Monthly SEO Audit Checklist

Monthly SEO Audit Checklist
A systematic approach to maintaining and improving your website's SEO performance. Covers data analysis, on-page SEO, technical SEO, and off-page factors.

I. Data & Reporting Review (First Week of Month)

Google Analytics (GA4) Check

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    [ ] Organic Traffic Trends: Review overall organic traffic (sessions, users, conversions) month-over-month and year-over-year. Note significant changes.
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    [ ] Top Organic Landing Pages: Identify pages with increasing/decreasing organic traffic.
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    [ ] Conversion Performance: Check organic conversions and identify opportunities for improvement on low-converting pages.
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    [ ] Engagement Metrics: Analyze bounce rate, time on page, and scroll depth for organic traffic segments.
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    [ ] Segment Analysis: Review performance by device (mobile, desktop, tablet).

Google Search Console (GSC) Check

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    [ ] Performance Report: [ ] Queries: Identify new ranking keywords, keywords with declining positions, and rising/falling impressions. [ ] Pages: Review top-performing pages (clicks, impressions, CTR) and identify underperforming ones. [ ] Compare Dates: Compare current month's data with previous month or same month last year.
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    [ ] Index Coverage Report: [ ] Check for any new "Errors" (e.g., Server error, Redirect error, Blocked by robots.txt, noindex). [ ] Monitor "Valid with warning" and "Excluded" pages for unexpected changes.
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    [ ] Core Web Vitals Report: Check for any new "Needs improvement" or "Poor" URLs.
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    [ ] Manual Actions: Ensure no manual actions.
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    [ ] Security Issues: Check for security warnings.
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    [ ] Sitemaps: Confirm sitemap is processed and up-to-date.

Rank Tracking (If using a tool like Semrush, Ahrefs, Moz)

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    [ ] Monitor overall keyword ranking trends (visibility, average position).
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    [ ] Identify significant keyword ranking gains or losses.
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    [ ] Track competitor rankings for your target keywords.

II. On-Page SEO Review (Second Week of Month)

Content Performance & Gaps

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    [ ] Identify Underperforming Content: Look for pages with declining organic traffic or low engagement.
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    [ ] Content Freshness: Identify older content that could benefit from updates, expansions, or a refresh.
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    [ ] New Content Opportunities: Based on keyword research and competitor analysis, identify new topics for content creation.
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    [ ] Keyword Cannibalization: Check if multiple pages are targeting the same keywords and competing against each other.

On-Page Elements Check (for new/updated content)

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    [ ] Title Tags & Meta Descriptions: Ensure they are optimized, unique, and compelling for new or updated pages.
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    [ ] H1s & Subheadings: Check for proper hierarchy and keyword integration.
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    [ ] Internal Linking: Ensure new content is well-linked from relevant existing pages, and old content links to new.
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    [ ] Image Optimization: Verify alt text and compression for new images.

III. Technical SEO Review (Third Week of Month)

Site Health & Crawlability

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    [ ] Broken Links: Use a tool (e.g., Screaming Frog, Ahrefs Site Audit) to scan for broken internal and external links.
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    [ ] Redirect Chains/Loops: Identify and fix any redirect issues.
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    [ ] Canonical Tags: Ensure canonical tags are correctly implemented, especially for paginated or filtered content.
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    [ ] HTTPS Status: Confirm all pages are served over HTTPS and no mixed content issues.
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    [ ] Mobile Usability: Spot-check key pages on a mobile device for usability issues.

Site Speed

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    [ ] Run Google PageSpeed Insights for key pages. Address any new significant recommendations.

Structured Data

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    [ ] Re-test any critical structured data using Google's Rich Results Test if changes have been made or new types added.

IV. Off-Page SEO & Competitor Analysis (Fourth Week of Month)

Backlink Profile Review

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    [ ] New Backlinks: Identify new backlinks acquired during the month.
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    [ ] Lost Backlinks: Track any lost backlinks and investigate reasons.
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    [ ] Toxic Backlinks: Monitor for suspicious or low-quality backlinks that might require disavowing.
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    [ ] Competitor Backlinks: Analyze new backlinks acquired by competitors for potential opportunities.

Local SEO (If applicable)

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    [ ] Google Business Profile: Check for new reviews, respond to them, update business hours if needed.
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    [ ] NAP Consistency: Ensure Name, Address, Phone number are consistent across key online directories.

Competitor Analysis

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    [ ] Monitor competitors' organic search performance and content strategies.
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    [ ] Identify any new significant features or changes on competitor websites.

V. Action & Reporting

Final Steps

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    [ ] Prioritize Issues: Based on the audit, prioritize tasks by impact and effort.
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    [ ] Create Action Plan: Develop a clear action plan with assigned responsibilities and deadlines.
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    [ ] Document Findings: Keep a record of audit findings and actions taken.
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    [ ] Report to Stakeholders: Prepare a summary report of key performance changes, issues identified, and planned actions for relevant stakeholders.
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