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How To Do An SEO Audit: The Ultimate Step-By-Step Guide

by | Jul 4, 2025 | SEO Audits | 0 comments

A notepad with SEO AUDIT written on it, a pen, a succulent plant, a digital tablet, and colorful push pins are arranged on a light blue desk—perfect for organizing your step-by-step SEO audit.

Imagine investing time and resources into your website, only to find it hidden away on page three of Google’s results while your competitors capture all the clicks, leads, and sales. The difference often comes down to one crucial process: a thorough SEO audit. Far from being a technical mystery reserved for experts, an SEO audit is a methodical health check for your online presence, revealing precisely what’s holding your site back and where the best opportunities lie.

Whether you’re a business owner in Surrey, a marketing manager juggling multiple hats, or simply keen to make your website work harder, understanding how to do an SEO audit puts you firmly in control. It’s the foundation for stronger search rankings, a better experience for your visitors, and more tangible results from your digital marketing.

This guide walks you step by step through every stage of an effective SEO audit from setting up essential tools and diagnosing crawl issues, to fine-tuning your content, analysing backlinks, and uncovering gaps your competitors are exploiting. No previous SEO experience is required; practical examples and recommended tools are provided throughout. By the end, you’ll know exactly where your website stands and what to tackle first for maximum impact.

Step 1: Prepare Your SEO Audit Toolkit and Access

Before you dive into the nitty-gritty of an SEO audit, make sure you’ve got the right tools and accounts in place. Gathering data from reliable sources prevents guesswork and ensures you spot every issue no matter how small. You’ll need to set up official search engine accounts, connect analytics for visitor insights, and pick a site crawler that can systematically scan every corner of your website.

Once everything is configured, you’ll be able to track changes over time, spot trends and technical hiccups early, and focus on the fixes that matter most. The steps below cover exactly what you need to get going.

Set Up Google Search Console

Google Search Console (GSC) is the go-to dashboard for monitoring how your site appears in Google’s results. To get started, head to search.google.com/search-console and:

  1. Add your property: Choose between a Domain property (covers all subdomains and protocols) or a URL prefix (specific protocol and subdomain).
  2. Verify ownership: Upload the provided HTML file to your server, add the meta tag to your homepage, or verify via DNS record.
  3. Submit your sitemap: Once verified, go to Settings > Sitemaps, enter the URL of your XML sitemap (e.g., /sitemap.xml), and click Submit.

Key reports you’ll rely on:

  • Coverage shows which pages Google has indexed, plus errors (404s), warnings and excluded URLs.
  • Performance reveals clicks, impressions, average position and click-through rate for each query and page.
  • Mobile Usability flags issues like “clickable elements too close together” or missing viewport settings.

Regularly reviewing these reports helps you spot indexing problems, content gaps and mobile obstacles before they spiral into major ranking losses.

Integrate Google Analytics

Google Analytics (GA4) provides rich detail on how visitors interact with your site, from traffic sources to bounce rate. To integrate it:

  1. Create or choose a GA4 property: In your Analytics account, click Admin > Create Property, and follow the prompts for GA4.
  2. Install the tracking tag: Copy the global site tag (gtag.js) snippet into the <head> of every page, or deploy it via Google Tag Manager.
  3. Verify data flow: Open Realtime reports to ensure your own visits appear.

Once data is streaming, set up an Organic Search segment:

  • Go to Explore > Blank and add a new segment.
  • Define the segment so that Session medium equals “organic”.
  • Save and apply: you’ll now see metrics sessions, pages per session, average engagement time, bounce rate specifically for organic search visitors.

This segmentation lets you compare organic performance against other channels, so you can measure the impact of your audit.

Choose and Configure a Crawling Tool

A site crawler simulates a search engine bot, scanning every URL to uncover technical glitches. Two popular options are:

  • Screaming Frog SEO Spider (desktop app, free for up to 500 URLs): excels at deep dives into redirects, response codes and metadata.
  • Semrush Site Audit (cloud-based, part of a paid suite): checks 140+ issues, handles larger sites automatically and offers scheduling and visual dashboards.

Basic configuration steps:

  1. Set crawl limits: In Screaming Frog, go to Configuration > Spider > Limits, and cap the crawl to your URL count or depth to avoid server overload. In Semrush, define a maximum number of pages under project settings.
  2. Choose a user agent: Stick with “Googlebot” or the default; changing it can reveal content hidden from bots.
  3. Schedule regular audits: Semrush lets you set weekly crawls that email you a “Site Health” report. In Screaming Frog, automate via the command line and a scheduler (e.g., cron on macOS/Linux or Task Scheduler on Windows).

By the end of this step, you’ll have a connected suite of tools feeding you reliable data your solid foundation for every audit that follows.

Step 2: Verify Search Engine Indexing and Crawlability

Before you can improve rankings, you need to make sure Google (and other search engines) can actually find and index your pages. If key parts of your site are hidden behind a misconfigured rule or a stray tag, no amount of optimisation will help. In this step, you’ll check how many pages are in the index, spot anything unexpected, and resolve any blocks that might be holding you back.

Use the site: Operator to Gauge Indexing

A quick way to see which pages Google has indexed is with the site: operator. In Google’s search bar, type:

site:yourdomain.co.uk

and review the results. Pay attention to:

  • Total count: Does it roughly match the number of pages you expect?
  • Missing URLs: Are important pages (blog posts, service pages) not shown?
  • Unexpected URLs: Do you see admin pages, test subdomains or duplicate content?

If you spot discrepancies, note the URLs you’d expect to see but don’t and any that shouldn’t appear at all. You’ll use this information in the next checks.

