SEO audit checklist: 218 checks across four layers

An SEO audit checklist is the full list of checks that explain why a site ranks below its potential, covering crawling and indexing, topical coverage, competitor results pages and AI visibility. This one holds 218 checks in 38 categories, each with the method, the tool and the pass criteria, in the order we run them on client sites.

218 checks
4 layers
No email required

Khairuzzaman ShariaFounder, Evariko · Last reviewed 1 October 2026

The full SEO audit checklist

All 218 checks are listed below, grouped into 38 categories across the four layers. Work through the layers in order, because coverage means nothing on a site that cannot be crawled.

115Crawling and indexingRobots, sitemaps, indexation, speed, schema
55Topical coverageEntities, query networks, content mapping
26Competitor SERPsIntent, SERP features, authority
22AI visibilityAssistant mentions, entities, extractability

Critical
Blocks indexing or ranking across the site. Fix before anything else.
High
Holds back rankings on important pages. Fix in the first month.
Medium
Limits performance. Fix once Critical and High are cleared.
Low
Housekeeping. Fix when convenient.

Crawling and indexing

Can search engines reach, read and index your pages?

115 checks

Every later layer depends on this one. A page that is blocked, duplicated or too slow to render is invisible regardless of how well it answers a question.

Robots and directives

Robots and directives checks, with method, tool, pass criteria and severity
ID	Check	How to check	Tool	Pass criteria	Severity
CI-001	robots.txt returns 200 and is reachable at the domain root	Open /robots.txt in a browser and check the HTTP status	Browser, Screaming Frog	File loads with status 200; not 404, 5xx or a redirect loop	Critical
CI-002	robots.txt does not block pages that should rank	Test key URLs against robots.txt rules	Search Console robots.txt report, Screaming Frog	No Disallow rule matches an indexable, ranking page	Critical
CI-003	CSS, JavaScript and image files are not blocked	Check Disallow rules against /wp-content/, /assets/ and similar paths	Search Console URL Inspection	Rendered page in URL Inspection matches the live page	High
CI-004	robots.txt declares the XML sitemap location	Look for a Sitemap: line in robots.txt	Browser	Absolute sitemap URL listed	Low
CI-005	No accidental site-wide noindex	Search source of the homepage and key templates for noindex	View Source, Screaming Frog	No noindex on pages intended to rank	Critical
CI-006	CMS 'discourage search engines' setting is off	Check WordPress Settings > Reading or the CMS equivalent	CMS admin	Setting unticked on production	Critical
CI-007	No conflicting robots directives on the same URL	Compare meta robots, X-Robots-Tag header and robots.txt	Screaming Frog, curl -I	One consistent directive per URL	High
CI-008	X-Robots-Tag headers set only where intended	Inspect response headers on HTML, PDF and image URLs	curl -I, Screaming Frog	No noindex header on indexable resources	High
CI-009	Staging and development sites are blocked from indexing	Search site: for staging subdomains	Google search, Search Console	No staging URLs in Google's index	High
CI-010	AI crawler access is a deliberate decision	Check robots.txt rules for GPTBot, Google-Extended, PerplexityBot, ClaudeBot	Browser	Allow or block chosen on purpose and documented	Medium

XML sitemaps

XML sitemaps checks, with method, tool, pass criteria and severity
ID	Check	How to check	Tool	Pass criteria	Severity
CI-011	XML sitemap exists and returns 200	Open the sitemap URL	Browser	Valid XML, status 200	High
CI-012	Sitemap is submitted in Search Console	Check the Sitemaps report	Search Console	Status 'Success' with a recent read date	High
CI-013	Sitemap contains only indexable, canonical, 200 URLs	Crawl the sitemap list mode	Screaming Frog list mode	No redirects, 404s, noindex or non-canonical URLs	High
CI-014	Every indexable page appears in a sitemap	Compare crawl of indexable URLs against sitemap URLs	Screaming Frog (Sitemaps tab)	No indexable orphans missing from sitemaps	Medium
CI-015	Sitemap stays under 50,000 URLs and 50 MB per file	Count entries and file size	Browser, Screaming Frog	Split into a sitemap index where limits are reached	Low
CI-016	lastmod dates reflect real content changes	Compare lastmod against actual edit dates	Browser	lastmod changes only when content changes	Low
CI-017	Image and video sitemaps present where media drives traffic	Check for image or video sitemap entries	Browser	Present on media-heavy sites	Low

