Seo Audit

---
name: seo-audit
description: When the user wants to audit or diagnose SEO issues — "technical SEO," "why am I not ranking," "meta tags review," "my traffic dropped," "Google update hit me," "core web vitals," "crawl errors," "indexing issues," or even a vague "my SEO is bad." For pages at scale, see programmatic-seo. For structured data, see schema-markup. For AI search, see ai-seo.
category: marketing
tier: on-demand
---

# SEO Audit

Identify SEO issues and provide actionable recommendations to improve organic search performance.

## Initial Assessment

**Product context:** If `.agents/product-marketing-context.md` exists (or `.claude/product-marketing-context.md` in older setups), read it first and tailor output to it; only ask for what it doesn't cover.

Before auditing, understand:

1. **Site Context** — site type (SaaS, e-commerce, blog, etc.); primary business goal for SEO; priority keywords/topics
2. **Current State** — known issues or concerns; current organic traffic level; recent changes or migrations
3. **Scope** — full site or specific pages; technical + on-page or one focus area; access to Search Console / analytics

---

## Audit Framework

### Schema Markup Detection Limitation

**`web_fetch` and `curl` cannot reliably detect structured data / schema markup.** Many CMS plugins (AIOSEO, Yoast, RankMath) inject JSON-LD via client-side JavaScript — it won't appear in static HTML or `web_fetch` output (which strips `<script>` tags during conversion). Reporting "no schema found" based solely on `web_fetch` or `curl` produces false audit findings.

**To accurately check schema markup, use one of:**
1. **Browser tool** — render the page and run: `document.querySelectorAll('script[type="application/ld+json"]')`
2. **Google Rich Results Test** — https://search.google.com/test/rich-results
3. **Screaming Frog export** — if the client provides one, use it (SF renders JavaScript)

### Priority Order
1. **Crawlability & Indexation** (can Google find and index it?)
2. **Technical Foundations** (is the site fast and functional?)
3. **On-Page Optimization** (is content optimized?)
4. **Content Quality** (does it deserve to rank?)
5. **Authority & Links** (does it have credibility?)

---

## Technical SEO Audit

### Crawlability

**Robots.txt** — no unintentional blocks; important pages allowed; sitemap reference present.

**XML Sitemap** — exists and accessible; submitted to Search Console; contains only canonical, indexable URLs; updated regularly; proper formatting.

**Site Architecture** — important pages within 3 clicks of homepage; logical hierarchy; internal linking structure; no orphan pages.

**Crawl Budget Issues** (large sites) — parameterized URLs under control; faceted navigation handled properly; infinite scroll with pagination fallback; no session IDs in URLs.

### Indexation

**Index Status** — site:domain.com check; Search Console coverage report; compare indexed vs. expected.

**Indexation Issues** — noindex tags on important pages; canonicals pointing wrong direction; redirect chains/loops; soft 404s; duplicate content without canonicals.

**Canonicalization** — all pages have canonical tags; self-referencing canonicals on unique pages; HTTP → HTTPS canonicals; www vs. non-www consistency; trailing slash consistency.

### Site Speed & Core Web Vitals

**Core Web Vitals** — LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) < 2.5s; INP (Interaction to Next Paint) < 200ms; CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) < 0.1.

**Speed Factors** — server response time (TTFB), image optimization, JavaScript execution, CSS delivery, caching headers, CDN usage, font loading.

**Tools** — PageSpeed Insights, WebPageTest, Chrome DevTools, Search Console Core Web Vitals report.

### Mobile-Friendliness

Responsive design (not separate m. site); tap target sizes; viewport configured; no horizontal scroll; same content as desktop; mobile-first indexing readiness.

### Security & HTTPS

HTTPS across entire site; valid SSL certificate; no mixed content; HTTP → HTTPS redirects; HSTS header (bonus).

### URL Structure

Readable, descriptive URLs; keywords where natural; consistent structure; no unnecessary parameters; lowercase and hyphen-separated.

---

## On-Page SEO Audit

### Title Tags

**Check for:** unique titles per page; primary keyword near beginning; 50-60 characters (visible in SERP); compelling and click-worthy; brand name placement (end, usually).

**Common issues:** duplicate titles; too long (truncated); too short (wasted opportunity); keyword stuffing; missing entirely.

### Meta Descriptions

**Check for:** unique descriptions per page; 150-160 characters; includes primary keyword; clear value proposition; call to action.

