Complete SEO Audit Checklist for 2026
An SEO audit identifies issues that are costing you organic traffic. This checklist covers technical SEO, on-page SEO, and content quality — everything you need in one place.
Technical SEO
- [ ] Every page has a unique title tag (under 60 characters)
- [ ] Every page has a unique meta description (under 160 characters)
- [ ] Canonical URLs are set on every page
- [ ] Sitemap.xml exists and lists all public pages
- [ ] Robots.txt exists and doesn't block important content
- [ ] HTTPS is enabled (let's encrypt is free)
- [ ] No broken links (404s)
- [ ] Mobile-friendly (Google uses mobile-first indexing)
On-Page SEO
- [ ] H1 tag: One per page, contains target keyword
- [ ] H2/H3 tags: Logical heading hierarchy
- [ ] Images have alt text: Descriptive, not keyword-stuffed
- [ ] URL structure: Clean, readable, includes keywords
- [ ] Internal links: Pages link to related content
- [ ] Content length: 1,500+ words for competitive keywords
Off-Page & Performance
- [ ] Google Search Console set up and sitemap submitted
- [ ] Page speed under 2.5 seconds (Google PageSpeed Insights)
- [ ] Backlinks: Check with free tools (Ahrefs, SEMrush free tools)
- [ ] Social sharing: Open Graph and Twitter cards set up
Run this audit quarterly. SEO degrades over time as pages get broken, content becomes stale, and competitors improve. Regular audits keep you ahead.
Related: Monthly budget calculator on MortgageAfford — regular financial audits are just as important as SEO audits.
Bottom Line
Use this checklist after every site launch. Most small websites fail at least half these items. Our tools (meta tag generator, robots.txt generator, Open Graph generator) help you fix the most common issues in minutes.