How to Check Your Website's SEO: Step-by-Step Guide

How to Check Your Website's SEO

Checking your website's SEO doesn't require expensive tools or technical expertise. This guide walks you through the process step-by-step, using free tools available to everyone.

Why Check Your SEO?

Before diving into how, let's understand why regular SEO checks matter:

• Catch Problems Early: Small issues can become big problems if left unchecked
• Track Progress: See if your optimization efforts are working
• Stay Competitive: Understand how you compare to competitors
• Improve Rankings: Find opportunities to rank higher

Step 1: Run an SEO Audit

The fastest way to check your website's SEO is to run an automated audit. Here's how:

Using Auditora (Free)

1. Go to Auditora's SEO Checker
2. Enter your website URL
3. Click "Check SEO Now"
4. Review your SEO score and issues

The audit will analyze:

• Technical SEO factors
• On-page optimization
• Content quality
• Page speed
• Mobile-friendliness

Understanding Your SEO Score

Most SEO tools provide a score from 0-100:

• 90-100: Excellent - Minor optimizations possible
• 70-89: Good - Some issues to address
• 50-69: Needs Work - Multiple issues affecting rankings
• Below 50: Poor - Critical issues requiring immediate attention

Step 2: Check Google Search Console

Google Search Console provides direct insights from Google:

Key Reports to Check

Coverage Report

• See which pages are indexed
• Identify pages with errors
• Find pages excluded from index

Performance Report

• View search queries driving traffic
• Check average rankings
• Monitor click-through rates

Core Web Vitals

• See real-world speed data
• Identify slow pages
• Track mobile vs desktop performance

How to Access

1. Sign up at search.google.com/search-console
2. Verify your website ownership
3. Wait for data to populate (24-48 hours)

Step 3: Test Page Speed

Page speed affects both rankings and user experience.

Using Google PageSpeed Insights

1. Visit pagespeed.web.dev
2. Enter your URL
3. Review scores for:
   • Performance
   • Accessibility
   • Best Practices
   • SEO

Core Web Vitals to Check

• LCP (Largest Contentful Paint): Should be under 2.5 seconds
• INP (Interaction to Next Paint): Should be under 200ms
• CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): Should be under 0.1

Step 4: Check Mobile-Friendliness

With mobile-first indexing, mobile optimization is crucial.

Mobile Checklist

• Text readable without zooming
• Links spaced for tap targets
• No horizontal scrolling
• Content fits screen width
• Fast mobile load time

Step 5: Review On-Page Elements

Check these elements on your key pages:

Title Tags

• Unique for each page
• 50-60 characters
• Primary keyword included
• Compelling and descriptive

Meta Descriptions

• 120-155 characters
• Includes target keyword
• Contains call-to-action
• Accurately describes content

Headings

• One H1 per page
• Logical H2-H6 hierarchy
• Keywords in headings
• Descriptive and useful

Content

• Comprehensive coverage of topic
• Natural keyword usage
• Original and valuable
• Properly formatted

Step 6: Check for Technical Issues

Robots.txt

• Verify important pages aren't blocked
• Check for sitemap reference
• Review disallow directives

XML Sitemap

• Confirm it exists
• Verify all important pages included
• Check for errors

HTTPS

• All pages use HTTPS
• No mixed content warnings
• Proper redirects from HTTP

Step 7: Analyze Your Backlinks

Backlinks indicate your site's authority:

What to Look For

• Total number of linking domains
• Quality of linking sites
• Anchor text distribution
• New vs lost links

Creating Your SEO Checklist

Use this quick checklist for regular SEO checks:

Weekly

• Review Search Console for new errors
• Check for broken links
• Monitor Core Web Vitals

Monthly

• Run full SEO audit
• Review top-performing pages
• Check mobile usability
• Analyze competitor rankings

Quarterly

• Deep-dive technical audit
• Content gap analysis
• Backlink profile review
• Update SEO strategy

Conclusion

Checking your website's SEO regularly is essential for maintaining and improving your search rankings. Start with an automated audit to identify issues, then use free tools like Google Search Console to dive deeper into specific areas.

The key is consistency. Make SEO checks part of your regular routine, and you'll catch issues early before they impact your rankings.