{"id":163305,"date":"2023-07-25T00:16:16","date_gmt":"2023-07-25T05:16:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/?p=163305"},"modified":"2025-07-21T10:52:16","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T15:52:16","slug":"seo-audit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/seo-audit\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Do an SEO Audit in 13 Easy Steps (With Checklist)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"intro-txt\">If your website isn\u2019t ranking well in search engines, it could be because certain SEO issues are holding it&nbsp;back.<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>By finding and fixing those issues, you can often boost your rankings and get more organic traffic. This is where an SEO audit comes&nbsp;in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"recommendation\"><div class=\"recommendation-title\">Looking for an SEO audit template?<\/div><div class=\"recommendation-content\">\n\n\n\n<p>Check out our <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/seo-audit-template\/\">free SEO audit template<\/a>. Or take a look at our SEO audit tutorial.<br><br>\n<\/p><div data-mode=\"normal\" data-oembed=\"1\" data-provider=\"youtube\" id=\"arve-youtube-dauimufxabq\" style=\"max-width:900px;\" class=\"arve\">\n\t<div class=\"arve-inner\">\n\t\t<div style=\"aspect-ratio:500\/281\" class=\"arve-embed arve-embed--has-aspect-ratio\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"arve-ar\" style=\"padding-top:56.200000%\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t<iframe allow=\"accelerometer 'none';autoplay 'none';bluetooth 'none';browsing-topics 'none';camera 'none';clipboard-read 'none';clipboard-write;display-capture 'none';encrypted-media 'none';gamepad 'none';geolocation 'none';gyroscope 'none';hid 'none';identity-credentials-get 'none';idle-detection 'none';keyboard-map 'none';local-fonts;magnetometer 'none';microphone 'none';midi 'none';otp-credentials 'none';payment 'none';picture-in-picture;publickey-credentials-create 'none';publickey-credentials-get 'none';screen-wake-lock 'none';serial 'none';summarizer 'none';sync-xhr;usb 'none';web-share;window-management 'none';xr-spatial-tracking 'none';\" allowfullscreen class=\"arve-iframe fitvidsignore\" credentialless data-arve=\"arve-youtube-dauimufxabq\" data-lenis-prevent data-src-no-ap=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/DaUIMuFXABQ?feature=oembed&amp;iv_load_policy=3&amp;modestbranding=1&amp;rel=0&amp;autohide=1&amp;playsinline=0&amp;autoplay=0\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"505.8\" loading=\"lazy\" name referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-presentation allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/DaUIMuFXABQ?feature=oembed&amp;iv_load_policy=3&amp;modestbranding=1&amp;rel=0&amp;autohide=1&amp;playsinline=0&amp;autoplay=0\" title width=\"900\"><\/iframe>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"intro-tok\" id=\"intro_tok\" style=\"display:none;\"><div class=\"intro-title\">Contents<\/div><a href=\"#\" class=\"expand-dots\"><span><\/span><span><\/span><span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"What is an SEO audit?\" data-section=\"what-is-an-seo-audit\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is an SEO&nbsp;audit?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>An SEO audit checks how well optimized your website is for search engines. It finds issues that may be hurting the site\u2019s rankings and provides opportunities to improve them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, here\u2019s a website that looks difficult to use on a mobile device.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1105\" height=\"1999\" class=\"wp-image-163318\" style=\"width: 415px; height: 750px;\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image22-2.png\" alt=\"Example of a website that's not mobile-friendly, via arngren.net\n\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image22-2.png 1105w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image22-2-235x425.png 235w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image22-2-768x1389.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image22-2-849x1536.png 849w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1105px) 100vw, 1105px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Because mobile-friendliness is a <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/google-ranking-factors\/\">Google ranking factor<\/a> and there are <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/seo-statistics\/\">more searches on mobile than on desktop<\/a>, this issue may be holding the site&nbsp;back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some more benefits of completing an SEO&nbsp;audit:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Enables you to stay ahead of your competitors&nbsp;in search engines<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Improves your visitors\u2019 user experience on your website<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Can identify valuable SEO opportunities that can maximize your return on investment<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Allows you to refine your <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/orchard-seo-strategy\/\">SEO strategy<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Allows you to communicate the importance of SEO to stakeholders in your business<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"SEO audit tools\" data-section=\"what-tools-for-seo-audit\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What tools do you need for an SEO&nbsp;audit?