Search engines update their algorithms constantly. What worked in 2024 might be hurting you now. A regular SEO audit catches problems before they tank your traffic — and reveals quick wins you're leaving on the table.
This checklist covers everything a small business website needs, organized into four sections: technical SEO, on-page optimization, off-page signals, and local SEO. Work through it once a month, and you'll stay ahead of 90% of your competitors.
Technical SEO is the infrastructure. If search engines can't crawl and render your site properly, nothing else matters.
Make sure Google can actually reach your pages. Review your robots.txt file for accidental blocks. A single misplaced Disallow: / line can deindex your entire site overnight. Use Google Search Console's URL Inspection tool to test critical pages.
Your sitemap should list every page you want indexed — and nothing you don't. Remove 404s, redirects, and noindexed pages from it. Submit it in Google Search Console if you haven't already, and confirm it's referenced in your robots.txt.
Check Google Search Console's Pages report for crawl errors. Prioritize 404s on pages that have inbound links (you're leaking authority) and server errors (5xx) that signal instability to search engines.
Run your homepage and top landing pages through Google PageSpeed Insights. Focus on Core Web Vitals: Largest Contentful Paint (under 2.5s), Interaction to Next Paint (under 200ms), and Cumulative Layout Shift (under 0.1). Common fixes: compress images, enable browser caching, defer non-critical JavaScript.
Google indexes the mobile version of your site first. Open your site on an actual phone — not just a desktop resize. Check for text that's too small, buttons too close together, and horizontal scrolling. Google Search Console's Mobile Usability report flags specific issues.
Every page should load over HTTPS. Check that HTTP URLs redirect to HTTPS with a 301 (not a 302). Mixed content warnings — where a secure page loads insecure resources — erode trust and trigger browser warnings. Fix them.
A redirect chain (A → B → C → D) slows crawling and dilutes link equity. Every redirect should point directly to the final destination. Audit your 301s quarterly and collapse any chains into single hops.
Schema markup helps search engines understand your content and can earn you rich snippets — star ratings, FAQ dropdowns, event dates. At minimum, add LocalBusiness, Organization, and BreadcrumbList schema. Validate with Google's Rich Results Test.
Canonical tags tell search engines which version of a page is the "real" one. Every page should have a self-referencing canonical, and duplicate or near-duplicate pages should canonical to the primary version. Incorrect canonicals can suppress your best pages from the index.
On-page SEO is where you signal relevance. Each page needs to clearly communicate what it's about — to both humans and search engines.
Every page needs a unique title tag under 60 characters that includes your primary keyword. Front-load the keyword when it reads naturally. Avoid stuffing multiple keywords into one title — it reads as spam and Google may rewrite it anyway.
Meta descriptions don't directly affect rankings, but they affect click-through rate — which does. Write a clear, benefit-driven description under 155 characters for each page. Include a call to action. If you leave them blank, Google auto-generates them, and the results are rarely ideal.
Use one H1 per page (your main topic), and organize supporting content under H2 and H3 tags. Headings aren't decoration — they're an outline search engines use to understand content hierarchy. Include relevant keywords in headings where they fit naturally.
Thin content pages (under 300 words with no unique value) are liabilities. For each key page, ask: does this answer the searcher's question better than what's currently ranking? If not, expand it, add examples, include data, or consolidate it with a stronger page.
Each important page should target one primary keyword and two to three related terms. Check that your primary keyword appears in the title tag, H1, first 100 words, and at least one subheading. Don't force it — but don't be shy about it either.
Every image should have a descriptive alt attribute (screen readers depend on it, and search engines use it). Compress images before uploading — a 4MB hero image is never acceptable. Use modern formats like WebP or AVIF where your CMS supports them.
Internal links distribute authority and help users find related content. Every page should be reachable within three clicks from your homepage. Link to your most important pages from your most authoritative pages. Use descriptive anchor text — "our SEO audit service" beats "click here."
Check for pages with identical or near-identical content. Common culprits: www vs. non-www versions, HTTP vs. HTTPS, paginated pages, and URL parameters creating multiple versions of the same page. Consolidate with canonicals, 301 redirects, or by removing the duplicates.
Off-page SEO is your site's reputation. Search engines treat backlinks and brand mentions as votes of confidence.
Use a tool like Ahrefs, Moz, or Google Search Console's Links report to review who's linking to you. Look for a healthy mix of links from relevant, authoritative domains. If you spot a spike of spammy links from unrelated foreign sites, consider disavowing them.
Links you've earned can disappear when external sites restructure or remove content. Monitor for lost backlinks monthly. When you find one, reach out to the site owner and ask them to restore or update the link. Also fix any pages on your site that return 404s but still have inbound links.
Check where your top three competitors are getting links that you aren't. Industry directories, guest post opportunities, local sponsorships, and resource pages are all fair game. If a site links to three of your competitors, they'll probably link to you too — you just have to ask.
Set up Google Alerts for your business name. When someone mentions you without linking, reach out and politely ask for a link. Unlinked brand mentions are low-hanging fruit — the hard part (getting noticed) is already done.
Social signals aren't a direct ranking factor, but consistent, active profiles on relevant platforms reinforce your brand's legitimacy. Make sure your business name, URL, and description are accurate across all profiles. Abandoned social accounts with outdated information work against you.
If customers visit your location or you serve a defined geographic area, local SEO is non-negotiable.
Claim and fully complete your Google Business Profile. Fill in every field: business category, hours, services, products, description, and photos. Post updates at least twice a month. Respond to every review — positive and negative. Profiles with complete information and recent activity rank higher in the local pack.
NAP stands for Name, Address, Phone number. These three details must be identical everywhere they appear — your website, Google Business Profile, Yelp, Facebook, industry directories, and any other citation source. Even small inconsistencies (like "St." vs. "Street") can hurt local rankings.
Citations are mentions of your business on external sites — directories, review platforms, data aggregators. Audit your existing citations for accuracy, remove duplicates, and build new ones on relevant platforms. Focus on quality directories in your industry and region rather than blasting hundreds of low-quality listings.
You now have a complete, actionable SEO audit checklist. The problem isn't knowing what to check — it's doing it consistently. Most small business owners run through a checklist like this once, fix a few things, and then don't look at it again for six months. By then, new issues have piled up: broken links, speed regressions, lost backlinks, outdated content.
SEO isn't a one-time project. It's maintenance. Monthly maintenance.
That's exactly why we built Navi-SEO. It runs this audit automatically every month — checking your technical SEO, on-page optimization, backlinks, and local SEO — then gives you a prioritized list of what to fix, in plain English. No jargon, no 90-page PDF reports you'll never read.
Plans start at $39/month. That's less than one hour of an SEO consultant's time, and it runs every single month without you having to remember.