Technical SEO Audit Checklist Generator
SEO & SearchadvancedClaude 3.5 Sonnet or GPT-4o. Claude excels at structured, detailed frameworks and provides more nuanced technical explanations. GPT-4o offers faster processing for large audits. Both handle complex multi-section outputs well.
When to Use This Prompt
Use this prompt when conducting a comprehensive technical SEO audit for a website that needs significant optimization or when you're taking over SEO responsibilities for a new client. It's particularly valuable for identifying quick wins and prioritizing efforts when resources are limited.
The Prompt
You are a senior technical SEO specialist. Generate a comprehensive technical SEO audit checklist for a [INDUSTRY] website with [APPROXIMATE_MONTHLY_TRAFFIC] monthly organic traffic.
## Context
- Website URL: [WEBSITE_URL]
- Current ranking positions: [TOP_KEYWORDS_AND_RANKINGS] (e.g., "Keyword 1: Position 15, Keyword 2: Position 8")
- Primary target audience: [TARGET_AUDIENCE]
- Website platform/CMS: [PLATFORM] (e.g., WordPress, Shopify, custom)
- Known issues or concerns: [KNOWN_ISSUES] (e.g., "slow page speed, duplicate content, crawl errors")
## Audit Scope
Create a prioritized technical SEO audit checklist organized by impact and effort. Include:
1. **Core Web Vitals & Performance** - Page speed, LCP, FID, CLS metrics and benchmarks
2. **Crawlability & Indexation** - Robots.txt, sitemap, crawl errors, URL structure
3. **Site Architecture** - Internal linking, breadcrumbs, URL hierarchy, pagination
4. **Mobile & Responsive Design** - Mobile-first indexing readiness, viewport configuration
5. **Structured Data & Schema** - JSON-LD implementation, rich snippets, schema validation
6. **Technical Issues** - Redirects, canonicals, hreflang tags, SSL/HTTPS
7. **Content Optimization** - Meta tags, heading hierarchy, keyword placement
8. **Server & Hosting** - Server response time, uptime, CDN usage
9. **Security & Compliance** - HTTPS, security headers, privacy policies
## Output Format
For each section, provide:
- **Audit Item**: Specific element to check
- **Why It Matters**: Impact on SEO and user experience
- **How to Check**: Tools and methods (e.g., Google Search Console, PageSpeed Insights, Screaming Frog)
- **Priority Level**: Critical, High, Medium, Low
- **Estimated Effort**: Hours needed to fix
- **Expected Impact**: Estimated traffic/ranking improvement
## Additional Requirements
- Highlight quick wins (high impact, low effort) that should be tackled first
- Include specific tool recommendations (Google Search Console, Lighthouse, GTmetrix, Screaming Frog, etc.)
- Provide benchmark comparisons for [INDUSTRY] standards
- Suggest a 30/60/90 day implementation roadmap
- Include metrics to track progress
Format as a detailed, actionable checklist that a marketing team can execute without deep technical knowledge.
Get the Full AI Marketing Learning Path
Courses, workshops, frameworks, daily intelligence, and 6 proprietary tools — built for marketing leaders adopting AI.
Trusted by 10,000+ Directors and CMOs.
Tips for Best Results
- 1.Replace placeholders with specific data (actual URLs, traffic numbers, known issues). Vague inputs produce generic checklists; specific context generates actionable audits tailored to your site.
- 2.Request the output in a specific format (Markdown table, Google Sheets template, or Notion-compatible format) to make implementation easier for your team.
- 3.Ask the AI to prioritize by 'quick wins' (high impact, low effort) first—this builds momentum and demonstrates SEO value to stakeholders quickly.
- 4.Follow up with: 'Create a detailed implementation guide for the top 3 items' to get step-by-step instructions your team can execute without additional research.
Example Output
# Technical SEO Audit Checklist: E-Commerce Fashion Retailer
## Priority 1: Quick Wins (Week 1-2)
**1. Core Web Vitals Optimization**
- Audit Item: Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) exceeds 2.5s
- Why It Matters: Google ranking factor; impacts conversion rates
- How to Check: Google PageSpeed Insights, Web Vitals Chrome Extension
- Priority: Critical
- Estimated Effort: 8-12 hours
- Expected Impact: 5-15% traffic increase
- Action: Optimize hero image sizes, implement lazy loading, upgrade hosting
**2. Mobile-First Indexing Readiness**
- Audit Item: Mobile version missing key content present on desktop
- Why It Matters: Google crawls mobile version first
- How to Check: Google Search Console Mobile Usability report
- Priority: Critical
- Estimated Effort: 4-6 hours
- Expected Impact: Improved crawl efficiency, 3-8% traffic gain
- Action: Audit mobile templates, ensure feature parity
## Priority 2: High-Impact Items (Week 3-4)
**3. Internal Linking Strategy**
- Audit Item: Orphaned pages with no internal links
- Why It Matters: Distributes page authority, improves crawlability
- How to Check: Screaming Frog, Google Search Console Coverage report
- Priority: High
- Estimated Effort: 6-10 hours
- Expected Impact: 8-12% improvement in indexation
- Action: Map internal link opportunities, create linking plan
**4. Structured Data Implementation**
- Audit Item: Missing Product schema on product pages
- Why It Matters: Enables rich snippets, improves SERP appearance
- How to Check: Schema.org validator, Google Rich Results Test
- Priority: High
- Estimated Effort: 10-16 hours
- Expected Impact: 2-5% CTR improvement
- Action: Implement JSON-LD for products, FAQs, reviews
## 30/60/90 Day Roadmap
- **Days 1-30**: Core Web Vitals, mobile optimization, quick redirects
- **Days 31-60**: Internal linking, structured data, meta tag optimization
- **Days 61-90**: Advanced schema, server optimization, competitive analysis
## Success Metrics
- Track: Organic traffic, keyword rankings, Core Web Vitals scores, crawl budget efficiency
Related Prompts
Related Reading
Get the Full AI Marketing Learning Path
Courses, workshops, frameworks, daily intelligence, and 6 proprietary tools — built for marketing leaders adopting AI.
Trusted by 10,000+ Directors and CMOs.