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>There are many different SEO audit tools you can use, but the easiest way to start is by using a few free tools that cover all the basics:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/webmaster-tools\">Ahrefs Webmaster Tools (AWT)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Google Search Console (GSC)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/web-analytics\">Web Analytics<\/a> or Google Analytics \u2014 Optional<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"How to do an SEO audit\" data-section=\"how-to-do-an-seo-audit\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to do an SEO&nbsp;audit<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Everyone\u2019s SEO audit process differs, but here\u2019s how you can create your own SEO audit in 13&nbsp;steps:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-184327\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/1-seo-audit-checklist.jpg\" alt=\"13 step SEO Audit Checklist According to Ahrefs\" width=\"1600\" height=\"2371\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/1-seo-audit-checklist.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/1-seo-audit-checklist-287x425.jpg 287w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/1-seo-audit-checklist-768x1138.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/1-seo-audit-checklist-1037x1536.jpg 1037w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/1-seo-audit-checklist-1382x2048.jpg 1382w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Run a crawl of your website<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A \u201ccrawl\u201d is where software scans your website to find SEO issues. You\u2019ll need to run one using <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/webmaster-tools\">AWT<\/a> to form the basis of your SEO&nbsp;audit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To do this, start by heading to <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-audit\">Site Audit<\/a>, click on <strong>+ New project, <\/strong>and allow Ahrefs to authorize your account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1184\" height=\"304\" class=\"wp-image-163320\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image23-3.png\" alt=\"Accessing Site Audit in Ahrefs\n\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image23-3.png 1184w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image23-3-680x175.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image23-3-768x197.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1184px) 100vw, 1184px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Then click on <strong>Import<\/strong> from Google Search Console. (You\u2019ll need a Google Search Console account to do&nbsp;this.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1528\" height=\"716\" class=\"wp-image-163321\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image18-8.png\" alt=\"&quot;Import from Google Search Console&quot; section, via Ahrefs Webmaster Tools (AWT)\n\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image18-8.png 1528w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image18-8-680x319.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image18-8-768x360.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1528px) 100vw, 1528px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you\u2019ve authorized with Google, selected your site, and clicked <strong>Import,<\/strong> the audit will&nbsp;start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you\u2019ve set up your audit, it\u2019s a waiting game. But Ahrefs will email you when your audit is complete.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The audit can identify over 100+ issues, which can be overwhelming for beginners. So if you are new to auditing, I\u2019d suggest focusing on the steps below rather than trying to fix all the issues one by&nbsp;one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Identify organic traffic drops and work out what caused them<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Google updates its search algorithms all the time. Many of these updates target specific things like content quality or link spam. If you have traffic drops coinciding with major updates, this can tell you what areas likely need your focus. Here\u2019s how to&nbsp;check.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Drops can be caused by many things, but two main reasons are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/google-algorithm-updates\">Google algorithm updates<\/a>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo\/glossary\/manual-action#:~:text=A%20manual%20action%2C%20also%20known,it%20from%20Google%20search%20results.\">Manual actions<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The fastest way to check whether you\u2019ve been hit by an update is to plug your URL into Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer<\/a> and see if any traffic drops align with an update.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, we can see below that this site\u2019s traffic drop coincided with a Google Spam Update.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1030\" height=\"1036\" class=\"wp-image-163323\" style=\"width: 515px; height: 518px;\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image20-8.png\" alt=\"Line graph shows traffic drop aligning with algorithm update, via Ahrefs' Site Explorer\n\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image20-8.png 1030w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image20-8-423x425.png 423w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image20-8-768x772.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image20-8-120x120.png 120w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1030px) 100vw, 1030px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also double-check your organic search performance in Google Search Console. This is important to do because Ahrefs organic traffic numbers are estimations.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To do&nbsp;this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Go to the <strong>Search results<\/strong> report&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Set the date to the <strong>Last 12 months<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Look for any significant drops<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Check drops against <a href=\"https:\/\/status.search.google.com\/products\/rGHU1u87FJnkP6W2GwMi\/history\">Google\u2019s Search Status dashboard<\/a> to see if they coincide<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"895\" class=\"wp-image-163325\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image3-14-1.jpg\" alt=\"Search results report in Google Search Console\n\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image3-14-1.