Layer 1: Technical infrastructure
Before auditing content, check that the infrastructure is sound. Issues here block Google from crawling the site regardless of how good the on-page SEO is.
DNS records
DNS issues cause domain resolution failures, email delivery problems, and subdomain conflicts that are invisible in the browser but visible to search crawlers. The free DNS lookup tool queries A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, NS, and TXT records for any domain in real time. Look for:
- A record pointing to the correct server IP
- No conflicting CNAME and A records on the same subdomain
- SPF and DKIM TXT records if email matters
- CAA records limiting which CAs can issue SSL certificates (optional but security-positive)
SSL certificate
HTTPS is a confirmed Google ranking signal. An expired or misconfigured certificate causes browser warnings that crater bounce rates and block crawlers. The SSL certificate checker shows:
- Expiry date — flag anything expiring in under 30 days
- Issuer and certificate chain validity
- Subject Alternative Names (SANs) — ensure both
example.comandwww.example.comare covered - TLS version — TLS 1.0/1.1 are deprecated; you want TLS 1.2 minimum, 1.3 preferred
IP address and server location
The IP lookup toolidentifies the server's geographic location, ASN (hosting provider), and whether the IP is flagged in any spam blocklists. Server location matters for local SEO — Google weighs proximity for location-specific queries.
Layer 2: On-page SEO
Meta tags
Meta title and description are the two elements Google uses most directly to generate search snippets. Use the meta description length checker to verify:
- Title is 50–60 characters (Google truncates at ~580px pixel width)
- Meta description is 145–155 characters
- Primary keyword appears in the title, preferably near the start
- No duplicate titles across pages — Google rewrites duplicates
The meta tag generator lets you preview and fine-tune your snippet exactly as it will appear in search results.
Canonical tag
A missing or wrong canonical tag causes Google to choose arbitrarily between duplicate URLs (with/without trailing slash, HTTP vs HTTPS, www vs non-www). The canonical tag generator builds the correct element for any URL. Check that every page has exactly one canonical pointing to the preferred version.
Sitemap
A valid XML sitemap helps Google discover pages that aren't well-linked internally. Use the sitemap generator to create one if yours is missing, or validate your existing sitemap by fetching it directly and checking for malformed URLs or missing <lastmod> dates.
Layer 3: Content quality signals
Word count and content depth
Thin pages (under 300 words on a topic that warrants depth) consistently underperform. The word counter gives you a baseline — but word count alone is not a ranking signal. Content depth means: does the page answer the query better than the current top-ranking results? Count the H2s on the top-3 results and compare to yours.
Heading structure
Each page should have exactly one H1 that matches or is close to the target keyword. H2s should cover sub-questions users have. You can verify heading structure by opening browser DevTools and running document.querySelectorAll('h1,h2,h3') to see all headings without installing an extension.
Layer 4: Performance
Core Web Vitals
Google's Core Web Vitals (LCP, INP, CLS) are ranking signals. The fastest free audit is Google's own PageSpeed Insights (pagespeed.web.dev) — no account required. It runs a Lighthouse audit and shows real-field data from the Chrome User Experience Report (CrUX) alongside the lab data.
Image optimization
Unoptimized images are the most common LCP killer. For any image over 100 KB: compress it with the free image compressor, resize it to the actual display dimensions with the image resizer, and serve WebP format where the browser supports it (all modern browsers do since 2020).
Full audit checklist
| Check | Tool | Pass condition |
|---|---|---|
| DNS resolves correctly | DNS Lookup | A record → correct IP; no CNAME conflicts |
| SSL valid and not expiring | SSL Checker | Valid chain; expiry >30 days; TLS 1.2+ |
| Meta title length | Meta Length Checker | 50–60 characters |
| Meta description length | Meta Length Checker | 145–155 characters |
| Canonical tag correct | Canonical Generator | One canonical per page; points to preferred URL |
| Sitemap present and valid | Sitemap Generator | Accessible at /sitemap.xml; all URLs return 200 |
| Content depth | Word Counter | Comparable to top-3 results for the target query |
| Core Web Vitals | PageSpeed Insights (Google) | LCP <2.5s; INP <200ms; CLS <0.1 |
| Images optimized | Image Compressor | No image over 100 KB at display size |
Order of priority
Infrastructure first: DNS and SSL issues block everything else. Then on-page: meta tags and canonical are the fastest wins per hour of work. Performance last: Core Web Vitals matter but are rarely the primary reason a page isn't ranking — fix the content and authority gap first.