SEO audit checklist for small business

This SEO audit checklist is built for small business websites: a contractor with fifteen pages, a clinic with thirty, a local shop with a small catalogue. It's not the 300-point enterprise list. It's the 40 checks that, in my experience, explain most of why a small site isn't bringing enquiries from Google, grouped so you can work through them in about two hours with free tools.

Work top to bottom. The groups are in order of impact: there's no point polishing headings if Google can't index the site, and no point chasing rankings if the contact form is broken.

What you need before you start

• Access to Google Search Console for your domain. If you don't have it, set it up first with the Search Console guide.
• Access to your Google Business Profile.
• GA4 or whatever analytics you use.
• A phone, for the mobile checks.
• A spreadsheet to note each item as pass, fail or unsure.

Group 1: Indexing (checks 1–6)

If any of these fail, stop and fix them before going further. Details on each are in why your website isn't showing up on Google.

Group 2: Technical health (checks 7–13)

7. Pages load quickly on a phone over mobile data. Test with PageSpeed Insights, but judge mostly by how it feels.
8. The site is usable on mobile: buttons large enough, text readable, nothing cut off.
9. No broken internal links or pages returning errors.
10. Old addresses redirect to the matching new pages, not all to the homepage.
11. HTTPS everywhere, no mixed-content warnings.
12. Core Web Vitals report in Search Console shows no major problems.
13. No duplicate pages competing (for example, the same content under two addresses).

For an explanation of what each of these means and why it matters, see technical SEO basics.

Group 3: Page basics (checks 14–20)

14. Every important page has a unique title tag under about 60 characters, with its main keyword.
15. Every page has a meta description that would make you click.
16. One clear main heading (H1) per page that says what the page is about.
17. Headings structure the page logically.
18. Page addresses are short and readable (/furnace-repair/ rather than /page?id=27).
19. Images have descriptive alt text and reasonable file sizes.
20. Important pages are linked from the menu or from other pages, not orphaned.

Group 4: Content (checks 21–27)

21. Each main service has its own page.
22. Each service page explains what's included, who it's for, the process, the area and typical prices or how you quote.
23. Pages answer the questions customers ask on the phone.
24. Photos are of your own work and team, not stock.
25. No near-identical city pages. See ranking in several cities.
26. Content is current: no prices from 2019, no staff who left, no discontinued services.
27. If you serve French-speaking customers, French pages exist and are written properly.

Group 5: Local signals (checks 28–33)

28. Google Business Profile is verified, complete and owned by the business.
29. Primary category is the most accurate one available.
30. Reviews are coming in steadily and are answered.
31. Business name, address and phone are identical on the website, profile and main directories.
32. Apple Business Connect and Bing Places listings are claimed.
33. The website shows your service area or address clearly.

Group 6: Authority (checks 34–36)

34. Some local sites link to you: associations, suppliers, partners, community organizations.
35. No obviously spammy links from a past SEO provider. Check the Links report in Search Console.
36. Your business is mentioned consistently on sites relevant to your industry.

Group 7: Conversion and tracking (checks 37–40)

37. Phone number is clickable on mobile and visible without scrolling.
38. Contact forms work. Submit one yourself and confirm the email arrives.
39. Form submissions and phone clicks are tracked as conversions in GA4.
40. You can tell, roughly, how many enquiries came from organic search last month.

Tips for running the audit yourself

Do the checks on a quiet afternoon with the spreadsheet open, and resist fixing things as you go: finish the list first, then decide. Take screenshots of anything odd, especially in Search Console, because reports change over time and you'll want a "before" picture. Check the site as a customer would, too. Search for your main service in a private window, click through to your page, and try to get a quote on your phone. Ten minutes of that often reveals more than an hour of tools.

If you find the same problem on every page (missing titles, no alt text, slow images), it usually comes from the template or the website platform, not from individual pages. One fix in the right place solves it everywhere, so note the pattern rather than every instance. That alone can turn a list of 200 issues into five.

How to prioritize what you find

A typical small business site fails eight to fifteen of these checks. Don't try to fix them all at once. Sort them like this:

1. Blockers: anything in Group 1, broken forms, missing tracking. Fix this week.
2. Quick wins: titles, profile fields, directory details, review routine. Fix this month.
3. Projects: new service pages, rewriting thin content, local links. Plan over the next quarter.
4. Rebuild signals: if Groups 2 and 3 fail almost entirely, the site may be cheaper to rebuild than to repair. I don't patch other people's sites; when I rebuild, I keep the domain and carry over the content that still ranks.

When to get a professional audit

The checklist catches most problems. A paid audit adds what a checklist can't: comparison with the competitors who outrank you, a keyword map for your services and areas, and a prioritized plan with time and cost estimates. My SEO audit includes that, written so you can act on it whether or not you hire me afterwards.