Indexation

Indexation checks, with method, tool, pass criteria and severity
ID	Check	How to check	Tool	Pass criteria	Severity
CI-018	Indexed page count matches expectations	Compare Search Console indexed count with the intended page count	Search Console Pages report	Gap under 10% and explained	High
CI-019	'Crawled, currently not indexed' pages reviewed	Export the report and sample URLs	Search Console Pages report	Cause identified for each pattern	High
CI-020	'Discovered, currently not indexed' pages reviewed	Export and sample URLs	Search Console Pages report	Cause identified; internal links or quality addressed	High
CI-021	Key pages indexed individually	Inspect the ten most important URLs	Search Console URL Inspection	All report 'URL is on Google'	Critical
CI-022	No low-value pages indexed (tags, search results, filters)	site: searches for parameter and archive patterns	Google search, Search Console	Low-value templates noindexed or excluded	Medium
CI-023	'Duplicate, Google chose different canonical' reviewed	Export and compare canonicals	Search Console Pages report	Google's choice matches the declared canonical	High
CI-024	Soft 404s identified	Export soft 404 list	Search Console Pages report	No thin or empty pages returning 200	Medium
CI-025	Manual actions checked	Open the Manual actions report	Search Console	No manual actions	Critical
CI-026	Security issues checked	Open the Security issues report	Search Console	No security issues reported	Critical

Status codes and redirects

Status codes and redirects checks, with method, tool, pass criteria and severity
ID	Check	How to check	Tool	Pass criteria	Severity
CI-027	No internal links point to 4xx pages	Crawl and filter by 4xx response	Screaming Frog	Zero internal links to 4xx	High
CI-028	No 5xx server errors during crawl	Crawl and filter by 5xx	Screaming Frog, server logs	Zero 5xx responses	Critical
CI-029	Redirects use 301 for permanent moves	Check redirect types	Screaming Frog	No 302 or 307 used for permanent changes	Medium
CI-030	No redirect chains longer than one hop	Run the redirect chains report	Screaming Frog	Every redirect resolves in one hop	Medium
CI-031	No redirect loops	Run the redirect chains report	Screaming Frog	Zero loops	Critical
CI-032	Internal links point to final URLs, not redirects	Filter inlinks to 3xx URLs	Screaming Frog	Internal links updated to destination URLs	Medium
CI-033	Deleted pages with backlinks redirect to a relevant page	Cross-check 404s against backlink data	Ahrefs or Semrush, Screaming Frog	Linked 404s redirect to the closest equivalent	High
CI-034	Custom 404 page returns a true 404 status	Request a non-existent URL	curl -I	Status 404 with a helpful page	Medium
CI-035	HTTP redirects to HTTPS in one hop	Request http:// version	curl -I	Single 301 to https://	High
CI-036	www and non-www resolve to one version	Request both hostnames	curl -I	One hostname; the other 301s to it	High
CI-037	Trailing slash handled consistently	Request URLs with and without trailing slash	curl -I	One version 200, the other 301s	Medium

Canonicalisation

Canonicalisation checks, with method, tool, pass criteria and severity
ID	Check	How to check	Tool	Pass criteria	Severity
CI-038	Every indexable page has a self-referencing canonical	Crawl and check canonical column	Screaming Frog	Canonical present and matches the URL	High
CI-039	Canonicals use absolute URLs	Inspect canonical values	Screaming Frog	Full https:// URLs	Low
CI-040	No canonical points to a redirect, 404 or noindex URL	Filter canonical targets by status	Screaming Frog	All canonical targets return 200 and are indexable	High
CI-041	Only one canonical tag per page	Check for multiple canonical tags	Screaming Frog	Exactly one	Medium
CI-042	Parameter URLs canonicalise to the clean URL	Crawl with parameters	Screaming Frog	Tracking and sort parameters canonicalise to base URL	Medium
CI-043	Canonical is in the raw HTML, not only injected by JavaScript	Compare raw and rendered HTML	Screaming Frog (JS rendering), View Source	Canonical present in raw HTML	Medium

Duplicate content

Duplicate content checks, with method, tool, pass criteria and severity
ID	Check	How to check	Tool	Pass criteria	Severity
CI-044	No exact duplicate pages	Run duplicate content analysis	Screaming Frog (Content > Duplicates)	Zero exact duplicates	High
CI-045	Near-duplicate pages reviewed	Check near-duplicates above 90% similarity	Screaming Frog	Merged, differentiated or canonicalised	Medium
CI-046	No duplicate title tags across indexable pages	Filter duplicate titles	Screaming Frog	Every title unique	Medium
CI-047	No duplicate H1s across indexable pages	Filter duplicate H1	Screaming Frog	Every H1 unique	Medium
CI-048	Printer, AMP or session-ID versions do not create duplicates	Search for alternate URL patterns	Screaming Frog, site: search	Alternates canonicalised or removed	Low
CI-049	Boilerplate content does not outweigh main content	Compare template text to unique text on thin templates	Manual review	Unique main content dominates each page	Medium

