How To Do an SEO Audit & How Much Does an SEO Audit Cost?

 Underwhelming performance presents a golden opportunity to uncover what’s holding your website back. A comprehensive SEO audit is the cornerstone of identifying weaknesses, capitalising on strengths, and unlocking your site’s true potential. In this detailed guide we explore the process, benefits, and actionable insights from a thorough audit to help you turn your content into a powerhouse for organic growth. We’ll also look at how much a professional SEO audit costs and the benefits of working with a top UK digital agency.

What Is an SEO Audit?

An SEO audit is the process of evaluating how well-optimised your website is for search engines. This should include in-depth review of your website’s technical SEO and website content to evaluate its effectiveness in achieving your goals—whether that’s driving organic traffic, improving engagement, generating leads, or boosting conversions. Think of it as a full diagnostic check for your website, uncovering opportunities to optimise performance while eliminating obstacles that hinder success.

The Objectives of an SEO Audit

An audit does more than highlight what’s wrong; it also clarifies what’s working well and where your site can improve. It helps you:

1. Improve search engine visibility

By ensuring your content aligns with the latest SEO best practices, you increase its likelihood of ranking well in search engine results.

2. Enhance user experience

A well-audited website is easier to navigate, more engaging, and more likely to meet the needs of its visitors.

3. Increase ROI

By focusing on the content that drives the most value, you can allocate your resources more effectively.

SEO Audit Checklist

• Site Crawl
• Page Speed
• Meta Data
• Headings
• Broken links (internal and external)
• Redirect chains and loops 
• Sitemap
• Check for hreflang issues
• Check for canonical URL issues
• Faceted Navigation & Dynamic URLs
• Schema Markup
• Keyword Optimisation, Cannibalisation and Duplicate Content
• Page Content Quality and Relevance 
• Analyse user engagement metrics
• Audit backlinks
• Improve internal linking

How To Do an SEO Audit: A Step-by-Step Guide

Conducting a successful SEO audit involves strategic planning, data collection, and actionable implementation. Follow this detailed process to ensure your audit covers all the bases:

Step 1: Run a Site Crawl 

The first step is to compile a list of all your website’s content. Use tools like Screaming Frog, SEMrush, or Ahrefs to generate a comprehensive inventory.

For each piece of content, record:

• URL
• Content type (e.g., blog post, landing page, product description)
• Publication and last updated dates
• Word count
• Organic traffic (monthly average)
• Engagement metrics (e.g., social shares, comments)
• Conversion rates (if applicable)

This inventory serves as the foundation for your analysis, allowing you to spot patterns and prioritise areas for improvement.

Step 2: Evaluate Page Speed

Technical SEO forms the backbone of your website’s performance, ensuring that search engines can effectively crawl, index, and rank your content. Addressing technical issues like page speed, broken links, and site structure is essential for creating a seamless user experience and boosting search visibility.

Google recommends that web pages load in under 3 seconds – 2.5 seconds being ideal – with the likelihood of a visitor bouncing off your website (bounce rate) increasing 32% as page load time goes from 1 second to 3 seconds. In fact, just a one-second delay in page load time can result in a 7% decrease in conversions.

• Test your site using Google PageSpeed Insights, Lighthouse, or GTmetrix. If you are using Google PageSpeed insights, a 90 or above score is good, 89-50 means it needs improvement, and 49-0 is poor.
• Optimise images, minify code, and leverage caching to improve load times.
• Aim for page loads under 3 seconds, as this is a critical benchmark for user retention.

Step 3: Check Meta Data

The finer details of on-page SEO—such as title tags, meta descriptions, headings, and internal links—play a pivotal role in improving search visibility and user engagement. Optimising these elements ensures your content not only ranks higher but also resonates with your audience.

Title Tags

Your title tags should:

• Be unique for each page.
• Include primary keywords.
• Remain under 60 characters to avoid truncation in search results.

