Website SEO Health Check for Small Businesses
This is a one-hour check you can run on your own website. It covers the twenty things that most often decide whether a small-business site can be found, understood and acted on.
It is a self-check, not an audit. It won't tell you everything, and working through it won't by itself improve your rankings, traffic or enquiries. What it will do is show you where the obvious problems are and help you decide what to fix first.
You need a computer, your phone and about an hour. You don't need any paid software.
Before you start
Pick five pages to check: your homepage, your two or three most important service pages and your contact page. Write them down.
For each check below, note Yes, No or Not sure, and jot down which page the problem is on. You can download the worksheet at the end of this page or use a sheet of paper.
Can Google find your website?
1. Your site appears in Google
Search Google for site: followed by your web address, for example site:yourbusiness.co.uk. You should see a list of your pages. If you see none, check that your website isn't set to discourage search engines. A site: search is only a quick indication. Google Search Console, which is free to use, is the more reliable way to inspect which of your pages Google has indexed.
2. Your key pages appear
Search for the exact title of each of your five pages in quotation marks, along with your business name. If a page is missing, Google may not have found it yet. Inspect the page in Search Console and request indexing if appropriate. Google decides when and whether to crawl or index it.
3. One secure address
Type your address four ways: with and without www, and with http:// and https://. Do all versions redirect to the same HTTPS address without browser warnings? If they don't, this is a job for whoever looks after your website.
How you appear in search results
4. Page titles are specific
Hover over the browser tab on each page. A good title says what the page offers and who you are, such as "Boiler servicing in Omagh | Smith Heating". Titles like "Home" or "Services" tell a searcher nothing.
5. Descriptions make sense
Look again at your site: results and read the two lines under each title. They should describe the page in plain words. Google sometimes writes its own, but a clear description of your own gives it something sensible to use.
Is each page clear about what you offer?
6. One clear main heading
Each page should have one obvious main heading that says what the page is about. If the biggest text on a page is a slogan, visitors have to work out the subject for themselves.
7. Each service has its own page
A single page listing everything you do rarely answers anyone's specific question. Each main service deserves a page that says what it is, who it's for, where you work and what to do next. If your pages need more than a tidy-up, it may be time to look at how a website redesign works.
8. Subheadings break pages up
Read only the headings on a page. If you can follow the page from those alone, they're doing their job.
Can people find their way around?
9. Services are easy to reach
Starting from your homepage, you should be able to reach every main service in one or two clicks.
10. Pages link to each other
Related pages should link to one another, using words that describe where the link goes. "See our kitchen fitting service" is useful. "Click here" isn't.
11. No dead ends
Click every item in your menu and the main links on your five pages. Note anything that leads to an error page. If your site has been rebuilt in the past, old addresses should send visitors to the right new page.
Does it work on a phone?
12. Usable on a phone
Open your five pages on your own phone. You should be able to read the text and tap the buttons without zooming or scrolling sideways.
13. Loads promptly
Open each page on your phone away from wifi. Does the main content appear promptly on a normal mobile connection, without the page feeling slow or unresponsive? If you want to dig further, Google's PageSpeed Insights is an optional diagnostic tool that shows what is slowing a page down, though its report is technical.
14. Images are handled sensibly
Photos straight from a camera or phone are often far larger than a web page needs, and they're a common cause of slow pages. Each meaningful image should also have a short written description, which helps people who use screen readers.
Can people get in touch?
15. A clear next step
On each of your five pages, look for the way to get in touch. A visitor who is ready to enquire shouldn't have to hunt for it.
16. Enquiries arrive
Fill in your own contact form and send it. Check that the message reaches you and that you saw a confirmation. Forms can stop working without anyone noticing.
Are you visible locally?
Skip this section if you sell only online and don't serve a particular area.
17. Your Google Business Profile is yours and accurate
Search for your business name. The panel that appears should show the right category, opening hours, phone number and either your address or the areas you serve. If you've never claimed it, do that first.
18. Your details match everywhere
Is your business name, address where applicable, phone number and service-area information consistent across your website, Google Business Profile and important listings? Small differences are worth correcting, starting with your own website.
19. Reviews are recent and answered
Look at when your last few reviews were left and whether you replied. If you want more, ask recent customers honestly and never offer anything in return. There's more on this in the guide to asking for Google reviews, and on the wider picture in how local SEO works.
Does the site show real evidence?
20. The site shows real evidence
Look at your site as a stranger would. Does it show real work, real photographs, a named person and up-to-date information? Specifics you can stand behind are more convincing than general claims, to people and to search engines alike.
What to fix first
You'll probably have several No answers. Don't try to fix them all at once. Sort them in this order:
1. Anything stopping Google finding you (checks 1 to 3). Nothing else matters until these are right.
2. Anything stopping an enquiry (checks 15 and 16). A broken form costs you customers today.
3. Anything that makes key pages unclear (checks 4 to 8). These are often quick to fix yourself.
4. Phone, speed and navigation problems (checks 9 to 14). These matter, but usually take more work.
5. Local details, reviews and evidence (checks 17 to 20). Steady, ongoing work.
Within each group, do the quick fixes first. Mark each No as High, Medium or Low on the worksheet so you have a short list, not a long one.
When to get help
Many of these fixes are within reach if you can edit your own website: titles, descriptions, headings, links, contact details and your Business Profile. If your site runs on WordPress, the WordPress web design page explains which parts are usually safe to edit yourself.
Others usually need someone who can change how the site is built: redirects, phone layout, page speed and forms that don't deliver. A full review also looks at things this check can't, which are set out in what a full technical SEO audit covers.
If the check has left you with more Nos than you expected, a new or rebuilt site may be the better use of money. The website design page sets out what that involves and what it costs. If you are considering a redesign, use the redesign planning checklist to organise your requirements before discussing the project.
Found issues you'd rather have someone check or fix? Contact 53Marketing to discuss a practical website or SEO review. It's an initial discussion and review of your website, separate from any paid work. If ongoing help makes sense, the SEO services page explains how that works and what it costs.
Download the worksheet
It lists all twenty checks with space for your answers, notes and priorities. No email address needed.
Download the Website SEO Health Check worksheet (PDF)Written by Jamie Somers, founder of 53Marketing, a website and SEO studio in Derry/Londonderry.