SEO Audit Checklist

// Categories: Technical | On-Page | Content & Keywords | Off-Page

// TECHNICAL SEO (15 checks)
✓ robots.txt present and not blocking key pages
✓ XML sitemap submitted to Google Search Console
✓ HTTPS enabled on all pages
✓ LCP < 2.5s (measure with PageSpeed Insights)
✓ INP < 200ms
✓ CLS < 0.1
✓ Mobile responsive (test at 375px)
✓ Canonical tags on all pages
✓ No 404 errors on crawled pages
✓ 301 redirects for moved content
✓ Structured data validates in Rich Results Test
✓ No noindex on pages you want ranked
✓ hreflang if serving multiple languages
✓ Pagination handled correctly
✓ No duplicate content issues

// ON-PAGE SEO (12 checks)
✓ Unique title tag, 50-60 chars, keyword-first
✓ Unique meta description, 150-160 chars
✓ Exactly one H1 per page containing keyword
✓ Heading hierarchy (H1 → H2 → H3, no skipping)
✓ All images have descriptive alt text (max 125 chars)
✓ Image filenames are descriptive (not IMG_2847.jpg)
✓ 3-5 internal links per page with descriptive anchor text
✓ URL is short, lowercase, hyphenated, keyword-aware
✓ Content answers the search intent
✓ Featured snippet optimized (definition in first 100 words)
✓ Key Takeaways / summary section present
✓ Content freshness (updated within 12 months)

// CONTENT & KEYWORDS (8 checks)
✓ Primary keyword mapped to this page (no keyword cannibalization)
✓ Content gaps identified vs top 3 competitors
✓ Topic cluster structure in place (pillar + cluster pages)
✓ Search intent matches content type
✓ E-E-A-T signals: author bio, sources, expertise shown
✓ Thin pages (< 300 words) identified and expanded or removed
✓ Duplicate content audited (canonical or consolidated)
✓ Content calendar aligned to keyword priority

// OFF-PAGE (5 checks)
✓ Backlink profile reviewed in Ahrefs / Semrush
✓ Toxic/spammy links identified and disavowed
✓ Brand mentions monitored (Google Alerts)
✓ NAP consistency across all directories (Name, Address, Phone)
✓ Google Business Profile optimized (if local business)