to run it through various readability checkers, plagiarism checkers, and AI content detectors to ensure that what you publish is of high quality.

Your SEO audit checklist should prioritize evaluating your content’s quality. This is a significant development because search engines prioritize useful, relevant, and well-structured content. If your content isn’t hitting the mark, your rankings could take a hit. 

To achieve this goal, consider a comprehensive content quality audit that involves the following tasks:

  • Fixing Thin Content: Pages with too little content don’t add much value. If you’ve got short, vague, or unhelpful pages, search engines may ignore them.
  • Checking for Duplicate Content: Search engines penalize duplicate content, whether it’s repeated across your own pages or copied from other websites. This can result in lower rankings and reduced visibility in search engine results.
  • Ensuring Relevance: The content should align with the search intent. If someone searches for “best running shoes” and your page is about cooking, they’ll bounce — and that’s bad for SEO.
  • Checking for Grammar & Spelling Mistakes: Poor writing undermines your credibility. While a single typo may not hurt your rankings, consistent grammar and spelling mistakes can drive readers away.
  • Using Keywords Naturally – Stuffing keywords everywhere is a bad SEO practice, and it no longer works. Keywords should flow naturally within helpful content.
  • Adding Multimedia – Images, videos, and infographics make content more engaging. They also keep visitors on your page longer, which is great for SEO.

However, there are multiple content writing tools you can use to improve your content. For instance, Hemingway examines each sentence by evaluating its length, structure, and word order. The tool determines if it follows principles of proper sentence construction, including correctness, readability, and style consistency.

hemmingway

Image via Hemingway

Sharing high-quality content is one of the best customer retention strategies that builds loyalty and encourages repeat visitors.

5.  Check Mobile Friendliness and Responsiveness

Next up on our SEO audit checklist is mobile friendliness and responsiveness.

Google cares a lot about how your site works on mobile, and so do your visitors. If your site isn’t easy to use on a phone or tablet, you're losing traffic, rankings, and sales.

Mobile friendliness means your website looks good and works smoothly on a mobile device. It’s all about how easy it is to read text, click buttons, and navigate pages without zooming in or out.

Responsiveness, on the other hand, goes a step further. A responsive website automatically adjusts its layout to fit different screen sizes. Whether someone is on a phone, tablet, or desktop, your site should adjust its elements so that it’s always easy to read and use.

Why is this an important SEO audit checklist item? According to recent data, over 98% of the global population can access the internet via mobile devices. Moreover, as of February 2025, mobile search constitutes 63% of all organic traffic.

Therefore, ensuring excellent mobile UX is non-negotiable.

However, Google discontinued its mobile-friendly test starting December 1, 2023.

Alternative testing tools, such as Website Grader, MobiReady, and WebPage Test, will help you complete the following:

  • Check how your site appears on multiple devices and browsers
  • Scroll around and tap elements to ensure everything works perfectly
  • Conduct page speed tests
  • Optimize images and site navigation
  • Test forms, input fields, and popups
  • Evaluate incorrect signals in structured data

Here’s a sample report provided by Website Grader on Google.

website grader

Image via Website Grader

An excellent mobile experience matters to reach today's predominantly mobile searchers and site visitors.

6.  Evaluate User Experience (UX)

 User experience plays a huge part in sales conversions so you need to add it onto your SEO audit checklist. 

According to a 2024 survey, some of the things leading to cart abandonment include forcing people to create an account, site errors, or the inability to see the total cost upfront. All these are closely tied to site user experience.

reasons for cart abandanment

Image via Baymard

Furthermore, Google values sites that provide good UX aligned with user intent.

Here’s a checklist of things to do when you conduct an SEO audit of your website to test its UX:

  • Assess site navigation, loading speed, information architecture, typography, page layout, and design
  • Check content quality and mobile responsiveness
  • Assess interactivity elements and forms
  • Review site error handling
  • Gather user feedback
  • Use tools such as Google Analytics to evaluate time on site
  • Implement user journey mapping
  • Use clear call-to-action elements so that your visitors know what you want from them

User experience isn’t just about making a website look nice — it directly affects your search rankings. Search engines want to display results that keep visitors happy. Make UX a priority in your SEO audit checklist, and you’ll see better rankings, more traffic, and happier visitors.