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image3-14-1-680x380.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image3-14-1-768x430.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image3-14-1-1536x859.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If your traffic\u2019s gone to zero, you may need to check for a manual action. This is where a human reviewer at Google decides your site doesn\u2019t comply with the <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/docs\/advanced\/guidelines\/webmaster-guidelines\">Google search essentials<\/a>. It means that some or all of your site won\u2019t be shown in Google\u2019s search results.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019re unlikely to have a manual action unless you\u2019ve done something drastically wrong. But it\u2019s still important to check you\u2019re not dead in the water before you even&nbsp;start.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To check for manual actions, go to the <strong>Manual actions<\/strong> report in Google Search Console.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"475\" class=\"wp-image-163327\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image9-13.png\" alt=\"&quot;No issues detected&quot; message in GSC\n\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image9-13.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image9-13-680x162.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image9-13-768x182.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image9-13-1536x365.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If it says anything other than \u201cNo issues detected,\u201d read <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/google-penalties\/\">our Google penalties guide<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If it\u2019s not a manual action, you may need to check further for Google algorithm updates, as they can significantly affect your site\u2019s organic traffic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, the core update in August 2018 appeared to largely affect health, fitness, and medical sites that failed to demonstrate expertise, authoritativeness, and trust (E-A-T). In fact, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/rustybrick?lang=en\">Barry Schwartz<\/a>, a prominent blogger, dubbed it the \u201cMedic\u201d update.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The update all but destroyed some sites, like this&nbsp;one:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1782\" height=\"554\" class=\"wp-image-163329\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image11-8.png\" alt=\"Line graph shows Google's Core Update in August 2018 decimated this site's organic traffic\n\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image11-8.png 1782w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image11-8-680x211.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image11-8-768x239.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image11-8-1536x478.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1782px) 100vw, 1782px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If you spot a big traffic drop coinciding with a Google update, check our <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/google-algorithm-updates\">Google Algorithm Updates History<\/a> page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Check for any duplicates of your website<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Visitors to your site should only be able to access it at one of these addresses:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><code>https:\/\/domain.com<\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><code>https:\/\/www.domain.com<\/code><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If it\u2019s accessible at both or at their non-secure counterparts (i.e., <code>http:\/\/domain.com<\/code>, <code>http:\/\/www.domain.com<\/code>), you have an&nbsp;issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The above variations should redirect to the main version of your&nbsp;site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is important because Google sees these URLs as separate site versions. Having more than one accessible can cause crawling and indexing issues. In some cases, it can even dilute <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo\/glossary\/link-equity\">link equity<\/a> and, thus, may negatively impact rankings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To check that everything works as it should, install Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo-toolbar\">SEO Toolbar<\/a>, type each URL version into your browser, then check the <strong>HTTP headers<\/strong> to ensure they all redirect to the same \u201cmaster\u201d version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, if we visit <code>http:\/\/ahrefs.com<\/code>, it redirects to the secure version at <code>https:\/\/ahrefs.com<\/code>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1370\" height=\"434\" class=\"wp-image-163330\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image15-7.png\" alt=\"HTTP headers in Ahrefs' SEO Toolbar\n\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image15-7.png 1370w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image15-7-680x215.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image15-7-768x243.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1370px) 100vw, 1370px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The same happens if we visit the secure www version (<code>https:\/\/www.ahrefs.com<\/code>).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1370\" height=\"258\" class=\"wp-image-163331\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image17-6.png\" alt=\"HTTP headers in Ahrefs' SEO Toolbar\n\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image17-6.png 1370w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image17-6-680x128.