Review the Coverage Report in Search Console

Google Search Console’s Coverage report (under Index in the sidebar) gives you a detailed breakdown:

  • Errors (e.g. 404s that returned a “Not Found” status)
  • Valid with warnings (pages that are indexed but have issues)
  • Valid (pages indexed without problem)
  • Excluded (pages intentionally or unintentionally left out)

Click each tab to view the list of affected URLs and the reasons behind the status. Common exclusion reasons include:

  • Crawled – currently not indexed: Google fetched the URL but hasn’t added it to the index yet.
  • Discovered – currently not indexed: Google knows about the URL but hasn’t crawled it.
  • Blocked by robots.txt: The page’s URL is disallowed in your robots.txt file.
  • Noindex tag: A <meta name="robots" content="noindex"> tag is preventing indexing.

Use these insights to prioritise which pages need your attention first especially any high-value pages that are stuck in the Errors or Excluded sections.

Identify and Resolve Noindex and robots.txt Issues

Two of the most common culprits for missing pages are accidental noindex tags and restrictive robots.txt rules.

  1. Check your robots.txt:
    Visit https://yourdomain.co.uk/robots.txt in your browser. Look for any lines that block search bots from crawling public content. For example:

    User-agent: *
Disallow: /private/
Disallow: /staging/

    If you see a Disallow: / directive (or paths that include live pages), edit your robots.txt to remove or refine those rules, then re-upload it to your server.

  2. Locate stray noindex tags:
    For any page you expect to be indexed but isn’t, view its HTML source and search for:

    <meta name="robots" content="noindex">

    Remove this tag (or change it to index, follow) if you want Google to include the page in its index.

  3. Validate your fixes:
    • In Search Console, use the URL Inspection tool to re-test individual URLs.
    • Click Request indexing once the noindex tag or robots.txt block has been removed.
    • Keep an eye on the Coverage report over the next few days to confirm your pages move into the “Valid” category.

By the end of this step, you should have a clear picture of which pages Google can and can’t see, and you’ll have taken concrete action to unblock any essential URLs. With crawlability restored, you can move on to consolidating duplicate site versions and fine-tuning your SEO further.

Step 3: Identify and Consolidate Duplicate Site Versions

Having multiple versions of your site accessible such as http://, https://, www and non-www can split your SEO value and confuse both users and search engines. In this step, you’ll learn how to test all possible URL variants, set up permanent redirects, and align your Search Console settings so that everyone lands on the one version you choose as canonical.

Test All URL Variants

Start by checking each of these four common variants in your browser’s address bar:

  • http://yourdomain.co.uk
  • https://yourdomain.co.uk
  • http://www.yourdomain.co.uk
  • https://www.yourdomain.co.uk

Ideally, every variant should resolve (via redirect) to your preferred version for example, https://yourdomain.co.uk. If any variant shows the wrong certificate, serves a different page, or generates an error, note it for your redirect setup.

For a deeper look, use an HTTP header inspector (such as the free SEO Toolbar in Chrome). When you load each variant, look at the Status Code and Location response headers:

  • A 301 status code means a permanent redirect is in place.
  • A 200 status code indicates no redirect and may signal a duplicate site.
  • A 302 status code represents a temporary redirect, which isn’t ideal for SEO.

Implement 301 Redirects to Your Preferred Version

Permanent (301 redirects) are the key to consolidating all link equity onto one canonical site address. Unlike 302 (temporary) redirects, 301s tell search engines to pass ranking power to the new URL.

If you’re using Apache, add rules like this to your .htaccess file:

RewriteEngine On
# Redirect non-www to www
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} !^www. [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://www.yourdomain.co.uk/$1 [L,R=301]
# Redirect HTTP to HTTPS
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://www.yourdomain.co.uk/$1 [L,R=301]

Or, to force non-www over www:

RewriteEngine On
# Redirect www to non-www & HTTP to HTTPS
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www.(.*)$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%1/$1 [L,R=301]

On an Nginx server, you might use:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name yourdomain.co.uk www.yourdomain.co.uk;
    return 301 https://yourdomain.co.uk$request_uri;
}

After deployment, retest each variant in your browser and HTTP header tool to confirm all now return a single, permanent redirect to your chosen URL.

Configure Your Preferred Domain in Search Console

In Google Search Console, you need to signal which version you want to track:

  1. Add a Domain property: This automatically includes all protocols and subdomains no further preference settings are required.
  2. Or add a URL-prefix property for your chosen form (e.g. https://yourdomain.co.uk) and omit the others.

If you opt for URL-prefix properties, submit only the sitemap for your preferred version under Sitemaps, then remove any sitemaps for alternate variants. That way, Google focuses exclusively on your canonical URLs.

Finally, use the URL Inspection tool to test a handful of pages: enter the live page URL, ensure Search Console recognises it as indexed, and confirm it matches the form you set in your redirects. Once everything aligns redirects, sitemaps and Search Console settings you’ll have a single, consolidated domain version that maximises your SEO value.

Step 4: Evaluate Mobile-Friendliness and Accessibility Compliance

While search engine visibility is important, you also need to ensure your website is usable by everyone regardless of device or ability. Google uses mobile-first indexing, which means it primarily crawls and ranks the mobile version of your site. At the same time, the UK government requires public sector bodies to meet accessibility WCAG 2.2 AA standards, and doing so benefits all users. This step covers how to confirm your site performs well on smartphones, audit it against recognised accessibility guidelines, and publish a clear statement on your compliance.

