If your website isn’t getting traffic, the problem might not be your product or your prices. It might be your site itself.

That’s where an SEO audit comes in.

Think of it like a health check. It finds what’s wrong with your pages—so you can fix it before Google sends your visitors somewhere else.

You don’t need to be an expert at on page SEO. You don’t even need paid tools. You just need to know what to look for.

Here’s how to run a basic SEO audit in under an hour.

1. Check Your Site Speed

Google loves fast websites. So do people. If your pages take more than 3 seconds to load, you’re already losing visitors.

Use PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix to see:

How fast your site loads on mobile and desktop

What’s slowing it down

How to fix it (images, scripts, etc.)

Quick win: Compress images and ditch any plugins or pop-ups you don’t really need.

2. Test Mobile Friendliness

Most users are on mobile. Google knows this. If your site doesn’t work on a phone, you’re in trouble.

Go to Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test and paste in your homepage.

If it fails, fix that first:

  • Use a responsive design
  • Make buttons easy to tap
  • Keep text large and clear

3. Check for Broken Links

Nothing says “I don’t care” like sending visitors to a 404 error, according to www.thesearchequation.com.

Use a free tool like Broken Link Checker or Screaming Frog (up to 500 pages free).

Fix any broken internal links and update or remove old external ones. Clean navigation makes Google happy—and keeps readers on your site.

4. Review Your Title Tags and Meta Descriptions

Every page on your site should have:

  • A unique title tag
  • A clear, clickable meta description

The title tells Google what your page is about. The meta description helps people decide to click.

If you see duplicate or missing titles in your audit tool, fix them first.

Tip: Use your target phrase near the beginning of the title. Keep it under 60 characters.

5. Scan Your Headings

Each page should have a single H1 tag. Then use H2s for subheadings and H3s to break up sections further.

Make sure your headings:

  • Include relevant search phrases
  • Guide the reader through your content
  • Aren’t stuffed with keywords

Think of headings like chapter titles—they should help people scan your page fast.

6. Check Your Content Quality

Now look at what’s actually on the page.

Ask yourself:

  • Is the content useful and easy to read?
  • Does it answer a clear question?
  • Is it up to date?

If you find pages with thin or outdated content, mark them for a rewrite.

And remember—more words doesn’t always mean better. Say what you need to say, then stop.

7. Test Internal Links

Your site should have a web of connections, not a bunch of dead ends.

  • Every page should:
  • Link to 2–3 other relevant pages
  • Be linked from somewhere else on your site

This helps Google crawl your site—and helps users find more of what they’re looking for.

8. Check Your Image Optimisation

Every image should:

Be compressed for speed

Have a descriptive file name (e.g. seo-audit-checklist.jpg)

Use alt text that makes sense

Alt text isn’t just for SEO. It helps with accessibility too.

If your images are called IMG_3829.jpg, go fix them.

9. Look at Your URLs

Are they clean and descriptive? Or full of numbers and question marks?

Compare:

yourwebsite.com/seo-audit-checklist

yourwebsite.com/page?id=294

If your URLs are messy, consider updating them—but only if you can add redirects so you don’t lose existing rankings.

10. Use Google Search Console

Finally, open up Google Search Console. It tells you:

  • Which pages get the most traffic
  • What people searched to find you
  • Any indexing or crawl errors

Check the “Coverage” tab for problems. Check the “Performance” tab to spot underperforming pages. These are your biggest opportunities.

You Don’t Need a Big Budget

You don’t need a big budget or a degree in code to spot what’s holding your site back.

This simple SEO audit gives you a clear view of what’s broken, what’s missing, and what’s working. Fix the issues one by one, keep your content sharp, and track the results.

Google will notice—and so will your visitors.