SEO Audit
Checklist

Page speed is a ranking factor and a conversion killer for SA mobile users on 4G. Test with Google PageSpeed Insights. Target a mobile score above 70.

Google uses mobile-first indexing -- it crawls and ranks your site based on its mobile version. A broken mobile experience directly harms rankings.

HTTPS is a ranking signal and a trust signal. Mixed content (HTTP assets on HTTPS pages) causes browser security warnings.

A sitemap helps Google discover all pages. Submit under Search Console Sitemaps. Update whenever you add significant new content.

A misconfigured robots.txt can accidentally block Google from indexing your entire site. Verify it in Google Search Console.

Search Console shows how Google sees your site -- crawl errors, indexing issues, Core Web Vitals, and performance data. No SA site should run without it.

Broken links waste crawl budget and frustrate users. Use a free crawler to check. Redirect broken URLs with 301s if they once had traffic.

Uncompressed images are the number one cause of slow load times on SA mobile connections. Convert to WebP and compress with Squoosh or ShortPixel.

Google page experience signals. Check in Search Console under Experience, then Core Web Vitals. All three should show as Passing.

Orphan pages cannot be discovered through crawling. Every page you want indexed should be linked from somewhere in the site structure.

E-commerce and news sites with filtered pages can generate thousands of near-duplicate URLs. These need canonical tags or noindex to prevent crawl waste.

An unclaimed profile can be edited by anyone. Verification is the mandatory first step before any optimisation work.

NAP consistency across GBP, website, and directories is a local ranking signal. Even small differences like Rd vs Road can affect rankings.

The primary category is the most important GBP ranking signal. Choose the most specific category for your core business. Add relevant secondary categories.

Write for humans first, include key services and the areas you serve. Avoid keyword stuffing -- Google suppresses stuffed descriptions.

Incorrect hours cause real customer frustration and hurt rankings. GBP supports special hours for SA public holidays -- use them every year.

Profiles with photos receive significantly more click-throughs. Upload real photos -- not stock imagery -- of your premises, team, and work.

Regular posts signal an active business to Google and add real estate to your Knowledge Panel. Use them for offers, news, or tips.

Reviews are the number one local ranking signal and the number one purchase influence signal after an AI recommendation. Aim for 2–5 new reviews per week. Respond within 48 hours.

Adding services or products gives Google more signals about what you offer and gives users more reasons to contact you directly from the profile.

Anyone can add questions to your GBP. Proactively seed FAQs yourself to control the narrative and pre-answer common buyer objections.

Citation consistency across SA business directories reinforces your local presence. Variations in name, address, or phone number across listings weaken the signal.

A single homepage saying "we serve Johannesburg" will not rank for both "plumber Sandton" and "plumber Midrand". Build a separate page per area.

Thin location pages are ignored or penalised. Make each page genuinely useful with local context, specific services, and a Google Maps embed.

JSON-LD LocalBusiness schema tells Google your business type, service area, hours, and contacts in machine-readable format. Critical for AI local search visibility.

Bing local listings feed Microsoft Search and Bing Maps. Used by a smaller but meaningful SA audience. Takes about 20 minutes to set up.

Your on-site NAP reinforces the same information in GBP and directories. Include street address, suburb, city, and a local number -- not just a WhatsApp link.

"Electrician near me" and "electrician Fourways" are different queries requiring different pages. Research actual local search terms SA users type.

Citations from SA directories, local news sites, industry bodies, or SA business associations strengthen your local authority signal significantly.

Mixing intents on one page confuses Google and users. A page targeting "how to fix a leaking tap" should be informational, not a sales page.

FAQ pages with clear question-and-answer format are highly likely to be cited by AI tools and to appear as featured snippets in Google. Essential for AEO.

AI tools like Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT prefer content with direct, quotable answer paragraphs. Write in plain language with clear structure.

FAQPage schema increases the chance of rich results in Google and makes your FAQ content machine-readable for AI engines. Implement via JSON-LD.

Fresh, original content gives Google new pages to index. For SA businesses, locally-relevant content targeting SA-specific queries performs best.

Well-structured content is easier for AI to parse and extract. Use H2s for major sections, short paragraphs of 3–4 sentences, and bullet lists for scannable points.

Search for your business category and location in AI tools. If you do not appear, or appear with incorrect information, you have an AEO gap to address urgently.

AI engines look for factual, unambiguous business data. A well-structured About or Contact page that states your key facts clearly is your most important AEO asset.

Outdated content loses AI citations and Google rankings. Review your top-traffic pages quarterly and update any facts, statistics, prices, or dates that have changed.

Use Ahrefs, Moz, or Semrush (free tiers available) to understand your current backlink profile. Knowing your baseline is the starting point for any link-building strategy.

CIDB, FSCA, HPCSA, SAIA, and other SA professional bodies often have member directory pages with links. These are high-authority, highly relevant links for regulated industries.

Links from Business Day, Daily Maverick, Fin24, IOL, and niche trade publications are highly valuable. Pitch story angles relevant to your industry.

A sudden influx of low-quality links can trigger a Google penalty. Check your backlink profile in Search Console under Links. Disavow clearly toxic domains.

Business partnerships often provide natural link opportunities. If you are a certified reseller or partner, ask for a listing with a link on their website.

Links are earned, not just built. The most effective long-term link strategy is creating genuinely useful content that others reference naturally.

Links from Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube are generally nofollow but still drive traffic and contribute to your entity footprint online.

Backlink growth compounds over time. A consistent monthly effort -- one guest post, one press pitch, one partnership listing -- builds meaningful authority within 6–12 months.