How to Run a Simple SEO Audit on Your Own Website

Most small business owners think SEO audits require expensive software or an agency. There is a lot you can do yourself before paying for professional help. A simple audit shows you how your site appears to Google, what needs fixing, and what is stopping you from ranking higher.

This guide "How to Run a Simple SEO Audit on Your Own Website" walks you through an easy, step-by-step audit that works for any website, even if you are not tech savvy.

1. Check how many pages Google can see

If Google cannot see your pages, you cannot rank. Do a quick check.

Step 1. Go to GoogleType this into the search bar:

site:yourwebsite.com

Example: site:undergroundindex.com

What you want to see:

• Your homepage

• Your services or product pages

• Your blog posts

• No weird pages or duplicates

Red flags:

• Missing core pages

• Strange URLs you never created

• Old versions of pages that should not exist

If anything looks off, you may have indexing issues or duplicate content.

2. Test your website speed

Slow websites kill rankings and drive customers away.

Use Google’s tool:https://pagespeed.web.dev

What you want:

• Mobile score above 70

• Desktop score above 80

• Load time under 3 seconds

Common problems:

• Images are too large (Often JPG or PNG. You should be using WebP format)

• Too many apps or plugins

• Poor hosting

• Unoptimized videos on the homepage (Use WebV video format)

Fixing image sizes and removing unnecessary plugins usually gives the fastest improvement.

3. Check your mobile experience

More than half of all searches happen on phones. Google ranks mobile experience first.

Use this tool:https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly

Look for:

• Text that is too small

• Buttons too close together

• Content that pushes off the screen• Popups that block the view

If your site is hard to use on mobile, your rankings will suffer.

4. Review your homepage SEO basics

Your homepage needs three key elements:

A clear H1 title

This should say what you do and where you do it.

Example:

"Denver Massage Therapy and Energy Healing"

"Riverside California Tattoo Studio"

Clean meta title and meta description

These show up on Google. They should include your main keyword and location.

At least 300 words of real content

Google needs text to understand your business. Write your mission, services, location, and what makes you unique.

If your homepage only has images or short blurbs, Google cannot rank it well.

5. Check your keyword alignment

Every main page should target one main keyword. You can check this by scanning the page and seeing if the keyword appears in:

• The H1

• The first paragraph

• One subheading

• A few times throughout the page

• The meta title and description

• The image alt text

If the keyword never appears, the page will not rank. If the keyword appears 30 times, Google will think you are stuffing it. Aim for natural use.

6. Review your Google Business Profile

This is one of the biggest ranking factors for local businesses.

Confirm that you have:

• Accurate business name, address, and phone number (NAP)

• Correct categories

• Updated hours

• At least 10 photos

• A keyword-rich business description

• Posts every 1 to 2 weeks

• At least 20 total reviews

If your competitors have more recent reviews than you, they will outrank you.

7. Analyze your backlinks

Backlinks are other websites linking to you. They boost credibility.

Use a free tool like Ubersuggest or Ahrefs (limited free view).

What to look for:

• At least 10 backlinks from real websites

• Local directories

• Industry related sites

• No spam links

If you have fewer backlinks than your competitors, you will have trouble ranking. A good starting point is adding citations to:

• Google

• Yelp

• Bing Places

• YellowPages

• Local chamber of commerce

• Niche directories for your industry

8. Look for technical red flags

You do not need to know coding to spot major issues. Check for:

• Broken links

• Pages with no titles

• Pages missing meta descriptions

• Multiple pages targeting the same keyword

• Blog posts with thin content

• Images missing alt text

• 404 error pages

Free tools:

• Screaming Frog (free up to 500 URLs)

• Sitechecker free audit

• Ubersuggest site audit

Fixing even a few issues often improves rankings.

9. Review your competitors

Search your main keyword on Google.

Example:

“tattoo shop riverside” or “pressure washing rensselaer county.”

Open the top 3 competitors and compare:

• Do they have more content?

• Are their pages longer?

• Do they have more reviews?

• Do they post more blogs?

• Is their site faster?

• Do they have stronger backlinks?

Whatever they are doing better is your roadmap.

10. Make a simple action plan

Once you finish the audit, create a punch list of fixes. Good first steps:

• Rewrite your homepage for clearer SEO

• Add keywords to your service pages

• Compress images

• Add internal links between pages

• Add missing meta titles and descriptions

• Add 5 to 10 new photos to your Google Business Profile

• Ask for 3 to 5 new reviews

• Write one helpful blog post per month

Small changes compound over time.

Final Thoughts

A simple SEO audit gives you a clear view of where your site stands. Most businesses ignore the basics, which means fixing these small issues puts you ahead of your competitors fast.

If you want help with a deeper audit, a redesign, or ongoing SEO, Underground Index can take this to the next level. First 60 days are FREE. No commitments. Ever.