Performing a complete SEO audit is one of the most effective ways to improve your website’s visibility, fix performance issues, and enhance user experience. Whether you’re an SEO beginner or a business owner managing your own site, this guide will walk you through the step-by-step process of auditing your website using only free tools—and you’ll even get access to a ready-to-use SEO audit template to make your work easier.
What Is an SEO Audit and Why Does It Matter?
An SEO audit is a systematic review of your website to evaluate how well it’s optimized for search engines, covering areas like technical health, on-page elements, content performance, and backlinks.
Conducting regular audits (ideally every 3–6 months) helps identify issues before they impact your rankings and ensures your site remains search engine–friendly, fast, and user-focused.
Free Tools You’ll Need for This Audit
Google Search Console – to check indexing, crawl errors, and performance data.
Google Analytics – to understand user behavior and traffic flow.
Ahrefs Webmaster Tools – for analyzing backlinks and SEO health.
Screaming Frog (free version) – to crawl your website and flag SEO issues.
PageSpeed Insights / GTmetrix – to assess page load speed and Core Web Vitals.
SEO Audit Template (Google Sheets) – to record findings and action steps.
Step 1: Technical SEO Check-Up
Start by reviewing your indexing status in Google Search Console; look for errors like 404s, redirects, blocked resources, and non-indexed pages that should be indexed.
Make sure your XML sitemap is submitted correctly and your
robots.txtfile doesn’t accidentally block important sections of your site.Use Screaming Frog to crawl your website and identify technical issues like broken links, duplicate pages, and missing meta tags.
Step 2: Test Site Speed and Core Web Vitals
Run your pages through Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix to check for speed issues and key Core Web Vitals metrics: LCP (Largest Contentful Paint), FID (First Input Delay), and CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift).
Optimize your website speed by compressing images, reducing server load, removing unused scripts, and implementing caching or CDNs.
Step 3: Audit On-Page SEO Elements
Ensure every page has a unique and keyword-rich title tag and meta description that matches search intent and encourages clicks from users.
Check that all URLs are short, clean, and include relevant keywords where possible.
Review your use of headings (H1, H2, etc.) to make sure they follow a logical hierarchy and properly structure your content.
Make sure all images are optimized with descriptive alt text, appropriate file sizes, and relevant names.
Step 4: Review Internal Linking and Website Architecture
Confirm that all important pages are accessible within 2–3 clicks from the homepage and are internally linked with clear, descriptive anchor text.
Use Screaming Frog to find broken internal links and orphaned pages that have no links pointing to them—these should either be removed or properly linked.
Structure your internal links to guide users and search engines to your most valuable pages.
Step 5: Analyze Backlinks and Off-Page SEO
Log in to Ahrefs Webmaster Tools to examine your backlink profile—look for spammy links, irrelevant domains, and missing high-quality referring sites.
Identify toxic links and consider disavowing them if they pose a risk to your domain’s reputation.
For local SEO, ensure your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) are consistent across all local listings, including Google Business Profile, Yelp, and other directories.
Step 6: Evaluate Your Content and Keyword Strategy
Use Google Search Console or Google Analytics to identify your best and worst-performing content based on traffic, clicks, and bounce rates.
Look for outdated or underperforming blog posts and consider updating them with fresh information, new keywords, and improved formatting.
Conduct a keyword gap analysis to discover what keywords your competitors rank for that you don’t, then plan content to fill those gaps.
Step 7: Benchmark Against Competitors
Use tools like Ubersuggest or Semrush (free versions) to compare your domain with your top competitors in terms of backlinks, domain authority, and keyword rankings.
Identify the type of content and link-building strategies that work for them, and look for areas where your site can outperform or differentiate.
Use a Free SEO Audit Template to Stay Organized
To make this process smoother, download our free SEO audit Google Sheet that includes tabs for technical issues, on-page SEO, content performance, backlink review, and action plans.
This template helps track your progress, prioritize tasks, and document updates in an organized format that can be reused in future audits.
Final Thoughts
A full SEO audit doesn’t have to be expensive or overwhelming—free tools and a clear structure are enough to uncover the most impactful improvements.
When done right, SEO audits lead to faster websites, better rankings, improved user experience, and more targeted traffic.
If you’d rather have experts handle your SEO audit, consider professional services from agencies like Osumare, who offer detailed audits and actionable solutions tailored to your business goals.