Test Mobile Usability in Search Console

Google Search Console includes a Mobile Usability report that flags issues affecting smartphone visitors. To check it:

  1. In Search Console, go to Experience > Mobile Usability.
  2. Review any listed errors such as:
    • Clickable elements too close together, which can lead to accidental taps.
    • Viewport not configured, meaning pages don’t adjust to different screen sizes.
    • Content wider than screen, requiring horizontal scrolling.

Each issue lists the affected URLs. Click through to see the live test results and a screenshot of how Googlebot views the page.

To fix these common problems:

  • Add or update the <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"> tag in your <head> so pages scale correctly.
  • Use a responsive CSS framework (e.g., Bootstrap or Flexbox) to ensure elements adapt to various viewports.
  • Space out buttons and form fields by at least 44×44 CSS pixels to meet touch target guidelines.

After applying each change, use the Validate Fix button in Search Console to confirm the issue is resolved.

Ensure WCAG 2.2 AA Compliance for Accessibility

The UK government’s guidance on making websites and apps accessible sets out WCAG 2.2 AA as the minimum standard for most public sector sites but it’s a useful benchmark for any website. Start your audit by comparing your pages against key WCAG success criteria:

  • Keyboard navigation: all features must be accessible without a mouse (e.g., using Tab).
  • Text contrast: a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for normal text ensures readability.
  • Alternative text: every meaningful image needs an alt attribute that describes its purpose.
  • Form labels: inputs, buttons and other controls must have clear, screen-reader-friendly labels.

Download the government’s checklist and run a manual or semi-automated review. Tools like WAVE or axe surface many common issues, while manual testing with keyboard-only navigation and a screen reader (e.g., NVDA or VoiceOver) picks up scenarios the tools might miss. Prioritise issues that block core tasks such as filling out a contact form or navigating your main menu before addressing lower-risk items.

Publish and Maintain an Accessibility Statement

An accessibility statement not only shows your commitment but is also a requirement for public sector sites. It should be easy to find (often linked in your footer) and contain:

  • A declaration of your commitment to accessibility standards (e.g., “This website aims to conform to WCAG 2.2 AA standards”).
  • Details of known shortcomings, such as any pages or documents that don’t meet the criteria.
  • Contact information an email address or feedback form so users can report barriers.
  • The date the statement was published and a schedule for regular reviews (e.g., quarterly audits).

Here’s a simple outline:

  1. Introduction and scope
  2. Compliance standard (WCAG 2.2 AA)
  3. Method of assessment (tools and manual tests)
  4. Known issues listing
  5. Feedback and contact details
  6. Next review date

Updating this statement as you resolve issues and add new content keeps both users and search engines aware of your ongoing improvements. By combining responsive design with robust accessibility practices, you’ll create a site that performs well in search and delivers a positive experience for every visitor.

Step 5: Analyse Site Performance and Core Web Vitals

A slow or janky site frustrates visitors and can drag down your rankings. Google looks closely at real‐world user experience signals known as Core Web Vitals to judge whether your pages load quickly, respond smoothly and remain visually stable. In this step, you’ll learn what each Core Web Vital measures, how to spot performance bottlenecks with PageSpeed Insights, and where to track improvements over time in Search Console.

Understand Core Web Vitals Metrics

Core Web Vitals are a set of three metrics that focus on loading speed, interactivity and visual stability:

  • Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) measures how long it takes for the main content (often an image or heading) to appear. Aim for an LCP of 2.5 seconds or less.
  • Interaction to Next Paint (INP) gauges how quickly your site reacts to user input (clicks, taps). A good INP score is under 200 milliseconds.
  • Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) tracks unexpected layout shifts like a button jumping position as the page loads. A CLS score below 0.1 indicates a stable experience.

Hitting these targets not only keeps visitors happy but also reduces bounce rates a small boost in engagement that can ripple into your search performance.

Use PageSpeed Insights for Performance Analysis

Google’s PageSpeed Insights is the quickest way to get detailed performance data for any URL:

  1. Paste your page’s URL into the tool and click Analyse.
  2. Review your Performance scores for mobile and desktop. Colours (green, amber, red) indicate how you’re doing against each Core Web Vital.
  3. Under Opportunities, you’ll find prioritized suggestions such as image compression, deferring unused JavaScript and reducing server response times.
  4. Click an individual recommendation to see estimated savings in load time and a guide to implement the fix.

Rather than chasing a perfect score of 100, focus on the largest bottle-necks first. For example, if your LCP is high due to unoptimised hero images, compressing or serving them in next-gen formats (WebP, AVIF) often delivers the biggest gains.

Monitor Core Web Vitals in Search Console

Once you’ve made changes, keep track of your progress in Google Search Console’s Core Web Vitals report:

  1. Sign in and navigate to Experience > Core Web Vitals.
  2. Toggle between Mobile and Desktop to see how each metric performs on different devices.
  3. Click Open Report to view lists of URLs marked as Good, Needs improvement or Poor for LCP, INP and CLS.
  4. Drill down into the Poor and Needs improvement sections to identify which pages still require attention.

By regularly monitoring this report, you’ll catch regressions like a new third-party script that slows rendering and ensure your site stays within the thresholds that Google and your visitors expect.

Step 6: Perform a Technical Site Crawl to Identify Errors

Before diving into on‐page tweaks and backlink outreach, you’ll want to use a crawler to comb through your site and surface all the hidden glitches that might be holding you back. A technical crawl mimics how search engines and users traverse your pages, revealing broken links, redirect issues, sitemap mishaps and more. Once you know what’s lurking under the hood, you can tackle fixes in the order that moves the needle most.

