An SEO audit is a health check for how findable your business is online. Think of it like an MOT: a set of standard checks, each one passed or failed, with a clear list of what needs fixing.
A good audit answers one question: when someone searches for what you do, what stops them finding you?
The four things worth testing
Most of what matters falls into four groups.
1. Can Google read your site?
Before anything else, search engines have to be able to reach your pages, load them and understand them. The usual problems are dull but serious:
- pages accidentally blocked from search engines
- the same page available at several addresses, which splits its strength
- pages that take too long to load on a phone
- important pages buried five clicks away from the homepage
None of these are visible when you look at your own website. That is why they go unnoticed for years.
2. Do your pages answer real searches?
Google ranks the page that best answers a search. If your site has one page called “Services” listing everything you do, it is unlikely to be the best answer to any single search. A good audit maps the searches your customers make to the pages on your site, and shows the gaps.
3. Are you on the map?
For any business that serves a local area, the map listings matter more than anything else. An audit should check your Google Business Profile, your reviews, and whether your name, address and phone number match everywhere they appear online. It should also check where you appear across your area, not only at your own front door.
4. Do AI assistants mention you?
More people now ask ChatGPT, Perplexity or Google’s AI Overviews for recommendations. A modern audit asks those assistants the questions your customers ask, and records whether your business comes up.
What you should get at the end
Not a 40-page PDF. You should get:
- A short list of items, each marked clearly. Pass, Advisory or Fail works well. You should be able to read it in five minutes.
- Why each Fail matters to your business, in words you would use yourself.
- What to do about it, in order, starting with whatever will bring customers soonest.
If an audit leaves you more confused than before, it has not done its job.
How often should you have one?
A full audit once, then a re-test every month or so. Websites change, competitors change and Google changes. A monthly re-test on the same checklist is the simplest way to see whether things are getting better.
Our version of this is the Search MOT. It is free, and the sheet is yours to keep whether or not you work with us.