How to Audit a WordPress Website for SEO Problems

WordPress powers nearly 43% of all websites on the internet. That's both brilliant and problematic.

Brilliant because it's accessible, flexible, and has an enormous ecosystem of tools and themes. Problematic because that accessibility means millions of WordPress sites are running with default settings, outdated plugins, security vulnerabilities, and fundamental SEO problems that their owners don't even realise exist.

If you're running a WordPress website and haven't done a proper SEO audit in the last six months, you almost certainly have problems you don't know about. Not problems that are costing you immediate conversions, but problems that are holding you back from ranking competitively, loading quickly, and appearing trustworthy to both users and search engines.

This guide walks you through a complete WordPress SEO audit — the kind that takes 2-3 hours but could unlock 20-30% more organic traffic. We've organised it into sections you can work through methodically, using free tools wherever possible.

Part 1: Indexing and Crawlability Audit

Google can't rank what it can't find or understand. Before optimising anything, make sure Google can actually access your content.

Check Google Search Console Setup

First, verify you actually have Google Search Console properly configured.

Go to Google Search Console and log in. If your WordPress site isn't listed, add it immediately. This is non-negotiable for any serious SEO work.

Once added, navigate to Coverage → look for errors. You're looking specifically for:

• Discovered but not indexed — These are pages Google found but decided not to include in the index. This is common with duplicate pages, thin content pages, or parameters that create infinite variations.
• Excluded by noindex tag — Somewhere in your WordPress config, you've told Google not to index certain pages. Often this is accidental (like having noindex on your entire site in WordPress settings).
• Soft 404 errors — Pages that return a 200 status code but have no meaningful content. WordPress can create these with pagination or empty archive pages.

Pay particular attention to the Excluded section. If you see large numbers of pages marked "Excluded" that you actually want indexed, that's a major problem.

Verify WordPress Indexing Settings

In WordPress admin, go to Settings → Reading.

Look for the line that says "Discourage search engines from indexing this site." This checkbox should be unchecked. If it's checked, uncheck it immediately. Many WordPress sites have this accidentally turned on, which completely prevents Google from indexing anything. Search for "WordPress noindex" if you've been wondering why your site doesn't rank.

Check for Accidental Noindex on Specific Content Types

Some WordPress themes or plugins add rel="noindex" to certain page types unnecessarily. This is particularly common with:

• Archive pages (blog archives, category archives)
• Author pages
• Pagination pages

To check this, visit your WordPress site, right-click on a page in one of these categories, and select "View Page Source." Search for noindex. If you find it on pages that should be indexed, you'll need to either find the offending plugin/theme setting or add code to your theme's functions.php file to remove it.

Set Up XML Sitemaps Properly

WordPress automatically creates XML sitemaps if you have a plugin like Yoast SEO or All in One SEO Pack installed. If you don't have one of these plugins, you should.

Go to your WordPress settings and make sure XML sitemaps are enabled. Find your sitemap at yoursite.com/sitemap.xml. Open it and verify:

• It contains your important pages
• It's not listing hundreds of duplicate pages or parameter variations
• The URLs look correct (no staging URLs mixed in, for example)

Submit this sitemap to Google Search Console. Go to Sitemaps and paste the URL.

Check Robots.txt Configuration

Visit yoursite.com/robots.txt. You should see something like:

User-agent: *
Disallow: /wp-admin/
Disallow: /wp-includes/

This is fine. But watch for:

• Over-restrictive disallows (like Disallow: / which blocks everything)
• Disallowing crawling of your actual content
• Missing Sitemap directive

If something looks wrong, many WordPress SEO plugins let you edit robots.txt, or you can add one to your WordPress root directory.

Part 2: Technical SEO Audit

Technical SEO is where most WordPress sites have hidden problems. These aren't obvious issues, but they prevent Google from properly crawling and understanding your content.

Site Speed: The Overlooked Ranking Factor

Site speed matters for both user experience and rankings. WordPress sites notoriously run slow because they're often bloated with unnecessary plugins, unoptimised images, and poor server configurations.

Test your speed:

Use Google PageSpeed Insights. Enter your homepage URL.

Note:

• Mobile score (this is what Google primarily uses for ranking)
• Desktop score
• Core Web Vitals status (Largest Contentful Paint, First Input Delay, Cumulative Layout Shift)

If your mobile score is below 75, you have a speed problem. Below 50 is serious.