Run a Full Crawl with Your Chosen Tool

With your chosen crawler be it Semrush Site Audit, Screaming Frog or another solution set up a new project for your domain and kick off a complete scan. For instance, in Semrush you open Site Audit, select your project and click Start Audit. The dashboard then shows:

  • A Site Health score (percentage based on the number and severity of issues).
  • Categorised issues: Errors, Warnings and Notices.
  • URL-by-URL lists for each problem, so you can pinpoint exactly where to begin.

In Screaming Frog, enter your site URL, adjust Configuration > Spider settings to follow internal links, and hit Start. Once the crawl completes, filter by response codes, redirect chains, orphan pages and more. Focus first on items marked as “Errors” or non-200 responses, then work through warnings.

Broken links and “404 Not Found” responses not only frustrate visitors but also drain your crawl budget. In your report, filter for HTTP status codes in the 4xx range. You’ll see each broken URL and every internal page linking to it. For each:

  • Use a 301 redirect to point the old URL to the most relevant live page.
  • Update in-page links so they go directly to the correct destination.
  • Remove or replace links whose targets are permanently gone.

After deploying redirects or updating links, re-crawl to confirm that no 404 errors remain and all internal paths resolve correctly.

Resolve Redirect Loops and Chains

Redirect loops (Page A → Page B → Page A) lock up both users and bots, while long chains (A → B → C → D) introduce latency and dilute link equity. Your crawler will flag both loops and multi-step redirects. To streamline them:

  1. Identify the original URL and final target.
  2. Replace intermediate hops with a single 301 from the first URL straight to the final one.
  3. Remove any circular references.

Once done, run another scan to ensure each redirect now follows a clean, one-step path.

Correct Sitemap and robots.txt Anomalies

Your sitemap and robots.txt serve as roadmaps for search engines errors here can hide good pages or expose private ones. Use your crawl data to:

  • Verify that every URL in sitemap.xml returns a 200 status, matches your canonical format and isn’t a redirect or 404.
  • Confirm that no high-value pages are blocked by robots.txt rules.

If your sitemap lists dead or non-canonical URLs, regenerate it to include only live, indexable pages. If robots.txt inadvertently disallows important directories, edit or remove the offending lines, then upload the revised file to your server root. Finally, resubmit both sitemap and robots.txt in Google Search Console to ensure Googlebot can access your priority content.

By running a comprehensive technical crawl and acting on its findings, you’ll iron out structural issues that can hamper both search engines and real visitors paving the way for stronger rankings and a smoother user experience.

Step 7: Review and Optimise On-Page SEO Elements

Once your site’s foundation is solid, it’s time to sharpen the details that directly influence rankings and click-through rate. On-page optimisation covers the elements visible to users and search engines title tags, headings, image attributes and URLs.

Audit Title Tags and Meta Descriptions

Title tags and meta descriptions are often the first impression a user gets in search results. A well-crafted title should include your primary keyword near the front, stay under roughly 60 characters, and accurately reflect the page’s content. Meta descriptions, while not a direct ranking factor, can significantly boost click-through rates; aim for around 120‒155 characters, a clear call to action and a natural use of secondary keywords.

Checklist for every key page:

  • Title tag: primary keyword + brand (if space allows), <60 characters
  • Meta description: concise summary, <155 characters, one call to action (e.g. “Learn more”, “Get started”)
  • Uniqueness: no two pages share the same title or description

Actionable example:

Before optimisation:

<title>Home</title>
<meta name="description" content="Welcome to our site.">

After optimisation:

<title>Digital Marketing Agency Surrey | GFC Tech</title>
<meta name="description" content="Boost your online visibility with our Surrey SEO, web design and maintenance services. Get a free consultation today.">

Ensure Logical Heading Structure

Headings (H1, H2, H3, etc.) organise content for readers and signalling for search engines. Each page should have one H1 that summarises its topic. Use H2s to break content into main sections and H3s or H4s for supporting points never skip levels to avoid confusion.

Tips for cleaner headings:

  • Use keywords naturally, not repetitively
  • Write descriptive subheadings that guide the reader (“Benefits of Local SEO” versus “SEO Tips #1”)
  • Avoid stuffing multiple keywords into a single header

Well-structured headings improve scannability and can even help you claim rich snippets if you answer questions directly under an H2 or H3.

Optimise Images with Descriptive Alt Text

Images enhance engagement, but search engines rely on alt attributes to understand them. Each meaningful image (logos, product shots, infographics) needs alt text that describes its purpose in a concise, human-friendly way ideally including a keyword where relevant.

Guidelines for alt text:

  • Keep it brief (around 100 characters)
  • Describe what’s in the image and its context (“Surrey office team collaborating on laptop”)
  • Skip alt text for purely decorative images by setting alt=""

This practice not only aids SEO and image search, it also meets accessibility standards by helping screen readers.

Clean and Keyword-Rich URL Slugs

A tidy URL structure makes both user navigation and search engine crawling more straightforward. Good slugs are lowercase, hyphen-separated, and include the main keyword without filler words.

Rules for effective URLs:

  • Format: https://yourdomain.co.uk/primary-keyword
  • Avoid dates, stop words (a, the, of) and excessive nesting (/2025/07/)
  • Keep it under 60 characters

For example:

  • Poor: https://gfctech.co.uk/page.php?id=12345
  • Better: https://gfctech.co.uk/local-seo-services

By polishing these on-page elements, you ensure each page sends precise signals about its topic and value maximising the chance of higher rankings and more clicks.

