What Is an SEO Audit, and What Should It Include?
The short answer
An SEO audit is a structured review of a website that finds what is stopping it from being found in search and sets out what to fix first. It checks whether Google can reach and list your pages, whether those pages match what customers search for and how you compare with competitors, then ranks the fixes.
Key takeaways
- An SEO audit finds what stops a website being found in search and puts the fixes in order.
- A full audit covers your pages, your competitors and your reputation as well as the technical side.
- Google says an audit should give realistic estimates of improvement and of the work involved.
- Taskcover's paid audits start from $1,500, and a typical audit takes about five working days.
In this guide
This guide answers the question owners ask when they are offered an audit or handed one: what is an SEO audit, and is this one any good? It covers what an audit should include, what you should receive, what it costs and how long it takes. To see how we run one, read what our SEO audit covers.
What is an SEO audit, in plain words?
It is a check-up of your website's ability to be found. Someone experienced looks at the site the way Google does, compares it with what your customers search for, and tells you what is wrong and what to do first. A list of problems with no order is not a finished audit.
Google's guidance on hiring SEO help says an SEO audit should be about giving you realistic estimates of improvement, and an estimate of the work involved.
Source1Google Search Central
What does an SEO audit include?
A full audit covers six areas. A technical SEO audit covers only the first two.
| Area | The question it answers | What gets checked |
|---|---|---|
| Crawling and indexing | Can Google find, read and list your pages? | Blocked pages, broken links, redirects, and which pages Google has listed |
| Speed and phones | Do pages load quickly and work on a phone? | Loading, responsiveness and layout stability, which Google calls Core Web Vitals |
| Pages and searches | Does each thing you sell have a page that matches how people search? | Titles, headings, and searches that no page answers |
| Content | Do your pages say enough to be chosen? | Thin or copied pages, and customer questions left unanswered |
| Competitors | Who appears above you, and why? | The pages, reviews and mentions they have and you lack |
| Reputation and AI search | Do other sites and AI assistants know who you are? | Links, mentions, business listings, and how AI answers describe you |
The first area follows the way Google works. Google describes Search in three stages: crawling, indexing and serving results. It does not guarantee to crawl, index or serve any page, and a page that fails at an early stage cannot appear. Google also uses the phone version of a site for indexing and ranking, so an audit looks at phones first.
Technical SEO audit
The part of an SEO audit that checks whether search engines can crawl, read and index a website, and how fast its pages load. It does not cover what customers search for or how competitors compare.
What should you receive at the end?
An ordered plan you can act on, with the evidence behind it.
A good audit hands you these
- A short summary in plain wordsOne page a partner or a board can read without knowing SEO.
- Findings in orderEach one ranked by what fixing it could bring and how much work it takes.
- Evidence for each findingThe page address or the Search Console report it came from, so your developer can check it.
- Realistic estimatesOf the improvement to expect and of the work involved.
- A plan for the next 90 daysWho does what first, followed by a call to walk your team through it.
How much does an SEO audit cost?
We have found no published industry figure we would stand behind, so here are our own. The final figure depends on the size and complexity of the site.
| Audit | What it is for | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Free SEO Audit | A first review: priority issues and a recommended next step | $0 |
| Search Growth Audit | Demand, content and technical issues, with a priority roadmap | From $1,500, one-time |
| Technical SEO Audit | Complex sites, platform problems, or before a move to a new site | From $2,500, one-time |
| AI Search Visibility Review | How AI tools see your business, with an action list | From $1,500, one-time |
Every plan is on the pricing page. If you are not sure which depth you need, start with a free first review of your site.
How long does an SEO audit take?
A few days for a small site, longer for a large or complex one. A typical Taskcover audit runs about five working days: discovery on day one, the checks on days two to four, sorting and the plan by day five, then a review call.
When do you need an SEO audit?
At four moments.
- Before a redesign or a move to a new platform. Google says a great time to bring in SEO help is when you are considering a redesign, the earlier the better.
- After a drop in visits that nobody can explain. Start with why website traffic drops.
- Before you sign for monthly SEO work, so the scope rests on facts.
- When your team has a long list of problems and no agreed order.
An audit that ends in a plan, not a list
Your site, your competitors and your customers' searches, checked and set out as a 90-day plan.
See the serviceOur services for this
Questions people ask about SEO audits
Can I do an SEO audit myself?
You can do a basic one. Google Search Console is free, shows which searches bring visitors and alerts you when Google finds problems. For a site with fewer than 500 pages, Google says you probably do not need its indexing report and can check with a site: search. Our technical SEO checklist covers the rest.
How often should a website be audited?
Our advice is once a year, and before any redesign or change of platform. Between audits, a monthly look at Search Console catches most problems early. How to know if SEO is working explains what to watch.
Is an SEO audit the same as an SEO strategy?
No. An audit says where you stand and what is wrong. A strategy decides which searches to go after and in what order. See how to create an SEO strategy.
What does an auditor need from me?
A list of what you sell and where, the names of two or three competitors, a note of past changes such as a redesign, and access to Search Console. Google's advice is to grant read access for an audit, not write access.
Find out what is holding your website back
Send us your website and we will show you what to fix first, at no cost.
The authors
Who wrote and checked this guide
Written by
Jamiez Nguyen
Founder & CEO
Jamiez Nguyen founded Taskcover and leads strategy and client growth. He started it in 2017 as a team doing search work behind the scenes for other agencies, then opened it to businesses in the USA, Canada and Australia.
Reviewed by
John Edward
CTO
John Edward leads the technical side of Taskcover: how sites are built, how fast they load, and how search engines read them.
Updated Fact-checked About the people at Taskcover
Sources
Where the facts in this guide come from
Facts last checked on October 12, 2026.
- 1Do you need an SEO?Google Search CentralChecked on October 12, 2026
- 2In-depth guide to how Google Search worksGoogle Search CentralChecked on October 12, 2026
- 3Mobile site and mobile-first indexing best practicesGoogle Search CentralChecked on October 12, 2026
- 4Understanding Core Web Vitals and Google search resultsGoogle Search CentralChecked on October 12, 2026
- 5About Search ConsoleGoogle Search Console HelpChecked on October 12, 2026
- 6Page indexing reportGoogle Search Console HelpChecked on October 12, 2026
