Quick answer
An SEO audit checklist should cover seven categories: technical SEO (crawlability, Core Web Vitals, indexation), on-page SEO (title tags, content, internal linking), content quality (thin content, E-E-A-T, cannibalisation), off-page SEO (backlinks, toxic links), local SEO (Google Business Profile, citations), AI/AEO readiness (schema, AI crawler access, citation monitoring), and UK-specific checks (GDPR cookie compliance, hreflang, .co.uk strategy). Our free checklist covers 55+ items across all seven.
Most SEO audit checklists online are written for a US audience, ignore AI search entirely, and skip the UK-specific considerations that actually matter for British businesses — GDPR cookie compliance, hreflang implementation, and .co.uk domain strategy.
This checklist covers 55+ audit checks across seven categories, including a dedicated AI/AEO readiness section that fewer than 30% of competing guides address. Use it to assess your site's current health, identify quick wins, and build a prioritised action plan.
Download the Complete Checklist
55+ checks in Excel + branded PDF. Includes priority ratings, tool recommendations, and space for notes.
Get the Free Checklist →What the Checklist Covers
The full downloadable checklist includes 55+ items. Below is a summary of each category with key checks highlighted — enough to start your audit today.
| Category | Items | Key Checks |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Technical SEO | 18 | Robots.txt, sitemap, indexation, Core Web Vitals (LCP/INP/CLS), mobile, HTTPS, canonicals, structured data, JS rendering |
| 2. On-Page SEO | 10 | Title tags, meta descriptions, H1 structure, keyword targeting, internal linking, image alt text, URL structure, breadcrumbs |
| 3. Content Audit | 7 | Thin content, duplicates, content gaps, content decay, E-E-A-T signals, cannibalisation, experience signals |
| 4. Off-Page SEO | 6 | Backlink quality, toxic links, competitor gap, anchor text distribution, brand mentions, digital PR |
| 5. Local SEO | 6 | Google Business Profile, NAP consistency, UK citations (Yell, Thomson Local, FreeIndex), reviews, local schema |
| 6. AI/AEO Readiness | 8 | AI crawler access, schema for AI, FAQ sections, direct answer formatting, entity clarity, AI citation monitoring, LLMs.txt |
| 7. UK-Specific Checks | 6 | GDPR/PECR cookie compliance, hreflang (en-gb not en-uk), .co.uk strategy, GBP schema, British English spelling, Google Consent Mode v2 |
Technical SEO: The Foundation
Technical issues are the most common reason sites underperform in search. Start here — if search engines cannot crawl and index your pages properly, no amount of content or link building will help.
🔧 Crawlability
Verify robots.txt is not blocking critical pages, CSS, or JS
Confirm XML sitemap is submitted to GSC and contains only 200-status URLs
Compare site:domain.com count against GSC indexed pages
Audit for orphan pages — 40–60% of pages typically have zero internal links
⚡ Core Web Vitals (2026 Targets)
LCP: Under 2.5 seconds — pages meeting this see 24% higher CTR
INP: Under 200ms — replaced FID in March 2024
CLS: Under 0.1 — check images have defined dimensions
TTFB: Under 800ms — indicates server health
Also check: HTTPS and mixed content, canonical tag consistency (over 60% of enterprise sites have conflicting signals), redirect chains, soft 404s, and JavaScript rendering in GSC URL Inspection. The full downloadable checklist includes all 18 technical items with tool recommendations for each.
