What does a basic SEO audit include?
A basic SEO audit checks whether important pages work, can be crawled, communicate their purpose, link together sensibly, and help visitors complete a useful task. Start with your most valuable URLs. To apply this to your website, start with the specific page or setting involved. Your audit sheet has URL, issue, impact, proposed fix and after-check columns, with at least one confirmed resolution. Follow the quick checks below or use the linked full guide for a more complete walkthrough.
A quick way to handle this
Start by confirming the live URL or record involved and what the visitor is trying to accomplish. Use Google Search Console > Indexing > Pages to inspect exclusions; if you lack Search Console, test whether the URLs return a real 200 response and are linked from the site.
In a spreadsheet, give every issue an owner and urgency: inaccessible service page first, wrong phone number second, a weak blog title later.
Practical example
A roofing company finds that its repair service is only mentioned in a footer sentence: a dedicated repair page with service area and contact details fills a genuine gap.
This is a hypothetical illustration; verify the facts and settings for your own website before applying it.
How to check the result
Your audit sheet has URL, issue, impact, proposed fix and after-check columns, with at least one confirmed resolution.
Check the public version of the page, not only an editor preview. Record the affected URLs and whether any remaining issue needs a deeper review.
One mistake worth avoiding
Treating an SEO score from a free checker as evidence of traffic growth. Validate each warning against the live page and a real user need.
Search engines choose their own ranking and indexing outcomes. Focus on producing an accurate, usable page rather than promising a particular placement.
Key takeaways
- Open your home page, top service pages and contact page in a private browser window. Record each URL, its visible H1 and what a first-time buyer can accomplish there.
- In a spreadsheet, give every issue an owner and urgency: inaccessible service page first, wrong phone number second, a weak blog title later.
- Your audit sheet has URL, issue, impact, proposed fix and after-check columns, with at least one confirmed resolution.
Further reading
For technical search guidance, refer to the relevant official documentation. Verify changing platform details against the current source.