oonie

Free guide · SEO self-check

Free SEO site check
do it yourself in 30 minutes

How to see your website the way Google does, using free tools, and spot the problems that cost small sites the most traffic.

Start the audit checklistAll free tools

You do not need an agency
to find out what is wrong.

Most of what holds a small website back shows up in half an hour with free tools: pages Google has not indexed, slow mobile loading, missing titles and a neglected Google Business Profile.

Work through the five checks below. Note what you find. Fix the easy things yourself, and you will know exactly what to ask for if you need help with the rest.

01Visibility

Is Google actually indexing you?

Sign in to Google Search Console. If you have never set it up, that is the first fix.

In Search Console
Pages reportHow many pages are indexed, and why others are not.
PerformanceWhich searches show your site, and where you rank.
SitemapsCheck one is submitted and has no errors.
Manual actionsShould say no issues detected.
What to look for
Core Web VitalsPass or fail on real-user data.
Largest Contentful PaintUnder 2.5 seconds is the target.
Big imagesThe most common cause of slow small sites.
02Speed

How fast is it on a phone?

Run your home page and your most important service page through PageSpeed Insights. Look at the mobile result, not desktop.

03Basics

Titles, descriptions and headings

Search site:yourdomain.co.za on Google and read your results as a stranger would.

Check each page has
A unique titleSaying what the page is about, with your location if local.
A meta descriptionA reason to click. Use the meta generator.
One H1The main heading, matching what people search for.
Make sure it has
Correct name, address and phoneMatching your website exactly.
Categories and servicesThe right primary category above all.
Recent reviews and repliesAnd photos added in the last few months.
04Local

Your Google Business Profile

For a local business, your profile often matters more than your website for "near me" searches.

05Content

Does each service have its own page?

One page listing everything you do rarely ranks for anything. Each main service usually needs a page of its own.

Quick test
List your top five servicesIs there a page for each?
Search for each oneWith your town name. Where do you appear?
Run the checklistThe SEO audit checklist covers the rest.

Found more than
you can fix?

That is normal. The value of a self-check is knowing what you are dealing with. If the problems are technical, or the list is long, a proper audit turns it into a prioritised plan you can act on, with or without help.

See the NoGravy site auditTake the DIY SEO quiz

Frequently asked
questions

Is this as good as a professional audit?

No, and it is not meant to be. It catches the obvious problems that cost most small sites the most traffic. A proper audit goes deeper into crawling, indexing, content and competitors, and turns it into a prioritised plan.

Do I need paid tools?

Not for this check. Google Search Console, PageSpeed Insights and the free oonie tools cover everything in this guide.

How often should I run this check?

Once a quarter is enough for most small business sites, and after any redesign, migration or big content change.

What if I find problems I cannot fix?

Write them down and decide whether they matter. A missing meta description is a ten-minute fix. Pages Google will not index, or a slow site on a cheap host, usually need help.

Keep reading
Related guides

Guide

Choosing an SEO company

Read the guide
Guide

Local SEO guide

Read the guide
Guide

Analytics and reporting

Read the guide

Free tools

Audit checklist, content briefs, meta tags, prompts and the DIY SEO quiz. No login.

See all tools

oonie teaches. NoGravy does.

Want it checked
properly?

A NoGravy site audit is a fixed-price diagnosis of your site’s technical health, content and visibility, with a prioritised action plan you own.

Visit NoGravy