SEO Audit: tools, measurement and action plan

Written by Daniel van Hek Search Clicks·October 16, 2026 10 min read

SEO Analyse Uitvoeren: tools, meting en actieplan

Come on, grab your notebook. An SEO audit is not a checklist. It is a practical diagnosis that shows exactly where your opportunities lie, why you are or are not getting results now, and what the next improvement step is that will make the biggest difference.

In this article, we walk through a complete approach together. Not just what to measure, but also how to translate those measurements into actions on your website. We focus exclusively on online marketing and online sales optimisation for companies.

What an SEO audit really needs to solve

A good SEO audit answers four questions. If you cannot answer these, you are probably working on instinct. And instinct is great for coffee, not for SEO.

Reach: why can search engines and users find you?
Relevance: do your pages match search intent?
User experience: is your site fast enough and smooth enough on mobile and desktop?
Conversion: what happens after someone lands, and where do you lose potential customers?

The useful part: you combine search behaviour data (GSC) with on-site behaviour (GA4). That way, you do not just see which pages attract attention, but also which pages deliver commercial return.

Step 1: Collect data, but collect the right data

We always start with the foundation. Not with tools that point everywhere. With reports that tell you what is really happening now.

Google Search Console (GSC): visibility and search demand

In Google Search Console, we look at:

Performance (clicks, impressions, average position) per page and per query.
Indexing and coverage (why pages are not or only partly indexed).
Core Web Vitals via the Core Web Vitals report, which groups URL performance by status (Poor, Need improvement, Good) for LCP, INP and CLS. This is based on CrUX data.

Important detail: the Core Web Vitals report shows real-world performance and distinguishes per URL, including URL parameters in the way report data is assigned. That means we can prioritise more precisely. (support.google.com)

Google Analytics 4 (GA4): behaviour after the click

Next, we look in Google Analytics 4 (GA4) at:

Conversion paths towards your desired action (for example enquiry, contact, quote or booking).
Landing pages and which pages generate engagement, not just “traffic”.
Engagement and relevant events, so you can see whether people are actually doing something.

GA4 defines “engaged sessions” based on duration, number of page views and the firing of key events. This helps you distinguish pages that only attract traffic from pages that also generate real interaction. (developers.google.com)

PageSpeed Insights and Core Web Vitals as a technical lens

For speed and interaction, we use PageSpeed Insights. There you see data and advice around Core Web Vitals, specifically LCP, INP and CLS. (pagespeedinsights.dev)

Practical note from experience: PageSpeed Insights is very helpful for finding causes. But the real priority decision is based on GSC Core Web Vitals, because that reflects URL performance in the field. (Lab tests are useful, field data is decisive.)

Step 2: Make your SEO audit measurable with a prioritisation model

Many audits end in a spreadsheet with 200 recommendations. That is not “good”. That is “paralysis with enthusiasm”. We do it differently.

We rank opportunities based on three factors:

Impact on reach and relevance: can this change attract more relevant searchers?
Impact on experience and conversion: does this reduce friction on mobile or improve the chance that visitors take action?
Complexity and risk: how big is the engineering or content impact, and what could go wrong?

That gives you a list of “quick wins” and “heavier improvements”.

Quick win: quick checks that often deliver immediate gains

High impressions, low clicks: often meta titles, meta descriptions or snippet match. Your page gets visibility, but the promise does not match the search demand.
Indexing problems: if pages are not indexed properly, all content quality is irrelevant. “Not visible” is “not measurable”.
Core Web Vitals “Need improvement” on specific URL groups: that is where we tackle performance bottlenecks. (support.google.com)

Step 3: Analyse content and search intent like a salesperson

Search intent sounds theoretical, but it is really sales logic. The question is: does your page understand why someone would choose your service?

That is why we do not look at your content only through keywords, but through three practical layers.

1) Topic, promise and proof

A page must make it clear in the first paragraph:

which customer question it solves
who it is relevant for
what someone can concretely expect

Then comes proof: examples, process explanation, approach, and what you do when things get tense (for example migrations, integrations, deadlines or complex decision-making). This aligns with “people-first content”. Google stresses that SEO is valuable when it helps people, not when it is written only for search engines. (developers.google.cn)

2) Scannability and structure

We make the page “readable in three breaths”. That means:

H2 and H3 headings that clearly tell you what is underneath
short paragraphs
lists for steps, conditions and deliverables

Why this works: you reduce mental effort. People decide faster, and faster decisions mean a faster path to conversion.

3) Matching intent to page type

Not every search query needs the same page.

Exploration calls for explanation and comparison of options, often TOFU (Top of the Funnel).
Consideration calls for decision support, process and planning, often MOFU (Middle of the Funnel).
Decision calls for clear commercial steps, often BOFU (Bottom of the Funnel).

