What an SEO audit checks, and why it matters
Search ranking has hundreds of signals, but the on-page stuff we can actually see is small and tidy. Get it right and you have built a solid foundation. Here is a tag in action:
A tag in action
A link that sells itself
With Open Graph and Twitter Card tags, a shared link unfurls into a rich card with an image, headline, and summary. It looks intentional and trustworthy, and gets noticeably more clicks.
A bare, forgettable link
Without the tags, platforms fall back to a plain URL: no image, an awkward title, sometimes nothing at all. It looks like spam and people scroll right past it.
The nine signals an audit reads
These are the tags and files the audit looks for on your page. Each card says what the signal does, and the plain-English reason it is worth a few minutes of your time.
Page title
The text in the <title> tag. Shows in browser tabs, search results, and social shares. Aim for 20 to 70 characters that describe the page clearly.
Meta description
The short summary search engines often show under your title. 50 to 160 characters. It does not affect ranking directly, but a good one improves click-through.
H1 tag
The main heading on the page. There should be exactly one. Search engines use it to understand what the page is about.
Canonical URL
Tells search engines which version of a page is the "real" one when the same content lives at multiple URLs. Stops duplicate-content issues.
Open Graph & Twitter Cards
Tags that decide how your link looks when shared on Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Slack, or iMessage. Without them you get a bare URL; with them, a tidy card with image.
Structured data
Machine-readable data (usually JSON-LD) describing what your page is: a product, article, recipe, or FAQ. Unlocks rich results like star ratings or expandable answers.
Sitemap.xml
A list of every URL you want indexed. Helps search engines discover pages they might miss by following links alone.
robots.txt
Instructions for crawlers about which paths they may visit. Useful for keeping admin or duplicate URLs out of search results.
Image alt text
A short description of every image. Screen readers use it for blind visitors and search engines use it to understand image content. Missing alt text is a common, fast win.
Every audit on a saved site is stored, so the score line on its detail page tells you whether your last change helped or hurt. SEO is not a single push, it is a habit. Aim for a steadily climbing line, not a one-time perfect score.
Run the free SEO audit on any page and it checks all nine of these signals in seconds, no account needed. Then see how the results roll up into a single grade in the scores & grades guide.
Now try it on your own site
Run a one-off check or save a site to track uptime and SEO over time. The free plan covers 10 sites, no card needed.