How to Run a Basic SEO Audit Using Free Tools

Professional SEO platforms cost $100-$500 per month. A meaningful baseline audit can be done using entirely free tools and a structured checklist — here is the process.

Step 1: Google Search Console

Free, requires site verification. The Coverage report shows indexing errors. The Performance report shows which queries drive traffic, which pages perform well, and average ranking positions. Start every audit here — it shows Google's actual view of your site.

Step 2: Page Titles and Meta Descriptions

Every page needs a unique title (50-60 characters) and meta description (150-160 characters). Duplicate titles cause keyword cannibalisation. Missing descriptions result in auto-generated previews. Check page source on each key page: Ctrl+U, search for <title> and <meta name="description">.

Step 3: Page Load Speed

Google PageSpeed Insights (free) scores any URL and gives specific recommendations. Below 70 on mobile is a ranking liability. Most common causes: oversized images (compress with the Image Compressor), render-blocking scripts, unused CSS, no caching headers.

Step 4: Canonical URLs and Robots.txt

Verify each page has a <link rel="canonical"> pointing to the preferred URL version. Confirm robots.txt is not accidentally blocking important pages. Submit your sitemap in Search Console.

Step 5: Internal Linking

Every important page should be reachable from at least two other pages. Pages only in the sitemap, not linked internally, receive no PageRank. Review navigation, footer, and in-content links systematically.

Step 6: Structured Data

Google's Rich Results Test checks any URL for valid schema markup. FAQ schema frequently appears directly in search results as expandable Q&A — a significant CTR boost with no ranking improvement required.

Step 7: Content Length

Check key pages with UltraToolkit's Word Counter. Pages under 300 words that should provide substantive information are flagged as thin content. Expand them with relevant use cases, FAQs, and explanations.