SEO Audits, explained step by step
Most SEO courses teach theory. This one is built around what you actually do when you open a site and need to figure out what's broken — and why.
Hands-on from session one
Real sites, real crawl data, real fixes
What the program covers
Eight focused modules. Each one builds on the last and ends with something you can use right away.
Before crawling anything, you need a mental model. We cover how to scope an audit, what order to work in, and how to triage issues by impact.
- Defining audit goals before touching any tools
- Prioritisation frameworks used in real agency workflows
- Common mistakes that waste two hours of your crawl time
- Setting up your workspace: Screaming Frog, Search Console, spreadsheets
What Google can actually see on a site is often different from what you think. This module gets into the details of crawl budget, blocking, and log file analysis.
- Reading robots.txt without guessing
- Sitemap issues that quietly kill indexation
- Finding orphan pages with log file data
- Spotting canonicalisation conflicts between URLs
Not every on-page fix moves the needle. You'll learn to separate the ones that actually matter from the ones that just fill a checklist.
- Title and meta description patterns that consistently underperform
- How to identify duplicate content programmatically
- Evaluating content depth without word count fixation
- Internal linking gaps found through crawl exports
PageSpeed Insights gives you numbers. This module shows you what to do with them — including when to push back on unrealistic speed targets.
- Reading field data vs lab data correctly
- Common LCP elements and how to diagnose delays
- Layout shift: finding the culprit in the DOM
- When performance changes require a developer, not an SEO
Link audits get overcomplicating. We keep it practical — where is authority sitting, where is it leaking, and what does a competitor's profile tell you.
- Pulling and cleaning link data from Ahrefs or Semrush exports
- Identifying spammy link patterns without panic
- Anchor text distribution and why it matters
- Comparing your profile to two or three close competitors
Schema can help. It can also waste a lot of time if you're implementing types that won't generate rich results for your content. We cover the difference.
- Which schema types actually trigger rich results
- Common validation errors and what causes them
- Auditing existing schema across a large site efficiently
- Prioritising implementation based on likely SERP gains
A thorough audit nobody acts on is just a spreadsheet. This module is about structuring your output so that developers, clients, and stakeholders actually prioritise the fixes.
- Report structure that separates critical from nice-to-have
- Writing recommendations without jargon
- Presenting effort vs impact visually
- Follow-up frameworks to track fix implementation
The final module pulls everything together. We work through a complete audit in real time — showing the decisions, the dead ends, and the final deliverable.
- Full audit from brief to finished report
- Live tool use with commentary on decisions
- Q&A session on your own audit challenges
- Downloadable templates used in the walkthrough
How sessions are structured
Short, focused, and built around doing — not just watching.
Live sessions with screen share
Each module runs as a live session with tools open on screen. You see the actual workflow, not a polished demo version of it.
Session recordings on demand
All sessions are recorded. Miss a week or want to re-watch a specific section — the recordings stay accessible throughout the program.
Practical exercises each module
Every module ends with a short exercise using a provided test site or your own URL. Not graded — just something concrete to try before the next session.
Private cohort channel
Ask questions between sessions in a shared group with other participants. The instructor checks in regularly and answers within 24 hours.
Audit templates included
Spreadsheet templates, crawl config files, and the report structure used in the live walkthrough — all included and yours to adapt.
Completion certificate
Participants who complete all modules and the final exercise receive a certificate of completion from Malthiosys — useful for client portfolios.
What you can actually do when it's done
This isn't a list of topics covered. It's a list of things you'll be able to sit down and do — with confidence — after finishing the program.
Run a full technical crawl and interpret the results
Set up Screaming Frog correctly, filter noise, and identify what actually needs fixing vs what can wait.
Read Search Console data without second-guessing it
Know what coverage errors mean, when to worry about drops, and how to connect GSC data to crawl findings.
Diagnose Core Web Vitals issues with field data
Go beyond the PageSpeed score and trace performance problems to specific elements and load sequences.
Deliver an audit report that gets implemented
Structure findings so developers and clients understand what to do, in what order, and why it matters.
Ready to work through your first real audit?
The next cohort is open. Fill in a few details and we'll send you the full program schedule, what's included, and how to secure your spot.