Every SEO engagement should start with an audit. Not a vague "let's see how the site looks" review, but a structured pass through every factor that affects search visibility. Skip this step and you will spend months optimizing content on a site with crawl errors, broken redirects, or missing analytics.
This is a 40-point checklist organized by category. Each item tells you what to check, why it matters, and what a pass or fail looks like. You can work through this manually, or run your site through Ooty's free SEO analyzer, which automates many of these checks in a single scan.
Technical SEO (Items 1 to 15)
1. Indexing Status
Check: Search site:yourdomain.com in Google. Compare the number of indexed pages to the number of pages you expect to be indexed.
Pass: Indexed count is close to your actual page count. No critical pages missing.
Fail: Significantly fewer pages indexed than expected, or pages that should not be indexed (staging, admin, duplicate) showing up.
2. Robots.txt
Check: Visit yourdomain.com/robots.txt. Review the directives.
Pass: File exists, allows crawling of important content, blocks only what should be blocked (admin pages, internal search results, staging environments).
Fail: File is missing, blocks important content, or contains overly broad Disallow rules. You can test your robots.txt to quickly check for common misconfigurations.
3. XML Sitemap
Check: Visit yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml. Verify it exists, is properly formatted, and is referenced in your robots.txt.
Pass: Sitemap exists, includes all important pages, excludes noindexed or redirected URLs, and has been submitted to Google Search Console.
Fail: No sitemap, sitemap includes broken or noindexed URLs, or sitemap is not submitted to Search Console.
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4. Canonical Tags
Check: View the source of key pages. Look for <link rel="canonical"> tags.
Pass: Every indexable page has a self-referencing canonical. Duplicate content pages point canonical to the preferred version.
Fail: Missing canonicals, canonicals pointing to wrong pages, or multiple conflicting canonical tags on the same page.
5. Redirect Chains
Check: Test important URLs for redirect chains (A redirects to B, which redirects to C). Use a crawler or redirect checker.
Pass: All redirects resolve in a single hop. No chains longer than one redirect.
Fail: Redirect chains of three or more hops, redirect loops, or mixed redirect types (301 then 302).
6. Mobile Responsiveness
Check: Test your site on actual mobile devices or use Google's mobile-friendly test. Check that text is readable, buttons are tappable, and content does not overflow.
Pass: All pages render correctly on mobile. No horizontal scrolling, no tiny text, no overlapping elements.
Fail: Layout breaks on mobile, text requires zooming, or interactive elements are too small to tap.
7. Page Speed (Core Web Vitals)
Check: Run your key pages through PageSpeed Insights or Chrome UX Report. Check LCP, INP, and CLS scores.
Pass: LCP under 2.5s, INP under 200ms, CLS under 0.1 on both mobile and desktop.
Fail: Any metric in the "poor" range. See our Core Web Vitals guide for specific fixes.
8. HTTPS
Check: Verify your site loads over HTTPS. Check that HTTP URLs redirect to HTTPS. Look for mixed content warnings.
Pass: All pages load over HTTPS. HTTP requests 301-redirect to HTTPS. No mixed content.
Fail: Site accessible over HTTP without redirect, mixed content warnings, or expired/invalid SSL certificate.
9. Structured Data
Check: Run key pages through Google's Rich Results Test or Ooty's schema validator. Check for errors and warnings.
Pass: Structured data is present on relevant pages, validates without errors, and uses the correct schema types for the content.
Fail: No structured data, validation errors, or schema types that do not match the page content. For a full breakdown of which schema types produce rich results, see our schema markup types guide.
10. Hreflang Tags
Check: If your site serves content in multiple languages or targets multiple countries, verify hreflang tags are implemented correctly.
Pass: Every language/region version has reciprocal hreflang tags. Self-referencing hreflang is included. An x-default is specified.
Fail: Missing hreflang tags on multilingual content, non-reciprocal references, or hreflang pointing to redirected or noindexed pages. (Skip this item if your site is single-language, single-region.)
