Tools you need

Google Search ConsolePageSpeed Insightsschema.org Rich Results TestScreaming Frog (free)

The steps

1. 1Confirm your site is indexed
   Type "site:yourdomain.com" into Google. Count results. If the count is far lower than your page count, you have an indexation problem — open Search Console > Pages > Not indexed.
2. 2Run Core Web Vitals
   Open PageSpeed Insights, enter your URL, note LCP, INP and CLS on mobile. Anything above "good" is a priority fix — LCP under 2.5s, CLS under 0.1, INP under 200ms.
3. 3Validate structured data
   Paste each key URL into Googles Rich Results Test. Note any errors or warnings on Organization, LocalBusiness, Service, FAQPage and BreadcrumbList schemas.
4. 4Check sitemap and robots.txt
   Visit /sitemap.xml and /robots.txt. Confirm the sitemap lists only canonical URLs and that robots.txt is not accidentally blocking important sections.
5. 5Look for broken links and redirects
   Run a crawl with Screaming Frog (free up to 500 URLs). Note any 404s, 500s or redirect chains longer than one hop.
6. 6Review title tags and meta descriptions
   Export titles and descriptions from Screaming Frog. Mark duplicates, anything over 60 characters for titles or 160 for descriptions, and anything missing the primary keyword.
7. 7Check mobile-friendliness
   Open every template (home, service, blog) on a real phone. Tap-target size, font size and unexpected horizontal scroll are the most common issues.
8. 8Assess internal linking
   List your top 5 money pages. Confirm each has at least 3 internal links from other relevant pages with descriptive anchor text.
9. 9Summarise and prioritise
   Write the top 5 issues in order of impact vs effort. Fix the two highest-impact items this week; schedule the rest into a 30-day plan.

Frequently asked

• Do I need paid tools for an SEO audit?No. Google Search Console, PageSpeed Insights, Rich Results Test and the free tier of Screaming Frog cover 80% of a useful audit.
• How often should I audit my site?A full audit every 90 days, with a lightweight Core Web Vitals check monthly.