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The 40-Point SEO Audit Template

A practical, client-ready checklist for agencies and freelancers.

Work top to bottom. Tick what passes, flag what fails, and turn the fails into your proposal. Each section maps to a category SiteSmith scores automatically.

1. Technical SEO

If search engines can't crawl, render, or trust the site, nothing else matters.

• HTTPS enforcedValid SSL certificate; HTTP redirects to HTTPS site-wide.
• XML sitemap present & submittedReachable at /sitemap.xml and submitted in Google Search Console.
• robots.txt validNot accidentally blocking key pages or assets; references the sitemap.
• No crawl errorsNo unexpected 404s, 500s, or soft-404s in Search Console coverage.
• Canonical tags correctEvery page declares a self-referencing or correct canonical URL.
• Mobile-friendly / responsiveViewport meta set; passes Google's mobile usability checks.
• Core Web Vitals passLCP < 2.5s, INP < 200ms, CLS < 0.1 on key templates.
• Clean URL structureLowercase, hyphenated, no session IDs or deep nesting.
• No broken internal links / redirect chainsSingle-hop redirects only; no orphan pages.
• Structured data validSchema.org markup present and error-free (Organisation, Article, Product, FAQ as relevant).

2. On-Page SEO

Per-page signals that tell search engines what each page is about.

• Unique title tagsEvery page has a distinct title, ~50–60 characters, with primary keyword.
• Compelling meta descriptionsUnique, ~150–160 characters, written to earn the click.
• Single H1 per pageOne clear H1; logical H2/H3 hierarchy below it.
• Keyword targeting mappedEach page targets a primary keyword + intent; no two pages cannibalise.
• Image alt textDescriptive alt on meaningful images; decorative images marked empty.
• Images optimisedNext-gen formats (WebP/AVIF), correctly sized, lazy-loaded.
• Open Graph & Twitter cardsShare previews render correctly with title, description, and image.
• Internal linkingDescriptive anchors; important pages well-linked from relevant content.
• Descriptive anchor textNo "click here"; anchors describe the destination.
• No keyword stuffingCopy reads naturally; written for humans first.
• Favicon & brandingFavicon present; consistent brand in SERP-visible elements.
• 404 page is helpfulBranded, with navigation back into the site.

3. Content

Does the content actually answer what searchers are looking for?

• Search intent matchedPage format matches intent (informational vs. transactional vs. navigational).
• Sufficient depthCovers the topic better than the current top-ranking results.
• Fresh / updatedKey pages reviewed in the last 12 months; dates accurate.
• No thin or duplicate pagesLow-value pages improved, consolidated, or noindexed.
• E-E-A-T signalsAuthor bylines, credentials, citations, and about/contact pages present.
• ReadabilityShort paragraphs, subheadings, lists; scannable on mobile.
• Clear CTAsEvery key page has an obvious next step.
• Content gaps identifiedMissing topics competitors rank for are listed for the roadmap.

4. Off-Page & Authority

Signals from the wider web about how trustworthy the site is.

• Backlink profile reviewedQuality and relevance of referring domains assessed.
• Toxic links disavowedSpammy/unnatural links identified and handled.
• Competitor backlink gapLink opportunities competitors have that the client doesn't.
• Brand mentions / citationsUnlinked mentions and consistent NAP across the web.
• Social profiles linkedActive, consistent profiles tied to the brand.
• Digital PR opportunitiesLinkable assets and outreach angles noted.

5. Local & Conversion

For local businesses and any site that needs the traffic to convert.

• Google Business Profile optimisedVerified, complete, categorised, with photos and posts (if local).
• NAP consistencyName, address, phone identical across site and directories.
• Reviews strategyA repeatable way to earn and respond to reviews.
• Analytics & conversion trackingGA4 + Search Console connected; goals/events firing correctly.