Audit the on-page SEO of a page

Review one public page for its on-page search engine optimization (SEO), using its purpose and one main search phrase as the guide. Record visible findings and useful changes for the page owner; leave website edits to the owner.

• Outcome: SEO delivery
• Tools: Web Browser, Google Sheets
• Responsible: A website owner, content editor, or agency marketer who needs to review one public page against what it is for and the words people may search.
• Estimated time: 30 minutes

Scope

This SOP covers:

• Review one public page for its title, search-result description, main heading, useful content, headings, links, image descriptions, URL, and narrow-screen usability
• Record visible evidence and proposed changes in the supplied Google Sheets audit copy
• Choose up to three useful next steps for the page owner

This does not cover:

• Reviewing search rankings, guaranteeing ranking changes, or promising that Google will use a page title or description exactly as written
• Checking indexing, canonical URLs, sitemaps, structured data, search performance, or an entire website
• Paid SEO tools, keyword research, page-speed scores, or site crawls
• Rewriting page content or changing titles, descriptions, images, links, URLs, plugins, or site settings

Requirements

• The public URL of one page, what that page is meant to help a visitor do or learn, and one main search phrase supplied by the page owner or person requesting the audit.
• A desktop browser that can open the public page and inspect its page source, plus a Google account you can use to make and edit a Google Sheets copy.

Related SOPs

• SOP 030: Check a page’s indexing and canonical URL in Google Search Console
• SOP 031: Submit and check a Rank Math sitemap in Google Search Console

01. Set up the page audit

Make your own worksheet copy and confirm the exact page, purpose, and search phrase you will review.

1. Open the on-page SEO audit worksheet and click Make a copy. Use the Page Audit tab in your copy. The Fictional Example tab contains made-up findings; use it as a guide and leave it unchanged.

2. In Page Audit, enter the page address beside Page URL, the intended visitor and task beside Page purpose, and the phrase the owner wants the page to be found for beside Main search phrase. Use the exact page URL and information the owner supplied. If the purpose or phrase is missing or unclear, ask the owner before you judge the page; do not invent a business goal.

3. Open the address beside Page URL in a desktop browser tab. Read the page as a visitor would. Keep this tab open while you review the content and page source.

02. Review the title and page content

Compare the page's wording and information with its stated purpose and search phrase.

1. Find the page title in its source, then decide whether it clearly describes this page.

   • Resource: Influencing title links in Google Search (See which page signals Google may use for a search result's title link.)

   1. On the page tab, right-click a blank area and choose View page source. In the source tab, use Find for title. Near the start, look for the opening title tag; it may have other details after the word title. The page title is the text after that opening tag and before its matching closing title tag. If you cannot identify where the text starts or ends, record that in What I found, choose Ask for help in Status, and do not report the title as missing.

   2. In Page Audit, find the Page title row. Enter the exact title and note that you checked the source in What I found. Mark Looks good if it clearly and accurately describes the page. If it is generic or misleading, suggest a clearer title in Recommended change. Keep any suggested change in the worksheet; do not edit the page.

2. Find the page's description, then decide whether it gives a useful summary.

   • Warning: Google usually creates a search-result description from page content and may use the meta description instead. This check cannot promise which wording Google will show.
   • Resource: How to write meta descriptions (Understand how page text and a meta description can contribute to a search snippet.)

   1. In the same source tab, use Find for description. Near the start, look for a meta entry where name is description; the name and content can appear in either order and can use single or double quotation marks. Copy the words in content. If you search to the end and find no matching entry, write Not found in page source in What I found. If you cannot tell which entry or words to use, record the difficulty in What I found and choose Ask for help in Status instead of calling it missing.

   2. In Page Audit, find Search-result description. Put the exact wording in What I found. Mark Looks good if it summarizes this page accurately. If it is missing, vague, or wrong, suggest a clearer summary in Recommended change.

3. Read the main visible heading and see whether the supplied search phrase fits the page and appears naturally where it helps the visitor.

   1. Read the main heading a visitor sees. In Page Audit, find Main page heading and record its exact words in What I found. Mark Looks good if it clearly names the subject or offer. If it is generic, suggest a clearer heading in Recommended change.

   2. Compare Main search phrase with the title, main heading, and opening text. In Page Audit, find Natural use of the search phrase and note where it appears. Mark Looks good if it fits the page purpose and reads naturally. If it does not fit or is missing, write what the owner should clarify in Recommended change.

4. Check whether the page gives visitors the information and signposts they need for the purpose recorded in Page Audit.

   • Resource: Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content (Use Google's guidance to focus on information that helps the intended reader.)