Step 8: Assess Content Quality and Search Intent Fulfilment

Even the most technically sound site won’t thrive if its content doesn’t meet your audience’s needs. At this stage of your audit, you’ll evaluate whether each page truly delivers value, matches the reason users landed there, and stands out against rival articles. Rather than randomly tweaking posts, focus on the pages that drive impressions and clicks, then decide whether to improve, merge or retire them. This ensures your effort goes where it counts.

Identify High-Priority Pages for Review

Start by opening the Performance report in Google Search Console. Set the date range to the last three to six months and sort pages by Impressions or Clicks. The top performers are your hardest-working assets they’re driving traffic but might fall short of their potential. Equally, look for pages with high impressions but low click-through rates; these are often ranking well but not compelling enough to be clicked. Jot down a list of ten to twenty pages that warrant a closer look.

Categorise Content for Action

Once you’ve flagged high-priority pages, decide what to do with each one. A simple four-category framework can help:

Action Description
Update Content is solid but needs fresh data, deeper examples or clearer formatting.
Rewrite The page misses the target or feels thin and requires a full overhaul.
Consolidate Two or more similar pages can merge into one stronger resource.
Delete Low-value, outdated or redundant content should be removed.

Assign each URL to one of these buckets. This approach stops you from endlessly polishing underperforming posts while leaving genuine opportunities untouched.

Check Originality, Authority and Depth

Ask yourself three key questions for each page under review:

  1. Is the information unique? Compare it with top SERP results to ensure you’re not just repeating what others have already said.
  2. Does it demonstrate expertise? Back claims with case studies, data or quotes from reputable sources.
  3. Is it thorough enough? Cover subtopics, frequently asked questions and edge cases to give readers a one-stop answer.

Where your content falls short, enrich it by embedding charts, linking to primary research or adding real-life examples. Not only does this enhance credibility, but it also increases the chance of earning natural backlinks.

Align Each Page with Search Intent

Finally, make sure your content matches why people searched in the first place. For informational queries, that might mean breaking complex ideas into numbered lists or succinct definitions. If your page aims to capture “how-to” traffic, include clear step-by-step instructions right under descriptive subheadings. To uncover common questions, perform a quick Google search for your target keyword and note any “People Also Ask” prompts. Incorporate those questions as H3s, followed by concise answers, to satisfy both users and search algorithms.

By systematically assessing quality and intent, you’ll transform scattered articles into a tightly focused resource that keeps visitors engaged and signals to Google that your site belongs near the top of the results.

Step 9: Audit Structured Data and Rich Snippets

Structured data often implemented in JSON-LD format helps search engines understand your content’s context and can unlock enhanced listings, such as rich snippets, carousels or knowledge panels. In this step, you’ll discover how to check what you’ve already marked up, fill in any gaps using Google’s own guidelines, and verify everything is working as intended. Finally, you’ll learn how to monitor your performance so you can spot errors or new opportunities over time.

Identify Existing Schema Markup

To see which structured data types your site already supports, view a few key pages’ source code:

  1. Open a page in your browser and choose View Page Source (or press Ctrl+U / ⌘+U).
  2. Search for <script type="application/ld+json">. Each block represents a JSON-LD snippet.
  3. Note the @type values within those scripts common examples include Article, BreadcrumbList or Organization.

If a page has no JSON-LD blocks, it simply means no schema is present. That’s your cue to plan additions where they’ll deliver the most value.

Implement Missing JSON-LD Markup per Google’s Guidelines

Google’s introduction to structured data provides clear examples of how to format and place JSON-LD snippets:
https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/intro-structured-data

Before adding any schema:

  • Choose the types that match your content. Typical options include:
    • Article (for blog posts and news)
    • FAQPage (for pages that answer common questions)
    • Product (for individual product details)
    • LocalBusiness (for location, opening hours, review ratings)
  • Insert the JSON-LD script within the <head> or immediately before the closing </body> tag.

Here’s a simple example for a FAQ page:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "FAQPage",
  "mainEntity": [
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "How do I verify my sitemap?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "You can verify your sitemap in Google Search Console under Sitemaps."
      }
    }
  ]
}
</script>

Validate Markup with Rich Results Test

After adding or updating schema, use Google’s Rich Results Test to confirm it’s error-free:

  1. Paste the URL of your page or drop in your JSON-LD code.
  2. Click Test URL or Test Code.
  3. Review the results:
    • Valid items will be listed under Detected items.
    • Errors or Warnings show missing or incorrect properties.

Address any errors first, as these prevent your content from qualifying for rich listings. Warnings may not block eligibility but often highlight best practices you’ll want to follow.

Monitor Rich Snippet Appearances in Search Console

Once your markup is live, keep an eye on its performance via Google Search Console:

  1. Go to Enhancements in the sidebar.
  2. You’ll see separate reports for supported schemas such as Breadcrumbs, FAQ or Products.
  3. Click each report to view:
    • Valid pages that Google recognises.
    • Errors or Warnings that require attention.

Regularly review these reports to catch regressions (for example, if a theme update strips your JSON-LD) and to identify new pages you could enhance with structured data. Over time, you’ll build a richer presence in the SERPs improving visibility, click-through rates and overall user trust.

Your backlink profile is one of the strongest indicators of how search engines view your website’s credibility. Each link from an external domain acts like a vote of confidence, so understanding the volume, quality and relevance of those votes is essential. In this step, you’ll learn how to analyse your referring domains, spot risky links, and set up a roadmap for earning more high-value links that boost your site’s authority and rankings.