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image17-6-768x145.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1370px) 100vw, 1370px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If this doesn\u2019t happen, you\u2019ll need to implement redirects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"further-reading\"><div class=\"reading-title\">Further reading<\/div><div class=\"reading-content\">\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/redirects-for-seo\/\">Redirects for SEO: A Simple (But Complete) Guide<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Find and diagnose indexability issues<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Google search results come from its index, which is a database of hundreds of billions of webpages. Your pages need to be in this index to stand any chance at ranking.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Indexing issues can get quite complicated, but you can check for basic issues fairly easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First, check the <strong>Indexability<\/strong> report in <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-audit\">Site Audit<\/a> for \u201cNoindex page\u201d warnings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"648\" height=\"470\" class=\"wp-image-163333\" style=\"width: 486px; height: 353px;\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image16-7.png\" alt=\"Noindex pages in Ahrefs' Site Audit\n\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image16-7.png 648w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image16-7-586x425.png 586w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 648px) 100vw, 648px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Google can\u2019t index pages with this warning, so it\u2019s worth checking they\u2019re not pages you want indexed. If they are, remove or edit the <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/meta-robots\/\">meta robots tag<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Ensure your site is mobile-friendly<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Mobile-friendliness has been a <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/google-ranking-factors\/\">Google ranking factor<\/a> since <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/mobile-sites\/mobile-first-indexing\">2019<\/a>, so it makes sense to check if your website is mobile-friendly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To do this, go to the <strong>Mobile Usability<\/strong> report in Google Search Console. It will tell you whether any URLs have errors that affect mobile usability.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"746\" height=\"538\" class=\"wp-image-163335\" style=\"width: 373px; height: 269px;\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image2-12.png\" alt=\"Mobile Usability report in Google Search Console\n\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image2-12.png 746w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image2-12-589x425.png 589w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 746px) 100vw, 746px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If you don\u2019t have access to Google Search Console, plug any page from your website into <a href=\"https:\/\/search.google.com\/test\/mobile-friendly\">Google\u2019s Mobile-Friendly Test tool<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1420\" height=\"784\" class=\"wp-image-163336\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image1-8.png\" alt=\"Google's Mobile Friendly Test tool\n\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image1-8.png 1420w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image1-8-680x375.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image1-8-768x424.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1420px) 100vw, 1420px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are a few more tips when it comes to mobile-friendliness:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Use a mobile-friendly layout or&nbsp;theme<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Prioritize your content and make sure it is readable on mobile devices<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Compress your images so they are mobile-friendly, but don\u2019t sacrifice quality<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Always test your website across different devices<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"further-reading\"><div class=\"reading-title\">Further reading<\/div><div class=\"reading-content\">\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/mobile-first-indexing\/\">Mobile-First Indexing: What You Need to&nbsp;Know<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/mobile-seo\/\">Mobile SEO: 10 Optimization Tips to Build a Mobile-Friendly Site<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. Benchmark your Core Web Vitals scores<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/core-web-vitals\/\">Core Web Vitals<\/a> are metrics that Google uses to measure user experience. They measure a page\u2019s load time, interactivity, and the stability of the content as it&nbsp;loads.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2022, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JohnMu\">John Mueller<\/a> confirmed that Google only uses Core Web Vitals rather than \u201cold page speed signals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/Bojan_Basrak\/status\/1585781644501327874?s=20<\/p>\n\n<p>He also stated on Reddit that Core Web Vitals are a Google ranking factor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1410\" height=\"522\" class=\"wp-image-163338\" style=\"width: 840px; height: 310px;\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image14-5.png\" alt=\"John Mueller confirms Core Web Vitals is a ranking factor, via Reddit\n\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image14-5.png 1410w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image14-5-680x252.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image14-5-768x284.