Short answer: an SEO audit checks five layers in order — crawl and indexation, technical health, on-page, content, and links — then prioritizes fixes by impact and effort. Start with what is blocking indexing, because nothing else matters if pages cannot be found.
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Audit in the Right Order
| Layer | Check |
|---|---|
| 1. Indexation | Which pages are indexed, blocked, or duplicated; robots and sitemap health. |
| 2. Technical | Core Web Vitals, mobile, HTTPS, redirects, crawl errors, canonicals. |
| 3. On-page | Titles, headings, metadata, structured data, internal links. |
| 4. Content | Intent match, depth, freshness, thin or cannibalizing pages. |
| 5. Links | Backlink profile, toxic links, internal link equity. |
Prioritize Fixes
Blockers firstAnything stopping indexing outranks everything else.
High impact, low effortQuick wins that move rankings now.
Sitewide issuesTemplate fixes that touch many pages at once.
Content debtMerge or improve thin, competing pages.
Make It Repeatable
An audit is a snapshot; rankings need ongoing operations. Run the checklist quarterly and pair it with the SEO promotion checklist. For rendering-specific issues, see JavaScript SEO.