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A free audit should do more than produce a colourful score. The useful part is the evidence behind the score: which page has the issue, why it matters, and what should be checked next. Before you pay for SEO, you can learn a great deal from a disciplined first pass across the site.
Treat an audit as a prioritisation tool, not a verdict. Fix blockers and high-impact issues first, then validate the result with Search Console, real-user data and business outcomes.
Technical access and indexability
Start by confirming that the site is accessible over HTTPS, important pages return successful status codes, canonical tags are sensible, and robots directives are not blocking pages that should appear in search.
Check robots.txt and the XML sitemap, but do not assume that appearing in a sitemap guarantees indexing. The sitemap is a discovery signal; Google still evaluates each URL. Also look for accidental noindex tags, redirect chains and duplicate URL variants.
Titles, descriptions and heading structure
Every important page should have a descriptive title and a clear main heading that matches the page’s job. Meta descriptions do not need to contain every keyword; they should help a searcher understand why the page is relevant.
Look for missing, duplicated or obviously templated titles. On the page itself, use headings to organise the content for readers. A heading structure should explain the topic even when you skim it quickly.
Content usefulness and duplication
Thin content is not defined by a magic word count. The question is whether the page gives a visitor enough information to make the next decision. A service page that says “we provide the best solutions” in 200 words may be thin; a concise page that answers scope, process, limitations and next steps may be useful.
Check for duplicated blocks across service pages. Reusing navigation and contact details is normal. Reusing the same core explanation with only the service name changed is not helpful.
Images and media
Review missing alternative text, oversized files, missing width/height attributes and media that loads before it is needed. An image should either communicate something useful or support the visual experience without becoming the largest performance cost on the page.
For project screenshots and product interfaces, descriptive alt text can explain what is visible. Decorative backgrounds should not be stuffed with keywords.
Internal links and broken links
A crawl should identify internal links that return errors and pages that are difficult to reach from the main site structure. Internal links also help users move between a problem and the service, solution or guide that answers it.
Avoid creating a huge web of repeated keyword anchors. Use natural link text that tells the reader what is on the destination page.
Page experience and mobile usability
Google recommends looking at page experience as a whole rather than chasing one score. Core Web Vitals, secure delivery, mobile usability and avoiding intrusive interstitials all contribute to a better user experience.
Use lab tools to diagnose problems, then verify with real-user data when you have enough traffic. A perfect Lighthouse score is not a business objective; a fast, stable page that helps visitors complete the task is.
The 20-point quick audit
Use this list as a first pass before deeper analysis.
- HTTPS works without mixed-content problems
- Important pages return 200 status codes
- Canonical tags point to the intended URL
- robots.txt does not block important sections
- XML sitemap is present and current
- No accidental noindex on important pages
- Unique, descriptive title tags
- Useful meta descriptions
- One clear main topic/H1 per page
- Logical H2/H3 structure
- Service content answers real buying questions
- No large blocks of near-duplicate service copy
- Images have sensible alt text where needed
- Large images are compressed and dimensioned
- Broken internal links are fixed
- Important pages receive internal links
- Structured data parses and matches visible content
- Open Graph/social preview metadata is present
- Mobile layout has no horizontal overflow
- Core Web Vitals and real user experience are reviewed
UVs Digital Hub includes a free multi-page Website Audit tool that checks technical SEO, on-page content, headings, images, links, schema, robots.txt, sitemap, social metadata and selected security signals. We use the report as a starting point—not as a substitute for Search Console or a manual review.
Common questions
Can a free audit tell me why I am not ranking?
It can find technical and on-page issues, but rankings also depend on relevance, competition, authority, content quality and many query-specific factors. Treat the audit as evidence, not a diagnosis of every ranking problem.
Should I fix every warning?
No. Prioritise issues by impact, scale and confidence. A warning on one low-value page may matter less than an indexability issue on a key service page.
Does Google prefer a specific word count?
No. Google’s people-first content guidance does not prescribe a preferred word count. Cover the topic as completely as the user needs without padding.