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1410px) 100vw, 1410px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>These are the core metrics that you should benchmark against:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/largest-contentful-paint-lcp\/\">Largest Contentful Paint<\/a> (LCP)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/first-input-delay-fid\/\">First Input Delay<\/a> (will be replaced by <a href=\"https:\/\/web.dev\/inp\/#what-is-a-good-inp-score\">Interaction to Next Paint<\/a> in March&nbsp;2024)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/cumulative-layout-shift-cls\/\">Cumulative Layout Shift<\/a> (CLS)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>When it comes to monitoring these metrics, you should start by using Google Search Console\u2019s <strong>Core Web Vitals<\/strong> report. If you need more data, check out the <strong>Performance<\/strong> report in Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-audit\">Site Audit<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">7. Reclaim authority by fixing broken pages<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Having broken pages on your site is never good. If these pages have backlinks, they are effectively wasted because they point to nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also find broken URLs with backlinks in <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer<\/a>. Just plug in your domain, go to the <strong>Best by links<\/strong> report, and add a \u201c404 not found\u201d filter. Then sort the report by referring domains from high to&nbsp;low.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1400\" height=\"750\" class=\"wp-image-163340\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image19-7.png\" alt=\"Broken internal pages in Ahrefs' Site Explorer sorted by referring domains\n\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image19-7.png 1400w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image19-7-680x364.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image19-7-768x411.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s our recommended process for dealing with broken links:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"771\" class=\"wp-image-163342\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image4-11.png\" alt=\"Flowchart showing how to deal with broken links, via Ahrefs Blog\n\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image4-11.png 684w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image4-11-377x425.png 377w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 684px) 100vw, 684px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">8. Ensure your sitemap doesn\u2019t have any issues<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A sitemap lists the pages you want search engines to index. It shouldn\u2019t list things like redirects, non-canonicals, or dead pages because those send mixed signals to Google.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s important to ensure that the most important pages you want indexed are included in your sitemap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can monitor your sitemap issues by going to Google Search Console and clicking on <strong>Sitemaps.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"888\" class=\"wp-image-163344\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image24-3.png\" alt=\"Sitemaps section in Google Search Console\n\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image24-3.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image24-3-680x302.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image24-3-768x341.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image24-3-1536x682.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">9. Ensure on-page elements conform to SEO best practices<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Every indexable page on your site should have a title tag, meta description, and H1 tag. These basic on-page elements help Google understand your content and help you to win more clicks from your rankings.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To check for issues, head to the \u201cIssues\u201d tab in the <strong>Content<\/strong> report in <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-audit\">Site Audit<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"806\" height=\"678\" class=\"wp-image-163345\" style=\"width: 564px; height: 475px;\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image12-11.png\" alt=\"Basic on-page issues in Ahrefs' Site Audit\n\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image12-11.png 806w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image12-11-505x425.png 505w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image12-11-768x646.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 806px) 100vw, 806px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, the website above has 724 pages with a missing or empty title tag. This isn\u2019t ideal because Google shows them in the search results, so the site could be consequently missing out on clicks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It also has the same number of pages with an empty or missing meta description and thousands with a missing or empty H1&nbsp;tag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Google often shows meta descriptions in the search results, so you should try to write an enticing one for every important page. Missing H1 tags, on the other hand, usually point to bigger issues like an improperly coded&nbsp;theme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can see which URLs are affected by clicking an issue and hitting \u201cView affected URLs.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"998\" height=\"770\" class=\"wp-image-163346\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image6-9.png\" alt=\"Title tag issues in Ahrefs' Site Audit\n\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image6-9.png 998w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image6-9-551x425.png 551w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image6-9-768x593.