   1. Compare the page with Page purpose. Can the visitor find the main answer, information, or offer promised there? If the purpose includes a next action, can the visitor find it? In Page Audit, find Answers the visitor’s need and describe what is present or missing in What I found. If important information is missing, ask the owner in Recommended change; do not make it up.

   2. Scroll through the page and review its section headings. In Page Audit, find Easy-to-scan subheadings. If headings help visitors find the main sections, mark Looks good. If a long section is hard to scan, name it in What I found and suggest a heading in Recommended change. If this short page needs no sections, explain why and choose Not applicable.

03. Review links, images, and the page address

Check whether supporting links and images help visitors, then test that the page remains usable in a narrow browser window.

1. Look at links to pages on the same site. Can the visitor tell where a link goes from its words, and does it help with a next question or action? In Page Audit, find Helpful internal links and note a link label and destination in What I found. If this short page needs no internal link, explain why and choose Not applicable. Suggest clearer link words in Recommended change when needed.

   • Resource: SEO link best practices for Google (Review Google's guidance for clear, descriptive link text.)

2. Inspect one important image, such as a product or service photo, and record the description you find.

   • Resource: Image SEO best practices (Check how helpful alternative text describes an image in the page's context.)
   • Resource: Decorative images (See why an empty alternative can be correct when an image is decorative.)

   1. In Chrome or Edge, right-click an important image and choose Inspect. The browser panel should highlight that image. Find its alt value: it is the short description for people who cannot see the image and for search engines. If the panel highlights a different image or you cannot find its description, note that in What I found and choose Ask for help.

   2. In Page Audit, find Useful image alt text. Record the image and exact alt words in What I found. Mark Looks good if the words describe the image in this page's context. An empty value can be right for a decorative image; if you cannot tell whether it gives information, ask the site editor. If there are no important images, explain why and choose Not applicable.

3. Review the page address and make the browser window narrow enough to see how the page works on a phone.

   • Resource: SEO Starter Guide: use descriptive URLs (Review Google's advice to use words in URLs that help people understand a page.)
   • Resource: Understanding Google page experience (Keep this usability check focused on people's page experience, not a single SEO score.)

   1. Read the page address in the browser bar. In Page Audit, find Clear, stable page URL and record the current address or page path in What I found. Mark Looks good if the words clearly tell visitors what the page is about. If they may be confusing, choose Ask for help and ask the owner to review them; do not suggest a new URL just because its words could be clearer. Keep the current URL unchanged during this audit; changing it can break links to the page.

   2. Make the browser window about as narrow as a phone screen by dragging its right edge. In Page Audit, find Usable at a narrow phone width. Check that you can read the main text, scroll down the page, and reach the important link or button without sideways scrolling. Do not submit a form or start a purchase. Record what works or gets cut off in What I found; if something blocks the visitor, suggest the owner ask a web developer to fix that item in Recommended change.

04. Prioritize and finish the audit

Give each check a clear status, rank only the useful next actions, and keep the worksheet focused on evidence rather than a score.

1. Complete the Page Audit rows using the six checklist columns. In What I found, record the actual words or behavior and where you saw it. In Recommended change, say what the owner could do next; the audit itself does not make that change. In Owner, name the person who can make the change or answer the question.

   1. In Page Audit, use the Status guide at the bottom to choose a status for each of the ten rows. A blank Status means you have not reviewed that row. For every Fix next or Ask for help row, fill Recommended change with the next action and Owner with the person who can do it or answer the question.

   2. In Page Audit, use Priority guide and When to set priority at the bottom. They explain High, Medium, and Low and when Priority can stay blank. For Ask for help, choose a priority only if you know its effect on visitors. Priority helps the owner order actions; it is not a search ranking score.

   3. At the top of Page Audit, read Checks not reviewed. It counts blank Status cells. Revisit any blank row until you can choose a status or record what is blocking you as Ask for help. Zero means every check has a status; it does not mean the page has no problems.

2. In the Top 3 fixes — most useful first section of Page Audit, copy up to three checks marked Fix next. Start with High priority. For each one, copy its checklist Check, Recommended change, and Owner. Use fewer than three entries if there are fewer Fix next rows; leave unused places empty.

3. Review the Page Audit tab from top to bottom. Make sure the page URL, purpose, and search phrase are filled in; each of the ten checks has a status; and the Top 3 fixes list contains only actions that appear in the checklist. Keep the completed copy as the audit record and use your normal team process to give it to the page owner.