What's usually causing slow WordPress sites:

Unoptimised images — This is the number one culprit. WordPress doesn't automatically compress or resize images. You upload a 5MB image, and WordPress serves it at full size. Use a plugin like ShortPixel or Imagify to automatically compress images.

Too many plugins — Each plugin adds code to your WordPress site. A WordPress site running 30+ plugins is almost certainly slow. Audit your plugins and delete anything you're not actively using.

Bloated themes — Some premium themes include hundreds of features you don't use, loading code on every page. If you're using a heavy theme, consider switching to something minimal like GeneratePress or Neve.

No caching — WordPress generates pages on each request. Caching tells the server to save generated pages and serve them quickly. If you're not using a caching plugin, install WP Super Cache or WP Fastest Cache immediately.

External scripts — Analytics, fonts, advertising, and chat widgets all slow down your site. Audit what external scripts you actually need. Remove unnecessary ones.

Enable HTTPS and Check SSL Certificate

HTTPS is a ranking factor and a security requirement. Check your site:

• Visit https://yoursite.com (with the https://)
• If you get a warning or the connection isn't secure, you have an SSL problem
• Go to WordPress Settings → General and ensure both WordPress Address and Site Address start with https://

If your site isn't on HTTPS, contact your hosting provider. Let's Encrypt offers free SSL certificates.

If your site is HTTPS but you see mixed content warnings (some resources loading over HTTP), check your WordPress settings and look for any hardcoded HTTP URLs in your theme or plugins.

Check for Mobile Responsiveness

Visit your site on a mobile device or use Chrome DevTools to test mobile view:

• Is the layout responsive?
• Do buttons work?
• Is text readable?

If it looks broken, you either have a theme problem or a plugin that's not mobile-friendly. Test in an incognito window to avoid caching issues.

Audit Permalinks and URL Structure

Go to Settings → Permalinks in WordPress.

Your permalink structure should be custom and look like one of:

• /%postname%/ (Best for SEO)
• /%category%/%postname%/ (Good if you heavily rely on categories)

Do NOT use:

• Default (/?p=123) — No keywords in URLs
• Numeric ( /%post_id%/) — No context

If you're using default or numeric, change it to /%postname%/. This might require updating your .htaccess file and could temporarily cause 404s, so test it carefully on staging first if you can.

.htaccess Audit

If you're using Apache hosting (most WordPress hosts), check your .htaccess file for these issues:

Redirect chains — Multiple redirects in sequence waste server resources. You should have a single redirect from old URL to new URL.

Redirect loops — If you redirect A → B and B → A, you've created a loop that breaks your site.

Incorrectly formatted redirects — Look for old versions that might be interfering with WordPress routing.

You can see your .htaccess file by enabling "Show hidden files" in your FTP client or host control panel. A typical WordPress .htaccess looks like:

# BEGIN WordPress
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteRule ^index\.php$ - [L]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /index.php [L]
</IfModule>
# END WordPress

If you've heavily customized this and don't remember why, consider resetting it to default (WordPress will regenerate it if you update your Permalink settings).

Part 3: On-Page SEO Audit

Now that technical foundation is solid, audit your actual content for SEO problems.

Install a WordPress SEO Plugin (If You Haven't)

You need a proper WordPress SEO plugin. The two best options:

Yoast SEO — Most popular, good free version, excellent for beginners. The free version handles most core SEO tasks. Premium version ($99/year) adds features like redirect management and internal linking suggestions.

All in One SEO Pack — Lighter weight than Yoast, good free version, excellent technical SEO features. Many users find it less intrusive than Yoast.

Install one of these. They'll provide on-page SEO guidance, XML sitemaps, and tools to audit your site structure.

Audit Your Homepage

Your homepage should:

• Have a clear H1 (usually your brand name or primary service)
• Have a compelling meta description (150-160 characters) that includes your primary keyword
• Load quickly
• Have a clear call-to-action "above the fold"
• Internally link to your most important pages

Use your SEO plugin to check the meta description. Go to your homepage, edit it, and scroll down to the SEO plugin section. If there's no meta description, add one. This is what appears in Google search results below the title.