11. 404 Errors
Check: Review crawl reports and Search Console for 404 errors. Check inbound links pointing to pages that no longer exist.
Pass: No critical pages returning 404. Any 404s are either genuinely removed content or have proper 301 redirects in place.
Fail: Important pages returning 404, backlinks pointing to 404 pages without redirects, or a high volume of soft 404s.
12. Crawl Budget
Check: In Search Console, review the Crawl Stats report. Look at pages crawled per day and crawl response codes.
Pass: Google is crawling your important pages regularly. No excessive crawling of low-value pages (faceted navigation, paginated archives, parameters).
Fail: Important pages rarely crawled while Google spends budget on parameter variations, infinite scroll pagination, or duplicate filter combinations.
13. Duplicate Content
Check: Look for pages with identical or near-identical content. Common sources: www vs. non-www, trailing slashes, HTTP vs. HTTPS, URL parameters.
Pass: Only one URL exists for each piece of content, or duplicates are properly canonicalized.
Fail: Multiple URLs serving identical content without canonical tags, or search results showing the wrong version of a page. Our duplicate content guide covers the full range of causes and fixes.
14. Pagination
Check: If your site has paginated content (category pages, article archives), verify how pagination is handled.
Pass: Paginated pages are crawlable, have unique content, and either use rel="next"/"prev" or a view-all page with canonical. Component pages are not blocked by robots.txt.
Fail: Paginated pages are blocked from crawling, all paginated pages canonical to page 1 (losing unique content on subsequent pages), or pagination creates infinite crawl paths.
15. Rendering
Check: Use Google's URL Inspection tool to see how Google renders your pages. Compare the rendered HTML to what you see in a browser.
Pass: Google renders the page identically to what users see. All content is visible in the rendered output.
Fail: Content is missing from the rendered version, JavaScript errors prevent rendering, or critical content loads only after user interaction.
On-Page SEO (Items 16 to 25)
16. Title Tags
Check: Review title tags across your site. Check for length, keyword inclusion, and uniqueness.
Pass: Every page has a unique title tag under 60 characters. Primary keyword appears near the beginning. Titles are descriptive and compelling.
Fail: Missing titles, duplicate titles across pages, titles over 60 characters (truncated in search), or keyword-stuffed titles.
17. Meta Descriptions
Check: Review meta descriptions for your key pages. You can batch-check these with Ooty's meta analyzer.
Pass: Every important page has a unique meta description between 120 and 160 characters. Descriptions include the primary keyword and a clear value proposition.
Fail: Missing descriptions (Google will generate one, often poorly), duplicate descriptions, or descriptions outside the ideal length range.
18. H1 Tags
Check: Verify each page has exactly one H1 tag that accurately describes the page content.
Pass: One H1 per page, containing the primary keyword, distinct from the title tag but thematically aligned.
Fail: Missing H1, multiple H1 tags, H1 that does not relate to the page content, or H1 identical to the title tag.
19. Keyword Targeting
Check: For each key page, identify the target keyword. Verify the keyword appears in the title, H1, first paragraph, and naturally throughout the content.
Pass: Clear keyword targeting without overstuffing. Each important keyword is targeted by one specific page.
Fail: No clear keyword strategy, the same keyword targeted by multiple pages (cannibalization), or keyword density that feels forced.
20. Content Depth
Check: Compare your content to what ranks on page one for your target keywords. Assess topical coverage.
Pass: Your content covers the topic as thoroughly as or more thoroughly than competing pages. Subtopics and related questions are addressed.
Fail: Thin content that covers the topic superficially. Competitors answer questions your page does not address.
21. Internal Links
Check: Review the internal linking structure of your site. Check that important pages receive links from other relevant pages.
Pass: Key pages are linked from multiple relevant internal pages. Anchor text is descriptive (not "click here"). Orphan pages are minimal.
