What is an SEO audit and how to do it step by step?

An SEO audit is the first step in improving the visibility of any website on Google, especially in competitive markets such as Peru and other Latin American countries. It is a process that allows us to identify technical problems, content errors, positioning opportunities and gaps in the face of local and international competition.

In this article, I'll explain what an SEO audit is, what it's for, how to do it properly and what tools you can use. If you have a business in Peru or are targeting the Latin American market, this is the ideal starting point to improve your organic presence and attract more customers from search engines

What is an SEO Audit?

An SEO audit is a comprehensive analysis of the current state of a website from the point of view of search engine positioning. Its objective is to detect errors, identify opportunities and provide a clear diagnosis of what needs to be improved to increase organic traffic.

This analysis considers technical, content, authority and user experience aspects. It also usually includes a comparison with competitors and a review of how the internal architecture of the site is distributed.

Why is it important to do an SEO audit?

Performing an SEO audit on a regular basis allows you to:

• Detect errors that may be affecting your visibility without you knowing it
• Improve user experience and site speed
• Identify untapped content opportunities
• Fix indexing or architecture issues
• Understand what's working (and what's not) in your current strategy
• Establish a prioritized action plan to improve positions

Many times a site stops growing in traffic simply because it has errors that were never corrected. The SEO audit is the clearest way to know why you're not showing up where you should.

What is analyzed in an SEO audit?

A well-done SEO audit is a technical and strategic guide to improve the visibility of a web page in search engines. It's not just about detecting errors, it's about interpreting data and make decisions that create real change in site performance.

Here's a detailed explanation of the key areas that any full SEO audit report should cover:

1. Technical SEO

Technical SEO is the basis of any positioning strategy. Here we review how accessible and understandable your site is to search engines, especially Google. Some key points include:

• Indexing status: How many valid URLs your website has, which are blocked and if there are errors that prevent it from appearing in search results.
• Site architecture: how the information is organized, how deep the navigation is (depth of clicks) and if there are bottlenecks affecting tracking.
• Sitemap.xml and robots.txt: we analyze if these tools are properly configured and if they really help Google understand your content.
• Redirections and canonical tags: common errors such as redirect chains, canonical conflicts or duplicate unconsolidated pages are detected.
• Upload speed and Core Web Vitals: indicators that directly impact user experience and performance on mobile devices. Aspects such as the time until the first content is displayed and the visual stability of the page are reviewed.
• Mobile adaptability and security: it is analyzed if the site is mobile-friendly, has an SSL certificate (HTTPS) and complies with current web security standards.
• Code review: errors in HTML, incorrect use of tags, unnecessary or misplaced scripts, and other factors that may affect performance are identified.

2. Content SEO

An SEO audit should also evaluate if the published content actually responds to your users' searches, is well structured and has positioning potential:

• Quality, Depth and Relevance: it is analyzed if the contents are useful, updated and respond to the search intention.
• Detection of duplicate or “thin content”: low-value or duplicate pages are identified that may be affecting your brand and crawl budget.
• Keywords and semantics: the use of main and secondary keywords and semantic variations that help to better cover a topic is reviewed.
• Headers, titles and meta descriptions: it is validated if these elements are optimized and fulfill a clear function for both the user and the SEO.
• Optimized images: weight, ALT attributes, file names and relationship to the content.
• Thematic expansion opportunities: content gaps are detected where you can position yourself with new articles, guides or useful resources.

3. Internal linking

Many times, a website doesn't rank well simply because you don't receive enough internal links or is not well connected within the site. This part of the analysis focuses on:

• Link juice distribution: which pages receive the most internal authority and which are forgotten.
• Orphan pages: URLs are identified that do not receive any links from other pages, which prevents search engines from finding them easily.
• Hierarchy and navigation: it is evaluated if the structure reflects business priorities and if it is easy for the user and for Google to find what is most important.