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 998px) 100vw, 998px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to prioritize fixes, sort the report by estimated organic traffic from high to&nbsp;low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1022\" height=\"756\" class=\"wp-image-163348\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image10-9.png\" alt=\"Prioritizing fixes by organic traffic in Ahrefs' Site Audit\n\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image10-9.png 1022w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image10-9-575x425.png 575w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image10-9-768x568.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1022px) 100vw, 1022px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">10. Find declining content to reclaim rankings<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Rankings don\u2019t last forever. As content becomes outdated, its search traffic will often start to drop off. But you can usually resurrect rankings by refreshing and republishing the content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, our list of <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/top-google-searches\/\">top Google searches<\/a> declined massively in&nbsp;2021.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"677\" class=\"wp-image-163350\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image25-5.png\" alt=\"Estimated organic search traffic to our list of top Google searches\n\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image25-5.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image25-5-680x230.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image25-5-768x260.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image25-5-1536x520.png 1536w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image25-5-650x220.png 650w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This is because we didn\u2019t update the post for over a year, so the content became outdated. Once we republished the piece, however, we saw a spike in <strong>organic traffic.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s an easy way to find declining content in Google Search Console:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Go to the <strong>Search results<\/strong> report<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Set the date filter to compare mode<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Choose \u201cCompare last 6 months to previous period\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click the \u201cPages\u201d tab<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sort the table by \u201cClicks Difference\u201d from low to&nbsp;high<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, this shows us that our article on the <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/websites\" data-ahr=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/most-visited-websites\/\">top 100 most visited websites<\/a> has declined massively over the last six months. So this is probably ripe for an update.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"262\" class=\"wp-image-163352\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image5-9.png\" alt=\"Decline in traffic of our list of the most visited websites, via Google Search Console\n\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image5-9.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image5-9-680x89.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image5-9-768x101.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image5-9-1536x201.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re a WordPress user, you can automate this process with <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/wordpress-seo-plugin\">our free SEO plugin<\/a>. It monitors for pages that no longer perform well and gives recommendations on how to fix&nbsp;them.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, it\u2019s suggesting that we rewrite our list of the best keyword tools because it used to rank in the top three for its target keyword but now doesn\u2019t even rank in the top&nbsp;100.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"203\" class=\"wp-image-163353\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image13-9.png\" alt=\"No longer well-performing pages, via Ahrefs' SEO WordPress plugin\n\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image13-9.png 1999w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image13-9-680x69.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image13-9-768x78.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image13-9-1536x156.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"further-reading\"><div class=\"reading-title\">Further reading<\/div><div class=\"reading-content\">\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/republishing-content\/\">Republishing Content: How to Update Old Blog Posts for&nbsp;SEO<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/content-audit\/\">How to Do a Content Audit<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">11. Find keywords competitors rank for, but you don\u2019t<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Content gaps can occur when your competitors\u2019 websites rank for keywords that you don\u2019t. Identifying these keywords manually takes&nbsp;time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s an easy way to find content gaps at a domain level using Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/content-gap\">Content Gap tool<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Paste your domain into <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Go to the <strong>Content Gap <\/strong>report<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Paste in your competitors\u2019 domains<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1300\" height=\"898\" class=\"wp-image-163355\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image8-8.png\" alt=\"Content Gap report in Ahrefs' Site Explorer\n\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image8-8.png 1300w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image8-8-615x425.png 615w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image8-8-768x531.