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7.  Audit Site Security Protocols

Websites get hacked a lot, and according to a 2024 SiteCheck survey of over 53 million sites, about 681,182 sites were infected by malware. This illustrates the importance of site security protocols.

Unless you’ve got $ 4.88 million to spare, you need to add a security audit to your SEO audit checklist. But what does a site security audit mean?

Auditing site security protocols involves checking your website for security vulnerabilities that could compromise user data or make your site a target for hackers. Google and other search engines only prioritize secure websites that protect users from fraud, malware, and identity theft.

  • Run the site through basic SSL checkers like SSL Shopper to test expired certs, DNS vulnerabilities, and data transmission gaps.
  • Monitor your SSL certificates for expiration and renew them in time before you start getting hit with HTTPS warnings.
  • Examine security measures for logins and transactions.
  • Use tools like Sucuri SiteScanner for hardcore security audits, including firewall rules, malware detection, intrusion prevention, and DDoS resilience.
  • Update software and plugins since using outdated plugins or themes is an open invitation for hackers. 
  • Assess secure password policies and Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) with a secure password solution.
  • Ensure there are regular backups because they will save you if something goes wrong.
  • Review third-party integrations.
  • Establish easy-to-understand security measures.
  • Limit user access by restricting admin privileges to only a few trusted users.

Here’s an example of a site security audit report.

site security

Image via Semrush

A secure website fosters better user trust, helps you avoid Google penalties, and can potentially increase click rates. Therefore, ensure that site security is part of your SEO audit checklist.

8.  Audit XML Sitemaps and robots.txt Files

Next on our SEO audit checklist is auditing XML sitemaps and robots.txt files. An XML Sitemap is like a roadmap of your site for search engines. It lists all the important pages you want search engines to index. 

If your XML Sitemap is outdated, has broken links, or includes pages that shouldn’t be indexed, search engines might not crawl your site efficiently.

On the other hand, a robots.txt file tells search engines which parts of your site they should and shouldn’t crawl. It’s useful for keeping search engines away from duplicate content, admin pages, or other areas that don’t need to be indexed. 

But if it’s set up wrong, it can block search engines from crawling important pages, tanking your rankings.

In short, you need to make time for XML sitemaps and robots meta tags in your SEO audit checklist.

Look at this example of a robots.txt audit report.

robots txt audit

Image via Search Engine Roundtable

When it comes to ticking off XML sitemaps and robots.txt files from your SEO audit checklist, use the following questions as a guide.

  • Are all the important pages included? If key pages are missing, they might not get indexed.
  • Are there no-index pages listed? Pages blocked from indexing shouldn’t be in the sitemap.
  • Is the sitemap properly formatted? A malformed sitemap can prevent search engines from reading it. 
  • Has it been submitted to Google Search Console? If it hasn’t, Google might not even know it exists.
  • Is the robots.txt file blocking important pages? Blocked pages can’t be crawled.
  • Are there unnecessary disallow rules? Overly restrictive rules can limit crawling.

You can use SEO software like LinkStorm and Google Analytics to gain insights that will help you streamline this task on your checklist.

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9.  Improve Social Media Integration with Your Site

Did you know that 67.9% of the global population is active social media users?

This is why it’s important to seamlessly integrate your social media accounts with your website. Social media integration involves linking your website with your social media platforms, allowing visitors to easily find, share, and interact with your written content. 

As an integral part of the SEO audit checklist, you can improve social media integration on your site in the following ways.

  • Adding social sharing buttons: This makes it easy for visitors to share your content. Every blog post, article, and key page should have clear share buttons for relevant social media platforms.
  • Check your open graph: An open graph is a protocol that lets web pages be integrated into social graphs. If the open graph is broken, all your shared links will appear incomplete and unappealing.
  • Embed social media feeds on your site: If you’re active on social media, consider embedding your latest posts on your site. This keeps your content fresh and encourages visitors to follow you.
  • Optimize social media content for search: Your social posts should be optimized just like your website content. Use keywords naturally, write engaging captions, and include calls to action that drive traffic to your website.
  • Leverage structured data: Using structured data makes it easy for Google to display the necessary information in search results. In turn, this increases your brand visibility.