AI/AEO Readiness: The Category Most Checklists Miss
Google AI Overviews now appear in 88% of informational queries, and AI referral traffic grew 357% year-on-year in 2025. Yet fewer than 30% of existing SEO audit checklists cover AI readiness. These eight checks ensure your site is positioned for both traditional and AI-powered search.
| Check | What to Do | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| AI crawler access | Check robots.txt for GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot directives | Blocking AI crawlers prevents citation in AI answers |
| Schema for AI | Implement FAQPage, HowTo, Article (with dateModified), Organization | Pages with schema earn 2.8× higher AI citation rates |
| Direct answer formatting | Begin each section with a 40–60 word concise answer | Increases featured snippet capture 3× and ChatGPT citation 140% |
| Entity clarity | Consistent naming, sameAs links in schema to LinkedIn/Wikipedia | Helps AI systems correctly attribute your brand |
| AI citation monitoring | Test brand visibility in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, AI Overviews | AI referral traffic converts at 14.2% vs Google's 2.8% |
| LLMs.txt file | Create a curated reading list for AI systems at /llms.txt | Emerging standard for guiding AI crawlers to key content |
92% of AI Overview citations come from domains ranking in the top 10, so traditional SEO fundamentals remain the foundation for AI visibility. AEO builds on top of strong SEO, not instead of it.
UK-Specific Checks That Other Guides Miss
Zero of the top 10 results for "seo audit checklist" are UK-focused. These six checks address the gaps that matter specifically for British businesses.
🇬🇧 GDPR/PECR Cookie Compliance
The ICO issued cookie compliance warnings to 134 UK websites in 2025. Ensure "Accept" and "Reject" buttons have equal prominence (the ICO explicitly flags unequal styling as non-compliant). Heavy consent management scripts can degrade Core Web Vitals — especially LCP and INP. Google Consent Mode v2 has been mandatory since March 2024 for sites using Google services.
🏷️ Hreflang and Schema
Use hreflang="en-gb" — not "en-uk" (the ISO code for the United Kingdom is GB; UK maps to Ukraine). 67% of international websites have hreflang errors. Use addressCountry: "GB" and priceCurrency: "GBP" in all schema markup.
Additional UK checks in the full downloadable checklist: .co.uk vs .com domain strategy, British English spelling consistency for keyword targeting, Google Business Profile with UK-specific categories ("Solicitor" not "Lawyer"), and UK citation accuracy on Yell.com, Thomson Local, and FreeIndex.
How to Use This Checklist
The downloadable spreadsheet includes priority ratings (Critical, Important, Nice-to-Have), recommended tools for each check, and space for notes and status tracking. Here is the recommended five-step audit process.
Start with technical SEO. Crawl your site with Screaming Frog (free for up to 500 URLs) or UK-based Sitebulb. Fix critical crawlability issues before anything else — if search engines cannot access your pages, no other optimisation matters.
Audit on-page elements and content quality. Review title tags, meta descriptions, heading structure, and internal linking. Identify thin content, duplicates, and cannibalisation. Check E-E-A-T signals — sites demonstrating expertise saw approximately 23% gains post-December 2025 Core Update.
Review off-page signals and local presence. Analyse your backlink profile using Ahrefs, Semrush, or UK-based Majestic. Run a competitor backlink gap analysis. For local businesses, verify your Google Business Profile and NAP consistency across UK directories.
Check AI/AEO readiness. Verify AI crawler access in robots.txt. Test your brand visibility in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. Assess schema coverage and answer engine optimisation across your key pages.
Prioritise and create your action plan. Score each issue using the ICE framework (Impact × Confidence × Ease). Group fixes into quick wins (under 1 hour), short-term (1–4 weeks), and strategic projects (1–3 months). The downloadable checklist includes built-in priority columns for this step.
Essential Audit Tools
You can perform a meaningful audit with free tools alone. Here are the essentials, with three UK-based options highlighted.
| Tool | Free? | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Google Search Console | ✅ | Index coverage, CWV, mobile usability, links |
| Google PageSpeed Insights | ✅ | Core Web Vitals testing |
| Screaming Frog 🇬🇧 | 500 URLs free | Technical crawl analysis (£199/yr full) |
| Sitebulb 🇬🇧 | Trial | Prioritised hints with explanations (~£15/mo) |
| Majestic 🇬🇧 | Limited free | Backlink Trust Flow analysis (from £49.99/mo) |
| Ahrefs / Semrush | Paid | Keywords, backlinks, competitive analysis (from $129/mo) |
| Rich Results Test | ✅ | Schema markup validation |
How Much Does a Professional SEO Audit Cost in the UK?
