SEO Audit Report Template: What to Include for Clients or Teams

In todays competitive digital landscape, delivering a comprehensive SEO Audit Report is essential for agencies, freelancers, and in-house SEO professionals. Whether you're sharing it with a client or presenting it to your marketing team, a well-structured audit highlights current performance, identifies weaknesses, and outlines clear recommendations to improve visibility on search engines.

This guide will walk you through exactly what to include in an SEO Audit Report template, ensuring it's both professional and actionable.

What Is an SEO Audit Report?

An SEO Audit Report is a detailed analysis of a websites current state of search engine optimization. It covers various aspects like technical structure, on-page elements, content quality, backlink profile, mobile responsiveness, and page performance. The goal is to assess how well a site is optimized for search engines and recommend improvements.

Delivering a clear and tailored report helps stakeholders understand SEO health and take the right steps forward.

Why an SEO Audit Report Matters

An SEO Audit Report serves multiple important functions:

• Clarity for Clients It translates complex technical data into understandable insights.
  

• Internal Alignment Ensures teams are on the same page about SEO goals and next steps.
  

• Performance Tracking Acts as a benchmark to measure ongoing improvements.
  

• Strategic Planning Guides the roadmap for future content, design, and marketing efforts.
  

Key Sections to Include in Your SEO Audit Report Template

Heres a breakdown of the most essential components to include in your SEO Audit Report template:

1. Executive Summary

Start with a high-level overview. Summarize the findings and key recommendations. This section is ideal for clients or managers who may not want to dive deep into technical details.

• Brief performance snapshot
  

• Major issues found
  

• Suggested priority actions
  

• Expected outcomes if fixed
  

2. Technical SEO Overview

Technical health is the backbone of your SEO. Your audit should include:

• Crawlability and Indexability
  

• Are important pages being crawled and indexed?
  

• Use tools like Screaming Frog or Google Search Console for insights.
  

• Sitemap & Robots.txt
  

• Is the sitemap correctly submitted?
  

• Are any pages being blocked unnecessarily?
  

• HTTPS and Security
  

• Is the website using a valid SSL certificate?
  

• Site Architecture
  

• Proper use of internal linking, URL structures, and hierarchy.
  

• Page Speed & Core Web Vitals
  

• Evaluate loading times and mobile responsiveness.
  

• Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix.
  

3. On-Page SEO Analysis

Each pages content and metadata should be reviewed:

• Title Tags & Meta Descriptions
  

• Are they unique, optimized, and compelling?
  

• Header Tags (H1, H2, H3)
  

• Logical structure and keyword relevance.
  

• Keyword Optimization
  

• Does the content target relevant search terms?
  

• Is keyword stuffing present?
  

• Content Quality
  

• Is the content original, valuable, and engaging?
  

• Internal Linking
  

• Are related articles and pages properly linked?
  

4. Content Audit

Evaluate the websites overall content strategy:

• Top-performing pages and what makes them succeed.
  

• Thin or duplicate content that needs consolidation or removal.
  

• Opportunities for new content based on keyword gaps.
  

Include content score metrics and readability assessments to strengthen this section.

5. Off-Page SEO & Backlinks

Your SEO Audit Report should cover the external factors that influence rankings:

• Backlink Profile
  

• Total number of referring domains
  

• Quality and relevance of links
  

• Toxic Links
  

• Identify spammy or low-quality backlinks that may require disavowing.
  

• Competitor Link Gap Analysis
  

• See where your competitors are getting valuable links that youre missing.
  

Use tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz to gather this data.

6. Mobile Friendliness & UX

Since Google uses mobile-first indexing, its critical to assess mobile performance:

• Responsive Design
  

• Is the website accessible and easy to navigate on all devices?
  

• Touch Elements
  

• Are buttons and forms usable on smaller screens?
  

• Visual Stability
  

• Does content shift during load (CLS score)?
  

Include screenshots or device-based testing reports to illustrate issues clearly.

7. Local SEO (If Applicable)

If the business serves local areas, add this section:

• Google Business Profile
  

• Claimed, verified, and optimized?
  

• NAP Consistency
  

• Name, address, and phone details consistent across directories?
  

• Local Citations & Reviews
  

• Quality and quantity of customer feedback.
  

8. Analytics & Performance Tracking

Show how current SEO efforts are performing with real data:

• Organic Traffic Trends
  

• Monthly or quarterly performance
  

• Top Landing Pages
  

• Which content is drawing in the most users?
  

• Conversion Rates
  

• Are users taking desired actions?
  

Use Google Analytics and Google Search Console to back your claims with data.

9. SEO Recommendations

End your SEO Audit Report with actionable insights. Break them down into:

• High Priority Fixes (e.g., crawl errors, broken links)
  

• Medium Priority Fixes (e.g., duplicate content, unoptimized meta tags)
  

• Ongoing Tasks (e.g., blog posting, outreach for backlinks)
  
  

This section should act as a roadmap, helping clients or teams understand what to do nextand in what order.

Best Practices for Delivering an SEO Audit Report

• Use Visuals Charts, screenshots, and heatmaps make your report easier to understand.
  

• Keep It Concise Avoid overly technical jargon unless necessary.
  

• Make It Branded Add your logo, color scheme, and contact details.
  

• Use Tools Automate sections using tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, Screaming Frog, or Sitebulb.
  
  

Conclusion

Creating a clear and comprehensive SEO Audit Report builds trust and positions you as a strategic advisor. When done right, it doesnt just diagnose issuesit drives long-term results by guiding decision-makers to act with confidence.

Whether you're serving an external client or an internal team, having a strong SEO Audit Report template in place ensures consistency, clarity, and measurable improvement in every SEO project you handle.