Leverage some good social media management tools to streamline this process.

10.  Optimize Your Google Business Profile

According to estimates, Google processes nearly 255,000 search queries per second. Before customers visit your physical store or call, they’ll research your brand online.

GBP is a crucial local SEO tool for local businesses; hence, including it in the SEO audit checklist is a must.

Google uses GBP to understand more about your business and show it in local searches. If your profile is missing details or has incorrect information, you won’t rank as high in search results. 

A well-optimized profile boosts visibility, builds trust, and increases clicks to your website. 

See what an optimized GBP looks like; notice all the important business information it provides.

doorvana

Image via Google

Here are the steps you need to complete as part of your GBP audit checklist:

  • Claim and verify your business profile: Start by claiming your profile and following the verification process to set it up. This adds legitimacy to your business.
  • Add details to every section: Google likes complete profiles. Fill in every detail in the following sections.
     

    • Business name (exactly as it appears on your website)
    • Address (keep it consistent with your site and other listings)
    • Phone number (same as on your website and social media)
    • Website URL
    • Business hours (update them if they change)
    • Categories that best describe your business
    • Services and products you offer
    • A detailed business description
  • Optimize with keywords: Similar to your web content, you should optimize your Google My Profile with relevant keywords. Add them to your business description, services, and posts.
  • Select the right category: Choose a category that accurately describes your business. If you are a dentist, then choose “dentist” as your primary category. This gives Google the right information about your business.
  • Add high-quality videos and images: Businesses with great images get more clicks. Add photos of your storefront, team, products, or services. Keep everything clear and professional.
  • Respond to reviews: Google My Business allows people to comment about your business. These kinds of reviews, if positive, can help boost your website’s credibility. Encourage happy customers to leave positive reviews, and always respond to them.
  • Post regularly: Google lets businesses post updates, offers, and events. Regularly posting shows Google that your business is active, which can positively impact your rankings. Share updates about new services, promotions, or industry news to keep your profile fresh.
  • Add a Q&A section: Allowing customers to answer questions boosts engagement and lets you interact with potential buyers directly.

11.  Review Internal Site Search Relevancy and Results

Internal search optimization is an integral part of a modern SEO audit checklist. It is when someone types a query into the search box on your blog. 

Search relevance refers to how well the results match what the user is looking for. If someone searches for “running shoes” on an online store but the top results show socks, the search function isn’t doing its job.

Internal search optimization identifies your readers’ needs and preferences and content development opportunities. It reveals the search terms visitors used and their path through your site, showing how well search results drove engagement.

This Google Analytics search report displays, among other results, the search terms users entered on the sample website.

Younium

Image via Google Analytics

You can review the internal site search relevance and results on your website for your SEO audit checklist in the following ways:

  • Check search queries: Look at the most common searches on your site. Are they leading to relevant pages? If people type in a product name but land on an unrelated category page, that's a problem. 
  • Analyze zero-results searches: If users are searching for terms and getting no results, you’re either missing content or using the wrong wording. You might need to add new content, change product descriptions, or adjust your search function to recognize similar terms.
  • Improve synonyms and filters: If someone searches for “sneakers” but your site only recognizes “running shoes,” they might not find what they need. Your search tool should support synonyms and allow users to filter results to refine their search.
  • Check click-through rates on search results: If people are searching but not clicking on results, that’s a sign the titles or descriptions aren’t appealing. Updating these can boost engagement and improve conversions.

Fine-tune things so visitors can easily find helpful content on your site. This can also lower bounce rates, boost better engagement as well as help you identify content gaps in your website. Make sure you add it onto your SEO audit checklist.

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12.  Check On-Page SEO Elements

Let's delve into the most important step on any SEO audit checklist—the on-page audit.

As we mentioned in an earlier section, on-page SEO elements are the parts of your website you can control directly. They help search engines understand your content and determine if it's relevant to users.

On-page SEO elements have to be optimized, or your website might struggle to rank on the first page of Google. Some of the key on-page SEO elements that need to be taken care of as you go through your SEO audit checklist include the following.

