Free Template

SEO Audit Report Template

A comprehensive SEO audit report template for agencies and in-house teams. Covers technical health (crawlability, Core Web Vitals, site architecture, structured data), on-page optimisation, content quality, backlink profile, competitor analysis, a priority recommendations matrix, and a quick wins list — all ready to populate with your findings.

How to use this template

  1. 1. Click “Copy Template” above.
  2. 2. Paste into Google Docs, Word, or Notion.
  3. 3. Run your audit tools (Screaming Frog, Google Search Console, Ahrefs) and populate each section.
  4. 4. Complete the priority recommendations matrix and share with the client or development team.
Template Content

Click Copy, then paste into any document

SEO AUDIT REPORT
═══════════════════════════════════════════
Website: [Website URL]
Audit Date: [Date]
Auditor: [Auditor Name]
Client: [Client Name]
═══════════════════════════════════════════

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
─────────────────
Overall SEO Health Score: [X]/100

TOP 3 PRIORITY ACTIONS:
1. [Priority action 1 — highest impact, quickest win]
2. [Priority action 2 — high impact, medium effort]
3. [Priority action 3 — high impact, longer term]

Quick wins identified: [X]
Critical issues found: [X]
Total issues documented: [X]

───────────────────────────────────────────
SECTION 1: TECHNICAL HEALTH
───────────────────────────────────────────

1.1 CRAWLABILITY
────────────────
Robots.txt status: [Found / Not found / Blocking important pages]
  URL: [Website URL]/robots.txt
  Issues: [List any blocked pages or missing directives]
  Recommendation: [Action required or "No action needed"]

XML Sitemap:
  URL: [Website URL]/sitemap.xml
  Status: [Found / Not found / Multiple sitemaps]
  Pages listed: [X]
  Pages indexed (vs listed): [X] / [X]
  Issues: [e.g., includes redirected URLs, noindex pages listed, etc.]
  Recommendation: [Action]

Crawl Errors:
  4xx errors found: [X] pages
  Most common: [URL examples]
  Recommendation: [Redirect or remove]

1.2 INDEXABILITY
─────────────────
Total pages crawled: [X]
Pages currently indexed (Google): [X]
Pages with noindex tag: [X]
  Intentional noindex: [X]
  Unintentional noindex (issue): [X]
Duplicate content issues: [X] pages
  Examples: [URL 1], [URL 2]
  Cause: [e.g., trailing slash, www/non-www, session parameters]
  Recommendation: [Canonicalization / redirect / parameter handling]

1.3 PAGE SPEED & CORE WEB VITALS
───────────────────────────────────
Tool used: Google PageSpeed Insights / CrUX Data

DESKTOP:
  Performance score: [X]/100
  Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): [X.X]s   | Pass/Fail (threshold: <2.5s)
  Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): [X.XXX]   | Pass/Fail (threshold: <0.1)
  Interaction to Next Paint (INP): [X]ms   | Pass/Fail (threshold: <200ms)

MOBILE:
  Performance score: [X]/100
  LCP: [X.X]s   | Pass/Fail
  CLS: [X.XXX]  | Pass/Fail
  INP: [X]ms    | Pass/Fail

Key issues affecting speed:
  • [Issue 1 — e.g., Images not in next-gen format (WebP/AVIF)]
  • [Issue 2 — e.g., Render-blocking JavaScript: [X] resources]
  • [Issue 3 — e.g., No lazy loading on images below the fold]
  • [Issue 4 — e.g., Time to First Byte (TTFB): [X]s — server response slow]
  Recommendation: [Specific actions prioritised by impact]

1.4 MOBILE USABILITY
──────────────────────
Mobile-friendly test: [Pass / Fail]
Issues found:
  • [Issue 1 — e.g., Clickable elements too close together on [X] pages]
  • [Issue 2 — e.g., Content wider than screen on mobile]
  • [Issue 3 — e.g., Text too small to read without zooming]
  Recommendation: [Action]

1.5 HTTPS & SECURITY
──────────────────────
HTTPS: [Enabled / Not enabled]
SSL certificate expiry: [Date]
HTTP to HTTPS redirect: [Working / Not working / Missing]
Mixed content issues: [X] pages with non-HTTPS resources
HSTS: [Enabled / Not enabled]
  Recommendation: [Action if needed]

1.6 SITE ARCHITECTURE
───────────────────────
URL structure: [Clean / Issues found]
  Issues: [e.g., Dynamic parameters in URLs, inconsistent use of trailing slashes]
Depth: [X]% of important pages within [X] clicks of homepage
  Issue: [X] important pages buried [X]+ clicks deep
Orphan pages: [X] pages with no internal links pointing to them
  Recommendation: [Action]

1.7 DUPLICATE CONTENT
───────────────────────
Duplicate title tags: [X] pages
Duplicate meta descriptions: [X] pages
Duplicate H1 tags: [X] pages
Canonical tags: [Implemented / Not implemented / Inconsistent]
  Issues: [Specific problems]
  Recommendation: [Action]

