Now that we’ve ensured your site is crawlable and technically sound, it’s time to scrutinize your content and on-page elements. This step is about evaluating how well your pages are optimized for the keywords and topics they target, the quality and uniqueness of your content, and on-page factors like meta tags, headings, and internal linking. The goal is to identify content gaps or issues that could be preventing you from ranking or engaging users effectively.
Here’s what to cover in an on-page audit:
• Content Quality & Relevance: Review your important pages (landing pages, product/service pages, top blog posts) with a critical eye on content. Is the content comprehensive and useful for the intended keyword/theme? Or is it thin (just a few lines of text) or outdated? Flag pages that might fall under “thin” or low-quality content – especially if you he many near-duplicate pages (for example, dozens of location pages with almost identical text, or e-commerce product pages with minimal descriptions). In light of Google’s recent updates (e.g., the Helpful Content Update), content that doesn’t provide value or appears to be there just for SEO can hurt the whole site. One strategy I use is to check the word count and engagement metrics: pages with very low word count AND high bounce rate/low time-on-page often indicate content that isn’t satisfying users. Consider merging or improving such pages.
Case in point: In one audit, we found a set of 50 blog posts each under 200 words – essentially placeholders. None of them ranked, and they diluted the site. We consolidated them into a few comprehensive guides, which ended up ranking much better and getting more traffic.
• Keyword Optimization & Page Targeting: Each page should he a clear keyword/topic focus. Use a tool (even Google Search Console’s Performance report) to see what queries each page is currently ranking for. Are those the right terms? Often an audit reveals mismatches or opportunities: e.g., an important service page might not mention a common keyword people use for that service. Check that your title tag and H1 heading on each page include the primary keyword (or a close variant) naturally. Also ensure the content on the page uses related terms (not in a spammy way, but in a comprehensive coverage way). If you he pages targeting the same keyword unintentionally (keyword cannibalization), decide if you should combine them or differentiate their focus. At this stage, I often create a quick map of “page -> target keyword(s)” to see if every important keyword in our SEO strategy has a dedicated page and that pages aren’t overlapping too much. Remember, effective keyword optimization is about aligning with searcher intent. Check if the content format suits the intent – e.g., if people search “how to do an SEO audit”, they likely want a detailed guide (like this article!), not a product page.
• Meta Tags Audit (Titles & Descriptions): Pull a list of all your pages’ title tags and meta descriptions (Screaming Frog’s crawl report or GSC HTML Improvements can help). Look for:
• Missing or empty titles/descriptions – these need to be written. Each page should he a unique title (50-60 characters ideally) and meta description (~155 characters) that include key terms and entice clicks. It’s been reported that over 33-34% of pages he missing meta descriptions which is a huge missed opportunity – don’t let your site be one of them.
• Duplicates – if multiple pages share the same title or meta description, rewrite them to be distinct. The Ren study found 22% of page titles were duplicates and 17% of meta descriptions were duplicate across sites crawled . That’s often due to CMS templates or copy-pasting. Fixing these can improve your click-through rates and oid confusing Google.
• Relevance & format – does the title tag clearly describe the page content with a keyword included? Does the meta description provide a compelling summary or call-to-action? While meta descriptions don’t directly affect ranking, a well-written one can boost your CTR, which is a positive signal. During an audit, I sometimes find, for example, product pages all hing a default description like “Buy [Product] from [Store]” with no unique value. Adding specifics about features or benefits can make those listings more enticing on the SERP.
• Headings & Content Structure: Look at each page’s headings (H1, H2, H3…). There should be a single H1 that aligns with the title tag (often it’s similar to the title tag, maybe a bit more descriptive). Subheadings (H2/H3) should break the content into logical sections. This isn’t just for SEO but for readability – though it indirectly helps SEO because well-structured content is easier for Google to parse and often keeps users engaged. Ensure you’re using keywords and related terms in some headings where relevant (don’t force it unnaturally). For example, in this article, headings like “Technical SEO Audit” or “On-Page SEO Audit” are clearly descriptive – that helps both readers scanning and search engines understanding context. If an important topic isn’t covered in a heading, consider adding a section for it.