Audit Your Blog Posts for Keyword Issues

Run your SEO plugin's site audit. It will identify posts with:

• Missing meta descriptions
• Duplicate meta descriptions (multiple posts with the same description)
• Missing focus keywords
• Thin content (posts under 300 words, which rarely rank well)
• Orphaned posts (no internal links to/from them)

Don't fix all of these, but prioritise:

1. Posts with high traffic but missing meta descriptions (quick wins)
2. High-value posts with duplicate meta descriptions (they're competing with each other)
3. Posts you want to rank for that are too thin (add 500+ more words)

Check for Duplicate Content Issues

Duplicate content confuses Google. Common WordPress duplicate content problems:

Pagination issues — WordPress often creates multiple versions of paginated archives. Check if your tag and category pages have pagination; if they do, make sure only the first page is indexed (mark subsequent pages as noindex).

HTTP vs. HTTPS — If your site is partially on both HTTP and HTTPS, you have duplicates. Redirect all HTTP to HTTPS.

WWW vs. non-WWW — Make sure you're consistently using either www.yoursite.com or yoursite.com, not both. Redirect one to the other.

Category + tag combinations — If posts appear in both category and tag archives, Google might see duplicates. Consider redirecting tag pages if you don't actively use them.

Use Google Search Console → Coverage to identify duplicates Google has found.

Part 4: WordPress Security and Trust Audit

Google increasingly considers security and trustworthiness as ranking factors. A compromised or untrustworthy site won't rank well.

Check SSL Certificate Validity

Visit SSL Labs and enter your domain. You should get a rating of A or A+.

If you get a B rating or lower, there's a security issue affecting your rankings. Talk to your hosting provider about fixing it (usually it's an outdated SSL configuration).

Audit WordPress Security

A hacked WordPress site loses rankings and traffic. Check if your site has been compromised:

• Go to Google Safe Browsing Status
• Enter your domain
• If it says "unsafe" or shows malware warnings, you have an immediate problem

Install and run Wordfence (free version) or Sucuri Security to scan for malware. These plugins check for:

• Injected malicious code
• File modifications
• Vulnerable plugins

Check for Spam and User-Generated Content Issues

If your WordPress site allows comments or user submissions, Google's spam algorithms will be watching.

Go to Comments in WordPress. Look for:

• Comments that are obvious spam
• Patterns of spam (multiple comments from same IPs with links)

Enable comment moderation (Settings → Discussion → "Before a comment appears, it must be manually approved").

If you have a high spam volume, consider a stricter comment policy or disable comments on older posts.

Part 5: WordPress Plugin and Theme Audit

Unnecessary plugins and poorly coded themes are the hidden drain on WordPress performance and SEO.

Audit Your Installed Plugins

Go to Plugins and make a list of everything installed. For each plugin, ask:

1. Am I actually using this?
2. Is it actively maintained (last update within 6 months)?
3. Does it have security issues?

Delete anything you're not using. Outdated plugins are security risks and slow down your site.

Check WordPress.org plugin repository for each plugin to verify it's current and doesn't have outstanding security issues.

Essential plugins most WordPress sites should have:

• WordPress SEO plugin (Yoast or All in One SEO)
• Caching plugin (WP Super Cache or WP Fastest Cache)
• Image optimization (ShortPixel or Imagify)
• Backup (UpdraftPlus)
• Security (Wordfence free)

You don't need more than 15-20 active plugins. If you have more, you probably have unnecessary bloat.

Check Your Theme for SEO Readiness

Your theme should:

• Be actively maintained
• Be mobile-responsive
• Have fast load times
• Not include unnecessary features you don't use
• Have proper semantic HTML (H1, H2, etc.)

If your theme is outdated, slow, or bloated, consider switching to a lightweight theme like GeneratePress, Neve, or Astra.

To check theme updates: Appearance → Themes. Any theme with an available update should be updated. Outdated themes are security vulnerabilities.

Check for WordPress Core Updates

Dashboard → Check if WordPress has updates available.

Always update WordPress to the latest version. Updates include security patches and performance improvements. They rarely break things if your plugins and themes are properly maintained.

Part 6: Content Structure and Internal Linking Audit

Google uses internal links to understand your site structure and to prioritise crawling important pages.