Fail: Important pages with few or no internal links, excessive "click here" anchor text, or a flat internal linking structure with no topical clustering.
22. Image Alt Text
Check: Review images across your site for alt text. Check that alt text is descriptive and includes relevant keywords where natural.
Pass: All meaningful images have descriptive alt text. Decorative images use empty alt attributes (alt=""). Keywords are included naturally, not stuffed. For the full picture on optimizing images for search, see our image SEO guide.
Fail: Images missing alt text entirely, all images using the same generic alt text, or alt text stuffed with keywords.
23. URL Structure
Check: Review your URL patterns for readability, keyword inclusion, and consistency.
Pass: URLs are short, descriptive, use hyphens to separate words, and include the target keyword. URL structure reflects site hierarchy.
Fail: URLs with long parameter strings, IDs instead of words, underscores instead of hyphens, or inconsistent patterns across sections.
24. Content Freshness
Check: Identify your most important pages. When were they last updated?
Pass: Key content is reviewed and updated at least annually. Dates, statistics, and examples reflect current information.
Fail: Important pages with outdated information, references to past years as current, or "last updated" dates from years ago.
25. Outbound Links
Check: Review external links on your pages. Verify they point to relevant, authoritative sources and are not broken.
Pass: Outbound links go to reputable sources. Broken external links are minimal. Affiliate or sponsored links use appropriate rel attributes.
Fail: Links to spammy or irrelevant sites, large numbers of broken outbound links, or affiliate links without proper rel="sponsored" tags.
Off-Page SEO (Items 26 to 30)
26. Backlink Profile
Check: Review your backlink profile using Ahrefs, Moz, Semrush, or a similar tool. Look at referring domain count, domain authority distribution, and anchor text diversity.
Pass: A growing number of referring domains from relevant, authoritative sites. Diverse anchor text. No sudden spikes suggesting link schemes.
Fail: Very few backlinks, links predominantly from low-quality or irrelevant sites, or over-optimized anchor text.
27. Toxic Links
Check: Identify links from spammy, irrelevant, or penalized domains. Look for patterns suggesting paid links or link networks.
Pass: No significant toxic link patterns. Any historical toxic links have been disavowed.
Fail: Large clusters of links from link farms, foreign-language spam sites, or PBN-style networks without a disavow file.
28. Competitor Comparison
Check: Compare your backlink profile to the top three competitors for your primary keywords. Look at referring domain count, domain rating, and content gaps.
Pass: Your link profile is competitive with or growing toward parity with ranking competitors.
Fail: Competitors have significantly more referring domains from better sources, revealing a link gap that content alone cannot overcome.
29. Brand Mentions
Check: Search for your brand name without your domain. Look for unlinked mentions on other sites.
Pass: Your brand appears on relevant industry sites, news outlets, and social platforms. Unlinked mentions represent link-building opportunities.
Fail: Very few brand mentions outside your own properties, or negative mentions dominating the results.
30. Local Citations
Check: If you are a local business, audit your NAP (Name, Address, Phone) consistency across directories, social profiles, and data aggregators.
Pass: Consistent NAP information across all major directories. No outdated addresses or phone numbers.
Fail: Inconsistent business information across directories. Old listings with wrong details still live. For a full local SEO strategy, see our local SEO guide.
Content Quality (Items 31 to 35)
31. E-E-A-T Signals
Check: Does your content demonstrate Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness? Look for author bios, credentials, sources, and evidence of first-hand knowledge.
Pass: Content is attributed to identifiable authors with relevant expertise. Claims are sourced. The site demonstrates credibility for its topic area.
Fail: No author attribution, anonymous content on YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) topics, no evidence of expertise, or claims without sources.
32. Thin Content
Check: Identify pages with very little unique content. Sort pages by word count and review the shortest ones.
Pass: Every indexed page provides substantial, unique value. No boilerplate-heavy pages with minimal original content.