• Internal Linking & Site Structure: On-page SEO isn’t only about the individual page in isolation; it’s also about how pages interconnect. A good audit will assess internal linking. Check that your key pages are not “orphaned” (pages with no internal links pointing to them). Every important page should be reachable within a few clicks from the homepage or main nigation. Look at your menu and footer – are they linking to the pages you want to prioritize? Also, within content, use contextual internal links. If you mention a concept that you he a full page about, link to it with appropriate anchor text (e.g., when talking about site speed, link the phrase “site speed” or “improve site speed” to your page or blog post on that topic). Internal links help distribute PageRank around your site and signal which pages are related. They also keep users browsing. From an audit perspective, I often find quick wins like: Page A is high-converting but buried three levels deep; adding a prominent internal link to it from the homepage or a relevant higher-traffic page can boost its traffic. Also ensure your anchors aren’t all generic (“click here”) – use descriptive anchors for SEO benefit. If you he hundreds of pages, tools like Screaming Frog or Sitebulb can visualize your internal link structure or at least list each page’s number of incoming internal links. Pay attention to any important pages with very few internal links – that’s a sign to link to them more.
• Duplicate Content & Cannibalization: We touched on duplicate content technically, but here focus on content duplication or overlap. Using Screaming Frog’s “Content” tab or a service like Siteliner can reveal pages with very similar content. If two pages are largely duplicative, decide if you should combine them or differentiate them. Also look out for printer-friendly pages or HTTP vs HTTPS duplicates (technical issues creating duplicate content – these should be resolved with canonicals or redirects). Ensure that for any duplicate URLs, a canonical tag is in place pointing to the primary version. Google is pretty good at handling benign duplicate content, but an audit should still document it and ensure you he canonicalization strategy. As for keyword cannibalization (multiple pages targeting the same keyword), list any such cases you find and plan to resolve them by perhaps consolidating content or re-optimizing each page for a distinct angle.
• User Experience on Page: Finally, user experience elements on the page matter for on-page SEO. Is the page visually appealing and easy to nigate? Check things like: does it he a clear call-to-action? Does it he images or videos that complement the text (and are those optimized with alt tags)? Is the font readable? While these seem like design questions, they impact bounce rate and engagement, which are indirectly SEO factors. For example, pages with large walls of text and no subheadings or media often he higher bounce rates – in an audit, I’d note “needs better content formatting.” Also, check for intrusive interstitials or pop-ups; Google can penalize mobile pages with intrusive pop-ups that cover content.
As you audit on-page factors, you’ll compile a list of improvements: e.g., “Page X – add target keyword to title; Page Y – expand content to cover FAQ; Page Z – combine with Page Q due to overlap; All blog posts – add schema markup; 20 pages – write unique meta descriptions; etc.” It can be a long list, but remember, each item is a chance to improve SEO performance and user satisfaction.
Real-World Example – Content Audit Drives Traffic Gains: To illustrate the power of on-page fixes, consider a case study from a trel company that engaged in a comprehensive SEO overhaul. They started with a technical audit (fixing a security issue and other tech bits), but a major part of their success was due to content and on-page improvements. They performed an in-depth content audit, identified pages with thin content or missing topics, and beefed them up. They also optimized meta tags and added a content strategy to target new relevant keywords. The result was a staggering 278% increase in organic traffic year-on-year for that trel site . A key takeaway from their effort was that thorough on-page optimization and content strategy can multiply your traffic. In their case, they turned a basic service page into a rich resource with trel guides and FAQs, which started ranking for many long-tail keywords. I often find that after technical issues are fixed, content is the area with the most “upside” – improvements here can drive sustained growth, as you’re basically creating more value for both users and search engines.
By completing the on-page audit, you ensure each page of your site is doing its best to target the right keywords with quality content and offering a good user experience. Now we’ll move beyond your site to consider off-page factors, and then we’ll touch on some advanced aspects like structured data and automation with AI.