The SEO Audit Checklist

A methodology for running a comprehensive SEO audit on any site, by hand, with nothing but a browser and a search engine.

Usage

1. Identify the target site (your domain, a client's, or a site you are about to build)
2. Run the technical audit using the checklist below
3. Run the keyword analysis using WebSearch
4. Run the content gap analysis comparing against competitors
5. Compile the report following the output template
6. Prioritize actions into quick wins vs. strategic investments

Step 1: Technical Audit

Use WebFetch on the target site + key pages. Check each item:

Common Issues to Look For

• Multiple H1 tags on a single page
• Duplicate URLs (old/new) without 301 redirects
• Missing meta descriptions on key pages
• Client-side rendering without SSR (blank page to crawlers)
• Broken internal links
• Images without alt text
• Missing sitemap or robots.txt

Step 2: Keyword Research

Process

1. WebSearch the target domain to see what it currently ranks for
2. WebSearch competitor domains to see what they rank for
3. Identify gaps — keywords competitors rank for but the target doesn't
4. Categorize by intent:
   • Navigational: Branded searches (e.g., "[your brand] admissions")
   • Informational: Questions and how-to (e.g., "how to become a sonographer in Ghana")
   • Commercial: Comparison and evaluation (e.g., "best health science university Ghana")
   • Transactional: Ready to act (e.g., "apply to [programme] online")

Keyword Table Template

Difficulty Estimation (Without Ahrefs)

• Easy: Niche query, few competitors, long-tail (4+ words)
• Medium: Some competition, moderate search volume, mixed results
• Hard: Competitive, established players dominating, short-tail (1-2 words)

Step 3: Content Gap Analysis

Process

1. List the target site's existing content (from sitemap + WebFetch)
2. List competitor content (WebSearch + WebFetch their blogs/pages)
3. Identify content types the target is missing:
   • Blog posts / articles
   • FAQ pages
   • Comparison / vs pages
   • Career guides / how-to guides
   • Case studies / testimonials
   • Video content
   • Downloadable resources (PDFs, guides)

Gap Table Template

Step 4: Competitor Comparison

Process

1. Identify 3-5 competitors
2. For each, check:
   • Number of indexed pages (site:[domain] via WebSearch)
   • Blog/content frequency
   • Structured data usage
   • Keyword rankings overlap
   • Social media presence
   • Unique content they have that the target doesn't

Comparison Table Template

Step 5: Compile Report

Output Template

# SEO Audit Report — [Site]
**Date:** [DATE] | **Status:** Actionable

## Executive Summary
[3-5 sentences: biggest strength, top 3 priorities, overall assessment]

## Technical SEO Checklist
[Table from Step 1]

## Keyword Opportunity Table
[Table from Step 2 — top 15-20 keywords]

## Content Gap Analysis
[Table from Step 3]

## Competitor Comparison
[Table from Step 4]

## Prioritized Action Plan

### Quick Wins (This Week)
1. [High impact, low effort]
2. ...

### Strategic Investments (This Quarter)
1. [High impact, higher effort]
2. ...

## Key Metrics to Track
[Table with targets]

Audit Cadence

Work the templates in order. The output is a prioritized action plan split into quick wins and strategic bets, not a wall of data.