**Common issues:** duplicate descriptions; auto-generated garbage; too long/short; no compelling reason to click.

### Heading Structure

**Check for:** one H1 per page; H1 contains primary keyword; logical hierarchy (H1 → H2 → H3); headings describe content, not just styling.

**Common issues:** multiple H1s; skipped levels (H1 → H3); headings used for styling only; no H1.

### Content Optimization

**Primary Page Content** — keyword in first 100 words; related keywords naturally used; sufficient depth/length for topic; answers search intent; better than competitors.

**Thin Content Issues** — pages with little unique content; tag/category pages with no value; doorway pages; duplicate or near-duplicate content.

### Image Optimization

Descriptive file names; alt text on all images that describes the image; compressed file sizes; modern formats (WebP); lazy loading; responsive images.

### Internal Linking

**Check for:** important pages well-linked; descriptive anchor text; logical link relationships; no broken internal links; reasonable link count per page.

**Common issues:** orphan pages (no internal links); over-optimized anchor text; important pages buried; excessive footer/sidebar links.

### Keyword Targeting

**Per Page** — clear primary keyword target; title, H1, URL aligned; content satisfies search intent; not competing with other pages (cannibalization).

**Site-Wide** — keyword mapping document; no major gaps in coverage; no keyword cannibalization; logical topical clusters.

---

## Content Quality Assessment

### E-E-A-T Signals

**Experience** — first-hand experience demonstrated; original insights/data; real examples and case studies.

**Expertise** — author credentials visible; accurate, detailed information; properly sourced claims.

**Authoritativeness** — recognized in the space; cited by others; industry credentials.

**Trustworthiness** — accurate information; transparent about business; contact information available; privacy policy, terms; secure site (HTTPS).

### Content Depth

Comprehensive coverage; answers follow-up questions; better than top-ranking competitors; updated and current.

### User Engagement Signals

Time on page; bounce rate in context; pages per session; return visits.

---

## Common Issues by Site Type

### SaaS/Product Sites
Product pages lack content depth; blog not integrated with product pages; missing comparison/alternative pages; thin feature pages; no glossary/educational content.

### E-commerce
Thin category pages; duplicate product descriptions; missing product schema; faceted navigation creating duplicates; mishandled out-of-stock pages.

### Content/Blog Sites
Outdated content not refreshed; keyword cannibalization; no topical clustering; poor internal linking; missing author pages.

### Local Business
Inconsistent NAP; missing local schema; no Google Business Profile optimization; missing location pages; no local content.

---

## Output Format

### Audit Report Structure

**Executive Summary** — overall health assessment; top 3-5 priority issues; quick wins identified.

**Technical SEO Findings** — for each issue: **Issue** (what's wrong), **Impact** (SEO impact, High/Medium/Low), **Evidence** (how you found it), **Fix** (specific recommendation), **Priority** (1-5 or High/Medium/Low).

**On-Page SEO Findings** and **Content Findings** — same format.

**Prioritized Action Plan**
1. Critical fixes (blocking indexation/ranking)
2. High-impact improvements
3. Quick wins (easy, immediate benefit)
4. Long-term recommendations

---

## References

- [AI Writing Detection](references/ai-writing-detection.md): Common AI writing patterns to avoid (em dashes, overused phrases, filler words)
- For AI search optimization (AEO, GEO, LLMO, AI Overviews), see the **ai-seo** skill

---

## Tools Referenced

**Free** — Google Search Console (essential); Google PageSpeed Insights; Bing Webmaster Tools; Rich Results Test (**use this for schema validation — it renders JavaScript**); Mobile-Friendly Test; Schema Validator.

**Paid** (if available) — Screaming Frog; Ahrefs / Semrush; Sitebulb; ContentKing.

> **Schema detection:** `web_fetch`/`curl` can't see JS-injected schema — use the browser tool, Rich Results Test, or Screaming Frog (they render JavaScript). See Schema Markup Detection Limitation above.

---

## Task-Specific Questions

1. What pages/keywords matter most?
2. Do you have Search Console access?
3. Any recent changes or migrations?
4. Who are your top organic competitors?
5. What's your current organic traffic baseline?

---

## Related Skills

- **ai-seo**: For optimizing content for AI search engines (AEO, GEO, LLMO)
- **programmatic-seo**: For building SEO pages at scale
- **site-architecture**: For page hierarchy, navigation design, and URL structure
- **schema-markup**: For implementing structured data
- **page-cro**: For optimizing pages for conversion (not just ranking)
- **analytics-tracking**: For measuring SEO performance