Let’s be honest—SEO can sound intimidating, especially if you’re not someone who eats, sleeps, and breathes digital marketing. But if you run a business or manage your own website, knowing how your site performs on Google is crucial. The good news? You don’t need to be an expert to get started with a basic SEO audit.
In fact, once you understand a few key things to look for, it’s much easier than it seems. So grab a cup of coffee, and let’s break it down in a simple, non-techy way.
What Is an SEO Audit, and Why Should You Care?
Think of an SEO audit like a regular health check-up—but for your website. It helps you figure out:
- How visible your site is in search engines
- What’s working
- What’s broken or missing
- And where there’s room for improvement
If your site isn’t showing up on Google, or if your traffic is dropping, an audit is the first step to fixing it.
1. Is Google Even Seeing Your Website?
Before diving deep, do this quick check.
Go to Google and type:
site:yourwebsite.com
This will show you how many pages Google has indexed from your site. If you see zero results—Houston, we have a problem. It likely means your site hasn’t been submitted to Google or something is blocking it.
2. Check How Fast Your Site Loads
Nobody waits around for slow websites—especially not your potential customers. Plus, Google uses page speed as a ranking factor.
Head over to PageSpeed Insights and plug in your website URL. The tool will give you a performance score and tell you what’s slowing things down. Common culprits? Uncompressed images, heavy scripts, or outdated themes.
Even shaving off a second or two can make a big difference.
3. Is Your Website Mobile-Friendly?
We live on our phones. If your site doesn’t work well on mobile, you’re losing a chunk of your audience (and ranking points).
Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test. If it says your site isn’t optimized for mobile, it’s time to talk to your web developer—or the team at Thespacecode
4. Look at Your On-Page SEO
Here’s where you roll up your sleeves and peek under the hood of your website pages:
- Page Titles – Each page should have a unique title that includes your main keyword (e.g., “Affordable Yoga Mats | Sunny Yoga Store”).
- Meta Descriptions – These short blurbs don’t affect rankings directly, but they do impact click-through rates. Keep them under 160 characters and make them compelling.
- Headings (H1, H2, H3) – Use them to structure your content logically.
- Image Alt Text – This helps with SEO and accessibility. If you use an image of a coffee mug, the alt text should say “ceramic coffee mug,” not “image123.jpg.”
5. Spot and Fix Broken Links
Clicking on a link that goes nowhere is a quick way to lose trust—and traffic. Broken links are bad for SEO and your visitors.
Use tools like Broken Link Checker or Ahrefs’ free tools to scan your website. Then, either fix the links or remove them altogether.
6. Check How Other Sites Link to You
Backlinks (when other sites link to your website) are like votes of confidence in the eyes of Google. The more quality backlinks you have, the better.
Use tools like:
- Moz Link Explorer
- Ubersuggest
These tools show which sites are linking to yours. If you spot any spammy or irrelevant links, you might want to disavow them (although this step is best left to an SEO pro if you’re unsure).
7. Review Your Website Content
When’s the last time you updated your blog or product pages? If your content is outdated, poorly written, or stuffed with keywords, it’s not going to perform well.
Make sure your content:
- Answers real questions your audience is asking
- Uses keywords naturally
- Is easy to read and visually clean
- Includes internal links (to other pages on your site)
Also, remove or update old posts that aren’t relevant anymore.
8. Tidy Up Your Technical SEO
This part might sound geeky, but you don’t have to be a coder. Just make sure:
- Your site uses HTTPS, not HTTP (look for the padlock in the browser)
- You have an XML sitemap submitted to Google Search Console
- Your robots.txt file isn’t blocking important pages
These are the basics of helping search engines crawl and understand your site better.
Wrap-Up: You’ve Got This (Really)
Doing an SEO audit for your website isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being aware. By checking in on these essentials every few months, you’ll stay ahead of most of your competitors who aren’t even paying attention.
You don’t have to do it all today. Take it one step at a time. And if you’d rather not do it alone, our team at Thespacecode is just a message away.
Let’s make your website work for you—not against you.