1.8 STRUCTURED DATA / SCHEMA
──────────────────────────────
Schema types currently implemented: [List types or "None"]
Rich result eligibility: [Test URL]
Errors in structured data: [X] errors found
  Error examples: [Description]
Opportunities identified:
  • [Schema type — e.g., FAQPage on FAQ sections]
  • [Schema type — e.g., Product schema on product pages]
  • [Schema type — e.g., LocalBusiness schema]
  Recommendation: Implement [schema types] using JSON-LD

───────────────────────────────────────────
SECTION 2: ON-PAGE OPTIMISATION
───────────────────────────────────────────

2.1 TITLE TAGS
────────────────
Pages audited: [X]
Missing title tags: [X] pages
Duplicate title tags: [X] pages
Title tags too long (>60 chars): [X] pages
Title tags too short (<30 chars): [X] pages
Not including target keyword: [X] pages
  Examples:
  • [URL] — Current: "[Title]" → Recommended: "[Better title]"
  • [URL] — Missing entirely
  Recommendation: Rewrite priority page titles; template for remaining

2.2 META DESCRIPTIONS
───────────────────────
Missing meta descriptions: [X] pages
Duplicate meta descriptions: [X] pages
Too long (>160 chars): [X] pages
Not including a CTA or keyword: [X] pages
  Examples:
  • [URL] — Current: "[Meta]" → Recommended: "[Better meta]"
  Recommendation: Write compelling meta descriptions with keywords and CTAs

2.3 HEADING STRUCTURE
───────────────────────
Pages missing H1: [X]
Pages with multiple H1s: [X]
H1 not containing target keyword: [X] pages
Heading hierarchy issues (H3 before H2, etc.): [X] pages
  Examples: [URL examples]
  Recommendation: [Action]

2.4 KEYWORD USAGE
──────────────────
Primary keyword in title: [X]% of audited pages
Primary keyword in first paragraph: [X]% of audited pages
Keyword cannibalisation issues: [X] keyword groups
  Examples:
  • "[Keyword]" — targeted by [URL 1] and [URL 2] simultaneously
  Recommendation: Consolidate or differentiate cannibalising pages

2.5 INTERNAL LINKING
──────────────────────
Average internal links per page: [X]
Pages with zero internal links: [X]
Pages with low internal link equity: [X]
Key pages not linked from homepage or navigation: [List]
Anchor text issues: [X] instances of generic anchor text ("click here", "read more")
  Recommendation: Internal linking audit and improvement plan

2.6 IMAGE OPTIMISATION
────────────────────────
Images missing alt text: [X]
Images with missing or generic filenames: [X]
Oversized images (not compressed): [X]
Images not in WebP/AVIF format: [X]
  Recommendation: Batch optimise images; implement alt text template

───────────────────────────────────────────
SECTION 3: CONTENT QUALITY
───────────────────────────────────────────

3.1 THIN CONTENT
──────────────────
Pages under 300 words: [X]
Pages under 500 words ranking for competitive keywords: [X]
  Examples:
  • [URL] — [X] words, targeting "[keyword]" (Volume: [X,XXX]/mo)
  Recommendation: Expand or consolidate thin content pages

3.2 CONTENT GAPS VS COMPETITORS
──────────────────────────────────
We compared your content to [Competitor 1] and [Competitor 2]:

Topics they rank for that you do not:
  • "[Keyword/Topic]" — Volume: [X,XXX]/mo | Competitor position: [X]
  • "[Keyword/Topic]" — Volume: [X,XXX]/mo | Competitor position: [X]
  • "[Keyword/Topic]" — Volume: [X,XXX]/mo | Competitor position: [X]

Quick content opportunities (low competition, high relevance):
  • [Opportunity 1]
  • [Opportunity 2]
  • [Opportunity 3]

3.3 KEYWORD CANNIBALISATION
─────────────────────────────
Cannibalisation issues found: [X]
  • "[Keyword]": [URL 1] vs [URL 2] — both targeting same intent
  Recommendation: Consolidate, redirect, or reoptimise affected pages

───────────────────────────────────────────
SECTION 4: BACKLINK PROFILE
───────────────────────────────────────────

Tool used: [Ahrefs / SEMrush / Moz]
Date of analysis: [Date]

OVERVIEW:
Total referring domains: [X,XXX]
Total backlinks: [X,XXX]
Domain Rating/Authority: [X]/100
Organic traffic estimate: [X,XXX] visits/month

ANCHOR TEXT DISTRIBUTION:
  Branded anchors: [X]%
  Exact match keyword anchors: [X]%   (benchmark: under 5%)
  Partial match: [X]%
  Generic ("click here", "website"): [X]%
  Naked URLs: [X]%