Site architecture

Site architecture checks, with method, tool, pass criteria and severity
ID	Check	How to check	Tool	Pass criteria	Severity
CI-050	Important pages within three clicks of the homepage	Check crawl depth	Screaming Frog (Crawl depth)	Core pages at depth 3 or less	High
CI-051	No orphan pages	Compare crawl with sitemap and analytics URLs	Screaming Frog with GA4 and GSC connected	Every indexable page has at least one internal link	High
CI-052	Navigation reflects the site's topical hierarchy	Map main navigation against core sections	Manual review	Core section reachable from main navigation	Medium
CI-053	Breadcrumbs present and consistent	Check templates for breadcrumbs	Manual review, Screaming Frog custom extraction	Breadcrumbs on all inner pages, matching URL hierarchy	Low
CI-054	Internal links use HTML anchor tags crawlers can follow	Check for links built with onclick or buttons	Screaming Frog, View Source	Navigational links are <a href> elements	High
CI-055	Footer and sidebar links kept minimal	Count sitewide links	Screaming Frog (Inlinks)	No bloated sitewide link blocks	Low

URL structure

URL structure checks, with method, tool, pass criteria and severity
ID	Check	How to check	Tool	Pass criteria	Severity
CI-056	URLs are lowercase, hyphen-separated and readable	Review URL list	Screaming Frog	No uppercase, underscores or encoded characters	Low
CI-057	URLs reflect the site hierarchy	Review folder structure	Screaming Frog	Folders mirror the topical structure	Medium
CI-058	No words repeated within one URL	Scan URL paths	Screaming Frog export	Each word appears once per URL	Low
CI-059	URL length kept short	Filter URLs over 100 characters	Screaming Frog	Core URLs short and descriptive	Low
CI-060	No dynamic parameters on indexable pages	Filter URLs containing ?	Screaming Frog	Indexable pages use clean URLs	Medium

JavaScript rendering

JavaScript rendering checks, with method, tool, pass criteria and severity
ID	Check	How to check	Tool	Pass criteria	Severity
CI-061	Main content present in raw HTML or rendered reliably	Compare raw and rendered text	Screaming Frog JS rendering, URL Inspection	Main content visible in Google's rendered HTML	Critical
CI-062	Internal links present after rendering	Compare link counts raw vs rendered	Screaming Frog	No links that exist only after user interaction	High
CI-063	No content hidden behind clicks that crawlers cannot trigger	Test tabs, accordions and load-more buttons	URL Inspection, View Source	Content in the DOM on load	Medium
CI-064	Lazy-loaded content uses crawler-safe methods	Check lazy-load implementation	URL Inspection	Content loads without scroll events	Medium
CI-065	Titles, meta and canonicals not rewritten client-side	Compare raw vs rendered head	Screaming Frog	Head tags identical in raw and rendered HTML	Medium

Page speed and Core Web Vitals

Page speed and Core Web Vitals checks, with method, tool, pass criteria and severity
ID	Check	How to check	Tool	Pass criteria	Severity
CI-066	Largest Contentful Paint under 2.5 seconds	Check field data	PageSpeed Insights, Search Console CWV report	75th percentile LCP ≤ 2.5s	High
CI-067	Interaction to Next Paint under 200 ms	Check field data	PageSpeed Insights, Search Console CWV report	75th percentile INP ≤ 200ms	High
CI-068	Cumulative Layout Shift under 0.1	Check field data	PageSpeed Insights, Search Console CWV report	75th percentile CLS ≤ 0.1	Medium
CI-069	Server response time (TTFB) under 800 ms	Test key templates	PageSpeed Insights, WebPageTest	TTFB ≤ 800ms	Medium
CI-070	Images compressed and served in modern formats	Check image weights and formats	PageSpeed Insights, Screaming Frog	WebP or AVIF; no image over 200 KB without reason	Medium
CI-071	Images have width and height attributes	Check img tags	Screaming Frog custom extraction	Dimensions declared to prevent layout shift	Low
CI-072	Render-blocking CSS and JavaScript minimised	Check opportunities in PSI	PageSpeed Insights	Critical CSS inline; non-critical deferred	Medium
CI-073	Unused fonts and font weights removed	List loaded font files	Browser DevTools Network tab	Only weights in use are loaded	Low
CI-074	Fonts served locally with font-display: swap	Check font source and CSS	DevTools	Fonts from own domain with swap	Low
CI-075	Caching and compression enabled	Check response headers	curl -I, GTmetrix	Brotli or Gzip on; cache headers set on static assets	Medium
CI-076	Third-party scripts audited	List third-party requests	DevTools, WebPageTest	Every script justified; unused removed	Medium

