How to Carry Out an SEO Check of Your Website

A search engine optimisation (SEO) check helps you understand how well your website can be found, crawled and understood by search engines. It can reveal technical problems, content gaps and opportunities to improve the experience for visitors.

An SEO check is not simply about achieving a high score in a tool. It is a practical review of whether your website is accessible, useful and relevant to the people you want to reach. Search rankings depend on many factors, so no single check can guarantee a particular position. Regular reviews can, however, help you identify issues and make informed improvements.

Check that search engines can access your pages

Before reviewing keywords or page copy, make sure search engines can access the pages you want them to find. Check that important pages are not blocked by your robots.txt file or marked with a noindex directive by mistake.

Review your XML sitemap, too. It should include the important, indexable pages on your website and be kept up to date. You can submit it through services such as Google Search Console and use the available reports to identify indexing problems.

Also check that there is only one preferred version of each page. For example, your website should consistently use HTTPS and should redirect alternative versions, such as HTTP or a duplicate www address, to the preferred version.

Review page titles and descriptions

Each important page should have a clear, descriptive title that accurately reflects its content. Page titles help people understand what a result is about when it appears in search results, and they can contribute to how search engines interpret a page.

Meta descriptions should briefly explain what visitors will find on the page. They are not a direct ranking factor in the same way as page content, and search engines may display different text, but a useful description can help people decide whether to visit.

Avoid repeating the same title and description across many pages. Make each one specific and readable rather than filling it with lists of keywords.

Check your headings and on-page content

Page headings create a structure that helps visitors scan content. Use a clear main heading and organise the rest of the page with relevant subheadings. Headings should describe the section that follows rather than simply being added to make text look larger.

Check that each page has a clear purpose and answers the questions a visitor is likely to have. Useful content should be accurate, original and easy to understand. Include relevant terms naturally, but avoid keyword stuffing: unnaturally repeated phrases can make a page harder to read and are unlikely to help your visitors.

Where appropriate, add descriptive text to images using alternative text. This can help people using assistive technology understand the image and gives search engines additional context. Decorative images can generally use empty alternative text so they are not announced unnecessarily.

Look for technical and mobile usability issues

Your website should work well on mobile devices as well as desktop computers. Check that text is readable, menus are usable, buttons are easy to tap and visitors do not need to scroll sideways to view the page.

Page speed and stability also matter to the user experience. Large image files, unnecessary scripts and poorly configured hosting can contribute to slow loading. Tools such as PageSpeed Insights can help identify areas to investigate, although recommendations should be considered in the context of your website and its users.

Check for broken links, server errors and pages that return the wrong status code. Make sure important pages load securely over HTTPS, and look for accidental redirect chains or loops that could frustrate visitors and complicate crawling.

Review your site structure and internal links

A clear site structure makes it easier for visitors to find information and helps search engines discover the relationships between pages. Group related content logically and use straightforward navigation labels.

Internal links connect pages on your website. Use them to guide visitors to relevant information, such as linking from a service page to a useful case study or guide. Link text should give a clear indication of what the destination page contains.

Look for important pages that are difficult to reach or have no internal links pointing to them. These are sometimes called orphan pages and may be harder for visitors and search engines to discover.

Assess content quality and duplication

Review your content for accuracy, clarity and usefulness. Out-of-date information, thin pages and duplicate content can create a poor experience or make it difficult to understand which page should appear in search results.

Where several pages cover very similar topics, consider whether they should be updated, combined or given a clearer distinction. Do not remove a page solely because it receives little traffic: first consider whether it serves customers, supports another page or meets a business need.

If you do remove or change a page, plan what should happen to its URL. A relevant redirect may be appropriate when there is a suitable replacement. Avoid redirecting every removed page to the home page, as that may confuse visitors.

Check structured data where it is relevant

Structured data is a standardised way to describe information on a page, such as a product, event or organisation. It can help search engines interpret that information and may make a page eligible for certain enhanced search results.

Only add structured data that accurately reflects visible page content and follows the relevant guidelines. Structured data does not guarantee an enhanced listing, and incorrect or misleading markup can cause problems. Use a validation tool to check the implementation.

Review links and local SEO signals

Links from other websites can help people discover your content and may contribute to how search engines assess your site. Focus on earning relevant links by publishing useful material and building genuine professional relationships. Avoid buying links or using schemes designed to manipulate rankings.

For businesses serving a particular area, check that your name, address and contact details are accurate wherever they appear online. Keep your business profile information up to date and make sure your website clearly explains the areas you serve. Ask customers for honest reviews, but do not offer incentives in exchange for positive ratings.

Measure results with reliable data

Use analytics and search performance tools to understand what is happening on your website. Search Console can show how pages perform in Google Search and report some indexing issues. Analytics tools can help you understand how visitors use the site, provided they are configured correctly and used in line with applicable privacy requirements.

Track meaningful measures, such as organic visits, enquiries, sales or other actions that matter to your organisation. Rankings can be useful to monitor, but they vary by location, device and search context. A change in position on its own does not always tell you whether the website is performing better for your business.

How often should you check your website?

Carry out a fuller SEO review when launching a new website, redesigning existing pages or making significant changes to your site structure. For an established website, regular checks can help you spot new technical issues and keep important content current. The right frequency depends on how often the website changes and how important organic search is to your organisation.

Turn your SEO check into an action plan

A useful SEO check ends with clear priorities, not just a long list of warnings. Start with issues that prevent important pages from being accessed or create a poor visitor experience. Then work through improvements to page content, internal linking and measurement.