If your page type is wrong, you get traffic but few enquiries. Then you have a reach problem disguised as a conversion problem. Confusing, but fixable.

Step 4: Technical SEO audit, focused on what really matters

Technical work is not the most exciting part. But it is often the difference between “almost there” and “real gain”. Google has a set of technical basic requirements for indexing and visibility. (developers.google.com)

We tackle this in logical blocks.

Indexing and crawlability

We check whether search engines can reach, understand and store your pages. Think about:

status codes (with errors and redirects, your crawl budget is limited)
robots instructions and canonical tags
internal links to commercial pages

If your indexing is not right, you can optimise content until you drop. The search engine simply will not engage with it.

Performance and interaction (Core Web Vitals)

Core Web Vitals consists of LCP, INP and CLS. (developers.google.com)

LCP: how quickly the largest visible element appears
INP: how quickly your page responds to interaction
CLS: how much layout shifts while the page loads

We prioritise URL groups where GSC says it is “Need improvement”. That is your data-driven backlog. (support.google.com)

Content and technical constraints together

Sometimes the problem is not “too little content”, but “content is not findable” because of technical blockers. That is why we combine:

Search Console indexing insights
PageSpeed insights for experience
GA4 behaviour for conversion

Step 5: CRO as part of your SEO audit (because traffic is not enough)

This is where it becomes really practical. If we improve SEO, we want people to do what you want them to do. That is why we include CRO (Conversion Rate Optimisation) in the SEO audit.

What we measure:

CVR (Conversion Rate) per relevant landing page
the route to your CTA (Call to Action), for example form, quote request or booking
drop-offs in the conversion process

And what we change:

the first-screen promise, so it matches the search intent
the shape and length of forms (and why that length often makes the difference)
trust signals, such as process explanation, planning, and “what happens after you submit”

The trade-off we name honestly: CRO is not a magic button. If your page does not match the search intent in terms of content, every CRO test is mainly an attempt to patch a leak with plasters. First intent, then conversion.

Tools and workflow: how we handle it in practice

You do not need every tool. You mainly need a consistent way of working.

Working model in 7 steps

Goal and KPIs: what is your commercial action? Which pages need to perform better?
GSC audit: performance, indexing and Core Web Vitals per URL group.
GA4 audit: landing pages, engagement and conversion behaviour per page.
Intent mapping: which search questions belong to which page type?
Content gap and structure: what is missing in the content and where does the user journey feel off?
Technical priorities: tackle the biggest friction first, based on data.
Action plan and test plan: which changes deliver the most impact with the least risk?

Internal collaboration also works for SEO

An SEO audit is rarely “just SEO”. That is why we involve sales or the account team if visitors show a lot of hesitation.

Why? Because the most valuable insight is often in the questions prospects ask. Those are clues for content, CTAs and process explanation.

From audit to action: a concrete plan for the coming weeks

Okay, you now have insight. The next step is to decide. Here is an approach we prefer to roll out in phases.

Week 1: Diagnosis and quick wins

Fix indexing problems for pages that are commercially important.
Improve titles and snippets for high impressions, low clicks pages.
Start performance fixes for the URL groups with “Need improvement” in Core Web Vitals. (support.google.com)

Week 2 to 3: Rewrite content around intent

Rebuild the page around promise, proof and a step-by-step plan.
Make the page scannable, with headings that answer sales questions.
Check whether the CTA logically follows from the content, not sitting beside it like a loose end.

Week 3 to 5: CRO tests and conversion optimisation

Test one change at a time: preferably CTA copy, form friction or section order.
Measure in GA4 at event level and assess CVR per landing page.
If a page gets traffic but does not convert, first look for an intent mismatch.

SEO and SEA do not have to sit separately

You can analyse SEO without looking at ads, but commercially it is often smarter to make both work together.

If you use SEA (Search Engine Advertising) for your brand and services, it helps to use the same intent structure and landing pages for SEO. That way your message stays consistent and your measurability improves. Want to sharpen this further? Also read:

And if you want to get your website basics in order first, this also fits well:

Common mistakes in an SEO audit, and how to avoid them

Looking only at rankings. Positions mean little without intent match and conversion context.
Following tools instead of answering questions. We only measure what we need in order to make a decision.
Not adding conversion. Traffic is a starting point, not a goal. That is why we include CRO.
Optimising too broadly. We prioritise by URL group and by phase.

Conclusion: this is what a “complete” SEO audit looks like

A complete SEO audit is a combination of data, intent and action. You start with GSC and GA4. You weigh technical issues through Core Web Vitals. You translate content into search intent and finish with CRO, so traffic also becomes real online sales activity.

If you want to move forward as a team, you can also link it more broadly to lead generation. Depending on your audience, this can help:

Next step, simply put: choose one important set of pages, build your prioritisation model, and execute the quick wins first. Only then move on to larger content and technical projects. That way your SEO audit stays a roadmap, not a report.