Meta Descriptions

Craft meta descriptions that:

• Summarise your page’s content.
• Include relevant keywords.
• Entice users to click through.
• Are 160 characters or shorter to avoid truncation.

Heading Structure

Organise content with H1, H2, and H3 tags.

Ensure each page:

• Contains one H1 tag.
• Breaks content into logical sections using H2 and H3 tags.

 For example, the title tag, meta description and heading tags should all work together: 

<head>

<title> Famous Female Scientists | Name of Website </title>

<meta name= ”description” content=”Here is an enticing piece of text, encouraging you to click through to the site.”>

</head>

<body>

<h1>Famous Female Scientists</h1>

<h2>Famous Female Scientists 1950-2019</h2>

<p>Body copy, relevant to famous female scientists between 1950 and 2019.</p>

<h2>Famous Female Scientists 1900-1949<h2>

<p>Body copy, relevant to famous female scientists between 1900 and 1949.</p>

</body>

Note that you should only ever have one H1 tag on a page, whereas you can use multiple H2s, H3s and so on. Furthermore, much like title tags, you don’t want to duplicate main headings across multiple pages and therefore cause keyword cannibalisation.

Step 4: Identify and Fix Broken Links

Broken links frustrate users and can hurt your rankings. Use tools like Google Search Console to identify:

• Internal links pointing to non-existent pages.
• External links to outdated resources.

Fix these issues by redirecting links to relevant pages or updating them to point to live content.

Step 5: Fix Redirect Chains and Loops

Redirect chains slow down page loads and confuse search engines.

Check for:

• Chains where URL A redirects to URL B, which then redirects to URL C.
• Loops where URL A redirects to URL B, which redirects back to URL A.

Streamline your redirects to create a direct path between old and new URLs.

Step 6: Sitemap

Your site should have a sitemap which sits at your top level directory, e.g. www.example.com/sitemap.xml. 

How to create a sitemap:

• The sitemap should be in xml format for Google to be able to read it correctly. 
• You can create a sitemap manually, although this is not advised as it’ll be labour intensive. 
• Crawl your site with a tool like Screaming Frog and generate one from there or rely on a plugin such as Yoast which provides a sitemap optimised for SEO.
• Ensure that this sitemap is uploaded to the relevant Search Console property. This will then allow Google to flag any issues that they have with your sitemap and for amendments to be made accordingly.

Step 7: Check for hreflang issues

This will only likely apply to sites with international versions (i.e. you can switch between languages and/or currencies or have multiple subdomains/subfolders). 

You will largely be looking for incorrect hreflang tags within your html, where the country code does not match the correct URL. 

For example, a page with a French language code should have an hreflang tag that looks like this <link rel=”alternate” hreflang=”fr” href=”http://fr.example.com” /> assuming you have a French subdomain. 

The most common errors are with the URL part not being changed, or the country code not matching the URL. You may also encounter errors if you automatically applying hreflang tags to every page, regardless of whether the page in another language exists. Only include tags to pages that exist and are relevant.

How to check hreflang tags:

• Check hreflang tag issues through Search Console under ‘international targeting’.
• There are also a number of online tools (including Screaming Frog) that allow you to audit your hreflang tags.

Step 8: Check for canonical URL issues

Related closely to the hreflang error above which uses the ‘rel=’ attribute, your canonical tags should point towards the page you wish to indicate as the ‘preferred’ URL for Google to index. 

Common canonical URL issues:

• Canonical URL is showing the wrong URL. 
• Dynamic URL parameters are showing that aren’t supposed to be there.
• No canonical tags at all. 

Step 9: Faceted Navigation & Dynamic URLs

Errors here usually revolve around dynamic URLs not returning their respective HTTP response headers and unique page titles (where appropriate). Issues arise when dynamic parameters change page content for the user, but do not return new http headers or other important page data such as page titles. 