Mobile

Mobile checks, with method, tool, pass criteria and severity
ID	Check	How to check	Tool	Pass criteria	Severity
CI-077	Site is responsive on all templates	Test key templates at mobile widths	Chrome DevTools device mode	No horizontal scroll or clipped content	High
CI-078	Mobile and desktop content are equivalent	Compare content on both	Manual review	Same main content, headings and links	High
CI-079	Tap targets adequately sized and spaced	Check buttons and links	Lighthouse	Targets at least 48x48 px	Low
CI-080	Text readable without zoom	Check body font size	Lighthouse	Body text 16px or larger	Low
CI-081	Viewport meta tag set correctly	View source	View Source	width=device-width, initial-scale=1	Medium
CI-082	No intrusive interstitials on mobile	Load pages from search on mobile	Manual review	No full-screen pop-ups blocking content on entry	Medium

Security

Security checks, with method, tool, pass criteria and severity
ID	Check	How to check	Tool	Pass criteria	Severity
CI-083	HTTPS on every page	Crawl for http:// URLs	Screaming Frog	All pages served over HTTPS	Critical
CI-084	No mixed content	Crawl for insecure resources	Screaming Frog (Security tab), DevTools	Zero http:// resources on https:// pages	Medium
CI-085	SSL certificate valid and not near expiry	Check certificate details	Browser, SSL Labs	Valid, auto-renewing	High
CI-086	HSTS header set	Check response headers	curl -I, securityheaders.com	Strict-Transport-Security present	Low
CI-087	CMS, theme and plugins up to date	Check update status	CMS admin	No outdated or abandoned plugins	Medium

Structured data

Structured data checks, with method, tool, pass criteria and severity
ID	Check	How to check	Tool	Pass criteria	Severity
CI-088	Organization schema on the homepage	Test homepage	Rich Results Test, Schema Markup Validator	Valid Organization with name, logo, url, sameAs	High
CI-089	BreadcrumbList schema on inner pages	Test sample pages	Rich Results Test	Valid, matching visible breadcrumbs	Low
CI-090	Article schema on editorial content	Test sample articles	Rich Results Test	Valid with author, datePublished, dateModified	Medium
CI-091	Product schema on product pages	Test sample products	Rich Results Test	Valid with price, availability, reviews where real	High
CI-092	LocalBusiness schema where a physical location exists	Test contact and location pages	Rich Results Test	Valid with NAP matching Google Business Profile	Medium
CI-093	FAQPage schema matches visible text exactly	Compare schema text with page text	Rich Results Test, manual review	Word-for-word match	Medium
CI-094	No duplicate schema blocks of the same type	View source for multiple JSON-LD blocks	View Source, Schema Markup Validator	One block per type per page	Medium
CI-095	No schema errors in Search Console enhancements	Check Enhancements reports	Search Console	Zero invalid items	Medium
CI-096	Schema describes only content visible on the page	Compare markup with page	Manual review	No hidden or invented claims in markup	High

Internationalisation

Internationalisation checks, with method, tool, pass criteria and severity
ID	Check	How to check	Tool	Pass criteria	Severity
CI-097	hreflang present where multiple languages or regions exist	Check head or sitemap for hreflang	Screaming Frog (hreflang tab)	Every language version annotated	High
CI-098	hreflang tags are reciprocal	Run hreflang report	Screaming Frog	Every alternate links back	High
CI-099	hreflang codes valid (ISO 639-1 / 3166-1)	Validate language and region codes	Screaming Frog, hreflang validator	No invalid codes such as en-UK	Medium
CI-100	x-default declared	Check hreflang set	Screaming Frog	x-default present	Low
CI-101	hreflang URLs are canonical and return 200	Filter hreflang targets	Screaming Frog	No redirects or non-canonical targets	Medium
CI-102	No automatic redirects based on IP or language	Load site with different locations	VPN, curl	Users and crawlers can reach every version	High

Pagination and faceted navigation

Pagination and faceted navigation checks, with method, tool, pass criteria and severity
ID	Check	How to check	Tool	Pass criteria	Severity
CI-103	Paginated pages are indexable and self-canonical	Check page 2+ of listings	Screaming Frog	Page 2+ not canonicalised to page 1	Medium
CI-104	Paginated pages linked with crawlable links	Check pagination markup	View Source	<a href> links to next pages	Medium
CI-105	Faceted filters do not create unlimited indexable URLs	Crawl filter combinations	Screaming Frog, log files	Low-value combinations noindexed, canonicalised or blocked	Critical
CI-106	High-demand filter combinations have indexable landing pages	Match filter combinations to search demand	Keyword tool, Search Console	Demand-backed facets exposed as clean URLs	Medium
CI-107	Infinite scroll has paginated fallback URLs	Disable JS and test listing pages	Browser	Each chunk has a unique crawlable URL	Medium

Log files and crawl budget

Log files and crawl budget checks, with method, tool, pass criteria and severity
ID	Check	How to check	Tool	Pass criteria	Severity
CI-108	Server logs available for analysis	Request 30 days of access logs	Hosting provider	Logs obtained	Low
CI-109	Googlebot crawls important pages frequently	Analyse Googlebot hits by section	Screaming Frog Log File Analyser	Core section receives the largest share of crawls	Medium
CI-110	Crawl budget not wasted on parameters or low-value URLs	Group Googlebot hits by URL pattern	Log File Analyser	Under 10% of crawls on low-value URLs	Medium
CI-111	Crawl stats show no host or availability problems	Open Crawl stats	Search Console Settings > Crawl stats	Host status green; no spikes in failed requests	High

