You don't need hours to identify major SEO issues. This 15-minute audit checklist will help you spot the most impactful problems affecting your search visibility.
Key Takeaways
- Focus on high-impact issues first
- Check indexing, speed, and mobile-friendliness
- Review on-page SEO basics
- Audit regularly—monthly at minimum
Quick SEO Audit Checklist
🔴 Critical (Minutes 1-5)
1. Check Indexing Status
Search site:yourdomain.com in Google
- ✓ Are your important pages showing?
- ✓ Is the page count reasonable?
- ✓ Any weird/spam pages indexed?
2. Test Site Speed
Use Google PageSpeed Insights
- ✓ Mobile score above 50?
- ✓ Desktop score above 70?
- ✓ Core Web Vitals passing?
3. Mobile-Friendliness
Test with Google's Mobile-Friendly Test
- ✓ Page is mobile-friendly?
- ✓ No horizontal scrolling?
- ✓ Text readable without zooming?
🟡 Important (Minutes 6-10)
4. Check HTTPS
- ✓ Site loads with https://
- ✓ No mixed content warnings
- ✓ HTTP redirects to HTTPS
5. Review Title Tags & Meta Descriptions
- ✓ Every page has unique title
- ✓ Titles under 60 characters
- ✓ Meta descriptions under 160 characters
- ✓ Target keywords included
6. Check for Broken Links
Use a broken link checker tool
- ✓ No 404 errors on main pages
- ✓ External links still working
- ✓ Images loading properly
🟢 Optimization (Minutes 11-15)
7. Heading Structure
- ✓ One H1 per page
- ✓ Logical H2-H6 hierarchy
- ✓ Keywords in headings
8. Image Optimization
- ✓ Alt text on all images
- ✓ Descriptive file names
- ✓ Images properly compressed
9. Internal Linking
- ✓ Important pages have internal links
- ✓ Descriptive anchor text
- ✓ No orphan pages
10. Structured Data
- ✓ Schema markup implemented
- ✓ No errors in Rich Results Test
- ✓ Appropriate schema types used
Free Tools for SEO Audits
Google Search Console
Indexing, errors, performance
Google PageSpeed Insights
Speed and Core Web Vitals
Screaming Frog (Free up to 500 URLs)
Comprehensive crawl data
Ahrefs Webmaster Tools
Free site audit for verified sites
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should I audit my site's SEO?
Run a quick audit monthly and a comprehensive audit quarterly. Also audit after major site changes, redesigns, or Google algorithm updates.
What's the most important thing to check?
Indexing status. If Google can't find your pages, nothing else matters. Always start by checking that your important pages are indexed.
Do I need paid tools for an SEO audit?
No. Google Search Console, PageSpeed Insights, and free tiers of tools like Screaming Frog provide enough data for most audits. Paid tools add convenience and depth.
What should I fix first?
Prioritize: 1) Indexing issues, 2) Site speed/Core Web Vitals, 3) Mobile issues, 4) On-page SEO basics. Fix what blocks visibility first, then optimize.