If the content is completely unique to the user, these should be returned. On the other hand, if the dynamic parameters are merely filtering the content (such as an ecommerce store) then using canonicals to point to the original, unfiltered content will do the trick, allowing users to have an almost unlimited amount of filtering options, whilst Google indexes the most logical place for them to land from the SERPs.

Step 10: Optimise for Schema Markup

Schema markup enhances how search engines interpret your content and improves visibility in SERPs.

Use Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool to:

• Identify errors in your schema implementation.
• Add missing schema types like FAQ, Product, or How-To.

Step 11: Address Keyword Optimisation and Cannibalisation

Effective keyword usage is the backbone of a strong SEO strategy, but improper implementation—such as keyword cannibalisation or unnatural placement—can dilute your rankings and confuse search engines. This step ensures your keywords are working for you, not against you.

Keyword Implementation

• Ensure your primary keywords appear naturally in titles, headings, and body text.
• Avoid keyword stuffing, as it can lead to penalties.
• Use natural language wherever possible – This means incorporating the keyword in a way that would sound natural if you were talking about this subject in a conversation.

Keyword Cannibalisation

Use tools like Google Search Console to identify pages competing for the same keywords. Consolidate or differentiate these pages to avoid confusion and dilution of ranking potential.

Step 12: Assess Content Quality and Relevance

High-quality, relevant content is the cornerstone of any successful SEO strategy. Evaluating your content for accuracy, value, and alignment with user intent ensures it meets audience needs, stands out from competitors, and maintains its place in search rankings.

Once you’ve gathered your data, evaluate each piece of content for:

1. Accuracy: Ensure the information is up to date and factually correct.
2. Relevance: Does the content align with your target audience’s current needs and preferences?
3. Value: Does it provide actionable insights, solve problems, or answer questions comprehensively?

For content that falls short:

• Update outdated information.
• Rewrite sections to add clarity or depth.
• Consolidate overlapping articles into a single, authoritative resource.

Step 13: Analyse User Engagement Metrics

Understanding how users interact with your content is key to identifying what captures their attention and what drives them away. By analysing engagement metrics like bounce rate, time on page, and pages per session, you can refine your content to better meet user needs and enhance your site’s performance.

Focus on:

Bounce Rate

• High bounce rates indicate that users aren’t finding what they need. Analyse whether your content matches user intent and improve readability with clear headings and concise paragraphs.

Time on Page

• If users spend minimal time on a page, they’re likely not consuming your content. Add engaging elements like videos, infographics, or interactive tools to hold their attention.

Pages Per Session

• A high number of pages per session suggests strong internal linking and user interest. Identify popular paths and replicate successful strategies across other pages.

Step 14: Audit Backlinks

Backlinks are a critical factor in SEO success, acting as endorsements of your website’s authority and credibility. However, not all backlinks are created equal—this step focuses on identifying and leveraging high-quality links while addressing any harmful ones that may be dragging your rankings down.

Use Ahrefs or SEMrush to evaluate your backlink profile:

• Identify toxic links and disavow them through Google Search Console.
• Build relationships with authoritative sites to earn high-quality backlinks.

Step 15: Review Conversion Paths

Every piece of content should serve a purpose.

Evaluate:

• Call-to-Actions (CTAs): Are they clear and compelling?
• Sales Funnels: Are users navigating smoothly from awareness to conversion?

Make adjustments based on user behaviour data to optimise the journey.

Step 16: Improve Internal Linking

Internal links guide users and search engines through your site.

Review:

• Link placement: Are your links relevant and helpful?
• Anchor text: Does it include descriptive keywords?
• Orphan pages: Ensure every page has at least one internal link pointing to it.

Turning Insights Into Actionable Strategies

After completing your audit, compile your findings into a prioritised action plan.

Focus on:

1. Quick SEO Wins

Fixes like updating metadata or removing broken links can deliver immediate results.

2. Long-Term SEO Improvements

Develop a content calendar based on gaps identified during the audit.