Fail: Pages with under 200 words of original content, tag pages indexing with only a title and a few links, or pages that exist solely for internal linking.
33. Keyword Cannibalization
Check: Search for your target keywords in Search Console. If multiple pages from your site appear for the same keyword, and their rankings fluctuate, you have cannibalization.
Pass: Each important keyword is targeted by one clearly defined page. That page ranks consistently.
Fail: Multiple pages competing for the same keyword, with neither ranking well. Rankings for the keyword fluctuate between different pages on your site.
34. Topical Coverage
Check: Map your content against the key topics in your niche. Identify gaps where competitors have content and you do not.
Pass: Comprehensive coverage of your core topics. Supporting content exists for subtopics and related queries.
Fail: Major topical gaps. Competitors cover important subtopics that your site does not address at all.
35. Content Gaps
Check: Use Search Console to find queries where your site gets impressions but few clicks. These represent content opportunities.
Pass: You have identified and are addressing content gaps systematically. A content calendar targets high-impression, low-click queries.
Fail: Large numbers of queries driving impressions without corresponding content. No system for identifying and filling content gaps.
Analytics and Monitoring (Items 36 to 40)
36. Search Console Errors
Check: Review the Coverage, Core Web Vitals, and Enhancements reports in Google Search Console.
Pass: No critical errors. Warnings are documented and being addressed. Coverage report shows expected index status.
Fail: Unresolved critical errors, a growing number of pages with issues, or Search Console not connected to the site at all.
37. GA4 Setup
Check: Verify Google Analytics 4 is installed on all pages. Check that data is flowing correctly and that the property is configured for your business.
Pass: GA4 is installed site-wide, tracking data correctly. Events are configured for key interactions. Data retention is set to 14 months.
Fail: Analytics missing from some pages, tracking code installed incorrectly, still running only Universal Analytics (which stopped processing data in July 2024), or no analytics at all.
38. Conversion Tracking
Check: Verify that conversions (form submissions, purchases, sign-ups, phone calls) are tracked in GA4 and attributed correctly.
Pass: All important conversion actions are tracked. Attribution model is appropriate. Conversion data is reliable.
Fail: No conversion tracking, broken event tracking, or conversions only tracked on some pages.
39. Search Performance Trends
Check: In Search Console, review clicks, impressions, CTR, and average position over the last 6 to 12 months. Identify trends.
Pass: Stable or growing clicks and impressions. No unexplained drops. CTR is reasonable for your average position.
Fail: Declining clicks or impressions without explanation. Significant drops that correlate with algorithm updates, site changes, or technical issues that were not investigated.
40. Crawl Stats
Check: In Search Console, review the Crawl Stats report. Look at crawl rate, response time, and response codes over time.
Pass: Consistent crawl rate. Average response time under 500ms. The vast majority of crawl responses are 200 (OK). Very few 5xx errors.
Fail: Declining crawl rate, increasing response times, high percentage of 5xx errors, or spikes in "not modified" responses suggesting caching issues.
How to Use This Checklist
Work through it category by category, starting with Technical SEO. Technical issues block everything else. A site with crawl errors will not benefit from better content. A site without analytics cannot measure whether changes are working.
After the audit, prioritize fixes by impact. Indexing issues, broken redirects, and missing analytics are urgent. Title tag optimization and content depth improvements are important but can be scheduled. Backlink building is ongoing.
Run your site through Ooty's free SEO analyzer to automate the technical checks. It covers items 1 through 9, 11, 16, 17, 18, and 22 in a single scan, giving you a head start on the manual review. For a broader look at which AI SEO tools can help with each stage of an audit, see our comparison.
Repeat this audit quarterly. SEO is not a one-time project. Sites change, algorithms update, competitors adapt. A quarterly audit catches problems before they compound. For a hands-on walkthrough of running this checklist with AI assistance, see our SEO audit with Claude tutorial.