Start by using a reputable tool such as Ahrefs, Semrush or Moz to pull a list of domains linking to your site. Focus on referring domains rather than total backlinks, since dozens of links from the same domain count for far less than single links from multiple sites. Plot your referring domain count over time to spot trends: a steady rise suggests healthy outreach or natural citations, while sudden dips may indicate lost links or technical issues.

Next, examine the Authority Score (or Domain Rating) assigned by your tool. This metric aggregates factors like link quality, link quantity and domain age into a single number often on a 1–100 scale. Compare your score to direct competitors to see where you stand. If your authority is lower, you’ll likely need a more aggressive link-building strategy to close the gap.

Assess Anchor Text Distribution

Anchor text the clickable text of a hyperlink helps search engines understand what your pages are about. However, an overly optimised profile with exact-match anchors (e.g. “best plumbing services Surrey”) can raise red flags. To review your anchor text spread:

  1. Export a list of your backlinks and sort by anchor text.
  2. Group anchors into categories: branded (e.g. “GFC Tech”), generic (“click here”), and keyword-rich.
  3. Aim for a healthy mix: most anchors should be branded or generic, with a smaller proportion of exact-match keywords.

If you discover a suspiciously high ratio of keyword-only anchors, make a plan to adjust your future outreach. Encourage partners and directories to use your brand name first, or diversify phrasing with variations such as “Surrey digital agency” or “online marketing experts”.

No backlink profile is perfect every site accumulates a few low-quality or irrelevant links over time. Your goal is to isolate and neutralise the truly harmful ones, which might come from link farms, spam directories or unrelated niches. To spot these:

  • Look for links from domains with a very low Authority Score (e.g. under 10).
  • Watch out for sudden spikes in new links from a single foreign or adult-oriented domain.
  • Check for links surrounded by unrelated or spammy content.

Once you’ve shortlisted dubious domains, attempt to remove the links by contacting the site owners. If that fails, compile a disavow file and submit it via Google Search Console. Disavowing should be a last resort used sparingly and only for links that you’re certain could trigger a penalty.

A healthy backlink strategy focuses on earning links from sites that are both relevant and authoritative. Consider these tactics:

  • Guest contributions: Write value-packed articles for industry blogs or local business sites in Surrey.
  • Digital PR: Share unique data or case studies that attract natural media mentions.
  • Resource pages: Identify high-value ‘best of’ or ‘resources’ pages in your niche and propose your content as a useful addition.
  • Local partnerships: Collaborate with local chambers of commerce, charities or events to earn community-focused links.

Outline a quarterly plan: set targets for the number of new referring domains, decide on outreach templates, and assign responsibilities. By mapping out your link-building efforts in advance, you’ll maintain momentum, demonstrate consistent growth to search engines, and steadily raise your domain authority.

Even the best-optimised site can experience unexpected shifts in traffic. Regularly reviewing your organic traffic trends helps you pinpoint sudden spikes or downturns, so you can act fast. By comparing data over time and tying it back to algorithm changes or penalties, you’ll avoid scrambling for answers when something goes wrong and you’ll know exactly which levers to pull to recover lost ground.

Review Organic Traffic in Search Console and Analytics

Start with Google Search Console’s Performance report. Set your date filter to a comparison period such as “Last 28 days” versus “Previous period” and switch to the Pages or Queries tab. Look for sudden drops or surges in clicks and impressions.

Then replicate this in Google Analytics (GA4): navigate to Reports > Acquisition > Traffic acquisition, choose “Organic Search” as your channel, and enable a date-to-date comparison. The blended view of sessions, engagement time and bounce rate will give you context on whether visitors are actually engaging or simply abandoning your site.

Correlate Traffic Changes with Algorithm Updates

Many traffic shifts coincide with Google’s algorithm tweaks. Major core updates are documented on the Search Central Blog. When you spot a dip that aligns with an update date:

  • Read the update announcement and any commentary on affected niches (for instance, core updates often hit YMYL Your Money, Your Life sites more heavily).
  • Compare your content types and backlink profile against documented patterns.
  • Note whether issues relate to content quality, user experience or link spam.

By understanding which aspect of your site an update targets, you’ll know whether to reinforce E-A-T signals, improve page speed or audit your backlink profile.

Check for Manual Actions

A manual action (penalty) occurs when Google’s reviewers find guideline violations on your site. To see if you’re penalised:

  1. Open Search Console and go to Security & Manual Actions > Manual Actions.
  2. A green tick means no action is taken; otherwise you’ll see details of the violation.

If you discover a manual action, follow the provided instructions to fix the issue whether that means removing unnatural links, removing spammy content or fixing cloaking problems then submit a Reconsideration Request. Only once Google approves your fixes will your traffic begin to recover from the penalty.

Recover Lost Traffic with Targeted Fixes

Once you’ve identified the root causes, take action:

  • Restore or rewrite thin content: pages that once ranked may have lost value. Enrich them with data, examples and fresh insights.
  • Remove or disavow toxic backlinks: drop low-quality links that trigger spam filters and focus on high-authority, relevant domains.
  • Improve site performance: revisit your Core Web Vitals and PageSpeed Insights recommendations to reduce bounce rates and re-engage users.

After applying fixes, monitor your traffic weekly. You should see gradual improvements in clicks and engagement. By staying on top of traffic trends and tying every blip back to a clear cause you’ll keep your site resilient, responsive and firmly in control of its rankings.

Step 12: Benchmark Against Competitors and Find Gaps

Understanding where you stand among your rivals not only highlights opportunities you’ve missed, but also helps you refine a strategy that outpaces them. In this step, you’ll learn to identify your main competitors, compare key SEO metrics, and uncover both keyword and backlink gaps that you can exploit.