Images and media

Images and media checks, with method, tool, pass criteria and severity
ID	Check	How to check	Tool	Pass criteria	Severity
CI-112	All meaningful images have descriptive alt text	Filter images missing alt	Screaming Frog	Alt text on every content image	Medium
CI-113	Image file names describe the image	Review file names	Screaming Frog	No IMG_1234 style names on key images	Low
CI-114	Decorative images use empty alt	Check decorative images	Manual review	alt="" on decorative images	Low
CI-115	Videos have transcripts or text summaries	Review video pages	Manual review	Text equivalent on page	Low

Topical coverage

Which questions in your subject does the site answer?

55 checks

Coverage is judged against what a complete treatment of your subject requires, not against your page count. The gaps are usually where the demand is.

Source context and central entity

Source context and central entity checks, with method, tool, pass criteria and severity
ID	Check	How to check	Tool	Pass criteria	Severity
TC-001	Source context defined	Write why the site exists in search and how it earns	Workshop, About page	One-sentence source context agreed	Critical
TC-002	Central entity identified and recognised	Search '[entity] Wikipedia' and check Knowledge Graph	Google search, Wikidata	Entity recognised by Google	High
TC-003	Central search intent stated	Combine source context with central entity as predicate + entity	Workshop	CSI written and used across templates	High
TC-004	Central entity appears site-wide	Check templates for entity in titles, headings, boilerplate	Screaming Frog custom search	Entity present on every indexable template	Medium
TC-005	Core and outer sections defined	Split topics into monetising core and supporting outer	Topical map	Every page assigned to core or outer	High
TC-006	About page states source context and entity	Review About page	Manual review	Brand, entity and purpose stated plainly	Medium

Query network

Query network checks, with method, tool, pass criteria and severity
ID	Check	How to check	Tool	Pass criteria	Severity
TC-007	Seed queries collected for the central entity	Pull queries from Search Console, keyword tools and SERPs	Search Console, Ahrefs, Semrush	Seed list covers all prominent attributes	High
TC-008	Entity attributes listed and filtered	List attributes, score for prominence, popularity and relevance	Spreadsheet, Wikidata	Attributes ranked by relevance to source context	High
TC-009	People Also Ask and related searches captured	Scrape PAA and related searches for seed queries	SERP tools, AlsoAsked	Questions logged against attributes	Medium
TC-010	Queries clustered by SERP overlap	Cluster by shared ranking URLs	Keyword Insights, Semrush clustering	Clusters reviewed manually	High
TC-011	Sequential and correlative queries mapped	Trace what users search before and after key queries	Search Console, SERP related searches	Query paths documented	Medium
TC-012	Search demand verified before creating new pages	Check volume and trend for each cluster	Keyword tool, Google Trends	Separate pages only where demand exists	Medium

Content mapping

Content mapping checks, with method, tool, pass criteria and severity
ID	Check	How to check	Tool	Pass criteria	Severity
TC-013	Every existing page mapped to one cluster	Map URLs to clusters	Spreadsheet	One primary cluster per page	High
TC-014	Missing clusters identified	Compare clusters with existing pages	Topical map	Gap list sequenced by demand and relevance	Critical
TC-015	Thin clusters identified	Flag clusters served by short or partial pages	Screaming Frog word count, manual review	Thin pages flagged for expansion or merge	High
TC-016	One macro context per page	Read each page against its target cluster	Manual review	Each page answers one main question	High
TC-017	Quality nodes identified and linked from homepage	List the most important core pages	Topical map, Screaming Frog	Quality nodes one click from the homepage	High
TC-018	Publication sequence set	Order gaps into blocks that close one area at a time	Topical map	Sequence agreed	Medium

Cannibalisation

Cannibalisation checks, with method, tool, pass criteria and severity
ID	Check	How to check	Tool	Pass criteria	Severity
TC-019	No two pages target the same primary query	Search Console queries with multiple ranking URLs	Search Console, Semrush cannibalisation report	One ranking URL per primary query	High
TC-020	Overlapping pages merged or differentiated	Review each overlap pair	Manual review	Merged with 301, or intents separated	High
TC-021	Service pages and guides target different intents	Compare commercial pages with informational ones	Manual review	Commercial and informational intents separated	Medium

