Your quick checklist
What happens in an SEO audit?
Use this to keep your place while reading. Ticking a box does not send or change anything.
Words explained
- Audit
- A check of whether Google can find and understand your pages
- Sitemap
- A list of your pages sent to Google
- Re-indexing
- Asking Google to look at a page again after a change
Before you start
You get the problems fixed, or a written list if I cannot change your site, plus a short summary in plain English.
What I check and do
- Search problems. Pages Google cannot reach, pages that should not be hidden, broken links and old addresses.
- Titles, descriptions and headings. I write them for the words your customers search, page by page.
- Search Console. I set it up, then send Google your page map (sitemap).
- Google Business Profile. I check it and correct what is wrong, such as hours, services and contact details.
- A short written summary of what I found and what I changed.
Not included: new pages, directory listings or monthly work. If you want any of those, the SEO page shows the monthly options.
Fixed, or a to-do list
On sites I host, I make the fixes myself. If your site is hosted somewhere else, I may not have access to change it. In that case you get a written to-do list in order of priority, which you or your web person can work through.
Hidden page found
Titles rewritten
Page opened to Google
Page map sent
What an audit can and cannot do
Google says no one can guarantee a #1 ranking, and I do not promise one. Fixing the basics gives Google fewer problems to hit. It does not decide how many people search for your service or how many competitors you have.
Google also says not all URLs in a sitemap will be crawled. Sending the page map helps Google find your pages. It does not force them into the results.
How an audit works with Search Console
Google Search Console is a free service from Google that helps you monitor and troubleshoot your site's presence in search. It shows which searches bring up your site and how often people click through. You can also ask Google to re-index a page after a fix.
Setting it up means choosing a way to prove the site is yours. Google accepts an HTML file, a meta tag, a Google Analytics or Tag Manager code, or a DNS record. I do this for you, and the access stays with you. The Search Console setup page explains more.
How I can help
I do the audit, make the fixes and send you the summary. After that you can stop, or move to Monthly SEO at £49 a month. Start on Monthly SEO and SEO Foundations is included at no extra cost, as long as you stay at least 3 months.
Questions about SEO audits
How much does an SEO audit for a small business cost?
Prices vary between providers and I can only speak for mine. SEO Foundations is £99 including VAT, one-off, with the fixes or the to-do list included.
How do I do a website audit myself?
Start with Search Console, which is free. It shows which pages Google has found, which searches show your site and how often people click. Then read your own page titles and headings as a customer would, and ask whether each page names the service and the place. If that turns up more than you want to handle, that is the work I do.
Do you give a free audit?
No. I do not offer a free audit. The £99 price covers the check and the fixes.
What do you need from me?
Your website address, the services you want enquiries for, the areas you serve and access to your Google Business Profile if you have one. If the site is on another host, tell me which.
Will an audit get me to the top of Google?
No one can promise that, and I do not. The audit checks for basic problems and shows you what to fix.