An on-page SEO audit reviews each important page against a fixed checklist of content, markup and technical elements, then ranks the fixes by the impact each one has on search visibility. Run the audit in six passes: titles and headings, meta descriptions, content quality, images, URLs and sitemaps, then mobile and speed. This guide gives the checks, the tools that run them and the order that removes the most risk first.
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What Tools Does an On-Page Audit Need?
Three tool types cover an on-page audit: a crawler, a speed tester and Google Search Console. A desktop crawler such as Screaming Frog lists every page's title, headings, meta description, status code, word count and image attributes in one export. Google PageSpeed Insights tests loading performance and Core Web Vitals per URL. Google Search Console shows which queries each page earns and which pages Google excludes from the index. A backlink tool completes the picture when you extend the audit to links.
How Do You Audit Title Tags?
Each indexable page needs one unique title tag that names the page's main topic in plain words. Crawl the site and filter for missing titles, duplicate titles and titles that Google rewrites in results. Put the topic first and write for the reader. A title that repeats across pages signals that two pages target the same query, which is a consolidation decision, not a copy fix.
How Do You Audit Heading Tags?
Each page needs one H1 that states its topic, with H2 and H3 headings that outline the page in a logical order. Export all headings from the crawl and check four things: exactly one H1, headings in nested order, headings that describe the section beneath them and no heading used only for styling. Headings that read like questions your buyers ask help both readers and answer systems locate the right passage.
How Do You Audit Meta Descriptions?
A meta description summarises the page in one or two sentences and earns the click. Google builds snippets mainly from page content and uses the meta description only when it describes the page better than the on-page text, and identical descriptions across pages are unhelpful (Google Search Central, snippets). Write a unique, readable summary for each page. Filter the crawl for missing and duplicate descriptions and fix the highest-traffic pages first.
How Do You Audit Content Quality?
Content quality has two failure modes: duplicate content and thin content. Duplicate content appears when several URLs show the same text, and Google selects one canonical URL among them. Set rel="canonical" on the preferred version, and use redirects when you retire a URL (Google Search Central, consolidate duplicate URLs). Thin content is a page that answers nothing a reader needs. Sort the crawl by word count, review the shortest indexable pages and decide for each one: expand it, merge it into a stronger page or remove it.
How Do You Audit Images?
Every meaningful image needs descriptive alt text, a short descriptive file name and a file size that does not slow the page. Google calls alt text the most important image attribute and warns against filling it with keywords (Google Search Central, image SEO). The crawler lists images with missing alt text and oversized files. Follow the full checks in the image SEO guide.
How Do You Audit URLs and Sitemaps?
URLs stay short, lowercase and descriptive, and the XML sitemap lists only canonical, indexable pages. Check for parameters that create duplicates, redirect chains, and pages that return errors. Open the sitemap, confirm it contains the pages you want indexed, and submit it in Google Search Console. Compare the sitemap against the crawl to find indexable pages missing from the sitemap and listed pages that redirect or error.
How Do You Audit Mobile Responsiveness?
Open the key page templates on a phone and confirm that text reads without zooming, tap targets sit apart and nothing scrolls sideways. Use Chrome DevTools device mode for a first pass, then test on real devices. Mobile layout faults concentrate in tables, forms and fixed-position banners.
How Do You Audit Page Speed?
Run PageSpeed Insights on the highest-traffic template of each page type and fix the largest delays first. The usual causes are oversized images, render-blocking scripts and slow server response. Test each template, not every URL, because one fix at template level repairs every page that shares it.
In What Order Do You Fix the Findings?
Fix findings in this order: indexing blockers, duplicate titles and canonicals, thin pages, images, then speed. Indexing blockers remove a page from search entirely, so they outrank every wording fix. Record each finding with the URL, the issue, the fix and the owner. Re-crawl after changes ship, and schedule the audit again each quarter. Continue with off-page SEO once the on-page base is sound.
Run the same crawl to review anchor text on internal links, plan new titles with keyword research and confirm the gains afterwards with rank tracking tools.