Content quality

Content quality checks, with method, tool, pass criteria and severity
ID	Check	How to check	Tool	Pass criteria	Severity
TC-022	Main answer stated in the first paragraph	Read opening of key pages	Manual review	Definitive answer in the first two sentences	High
TC-023	First sentence after each heading answers that heading	Review subordinate text	Manual review	Direct answer under every heading	Medium
TC-024	Content covers the entities and attributes competitors cover	Compare entity coverage with top results	Manual review, NLP tools	No major entity or attribute missing	High
TC-025	Claims use definitive language where facts are settled	Scan for may, might, could on settled facts	Manual review	Modal verbs only where uncertainty is real	Medium
TC-026	Numbers, dates and units are specific	Scan for vague quantities	Manual review	Figures stated with units and sources	Medium
TC-027	No contradictions between pages	Compare repeated facts across the site	Manual review	Same fact stated the same way everywhere	High
TC-028	Original value present (data, examples, case evidence)	Review key pages	Manual review	Each key page holds something competitors lack	Medium
TC-029	Spelling and grammar checked	Run a proofreading pass	Grammarly, LanguageTool	No errors on key pages	Low
TC-030	AI-assisted content reviewed and fact-checked	Check editorial workflow	Editorial policy	Human review before publishing	Medium

Title tags

Title tags checks, with method, tool, pass criteria and severity
ID	Check	How to check	Tool	Pass criteria	Severity
TC-031	Every page has a unique title tag	Filter missing and duplicate titles	Screaming Frog	Unique title on every indexable page	High
TC-032	Title states the page's entity and attribute	Review titles against macro context	Manual review	Title matches the page's main question	High
TC-033	Titles 50 to 60 characters	Filter by length	Screaming Frog	Core titles within range	Low
TC-034	Google is not rewriting titles on key pages	Compare SERP titles with declared titles	Google search	Displayed title matches declared title	Medium

Meta descriptions

Meta descriptions checks, with method, tool, pass criteria and severity
ID	Check	How to check	Tool	Pass criteria	Severity
TC-035	Unique meta description on key pages	Filter missing and duplicate descriptions	Screaming Frog	Unique on every core page	Low
TC-036	Description reflects the page's order of sections	Compare description with headings	Manual review	Description summarises the page in order	Low

Headings

Headings checks, with method, tool, pass criteria and severity
ID	Check	How to check	Tool	Pass criteria	Severity
TC-037	One H1 per page	Filter missing and multiple H1	Screaming Frog	Exactly one H1	Medium
TC-038	Heading hierarchy logical (H2 > H3 > H4)	Review heading outline	Screaming Frog, HeadingsMap extension	No skipped levels	Medium
TC-039	Headings phrased as questions where users ask questions	Compare headings with PAA questions	Manual review	Question headings on informational pages	Low
TC-040	Contextual flow from first to last heading	Read headings alone as an outline	Manual review	Outline reads as one connected argument	Medium
TC-041	Headings not used for styling	Check for headings on non-heading text	View Source	Headings only mark sections	Low

Internal linking

Internal linking checks, with method, tool, pass criteria and severity
ID	Check	How to check	Tool	Pass criteria	Severity
TC-042	Every page links to its parent and related nodes	Review inlinks and outlinks per page	Screaming Frog	Links follow the topical map hierarchy	High
TC-043	Supporting pages link to the core section	Check outer-section outlinks	Screaming Frog	Every outer page links to a core page	High
TC-044	Anchor text descriptive and varied	Export anchor text	Screaming Frog (Inlinks)	No 'click here'; same anchor used at most three times per page	Medium
TC-045	Links justified by preceding context	Read the sentence before each link	Manual review	Anchor terms introduced before the link	Low
TC-046	Internal link count per page reasonable	Count outlinks in main content	Screaming Frog	Around 15 or fewer contextual links	Low
TC-047	No internal links set to nofollow	Filter nofollow internal links	Screaming Frog	Zero internal nofollow	Medium

E-E-A-T

E-E-A-T checks, with method, tool, pass criteria and severity
ID	Check	How to check	Tool	Pass criteria	Severity
TC-048	Named authors with author pages	Check article bylines	Manual review	Author name, bio and credentials on each article	Medium
TC-049	Published and updated dates visible	Check article templates	Manual review	Both dates shown and match schema	Medium
TC-050	Sources cited for claims and statistics	Check outbound citations	Manual review	Authoritative sources linked	Medium
TC-051	Editorial policy published	Check for policy page	Manual review	Policy linked from footer	Low
TC-052	Contact details and business identity visible	Check contact and About pages	Manual review	Name, email and business details present	Medium

Freshness

Freshness checks, with method, tool, pass criteria and severity
ID	Check	How to check	Tool	Pass criteria	Severity
TC-053	Key pages reviewed on a schedule	Check last updated dates	Screaming Frog custom extraction, CMS	Core pages reviewed within 12 months	Medium
TC-054	Outdated facts, prices and years updated	Scan for stale years and figures	Screaming Frog custom search	No outdated years or figures	Medium
TC-055	Declining pages identified	Compare clicks year on year by page	Search Console	Declining pages listed for refresh	Medium

Competitor SERPs

Who ranks above you, and what do their pages hold?