Tools like Semrush or On-page SEO Checker can help you audit key landing pages and blog posts.

  • Page titles: Your page titles should be descriptive, include your main keyword, and stay under 60 characters. A well-optimized title tells both search engines and users what to expect on the page.
  • Meta descriptions: This is a summary of your page that appears in search results. While it may not directly improve SEO rankings, a strong, engaging description can increase click-through rates.
  • Headers: You need headers to organize your web content. The H1 tag should include your main keyword and clearly state the page’s topic. Use subheadings (H2, H3, etc) to break up content and make it easier to understand.
  • URL structure: You need a clean, keyword-friendly URL that’s easier for search engines to understand. It should also be readable to readers. Using yoursite.com/best-running-shoes is better than yoursite.com/p=12345. 
  • Internal linking: A website needs internal linking to help users navigate your site and allow search engines to crawl it more effectively. They also spread ranking power across pages.

Here’s an example of a detailed on-page audit report.

seo audit report

Image via Slide Geeks

Overlooking on-page SEO can lead to visibility drops, a strong reason to include it in your 2025 SEO strategy and SEO audit checklist.

13.  Audit Duplication Issues

Duplicate content can be a ranking roadblock. It often confuses search engines on what to prioritize so your SEO audit checklist must address duplication issues.

Duplication issues happen when the same or very similar content appears on multiple pages of your website, or even across different websites. Whether accidental or repurposed, duplication dilutes your content and authority.

With duplication, search engines never know which version to prioritize, and that can impact your rankings. It’s like having two actors playing the same role in a movie — it’s confusing and unnecessary.

Besides, Google values unique information.

backlinko

Image via Backlinko

So, make sure you include a duplicate content audit in your SEO audit checklist:

  • Use tools like Siteliner to spot duplicates
  • Check Google Search Console for thin pages
  • Scrutinize internal site search results
  • Manually inspect pages
  • Employ canonical tags or 301 redirects
  • Consolidate duplicate content
  • Disavow low-value pages
  • Decide whether your site should use www or non-www, and stick to HTTPS only

Remember, a timely check on duplicates can safeguard your rankings.

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14. Optimize for Featured Snippets

One of the most effective strategies to help your website rank high is featured snippets. 

They're the short answers Google pulls from web pages to answer a search query quickly. They appear at the very top, sometimes referred to as “Position Zero.” Google collects this information to help users find what they need quickly, without needing to click on a link (though many still do).

Here’s an example of a featured snippet when you search “SEO audit checklist.”

featured snipppets

Image via Google

There are different formats of Featured Snippets that you can apply to your website.

  • Paragraph snippets – A short block of text answering a question.
  • List snippets – Ordered or unordered lists are great for steps or tips.
  • Table snippets – Tables containing data, such as pricing comparisons.
  • Video snippets – Sometimes, Google pulls a video as the best answer.

So why do featured snippets matter enough to be included in your SEO audit checklist? Here are the notable reasons:

  • More Clicks – Even though snippets give answers right away, they also make people curious. Many click to read more, and this ensures your website gets more visitors who spend more time there.
  • More Visibility – Since snippets appear at the top, your site gets way more attention than the regular search results.
  • Better Brand Authority – If Google selects your site as the best answer, people begin to trust your content more.
  • Beating the Competition – If your site grabs a snippet, it pushes competitors lower in the rankings.
  • Great for Voice Search – Many voice assistants pull their answers straight from featured snippets.

The next question you probably have right now is, how do I optimize my website for featured snippets? It’s very simple and doesn’t require much. Google usually picks snippets from content that’s already ranking so you first need to ensure your content is good enough for ranking.

Once you’ve taken care of that, try the following quick tips to complete your SEO audit checklist.