3. Ongoing Monitoring

Implement regular audits to track progress and adapt to changing SEO trends.

Why Regular SEO Audits Are Essential

Search engines evolve, competitors adapt, and user preferences shift.

Regular SEO audits:

• Keep your strategy aligned with best practices.
• Uncover opportunities for growth.
• Ensure your website remains competitive in a dynamic digital landscape.

How Much Does an SEO Audit Cost?

The cost of an SEO audit varies depending on the size of your website, the depth of analysis required, and whether you choose a professional service or a DIY approach. For small websites with fewer than 10 pages, basic audits can cost anywhere from £1,500-£2,500, covering fundamental checks like metadata, keyword use, and technical issues. However, these audits are usually superficial and while they do flag some issues, they don’t provide any solutions.

Medium-sized sites (11–50 pages) often require more extensive analysis, with prices ranging from £2,500-£7,500, as these audits dive deeper into performance metrics, content quality, and technical SEO. Although they are more in-depth, they are still fairly impractical and don’t offer solutions or measure the impact of these issues on your SEO. They don’t take into account critical website data, making them very limited in terms of their effectiveness.

For larger websites or e-commerce platforms with 50+ pages, costs typically range from £7,500-£25,000+. These audits involve comprehensive evaluations, including backlink analysis, advanced keyword strategies, and competitor benchmarking, often necessitating the expertise of an SEO agency like Yellowball.

Investing in a professional SEO audit ensures your website is optimised for performance, delivering a high return on investment by increasing traffic, improving user experience, and boosting conversions.

What is included in an SEO audit?

SEO audit processes may differ between specialists. Our SEO audit will take into account a swathe of items, including:

• Keyword Analysis & Competitive audit

This looks at the search demand for your niche, looking at what keywords users are typing into Google Search and the relative competition by other websites showing up for these searches. This form of market research focuses on what’s going on outside your website by evaluating your website against your competition. You’ll see your strengths and weaknesses compared to theirs and receive recommendations that make your SEO efforts more effective. 

• Technical SEO audit

This process evaluates your website from a technical SEO aspect, searching for broken links, duplicate content, page speed load times, and more. The majority of resolutions found in this leg of an audit would likely require the assistance of a developer. This should be a standard aspect of an assessment from your audit team.

• On-Site SEO audit

This covers an analysis of keyword implementation in SEO relevant page elements like page titles and headings, eligible image optimisations, and the implementation of structured data, and evaluations of website structure, and an assortment of other elements.

• Content & Link Building Analysis

This leg focuses on the longer terms components of the websites SEO campaign, reviewing existing content on the website against competitor website offering, looking for opportunities and weaknesses you can leverage for both short and long term growth of the websites SEO strategy, and part of the content focus in the promotion of the content and acquisition of links to the site through well-crafted content designed to add value to the greater internet.

Tools for SEO Audit 

Useful SEO audit tools include:

• Google Search Console for dashboards and reports relating to your website’s performance
• Semrush or Ahrefs to check for on-page and technical SEO issue
• Screaming frog to crawl your website

SEO Audit FAQS

Let Yellowball Help You Master SEO

A comprehensive SEO audit is both an art and a science. While some elements can be managed in-house, a professional agency like Yellowball brings the expertise to identify deeper issues and craft targeted solutions. Our end-to-end SEO services include:

• In-depth audits tailored to your business.
• Actionable insights to optimise your site.
• Continuous support to keep your strategy on track.

Don’t let underperformance hold you back. At Yellowball, London’s leading web design and SEO agency, we’ll do everything we can to not only keep your SEO audit services costs down, but to also deliver results that help you drive ROI and profitability. As end-to-end website development, web maintenance, PPC management, and SEO specialists, with over 150 live websites and impressive success stories for both UK and global businesses, we know how you can best keep google search engine optimisation costs manageable over time and make the most of your website in this digital world. Contact us today for a quote on your site’s SEO audit.