26 checks

Rankings are relative. A page fails not because it is weak but because other pages answer the query more completely, and the results page shows exactly how.

Search intent

Search intent checks, with method, tool, pass criteria and severity
ID	Check	How to check	Tool	Pass criteria	Severity
CS-001	Dominant intent identified for each priority query	Read the top 10 results	Google search (incognito, target location)	Intent labelled: informational, commercial, transactional, navigational	Critical
CS-002	Page format matches the format ranking	Compare your page type with ranking page types	Manual review	Same format as the majority of top results	High
CS-003	Content angle matches what ranks	Compare angles (beginner, comparison, list, guide)	Manual review	Angle aligned with the SERP	Medium
CS-004	Mixed-intent SERPs handled	Identify SERPs with split intent	Manual review	Page serves the larger intent share	Medium

SERP features

SERP features checks, with method, tool, pass criteria and severity
ID	Check	How to check	Tool	Pass criteria	Severity
CS-005	Featured snippet holders identified	Record who holds snippets for priority queries	Semrush, Ahrefs, manual search	Snippet opportunities listed	Medium
CS-006	Snippet-ready answers written	Check for 40 to 50 word answers under question headings	Manual review	Concise answer under each target question	Medium
CS-007	People Also Ask questions answered on page	Compare PAA with page headings	AlsoAsked, manual review	Relevant PAA questions covered	Medium
CS-008	AI Overview presence recorded for priority queries	Search priority queries and note AI Overviews	Google search	Queries with AI Overviews flagged	Medium
CS-009	Image and video pack opportunities identified	Check SERPs for image and video results	Google search	Media created where packs appear	Low
CS-010	Local pack presence recorded where relevant	Check local queries	Google search, local rank tracker	Local pack status known	Medium

Competitor content

Competitor content checks, with method, tool, pass criteria and severity
ID	Check	How to check	Tool	Pass criteria	Severity
CS-011	True search competitors identified	List domains ranking across your priority queries	Semrush, Ahrefs competitor reports	Top 5 search competitors named	High
CS-012	Competitor topical coverage compared	Crawl competitor sitemaps and map to your clusters	Screaming Frog, sitemap export	Coverage gaps against each competitor listed	High
CS-013	Entities and attributes in ranking pages extracted	Read top 3 pages per priority query	Manual review, NLP tools	Missing entities listed per page	High
CS-014	Content depth compared	Compare sections, word count and media	Manual review, Screaming Frog	Depth gap documented	Medium
CS-015	Competitor publishing pace measured	Count new pages per month from sitemaps	Sitemap lastmod, Ahrefs	Publishing pace known	Low
CS-016	Queries competitors rank for and you do not	Run a keyword gap	Semrush, Ahrefs keyword gap	Gap list added to the topical map	High

Authority and backlinks

Authority and backlinks checks, with method, tool, pass criteria and severity
ID	Check	How to check	Tool	Pass criteria	Severity
CS-017	Referring domains compared with competitors	Compare referring domain counts	Ahrefs, Semrush, Majestic	Authority gap quantified	Medium
CS-018	Link profile quality reviewed	Sample referring domains for relevance and spam	Ahrefs	No large share of spam or irrelevant links	Medium
CS-019	Toxic or manipulative links assessed	Review suspicious patterns	Ahrefs, Search Console Links report	Disavow only where a manual action or clear risk exists	Low
CS-020	Pages with the most backlinks return 200	Check status of top linked pages	Ahrefs Best by links, Screaming Frog	Linked pages live or redirected	High
CS-021	Unlinked brand mentions found	Search brand mentions without links	Ahrefs Content Explorer, Google Alerts	Mentions logged for outreach	Low
CS-022	Competitor link sources reviewed	Run a link intersect	Ahrefs Link Intersect	Relevant link opportunities listed	Low

Local search

Local search checks, with method, tool, pass criteria and severity
ID	Check	How to check	Tool	Pass criteria	Severity
CS-023	Google Business Profile claimed and verified	Check profile ownership	Google Business Profile	Verified, correct primary category	High
CS-024	NAP consistent across the web	Compare name, address and phone on key citations	BrightLocal, manual search	Identical NAP everywhere	Medium
CS-025	Location pages exist for each served area	Check location pages	Manual review	Unique page per location with local detail	Medium
CS-026	Reviews monitored and answered	Check review count and responses	Google Business Profile	Recent reviews answered	Low

AI visibility

Do AI assistants name your brand or a competitor?

22 checks

A growing share of buyers read an answer instead of clicking a result. If an assistant names three companies in your category and none is yours, rankings alone will not fix it.