By checking your website systematically and making improvements based on evidence, you can build a stronger foundation for organic search and make your site more useful for the people who visit it.

 

Optimising Your Website: 8 Key Benefits of an SEO Audit

1. Finds technical issues that affect crawling and indexing.
2. Highlights slow-loading pages and performance problems.
3. Identifies broken links and redirect errors.
4. Improves mobile usability and visitor experience.
5. Reveals gaps in page titles and descriptions.
6. Helps make content clearer and more relevant.
7. Strengthens website structure and internal linking.
8. Provides insights to prioritise SEO improvements.

 

7 Challenges of Conducting a Comprehensive SEO Audit for Your Website

1. Can be time-consuming to do thoroughly.
2. SEO tools may produce misleading warnings.
3. Some fixes require technical expertise.
4. Results are not immediate.
5. Search rankings can change unpredictably.
6. A check cannot guarantee more traffic.
7. Regular monitoring may add ongoing costs.

Finds technical issues that affect crawling and indexing.

An SEO check can uncover technical issues that prevent search engines from crawling or indexing important pages. Problems such as broken links, incorrect redirects, blocked pages or accidental “noindex” settings can make valuable content harder to find in search results. Identifying and fixing these issues helps search engines access and understand your website more effectively.

Highlights slow-loading pages and performance problems.

An SEO check can highlight slow-loading pages and other performance problems that may frustrate visitors. It can point to issues such as oversized images, unnecessary scripts or slow server responses, helping you prioritise improvements that make your website faster, smoother to use and easier for search engines to crawl.

Identifies broken links and redirect errors.

An SEO check can uncover broken links and redirect errors that frustrate visitors and make it harder for search engines to crawl your website. Finding and fixing these issues helps people reach the information they need, ensures redirects lead to relevant pages and supports a smoother, more reliable browsing experience.

Improves mobile usability and visitor experience.

An SEO check can highlight mobile usability issues that make a website difficult to use, such as slow-loading pages, hard-to-read text, awkward navigation or buttons that are difficult to tap. Fixing these problems makes it easier for visitors to find information and complete tasks on their phones, creating a smoother experience that can encourage them to stay longer and return.

Reveals gaps in page titles and descriptions.

An SEO check can reveal pages with missing, duplicated or unclear titles and meta descriptions. These elements help search engines and potential visitors understand what each page is about, so finding gaps makes it easier to create unique, relevant descriptions that improve clarity in search results and encourage the right people to visit your website.

Helps make content clearer and more relevant.

An SEO check helps make your website content clearer and more relevant by showing where pages may be difficult to understand, out of date or poorly matched to what visitors are searching for. Reviewing headings, page titles and key information can help you organise content more effectively, answer users’ questions and make each page’s purpose clear.

Strengthens website structure and internal linking.

An SEO check can strengthen your website’s structure by highlighting pages that are difficult to find, poorly organised or disconnected from related content. Reviewing internal links helps visitors navigate your site more easily and guides search engines towards important pages. Clear navigation and relevant links between pages create a better user experience and make your content easier to discover.

Provides insights to prioritise SEO improvements.

An SEO check of your website helps you see which issues are most important to address first. By highlighting problems such as pages that search engines cannot access, slow loading times or unclear content, it gives you a clearer basis for prioritising improvements. This helps you focus your time and resources on changes that can make the biggest difference to visitors and your website’s search performance.

Can be time-consuming to do thoroughly.

A thorough SEO check can be time-consuming, particularly for larger websites with many pages, technical features and frequent updates. Reviewing content, checking links, testing mobile usability and investigating technical issues all take time, and resolving the problems found can require further work. Without a clear plan, it can be difficult to know which issues to tackle first.

SEO tools may produce misleading warnings.

SEO tools can be helpful, but their warnings do not always indicate a genuine problem. Automated checks may flag minor issues, overlook important context or recommend changes that are unsuitable for your website. Treat their reports as guidance rather than a definitive diagnosis, and review each warning carefully before making changes.

Some fixes require technical expertise.

Some SEO issues are straightforward to fix, but others require technical expertise. Changes to site speed, redirects, indexing settings, structured data or website code can affect how pages work and appear in search results. If these fixes are made incorrectly, they may create new problems, so it can be worth asking a developer or SEO specialist to review them.

Results are not immediate.

Results are not immediate

One drawback of an SEO check is that improvements rarely produce instant results. Search engines need time to recrawl pages, interpret changes and adjust rankings, while competition and other ranking factors can also affect performance. An SEO check is best viewed as the starting point for ongoing work, with progress measured over time rather than expected overnight.

Search rankings can change unpredictably.

One drawback of an SEO check is that search rankings can change unpredictably. Search engines regularly update their algorithms, while competitors’ activity, changes in search behaviour and other factors can also affect results. This means a website may rise or fall in rankings even when no obvious changes have been made, so an SEO check offers a snapshot rather than a guarantee of future performance.

A check cannot guarantee more traffic.

An SEO check can highlight issues and suggest ways to improve your website, but it cannot guarantee more traffic. Search visibility depends on many factors, including competition, search engine changes, the quality and relevance of your content, and what people are looking for. Treat the results as a guide for making informed improvements, rather than a promise of increased visitors.

Regular monitoring may add ongoing costs.

Regular SEO monitoring can add ongoing costs, particularly if you use paid audit tools or hire specialists to review performance and implement changes. These expenses may be difficult to justify for smaller businesses with limited budgets, so it is important to choose a monitoring schedule and level of support that match your website’s needs and available resources.