Plenty of places offer a “free SEO audit”. Most of the time you type in your web address, a tool runs for thirty seconds and you get a 40 page PDF with a score out of 100. Half of it is red, none of it is explained, and the next day somebody rings you to sell you a package. That’s not what I do. When you ask me for a free website check, I look at it myself. Here’s exactly what I go through, so you know what you’re getting before you send it over.
Where does a good SEO audit start?
With your business, not your website. Before I look at anything technical, I want to know what you do, where you work and which jobs you’d like more of. A roofer in Crosby who wants more full re-roofs needs something very different from one who’s happy with repairs. If an audit doesn’t ask about that, it’s guessing.
Then I do what your customers do. I search for your services in your area on my phone and see who comes up. That one search tells me a lot. Are you on the map? Are you on page one? Is the business above you actually better, or just better set up?
What do you check on my Google listing?
Pretty much everything, because for local businesses it’s often where the quickest wins are. I look at your main category and whether it matches what people search for. I check whether your services are listed, your opening hours are right and your photos look like a real business. I look at how many reviews you have, how recent they are and whether anyone’s replying to them.
I also check that your name, address and phone number match your website exactly. You’d be surprised how often they don’t. An old number on the listing or a different spelling of the business name is enough to muddle Google. I go into all of this in how to get into the Google Maps top 3.
Why do you check my website on a phone?
Because that’s where most of your customers are. I open your site on my phone and try to do what a customer would. How long does it take to load? Can I see what you do straight away? Is your number easy to tap? Can I fill in your form without zooming in?
If any of that is a struggle, people go back to Google and pick someone else. Google notices that too. I’ve written more on this in why a slow mobile site costs you customers.
What do you look for on my pages?
Whether each service you want more of has its own page, and whether that page is aimed at what people actually type. A lot of sites have one “Services” page with ten things listed on it. Google has a hard time ranking that for any one of them.
I look at your page titles, because they’re what people see in the search results. I check your headings make sense and the words on the page explain the job in plain English. I look at whether pages link to each other sensibly, and whether there’s anything thin or copied that’s doing more harm than good. If you want the basics of this, read on-page SEO basics for small businesses.
What do you check behind the scenes?
The technical stuff, but only the bits that matter for a business your size. Can Google actually find and read your pages? Are there broken links or pages that lead nowhere? Is the site secure? Has someone left a setting switched on that tells Google to ignore you? That last one happens more than you’d think, usually after a new site goes live.
If you’ve got Google Search Console set up, I’ll ask for access, because it shows exactly what Google is struggling with. If you haven’t, that goes on the list. I won’t bury you in 200 technical warnings. Most of them don’t matter, and I’d rather tell you about the three that do.
Do you look at my competitors?
Yes. I look at the businesses showing up above you and work out why. Sometimes they’ve got far more reviews. Sometimes they’ve got a page for the exact job and you haven’t. Sometimes there’s no good reason at all and you could pass them with a few simple changes. Knowing which it is tells me how much work it’ll take, and whether it’s worth doing at all.
What do you get back from a free audit?
A short, plain-English summary of where you stand and the three things I’d fix first. I tell you why each one matters and roughly how long it would take. Some of it you’ll be able to do yourself, and I’ll say so. If you’ve already got a web person, you can hand them the list.
If you’d like me to do the work, I’ll tell you how I’d go about it. It’s £125 a week on a 30 day rolling basis, and you’d get a live reporting portal you can log into any time to see how it’s going. If you’d rather not, that’s fine too. There’s no follow-up call a week later trying to talk you round. If you want a deeper, paid look at a bigger site, my SEO audits page explains what that covers.
Want me to go through your site?
Fill this in and I’ll do everything above for your business. You’ll hear back from me, not an automated email, with the three things I’d fix first.
If you want me to crack on, it’s £125 a week, about £18 a day, on a 30 day rolling basis.
Free website check
Checked by me, not a tool.
Rather message? WhatsApp 07463 631121 or call 0151 402 0925.
Questions people ask me
Is the audit really free?
Yes. No card details and no catch. If you want me to do the work afterwards, that’s your call.
How long does it take to hear back?
As soon as I’ve been through it. If it’s a busy week, I’ll tell you when to expect it.
Do you use a tool for it?
I use tools to check things like speed, but I look at everything myself and write it up in plain English.
Do I need to give you any logins?
No. I can do most of it from the outside. Search Console access helps if you have it.
Will you try to sell me something?
I’ll tell you what I’d do and the price. There’s no chasing after that.
Can my web designer do the fixes?
Yes. Plenty of people hand my list to their own web person.
What if my site is fine?
Then I’ll say so. Better you hear that than pay for work you don’t need.
Do you check Google Ads as well?
If you’re running ads, I’ll have a quick look and tell you if anything stands out.
Keep reading
If you’re comparing SEO people, how to choose the right SEO company has the questions worth asking. If you’re not sure you need help at all, read do you need an SEO company? And if the price is the main thing on your mind, how much SEO costs in the UK gives you honest numbers.
Hi, I’m PeteSend me your website
I’ll look at it myself and tell you the three things I’d fix first. No score out of 100 and no sales call.
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