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1300px) 100vw, 1300px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Hit <strong>Show keywords.<\/strong> You\u2019ll see all the keywords your competitors\u2019 domains rank for, but your domain doesn\u2019t.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1650\" height=\"1564\" class=\"wp-image-163356\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image7-12.png\" alt=\"Results of a content gap analysis in Ahrefs' Site Explorer\n\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image7-12.png 1650w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image7-12-448x425.png 448w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image7-12-768x728.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image7-12-1536x1456.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1650px) 100vw, 1650px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">12. Check your internal links<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/internal-links-for-seo\/\">Internal links<\/a> can be just as powerful as external ones\u2014sometimes even more so, depending on things like the authority of the referring page, and the degree to which it improves user experience.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>They help users and search engine crawlers navigate your site, and directly impact Google\u2019s PageRank computation\u2014which is still one of the most vital algorithms in terms of ranking your&nbsp;site.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s why it\u2019s so important to review and improve your contextual links during your SEO audits. The easiest and best way to do this is using a tool&nbsp;like&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-audit\">Site Audit<\/a>, which allows you to schedule the crawls of your website on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Issues-related-to-internal-links-in-Ahrefs-Site-Audit.png\" alt=\"Issues related to internal links in Ahrefs Site Audit\"><\/p>\n<p>When you run an SEO audit for internal links, you:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Help Google find new pages on your&nbsp;site<\/li>\n<li>Spot new link opportunities\u2026<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/3.png\" alt=\"Ahrefs Internal Link Opportunities report showing a query for a canonical source, that is indexed, for the target page https:\/\/www.chinasichuanfood.com\/mapo-tofu-recipe\/\" width=\"1600\" height=\"930\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Fix broken links with 4XX&nbsp;codes\u2026<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image10-5.png\" alt=\"404 page example, via Ahrefs' Site Audit\n\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>And find orphan pages, so you can reconnect them to the rest of your&nbsp;site\u2026<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image1-5.png\" alt=\"Locating orphan pages that have no incoming internal links, via Ahrefs' Site Audit\n\"><\/p>\n<p>When it comes to finding new links, you don\u2019t have to do a thousand manual<span style=\"font-family: Consolas, Monaco, monospace;\"> site: <\/span>searches in Google to spot instances of your keyword\u2014there is another way!<\/p>\n<p>Just head to the <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/link-opportunities\/\">Internal Link Opportunities report<\/a> in Ahrefs Site&nbsp;Audit.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>It analyzes the top 10 keywords each page on your site is ranking for. Then it digs deeper, scanning crawled pages for mentions of these keywords, to show you internal link opportunities you might otherwise miss.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/screenshot-of-internal-link-opportunities-report-i-2.png\" alt=\"Screenshot of Internal Link Opportunities report in Ahrefs Site Audit highlighting source page and target page\"><\/p>\n<p>\u2018Source\u2019 pages are the ones you should link <strong>from<\/strong>, and \u2018Target\u2019 pages are the ones you should link <strong>to<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Read more on internal links in my article: <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/internal-links-for-seo\/\">Internal Links for SEO: An Actionable Guide<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>13. Optimize for AI Overviews and Featured Snippets<\/h3>\n<p>According to our <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/ai-overview-keywords\/\">AI Overview research<\/a>, informational keywords trigger an AI Overview 99.2% of the time, and our <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/featured-snippets-study\/\">study of 2 million featured snippets<\/a>&nbsp;showed:&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>12.3% of search queries have a featured snippet<\/li>\n<li>8.6% of clicks go to featured snippets<\/li>\n<li>30.9% of featured snippets rank in position one<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you want to be seen as authoritative, trustworthy, and credible\u2014heck, if you even want to be <em>seen<\/em> in 2025\u2014then you need to be optimizing your way into AI Overviews and featured snippets.<\/p>\n<p>As it happens, the two are intrinsically linked. We found that AI Overviews SERPs trigger 849% more features snippets, vs. non-AI Overview SERPs.<\/p>\n<p>That means that when you land a featured snippet, you\u2019re a lot more likely to bag an AI Overview too.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s a very quick and easy way to audit your current AIO\/FS presence in Ahrefs.<\/p>\n<p>Just head to Site Explorer &gt; Organic Keywords report, hit the \u201cSERP Feature\u201d filter, and check the \u201cAI Overview\u201d and \u201cFeatured Snippet\u201d boxes.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-183600\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Ahrefs-Organic-Keywords-Report-showing-a-SERP-Feature-filter-for-Featured-Snippet-and-AI-Overview-results-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Ahrefs Organic Keywords Report, showing a SERP Feature filter for Featured Snippet and AI Overview results\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1445\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Ahrefs-Organic-Keywords-Report-showing-a-SERP-Feature-filter-for-Featured-Snippet-and-AI-Overview-results-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Ahrefs-Organic-Keywords-Report-showing-a-SERP-Feature-filter-for-Featured-Snippet-and-AI-Overview-results-680x384.