TOXIC/SPAMMY LINKS:
  Potentially harmful links identified: [X]
  Recommendation: [Review and disavow if confirmed manipulative]

NEW VS LOST LINKS (Last 90 days):
  New referring domains gained: [X]
  Referring domains lost: [X]
  Net change: [+/- X]

───────────────────────────────────────────
COMPETITOR BACKLINK ANALYSIS
───────────────────────────────────────────

COMPETITOR         REFERRING DOMAINS    DR/DA    LINK GAP
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
[Your site]        [X,XXX]              [X]      —
[Competitor 1]     [X,XXX]              [X]      [+X,XXX]
[Competitor 2]     [X,XXX]              [X]      [+X,XXX]
[Competitor 3]     [X,XXX]              [X]      [+X,XXX]
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Top link building opportunities identified:
  • [Domain] — DR [X] — [Why they would link]
  • [Domain] — DR [X] — [Why they would link]
  • [Domain] — DR [X] — [Why they would link]

───────────────────────────────────────────
SECTION 5: PRIORITY RECOMMENDATIONS MATRIX
───────────────────────────────────────────

ISSUE                           IMPACT    EFFORT    PRIORITY    OWNER
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
[Issue 1]                       High      Low       P1          Dev
[Issue 2]                       High      Low       P1          SEO
[Issue 3]                       High      Medium    P1          Content
[Issue 4]                       High      High      P2          Dev
[Issue 5]                       Medium    Low       P2          SEO
[Issue 6]                       Medium    Medium    P2          Content
[Issue 7]                       Low       Low       P3          SEO
[Issue 8]                       Low       High      P4          Dev
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Legend: Impact = High/Medium/Low | Effort = Low/Medium/High | Priority = P1–P4

───────────────────────────────────────────
QUICK WINS — IMPLEMENT IN FIRST 30 DAYS
───────────────────────────────────────────

These actions have high impact and low implementation effort:

1. ☐ Fix [X] broken internal links identified in crawl
2. ☐ Add missing title tags to [X] pages (list attached)
3. ☐ Fix duplicate meta descriptions on [X] pages
4. ☐ Add alt text to [X] images (list attached)
5. ☐ Submit updated XML sitemap to Google Search Console
6. ☐ Implement canonical tags on [X] duplicate content pages
7. ☐ Redirect [X] broken 404 URLs to relevant live pages
8. ☐ Add schema markup to [X] FAQ sections
9. ☐ Compress [X] oversized images
10. ☐ Fix [X] pages with missing H1 tags

───────────────────────────────────────────
APPENDIX: TOOLS USED IN THIS AUDIT
───────────────────────────────────────────

• Google Search Console (indexation, coverage, Core Web Vitals)
• Google PageSpeed Insights / CrUX (performance)
• Screaming Frog SEO Spider (technical crawl)
• [Ahrefs / SEMrush] (backlink analysis, competitor research)
• Google Rich Results Test (structured data)
• [Other tools used]

Report prepared by: [Auditor Name]
Agency: [Agency Name]
Contact: [Email] | [Phone]

Related Resources

SEO Proposal Template SEO ROI Calculator SEO Pricing Guide

SEO Audit FAQs

What does an SEO audit cover?

A comprehensive SEO audit covers five main areas: technical health (crawlability, indexability, page speed, Core Web Vitals, mobile usability, HTTPS, site architecture, structured data), on-page optimisation (title tags, meta descriptions, headings, keyword usage, internal linking, image optimisation), content quality (thin content, gaps vs competitors, cannibalisation), backlink profile (referring domains, domain authority, anchor text distribution, toxic links), and a competitor analysis. It should conclude with a prioritised recommendations matrix and a quick wins list.

How often should I conduct an SEO audit?

Run a full technical SEO audit at least once per year, and a lighter check every quarter. Trigger an immediate audit after any major website change (migration, redesign, CMS change), after a significant traffic drop, or before launching a new SEO campaign. Google's algorithm updates (Core Updates, product reviews updates, etc.) can also warrant an unscheduled audit if you notice ranking changes.

What are the most important SEO audit findings to fix first?

Prioritise by impact-to-effort ratio. High-impact, low-effort quick wins include: fixing broken internal links, adding missing title tags and meta descriptions, correcting noindex tags on pages that should be indexed, submitting an updated XML sitemap, and adding canonical tags to duplicate content. These can often be fixed in days and have immediate effects. Technical issues like Core Web Vitals failures and crawlability problems should be escalated to developers as a priority.

How long does an SEO audit take?

A basic SEO audit for a small site (under 500 pages) takes 4–8 hours. A comprehensive audit for a medium site (500–5,000 pages) takes 1–3 days. Large enterprise sites with tens of thousands of pages can take 1–2 weeks for a thorough audit. Using tools like Screaming Frog, Ahrefs, and Google Search Console dramatically speeds up data collection, but expert interpretation always takes time.