Identify Key Competitors

Begin by listing the websites that vie for the same search terms and customers in your area. A simple Google search for phrases like “Surrey SEO agency” or “digital marketing Surrey” will surface direct competitors, local directories and review platforms. Make a shortlist of three or four sites that consistently appear at the top of page one.

Tools such as Semrush’s Domain Overview can speed up this process. Enter your own domain, scroll to the “Competitive Positioning Map,” and add any suggested domains to your list. Aim for a mix of direct rivals those offering identical services in Surrey and indirect competitors that rank well for your target keywords.

Compare Authority and Organic Metrics

With your competitor list in hand, use Semrush’s Domain Overview (or a similar feature in your chosen SEO suite) to compare key metrics side by side:

  • Authority Score: Overall domain strength on a 1–100 scale.
  • Organic Traffic: Estimated visits from unpaid search.
  • Organic Keywords: Number of unique keywords each domain ranks for.
  • Referring Domains: The total domains linking to the site.

Export or view these figures in the tool’s “Compare Domains” tab. If a competitor enjoys a much higher Authority Score or more referring domains, they likely have a stronger link profile. A lead in organic keywords suggests broader content coverage. These discrepancies pinpoint where you need to focus be it content expansion or link-building to close the gap.

Use a Keyword Gap Tool

To uncover the exact keywords your competitors rank for but you don’t, launch Semrush’s Keyword Gap (also called Keyword Gap Analysis). Input your domain and the domains of up to four competitors, then click Compare. The results break down into:

  • Missing: Keywords your rivals rank for that are absent from your rankings.
  • Weak: Keywords you rank for, but below your competitors.
  • Shared: Keywords all analysed sites share.

Prioritise the Missing list first these are fresh content or optimisation opportunities. Next, tackle Weak keywords with on-page tweaks to overtake competitors. Finally, keep an eye on Shared terms to maintain and improve your position on already contested keywords.

Backlinks remain a cornerstone of SEO authority. Semrush’s Backlink Gap (or Backlink Gap Analysis) reveals domains linking to your competitors but not to you. After entering the same domains used in the keyword gap tool, you’ll see a list of missed linking opportunities.

Drill down into specific referring pages and anchor texts to assess relevance. Then prepare a bespoke outreach perhaps sharing an updated guide, case study or guest article idea to secure those links. By systematically tapping into the same link sources as your top competitors, you’ll bolster your own backlink profile and narrow the authority gap.

By benchmarking against peers and exploiting keyword and backlink gaps, you’ll transform competitor insights into a clear, actionable plan one that seizes opportunities precisely where they matter.

Securing a top-ranked organic listing is just part of the picture: modern search results are full of enhanced elements featured snippets, People Also Ask boxes, image packs and even AI-powered overviews that can steal clicks and attention. By tailoring your content to earn these prominent spots, you’ll boost visibility and drive more traffic without having to outrank every competitor on page one.

Before you start tweaking your pages, identify which SERP features matter for your target keywords. That insight guides where to focus your effort whether it’s crafting concise definitions for snippets or structuring FAQs to capture People Also Ask placements. The subsections below walk you through each optimisation tactic.

Analyse SERP Features for Target Keywords

Begin by tracking the SERP features that appear for your priority terms:

  • Use a position-tracking tool to monitor keywords and note which features they trigger (e.g. featured snippet, PAA, image pack).
  • Record which pages or even which lines on a page are already ranking in these features.
  • Identify “low-hanging fruit”: keywords where a snippet or PAA box shows, but you’re not yet featured.

Armed with this data, you know exactly where the opportunity lies for example, capturing a “People Also Ask” placement on a high-volume question or creating a list-style answer to win a bullet-point snippet.

Format Content for Featured Snippets

Featured snippets come in three main flavours paragraph, list or table and usually occupy the very top of page one. To increase your chances:

  • Provide a succinct answer (around 40–50 words for paragraph snippets) immediately after a clear heading.
  • Use ordered or unordered lists for step-by-step instructions, ensuring each item is concise and relevant.
  • When data suits a tabular format (e.g. pricing tiers, specifications), structure a simple HTML table with header rows.

Here’s an example of a list-style snippet layout:

### How to remove duplicate content in WordPress
1. Install a canonical tag plugin.  
2. Set a primary URL for each post.  
3. Redirect old or duplicate posts via 301 rules.  
4. Regenerate your sitemap and submit it to Search Console.

By offering Google exactly the snippet format it prefers, you increase the likelihood of snatching that coveted “position zero.”

Incorporate People Also Ask Questions

The “People Also Ask” box surfaces common follow-up questions and clicking one can expand dozens more. To leverage PAA:

  1. Search for your keyword and note the PAA questions that appear.
  2. Add each question as an H3 or H4 heading within your content.
  3. Follow each heading with a direct, two- to three-sentence answer.

This approach serves two purposes: visitors find their answer instantly, and Google sees your page as the source for multiple related queries extending your reach across several PAA entries.

Prepare for AI Overviews

With Google’s AI overviews (previously SGE) now summarising search results at the top, it pays to ensure your content meets the quality signals that power these summaries. While no guaranteed trick exists yet, you can:

  • Stick to Google’s Search Essentials: clear structure, accurate facts, authoritative tone.
  • Maintain well-organised headings and lists, so AI algorithms can extract answers easily.
  • Cite reputable sources case studies, statistics or quotes to reinforce your expertise.
  • Keep content up to date; summaries favour pages with the freshest information.