Map Your Site Structure

Draw or diagram your site hierarchy:

• Homepage
• Main category pages
• Sub-category pages
• Individual posts/pages

Are your most important pages 2-3 clicks from the homepage? If key services pages are buried deep (5+ clicks), they won't get as much authority from internal linking.

Audit Internal Link Patterns

Use a tool like Ahrefs Site Audit (free version available) or manually check:

Orphaned pages — Pages with no internal links from other pages. These pages won't rank well. Link to them from relevant contextual pages.

Over-linked pages — Some pages get linked excessively while others get nothing. Rebalance. Your homepage usually gets the most links naturally, but your key service pages should get significant internal links too.

Poor anchor text — Internal links should use descriptive anchor text that tells Google what the linked page is about. Don't link with "click here" or "read more". Use descriptive text like "WordPress SEO audit checklist" instead of "click here".

Part 7: Authority and Trust Signals Audit

Google wants to know if your site is genuinely authoritative in your field.

Check Your Backlink Profile

Use Ahrefs Free Tools or Ubersuggest to get a basic view of backlinks to your site.

Look for:

• Number of referring domains — How many different domains link to you? More is generally better.
• Quality of links — Are they from reputable sites in your industry or from spam sites?
• Lost links — Have you recently lost any backlinks? This is worth investigating.
• Competitor links — Check your competitors' backlink profiles. Who links to them but not you? Consider those opportunities.

Check Your Author Bio and Credentials

If you publish bylined articles, each author should have:

• Author biography
• Author photo
• Author credentials/expertise

Go to Users in WordPress and edit each user profile. Fill in the biographical information. On the front end, display author information on posts.

For health, finance, or legal content (YMYL — "Your Money or Your Life"), author credentials are critical for rankings.

Check Your About Page

Visit your About page. Does it:

• Explain your expertise?
• Show real photos or team information?
• Include any credentials or awards?
• Mention how long you've been in business?

Update your About page to emphasize genuine expertise and trustworthiness.

Common WordPress SEO Problems (Quick Reference)

If you're short on time, here are the most common WordPress SEO issues we find in audits:

1. Noindex accidentally turned on — Check Settings → Reading
2. Site speed below 75 — Install caching and image optimization plugins
3. No XML sitemap — Install Yoast SEO or All in One SEO
4. Missing or duplicate meta descriptions — Add using your SEO plugin
5. Too many plugins — Delete unused ones
6. Outdated plugins — Update all plugins
7. No HTTPS — Contact hosting provider
8. Poor internal linking structure — Link important pages from homepage
9. No author information — Add author biographies to user profiles
10. Thin content — Expand posts below 500 words

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How often should I audit my WordPress site?

A: At minimum annually. If you're actively publishing content or making changes, every 6 months. After any major WordPress or plugin updates, run a quick technical audit.

Q: Do I need to hire an SEO expert for a WordPress audit?

A: No, this guide covers everything you can do yourself. However, if you want a competitive analysis comparing your site to competitors' sites, or if you need help prioritising fixes, hiring an expert is worth the investment.

Q: Which is better for SEO: Yoast or All in One SEO?

A: Both are excellent. Yoast is more popular and has better integrations. All in One SEO is lighter weight. Try both free versions and pick whichever interface you prefer.

Q: Will fixing these issues guarantee my site ranks?

A: No. These fixes remove barriers to ranking, but ranking depends on content quality, backlinks, and competition. Fix these issues first, then focus on creating better content than what's ranking.

Q: Can I do a WordPress audit without technical knowledge?

A: Yes. Follow this guide step by step. For items that require code (like .htaccess changes), contact your hosting support or hire a developer for an hour or two.

Q: Should I switch to a different WordPress host?

A: Only if your current host can't provide HTTPS, is chronically slow, or has poor support. A good host can resolve many WordPress performance problems. Before switching, try caching and image optimization plugins first.

---

Get Professional Help With Your WordPress SEO

This audit is comprehensive but self-guided. If you'd prefer an expert to run through this checklist, identify your specific problems, and provide a prioritised roadmap for fixing them, that's exactly what our WordPress SEO audit service does.

Book Your WordPress SEO Audit →

We'll identify hidden technical problems, speed issues, indexing blocks, and content opportunities specific to your site. You'll get a detailed report with prioritised fixes and expected impact.