SEO Audit
Framework
IRON LAW: Technical Foundation Before Content Optimization
A site with brilliant content but broken crawlability, slow speed, or
no mobile support will not rank. Fix technical issues FIRST, then optimize
content. A technically sound site with mediocre content outranks a
technically broken site with great content.
Priority: Crawlability → Speed → Mobile → On-Page → Content → Links
Audit Checklist
1. Crawlability & Indexing
| Check | Tool | Red Flag |
|---|---|---|
| robots.txt blocking important pages | robots.txt tester | Disallow on key pages |
| Sitemap.xml exists and is valid | XML sitemap validator | Missing or has errors |
| Index coverage | Google Search Console | Excluded pages growing |
| Canonical tags correct | Manual check | Missing or pointing to wrong URL |
| 404 errors | Screaming Frog / GSC | > 5% of URLs return 404 |
| Redirect chains | Screaming Frog | Chain > 2 hops |
2. Site Speed (Core Web Vitals)
| Metric | Target | Tool |
|---|---|---|
| LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) | < 2.5s | PageSpeed Insights |
| INP (Interaction to Next Paint) | < 200ms | PageSpeed Insights |
| CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) | < 0.1 | PageSpeed Insights |
3. Mobile-Friendliness
- Responsive design (passes Google mobile-friendly test)
- Touch targets > 48px
- No horizontal scrolling
- Text readable without zooming
4. On-Page SEO (per page)
| Element | Best Practice |
|---|---|
| Title tag | Primary keyword + brand, < 60 chars |
| Meta description | Compelling, includes keyword, < 155 chars |
| H1 | One per page, includes primary keyword |
| URL structure | Short, descriptive, includes keyword |
| Image alt text | Descriptive, includes keyword naturally |
| Internal linking | Link to related pages with descriptive anchor text |
5. Content Quality
- Keyword targeting: each important page targets a primary keyword
- Content depth: covers the topic comprehensively (not thin content)
- E-E-A-T signals: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness
- Freshness: key content updated within last 12 months
6. Backlink Profile
- Total referring domains (Ahrefs, Moz)
- Domain authority / domain rating
- Toxic links (spammy, irrelevant)
- Anchor text distribution (natural vs over-optimized)
Output Format
# SEO Audit: {Website}
## Summary
| Category | Score | Priority Issues |
|----------|-------|----------------|
| Crawlability | 🟢/🟡/🔴 | {top issue} |
| Speed | 🟢/🟡/🔴 | {top issue} |
| Mobile | 🟢/🟡/🔴 | {top issue} |
| On-Page | 🟢/🟡/🔴 | {top issue} |
| Content | 🟢/🟡/🔴 | {top issue} |
| Backlinks | 🟢/🟡/🔴 | {top issue} |
## Critical Issues (fix immediately)
1. {issue + impact + fix}
## High Priority (fix within 30 days)
1. {issue + fix}
## Opportunities
1. {keyword/content opportunity}
## Action Plan
| Priority | Action | Impact | Effort | Timeline |
|----------|--------|--------|--------|----------|
| 1 | {action} | H/M/L | H/M/L | {weeks} |
Gotchas
- SEO results take 3-6 months: Don't expect ranking changes within weeks. Measure over quarters, not days.
- Google Search Console is the source of truth: Third-party tools estimate. GSC shows actual Google data (clicks, impressions, index status).
- Core Web Vitals are ranking factors: Since 2021, Google uses page experience (speed, interactivity, visual stability) as ranking signals. Not optional.
- AI-generated content: Google doesn't penalize AI content per se, but penalizes low-quality, unhelpful content regardless of how it was produced. E-E-A-T matters.
- Local SEO for Taiwan: For local businesses, Google 我的商家 (Google Business Profile) is critical. Optimize GBP before worrying about organic rankings.
References
- For keyword research methodology, see
references/keyword-research.md - For content optimization guidelines, see
references/content-seo.md