An SEO audit template you can actually fill in.
Most SEO audit templates are a list of 200 checks with no way to tell which ones matter. This one is built the way I audit client sites: seven sections, a simple score for each, a findings table with the fix and the owner, and a report outline that ends in a plan. Use it as a working document, not a certificate.
By Muhammad Zohaib Ameer, SEO specialist · Updated November 14, 2026 · 9 min read- What: seven sections, each with four checks, a 0 to 3 score and an evidence column.
- Output: a one-page score card, a top-ten fix list and a 90-day plan.
- Rule: every finding needs evidence, a fix and an owner, or it will never get done.
- Tools: Search Console, PageSpeed Insights and a crawler cover most of it for free.
What is an SEO audit template?
An SEO audit template is a fixed structure for checking a website against the things that affect its Google visibility, so that every audit covers the same ground and produces a report someone can act on. A good template has sections, specific checks inside each section, a way to score them, space for evidence, and a findings table that names the fix and the person who will make it. Without that last part, an audit is a document, not a plan.
Seven sections, in the order I check them.
| Section | What to check | Where to look | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Crawl and index | Can Google reach and index the pages that matter? Blocked pages, redirect chains, orphan pages, sitemap errors | Search Console pages report, a crawler | High |
| 2. Speed and mobile | Core Web Vitals, image sizes, scripts, how the page behaves on a phone | Search Console, PageSpeed Insights | High |
| 3. On-page basics | Titles, H1s, descriptions, internal links, one keyword per page | A crawler export, the pages themselves | High |
| 4. Content | A page for each service or product type, depth, duplicates, dates and authors | Site map review, Search Console queries | Medium to high |
| 5. Links | Referring domains, anchor text, spam, competitor gaps | Ahrefs, Semrush or the Search Console links report | Medium |
| 6. Local presence | Google Business Profile, citations, reviews, local pages | The profile, a search for the business name | High for local businesses |
| 7. Tracking | Search Console, GA4, goals, call tracking | Each tool's settings | Medium |
The order matters. If Google cannot crawl a page, nothing else about that page counts, so crawl and index comes first. Speed and on-page basics come next because they are usually quick to fix. Content and links take longer and cost more, so they come after the cheap wins are known.
Weights are a judgement, not a formula. A local plumber lives and dies by section six. A national store barely needs it. Write the weight down at the start so the final score means something. If you want the technical sections broken down further, the technical SEO audit checklist has 30 points for sections one and two alone.
A 0 to 3 scale that anyone can apply.
| Score | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Missing or broken | No XML sitemap, or the sitemap returns an error |
| 1 | Exists but has problems | A sitemap that lists redirected and deleted pages |
| 2 | Fine, with small gaps | A clean sitemap that is missing the newest pages |
| 3 | Done well | A sitemap that updates itself and matches the indexable pages |
Where the score card points
Example numbers, for illustration. The two red sections become the first month of work.
Score each check, average the checks for a section score, and show the sections as bars like the card above. The point of the picture is not precision. It is to make the owner see in one glance where the work is, and to stop an audit being a wall of equal-looking bullet points.
Keep the evidence next to each score: a screenshot, a URL, a number from a tool. Scores without evidence get argued with. Scores with evidence get fixed.
What the findings table looks like filled in.
| Finding | Where | Severity | Fix | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service pages blocked by a noindex tag left from staging | 6 service pages | Critical | Remove the tag, request indexing | Developer |
| Hero images over 1 MB on every page | Site-wide | High | Compress, resize, lazy-load below the fold | Designer |
| One services page covers nine services | /services | High | Build a page per service, link them from the menu | Owner with SEO |
| Home page title is the business name only | / | Medium | Rewrite as service plus city plus brand | SEO |
| Phone number differs on Yelp and Facebook | Listings | Medium | Correct to the Google Business Profile version | Office manager |
| GA4 installed but no goals or call tracking | Analytics | Medium | Set up form, call and click goals | SEO |
The rows above are an example, not a client, but every one of them is a finding I have written many times. Notice what each row contains: the problem, where it is, how bad it is, what to do, and who does it. The owner column is the one most templates leave out, and it is the reason most audit findings are still open a year later.
Severity should answer one question: what happens to leads if this stays broken? A noindex tag on your service pages means those pages cannot bring leads at all, so it is critical. A missing meta description costs a few clicks, so it is low.
An audit is a set of claims. Prove each one.
Anyone can write that a site is slow. An audit worth paying for shows the PageSpeed score on a phone, names the three largest files, and says what each one should weigh after the fix. The developer can act on that without a meeting.
The same goes for content. Instead of the content is thin, write which pages are short, which search each should answer, and what a competitor page covers that yours does not. Opinions start arguments. Comparisons end them.
Keep the raw exports out of the main report. Put them in an appendix or a spreadsheet tab. The person who pays for the audit needs the score card, the top ten fixes and the plan. The person who fixes things needs the detail. Give each of them their own page.
Six parts, in this order.
- Summary in plain words
Five sentences: where the site stands, the biggest problem, the biggest opportunity, what to do first and what it could change.
- Score card
The seven section scores as bars, with the weight you gave each section and a one-line reason for every score.
- Top ten fixes
Sorted by effect on leads divided by effort. Each with the owner and a rough time estimate.
- Section findings
The full findings table for each section, with evidence links and screenshots.
- 90-day plan
Month one for critical and quick fixes, month two for pages and content, month three for links and local work. Dates, not just tasks.
- Appendix
Crawl exports, keyword lists, competitor data and anything else someone might ask for later.
Tick what is true today. Then make your list.
Twenty-four checks, four for each section. The button turns everything you did not tick into a to-do list you can paste into an email or a task board.
Crawl and index
Speed
On-page
Content
Links
Local and tracking
Tick only what you can prove with a screenshot or a number.
SEO audit template FAQ.
What should an SEO audit template include?
How do I score an SEO audit?
What does an SEO audit example look like?
How long should an SEO audit report be?
Can I audit my own site without paid tools?
How often should I use the template?
I do the work myselfOne specialist. No hand-offs.
I'm Muhammad Zohaib Ameer. I have worked in SEO since 2022 for businesses in the US, UK, Canada and the UAE. Every audit I deliver uses this structure, and the client keeps the document whether or not they hire me afterwards.
“The most useful audit I have seen was two pages long. The least useful was ninety. Length is not thoroughness. A short list of proven, prioritized fixes beats a long list that nobody reads.”
Muhammad Zohaib Ameer · OvaVerseWant me to run the template on your site?
Send your website. Within 48 hours you get a short recorded video audit that walks through the seven sections for your site, scores them honestly, and names the first three fixes.
- Personal to your site, never shared
- No sales call needed
- Reply within 24 hours
The photo on this page is a custom AI-generated illustration, not a real client or event. Diagrams and sample numbers are labelled illustrations; case study screenshots are real.