  • Answer Questions Clearly – Use simple, direct answers. If people search “What is an SEO audit checklist?” answer it in a sentence before adding extra details. Go straight to the point.
  • Use Headers and Bullet Points – Google loves structured content. If you're listing steps, use numbered lists. These are easy to pick and display compared to long paragraphs.
  • Add a Summary – At the start or end of a section, give a clear summary of the topic. Summaries answer the most important questions, and once displayed as featured snippets, people are more likely to open your page.
  • Use Tables for Data – If you’re comparing information, put it in a table to increase the chance of getting a table snippet.
  • Keep It Concise – Google typically pulls 40-50 words for a paragraph snippet. If your answer is too long, it won’t get picked. Therefore, keep it concise and limit it to the most crucial information.

To check if your site has featured snippets, search for questions related to your content to see if they appear. You can also use the Google Search Console or premium SEO tools like Moz, Semrush or Ahrefs.

15. Eliminate Zombie Pages

Wrapping up our SEO audit checklist is removing zombie pages. These are pages that are dead weight. Zombie pages don’t bring in traffic, don't rank well, and don't add any real value to your site. They just sit there, taking up space and making your website look bigger than it is.

They're a hidden problem that can drag down your rankings without you even realizing it. Any good SEO audit checklist includes removing zombie pages for a good reason. 

Zombie pages come in many different forms, including the following.

  • Old blog posts that get zero traffic.
  • Thin pages with barely any content.
  • Duplicate pages or near-duplicates.
  • Outdated product pages that aren't relevant anymore.
  • Archive pages, tag pages, or low-value category pages.
  • Old event pages that no one cares about now.
  • Auto-generated pages that don't serve a purpose.

So, how do zombie pages hurt your SEO? Here’s how.

They Waste Crawl Budget

Google has a limited number of pages it will crawl on your site. If it’s crawling zombie pages, it’s ignoring better pages that matter. Every SEO audit checklist focuses on making sure Google spends time on the right pages.

They Lower Your Overall Quality Score 

Google looks at your site as a whole. If a significant portion of your pages is of low quality, it drags down the entire site. That means even your best pages could struggle to rank.

They Create a Bad User Experience

If someone lands on a useless page, they’ll leave. High bounce rates indicate to Google that your site isn’t performing well, and as a result, your rankings drop.

They Dilute Your Authority

Every page on your site competes for authority. If you have 500 pages, but only 50 are good, those 50 don’t get as much power as they should. Trimming the dead weight helps your strongest pages perform better.

Besides deleting zombie pages, you can also redirect them to similar, better pages. This way, any link juice from the old page goes to a good page instead. Alternatively, you can update the content available on a zombie page and optimize it for new keywords.

Another potential solution is to apply a noindex tag to prevent Google from indexing the particular zombie page. You can find zombie pages through web analytics tools like Google Search Console or Screaming Frog.

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FAQ

Q1. Why is an SEO audit checklist necessary?

A. This SEO audit checklist will help you:

  • Optimize your site to meet the latest search engine standards
  • Boost visibility, UX, and overall performance
  • Improve mobile and local SEO
  • Adapt to evolving trends and enhance content relevance

Q2. Can I execute the 15-step SEO audit checklist independently, or should I hire a professional?

A. Yes, you can use this checklist to conduct an SEO audit for your website, without requiring professional help. You will, however, need SEO audit tools to carry out the various steps in the checklist.

Q3. Will this SEO audit checklist remain effective as search engine algorithms change?

A. Yes, it’s adaptable, focusing on the core elements that impact search engine rankings. This adaptability helps future-proof your website and content against search engine updates.

Q4. Are the steps in this SEO audit checklist applicable to any type of website?

A. Yes. This SEO audit checklist is versatile, catering to different types of content, websites, and industries. You might, however, need to customize the checklist based on your specific business needs and SEO goals.

Q5. How frequently should I use the SEO audit checklist?

A. Given the constant changes, quarterly audits ensure you're in the SEO health loop. This helps to make timely adjustments to align with updates and maintain organic search prowess.

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Ready to Elevate Your SEO Game in 2025?

You now have a comprehensive 15-step SEO audit checklist to optimize your site for the latest standards and adapt to evolving trends.

Use this checklist to make sure your site is all set to rank high on Google SERP.

And when SEO audits get technical, our search engine optimization services are at your disposal. Attrock’s SEO experts are ready to help you use this SEO audit checklist and elevate your SEO strategy.

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