UK SEO audit costs range from £500 for a basic technical review to £10,000+ for a comprehensive enterprise audit. This checklist helps you do much of the work yourself, but some issues — crawl budget analysis, strategic content mapping, and competitive positioning — benefit from professional expertise.
£500–£750
Basic technical audit
£2,500–£4,500
Comprehensive audit
£7,500+
Enterprise audit
Our own free website audit covers technical health, keyword rankings, content gaps, and competitive landscape — a useful starting point before diving into the full 55-item checklist. See our pricing page for full audit service details.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an SEO audit?
An SEO audit is a comprehensive evaluation of a website's search engine performance covering technical health, on-page optimisation, content quality, backlink profile, and user experience. It identifies issues preventing higher rankings and provides a prioritised action plan. Most businesses should conduct a full audit at least once or twice per year.
How often should you do an SEO audit?
Most SEO experts recommend a comprehensive audit every 6–12 months for smaller sites and quarterly for competitive or larger sites. You should also run an audit after any major website redesign, migration, or significant Google algorithm update. Monthly automated checks can supplement scheduled full audits.
How much does an SEO audit cost in the UK?
SEO audit costs in the UK range from £500–£750 for a basic audit to £2,500–£10,000+ for a comprehensive enterprise audit. Factors include website size, industry complexity, and depth of analysis. Free automated tools provide basic insights but miss the complex strategic issues that professional auditors identify.
What tools do I need to perform an SEO audit?
Essential free tools include Google Search Console and Google Analytics 4. For crawling, use Screaming Frog (free for up to 500 URLs) or UK-based Sitebulb. Add one paid suite such as Ahrefs or Semrush for keyword and backlink analysis. Google PageSpeed Insights tests Core Web Vitals. UK-based Majestic provides excellent backlink Trust Flow analysis.
Can I do an SEO audit myself?
Yes — our checklist is designed for exactly that. Use free tools like Google Search Console and Screaming Frog (free for up to 500 URLs) to cover the essentials. However, professional audits reveal complex issues such as crawl budget problems, content cannibalisation, and strategic opportunities that automated tools miss. For best results, combine monthly automated checks with an annual professional audit.
How long does a full SEO audit take?
A focused technical audit for a site under 500 pages takes 1–2 days. A comprehensive audit covering technical, content, off-page, and strategic analysis for a mid-sized business requires 3–5 working days. Enterprise sites with complex architectures may need 2–6 weeks. UK agencies typically deliver full reports within four to six weeks.
Should an SEO audit include AI readiness checks in 2026?
Yes. Google AI Overviews appear in 88% of informational queries, and AI referral traffic grew 357% year-on-year in 2025. A modern audit should verify AI crawler access in robots.txt, test brand visibility in ChatGPT and Perplexity, assess structured data coverage, and evaluate whether content follows the answer-first formatting that AI systems prefer to cite.
Can GDPR cookie consent banners affect SEO?
Yes. Poorly implemented cookie consent banners can slow page load times, increase bounce rates, and cause layout shifts, affecting CLS scores. The UK's ICO issued compliance warnings to 134 websites in 2025. Ensure cookie scripts load efficiently, banners do not obscure content, "Accept" and "Reject" buttons have equal prominence, and your analytics accounts for users who decline tracking.
Download the Complete 55+ Point Checklist
Excel + branded PDF. Includes all seven categories, priority ratings, tool recommendations, and space for notes. Updated for 2026 with AI/AEO readiness and UK-specific checks.
Methodology: Checklist items compiled from industry best practices (Google Search Central, Screaming Frog, Ahrefs), UK regulatory requirements (ICO, GDPR/PECR), and AI search research (Semrush 10M+ keyword study, Pew Research Center, Ahrefs Brand Radar). UK-specific tools verified as British-owned or headquartered. Audit pricing based on UK agency benchmarks. This article was last updated February 2026 and the checklist will be reviewed quarterly.