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Ahrefs-Organic-Keywords-Report-showing-a-SERP-Feature-filter-for-Featured-Snippet-and-AI-Overview-results-768x434.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Ahrefs-Organic-Keywords-Report-showing-a-SERP-Feature-filter-for-Featured-Snippet-and-AI-Overview-results-1536x867.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Ahrefs-Organic-Keywords-Report-showing-a-SERP-Feature-filter-for-Featured-Snippet-and-AI-Overview-results-2048x1156.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\"><\/p>\n<p>You can also check your exact AI Overview position in SERP overview in Site Explorer, Competitive Analysis, Keywords Explorer, and Rank Tracker.<\/p>\n<p>Just expand it to see all the links and URLs inside.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/ai-o.gif\"><\/p>\n<p>For more tips on finding and stealing featured snippets, check out my guide: <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/featured-snippets\/\">Featured Snippets: A Shortcut to the Top of Google.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>And for practical ways to muscle your way into AI Overviews, read SQ\u2019s great article: <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/google-ai-overviews\/\">Google AI Overviews (Formerly Google SGE): All You Need to&nbsp;Know.<\/a><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Next steps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Running this SEO audit gives you three things to take action on to improve SEO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Technical SEO issues <\/strong>\u2013 Fixing these may boost your site\u2019s overall search performance in the search engine results.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>On-page SEO issues<\/strong> \u2013 Fixing these may increase your organic clicks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Content opportunities <\/strong>\u2013 Pursuing these may rank pages higher and for more keywords.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to run a deeper audit, read <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/technical-seo-audit\/\">our guide to running a technical SEO audit<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Got questions? Ping me <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/chris_at_b449\">on Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By finding and fixing those issues, you can often boost your rankings and get more organic traffic. This is where an SEO audit comes&nbsp;in. An SEO audit checks how well optimized your website is for search engines. It finds issues<span class=\"ellipsis\">\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\">Read more \u203a<\/div>\n<p><!-- end of .read-more --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":178,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[335],"tags":[],"coauthors":[437],"class_list":["post-163305","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general-seo","odd"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How to Do an SEO Audit in 13 Easy Steps (With Checklist)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"An SEO audit helps you find and fix SEO issues that may be holding your site back. Learn how to do it right with our nifty checklist.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/seo-audit\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Do an SEO Audit in 13 Easy Steps (With Checklist)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The importance of troubleshooting.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/seo-audit\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SEO Blog by Ahrefs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Ahrefs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-07-25T05:16:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-21T15:52:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/image22-2.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1105\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1999\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Chris Haines\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"The importance of troubleshooting.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@chris_at_b449\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ahrefs\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/seo-audit\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/seo-audit\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Chris Haines\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9afb394ccc6e0e19c199d26984a8b0b2\"},\"headline\":\"How to Do an SEO Audit in 13 Easy Steps (With Checklist)\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-07-25T05:16:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-21T15:52:16+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/seo-audit\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":2687,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/seo-audit\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/07\\\/how-to-do-an-seo-audit-by-chris-haines-general-seo-1.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"General SEO\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/seo-audit\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/seo-audit\\\/\",\"name\":\"How to Do an SEO Audit in 13 Easy Steps (With Checklist)\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/seo-audit\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/seo-audit\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/07\\\/image22-2.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-07-25T05:16:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-21T15:52:16+00:00\",\"description\":\"An SEO audit helps you find and fix SEO issues that may be holding your site back. 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