4. Off-page SEO and authority

A good SEO audit can't ignore external context. Here we analyze the authority of your domain and how search engines perceive you from the outside:

• Backlink profile: the quantity, quality and origin of inbound links to your site is reviewed.
• Poor-quality or toxic links: links are identified that could be negatively affecting your positioning.
• Comparison with competitors: your authority profile is compared to other sites in the same sector or country, especially useful for projects in Peru or Latin America.

5. Search engine visibility and current positioning

An SEO audit also provides an overview of how you're performing today in search results, and what opportunities you're missing:

• Positioned keywords: we analyze the keywords for which you currently appear in Google, their position, volume and trend.
• Terms with growth potential: keywords close to the top 10 or related searches are detected that could be worked with minor settings.
• Google Discover presence, images, rich results or AI Overviews: new ways to appear in search engines that can give your content extra visibility.
• Personalized recommendations: tips specific to your type of site, prioritized according to impact and effort, so you can take action without wasting time.

Each of these tests is not done at random. It is done with professional tools, information crossings (such as Google Analytics, Search Console and specialized crawlers), and always with a strategic view which goes beyond the technical.
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How to do an SEO audit step by step?

Here's a recommended process for performing an effective SEO audit:

Step 1: Check the site's indexing

Use Google Search Console to check how many pages are indexed and if there are errors. You can also use the site:tuweb.com command in Google for a quick view.

Step 2: Analyze the structure and internal linking

Check that important pages are no more than 3 clicks away, that there is a clear hierarchy and that there are no pages without internal links.

Step 3: Evaluate the quality of the content

It detects pages with little text, with no clear intention or that could be competing with each other. Analyze the use of keywords and opportunities for semantic expansion.

Step 4: Detect technical issues

With tools like Screaming Frog or Sitebulb you can scan the site and find technical SEO errors (404, incorrect redirects, misused tags, etc.)

Step 5: Measure the charging speed

Use PageSpeed Insights or Lighthouse to understand how fast your site loads and how to improve your Core Web Vitals.

Step 6: Compare with your competitors

Analyze what your direct competitors are doing: what type of content is working for them, what keywords they attack and what backlinks they have.

Tools for doing an SEO audit

Here are some useful tools (free and paid) for auditing a site:

• Google Search Console: indexing, errors, keyword performance
• Screaming Frog: crawler to review technical and content errors
• Ahrefs or Semrush: analysis of backlinks, keywords, content and competition
• Sitebulb: technical auditing with advanced visualizations
• PageSpeed Insights: loading speed and technical improvements
• Detailed SEO Extension: quick on-page review

Common Mistakes in an SEO Audit

• Focus only on the technical and forget the intent of the content
• Don't prioritize recommendations based on impact
• Ignore internal linking
• Do not follow up after the audit
• Comparing yourself to the wrong competitors

A good SEO audit isn't a PDF with hundreds of errors without context. It's not about ticking technical boxes or generating endless lists of “to-fix” things. In fact, a part of me dies a little bit when I see those kinds of audits.
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It's about having a strategic X-ray of your site, which will allow you to understand three key things:
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1. Where are you standing today in terms of visibility, positioning and SEO performance.
2. Why you're not getting the traffic or results you expected, even if you're investing in content, design, or campaigns.
3. How to unlock growth, prioritizing actions that truly impact your business objectives.

In my work as an SEO consultant, I have helped startups, large marketplaces and B2B companies to transform your websites into engines for attracting qualified traffic and real conversions.
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I don't do generic or automated audits. I work in a personalized way, understanding the business model behind each site and aligning SEO with the company's real goals: more leads, more sales, more strategic visibility.

If you are in one of these situations:

• Your traffic is stagnant and you don't know why
• You're creating content but you can't position yourself
• You're about to launch or scale your website and you want to do it right from the start
• You need to present concrete marketing and SEO results to the management team

So, an SEO audit can give you clarity, focus and an actionable roadmap.
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Do you want to start with an audit designed strategically for your business?
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Write to me and let's schedule a call to see if this service is what you need. I'm here to help you grow with real intention and results.

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