AI assistant mentions

AI assistant mentions checks, with method, tool, pass criteria and severity
ID	Check	How to check	Tool	Pass criteria	Severity
AI-001	Category questions tested in ChatGPT	Ask 10 category questions a buyer would ask	ChatGPT	Brand mentions and cited sources recorded	High
AI-002	Category questions tested in Gemini	Ask the same 10 questions	Gemini	Brand mentions and cited sources recorded	High
AI-003	Category questions tested in Perplexity	Ask the same 10 questions	Perplexity	Brand mentions and cited sources recorded	High
AI-004	AI Overviews checked for priority queries	Search priority queries in Google	Google search	Cited sources in each AI Overview recorded	High
AI-005	Competitors cited instead of you listed	Compile brands named across all assistants	Spreadsheet	Competitor citation frequency known	High
AI-006	Facts stated about your brand are accurate	Ask assistants to describe your business	ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity	No wrong prices, services, locations or dates	High
AI-007	Baseline saved for re-testing	Save prompts, answers and dates	Spreadsheet	Same prompts re-run quarterly	Medium

Entity consistency

Entity consistency checks, with method, tool, pass criteria and severity
ID	Check	How to check	Tool	Pass criteria	Severity
AI-008	Brand name identical across all profiles	Compare name on site, social, directories	Manual search	One exact brand name everywhere	Medium
AI-009	Business description consistent across profiles	Compare About text on key profiles	Manual review	Same core description of what the business does	Medium
AI-010	sameAs links connect official profiles	Check Organization schema sameAs	Schema Markup Validator	All official profiles listed	Medium
AI-011	Founder and key people linked to the brand	Check Person schema and profile links	Schema Markup Validator, LinkedIn	People connected to the Organization entity	Low

Knowledge graph

Knowledge graph checks, with method, tool, pass criteria and severity
ID	Check	How to check	Tool	Pass criteria	Severity
AI-012	Brand appears in Google's Knowledge Graph	Search brand name for a knowledge panel	Google search, Knowledge Graph Search API	Knowledge panel or KG entity present	Medium
AI-013	Wikidata entry exists and is accurate	Search Wikidata for the brand	Wikidata	Entry with correct statements and official website	Low
AI-014	Listed in relevant industry directories	Check key directories and associations	Manual search	Present in authoritative directories for the sector	Low

Extractability

Extractability checks, with method, tool, pass criteria and severity
ID	Check	How to check	Tool	Pass criteria	Severity
AI-015	Answers stated in self-contained sentences	Read key answers out of context	Manual review	Each answer makes sense when quoted alone	High
AI-016	Entities named rather than referred to by pronoun	Scan key paragraphs	Manual review	Subject named in each key sentence	Medium
AI-017	Tables and lists used for comparisons and steps	Review comparison and process content	Manual review	Structured formats where data is structured	Medium
AI-018	Statistics carry sources and dates	Check figures on key pages	Manual review	Every statistic sourced and dated	Medium
AI-019	Author and publish date visible on content	Check templates	Manual review	Both visible on every article	Medium

AI crawler access

AI crawler access checks, with method, tool, pass criteria and severity
ID	Check	How to check	Tool	Pass criteria	Severity
AI-020	AI crawlers can reach content you want cited	Check robots.txt and firewall rules for AI user agents	robots.txt, CDN or firewall settings	Allowed for pages meant to be cited	High
AI-021	Key content not dependent on JavaScript to render	Fetch pages without JavaScript	curl, text-only browser	Main content present in raw HTML	High
AI-022	llms.txt considered	Decide whether to publish an llms.txt file	Manual review	Decision documented	Low

How to use the audit checklist

The spreadsheet tracks progress as you work and separates the problems that block everything else from the ones that can wait. Use one copy per site.

Work through the layers in order
Start with crawling and indexing. A coverage gap matters little on a page a search engine cannot reach, so the layers are sequenced by what depends on what.
Mark each check
Set each check to Pass, Fail or N/A. For every Fail, record how many pages it affects, what you found, who owns the fix and a target date.
Work the fix-first list
The Fix-first sheet collects every Critical and High problem, Critical first. That list is the plan; the rest is the backlog.

What a checklist cannot do for you

The checklist finds problems. Three things decide whether finding them changes anything, and none of them fit in a spreadsheet.

Ranking the findings

An audit that returns 40 problems is a list nobody acts on until someone decides which three matter most. Severity gives you a starting order; your own context decides the rest.
Judging coverage against demand

Layer two asks which questions your subject requires. Answering it means building the query network first, which our SEO audit service does as part of the work.
Access to tools and data

Search Console access covers most of layer one. A crawler covers structure, and the paid tools matter mainly for layer three. The checklist names which tool each check needs, and which are free.
Time to run it properly

218 checks is a working week for someone who has run audits before, and longer the first time. Skimming it produces a list of symptoms rather than a diagnosis.