In many cases, simply following best practices for featured snippets and structured data means you’ll already be well positioned for AI-driven overviews. Over time, continue to monitor which queries trigger AI summaries and refine your content accordingly.

By systematically optimising for SERP features featured snippets, People Also Ask boxes and AI overviews you’ll expand your real estate on Google’s results page, attract more clicks and firmly establish your site as the go-to resource in your niche.

Step 14: Utilise Professional SEO Services When Needed

While you can tackle many SEO tasks yourself, certain challenges call for extra hands. Bringing in outside expertise helps you scale faster, solve technical roadblocks and free up time for strategic planning. In this step, we’ll look at the main options each with its own set of pros and cons so you can pick the best fit for your situation and budget.

In-House Teams vs. Freelancers

Building an in-house SEO team offers maximum control and institutional knowledge. You get people who deeply understand your products and brand, and they’ll be on hand to tweak tactics day to day. However, salaries, training and tools can become costly, and hiring skilled SEOs is notoriously competitive.

Freelancers, by contrast, tend to be more budget-friendly and flexible. You can engage them for one-off audits, specific fixes or seasonal campaigns without committing to long-term contracts. The trade-off is that you’re reliant on their availability and expertise, and you may need to coordinate multiple specialists for a comprehensive audit.

Digital Marketing Agencies

If you’re looking for an all-in-one solution strategy development, on-page optimisation, link building and reporting a dedicated agency can be an excellent choice. An agency brings a full suite of specialists under one roof, as well as access to premium tools and tried-and-tested processes. For businesses in Surrey, the GFC Tech’s Surrey SEO Agency offers tailored audits, ongoing optimisation and clear, jargon-free communication.

Technical SEO Specialists

Sometimes the critical issues are beneath the surface: slow site speed, misconfigured redirects or complex canonical errors. That’s when a Technical SEO specialist can make the difference. They dive into server logs, refine your Core Web Vitals and ensure your site architecture supports both bots and users. If you need help tackling these behind-the-scenes fixes, consider GFC Tech’s Technical SEO Service for hands-on performance improvements.

Local SEO Experts

For brick-and-mortar businesses serving a defined area, local search is essential. Local SEO experts focus on Google Business Profile optimisation, local citations and review strategies that boost your visibility in map packs and “near me” searches. GFC Tech’s Local SEO Services specialise in helping Surrey businesses attract customers down the road and strengthen their neighbourhood presence.

Industry-Specific SEO Providers

Niche markets often require specialised knowledge whether it’s compliance rules, technical jargon or unique customer journeys. Industry-focused SEO providers understand these nuances and tailor content, keyword research and outreach accordingly. For example, GFC Tech’s SEO Services for Smart Home Installers blend sector expertise with solid SEO fundamentals, ensuring your website speaks both to search engines and to savvy homeowners.

Choosing the right partner means balancing control, cost and expertise. Assess your priorities whether it’s day-to-day management, technical deep dives or local reach and pick the service that complements your in-house capabilities. With the right support in place, your audit findings will translate into real-world growth and lasting rankings improvement.

Next Steps for Your SEO Roadmap

Now that you’ve completed a comprehensive audit, it’s time to turn insights into action. Follow these steps to build a clear roadmap that prioritises the fixes most likely to move the needle, assigns responsibilities and tracks progress over time.

  1. Prioritise by Impact and Effort
    Review your audit findings and score each task by its potential SEO impact (for example, fixing a site‐wide on‐page issue) and the effort required (coding changes, content rewrites, outreach). Focus first on “quick wins” that deliver high impact with minimal effort things like correcting title tags, resolving broken links or unblocking key pages.
  2. Create a Timeline and Assign Owners
    Use a simple project tracker or spreadsheet to map out deadlines, assign each task to a team member (or external partner) and set realistic due dates. For larger projects such as restructuring site architecture or launching a major content refresh break the work into phases and schedule milestones.
  3. Implement Changes and Monitor Results
    As you roll out fixes, track your core metrics in Google Search Console, Google Analytics and your crawling tool’s dashboard. Keep an eye on organic impressions, click-through rate, Core Web Vitals and site health scores. Celebrate improvements like higher rankings for priority pages and troubleshoot any unexpected drops immediately.
  4. Schedule Regular Check-Ins
    SEO is never “done.” Plan to revisit your audit every quarter, or after major site updates, to ensure nothing has regressed. Automated crawls, monthly performance reviews and a recurring review of Core Web Vitals will help you stay ahead of new issues and adapt to evolving search algorithms.
  5. Scale and Expand Your Strategy
    Once your foundational issues are addressed, consider new growth channels: deeper keyword research, advanced schema implementations, or a content calendar that targets untapped topics from your keyword gap analysis. Building on a solid technical base means you can confidently invest in ongoing content creation and link-building efforts.

Need a helping hand? Explore GFC Tech’s homepage (https://gfctech.co.uk) to see how our Surrey-based team can transform your audit insights into a measurable SEO strategy customised to your business goals and backed by data-driven expertise.
About the Author Adam

Adam is a Founder of GFC Tech, a company dealing in SEO and website design and development services. Adam has been an SEO expert for the past 8 years and has been working with different companies in this field. He is an SEO consultant and a marketing strategist and works closely with his clients to ensure that his marketing plans and strategies provide them with the marketing advantages they need to grow their business. Adam’s main role is an SEO consultant, but he is also involved in all technical aspects. Adam also develops WordPress websites, designs them professionally and performs SEO for them so they can rank on the first page of google.

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