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SEO Audit Process

Last Edited: 2026-07-07 00:30

Process SLAs

• Process SLA: 2 Working Days

Global Rules

• PAUSE RULE: If the "Products Sold and Serviced" section is incomplete in the Customer Hub, progress is paused and the task is assigned back to the Coordinator.
• FEEDBACK LOOP: The Design Coordinator or Designer may reach out to the SEO Specialist for specific questions regarding audit feedback or technical implementation needs.

PROCESS MAP

GATE 0 - AUDIT AUTHORIZED

• Trigger: Design team completes the build and the Coordinator assigns the SEO Audit task.
• Owner: Design Coordinator → SEO Specialist

GATE 1 - INITIAL WEBSITE VERIFICATION

• Owner: SEO Specialist
• Required Outputs:
  • Link Verification: Homepage and global links verified as present (escalate to Coordinator if missing).
  • Figma Comparison: Check live site against approved Figma design for major discrepancies (IU/UX audit).
  • Content Integrity: Confirm no sections are missing and the order matches the intended flow from the Content First Process audit.

GATE 2 - TECHNICAL & LIGHTHOUSE EVALUATION

• Owner: SEO Specialist
• Required Outputs:
  • Performance Scoring: Record Google Lighthouse scores for Mobile/Desktop on both Homepage and Global templates.
  • Quality Check: Focus on identifying and documenting issues with contrast, image size, and aspect ratios.

GATE 3 - CUSTOMER HUB & DATA SYNC

• Owner: SEO Specialist
• Required Outputs:
  • General Information Tab: Verify/Update Abbreviated Name, Service Area, and Year Founded.
  • Services & SEO Tab: Verify/Update Cities, Products, and Seasonal Months.

➡️ Blocker: If the "Products Sold and Serviced" section is not completed, progress is paused and the task is assigned back to the Coordinator.

GATE 4 - PAGE-LEVEL OPTIMIZATIONS

• Owner: SEO Specialist
• Required Outputs:
  • SEO Metadata: Optimized Title and Meta Description applied.
  • Media: Image Alt Text added for all relevant imagery.
  • Linking & Bolding:
    • Apply proper underlining classes (oa-tdu-block or oa-tdu).
    • Ensure linking/bolding density remains between 5-10%.
    • Verify heading adjustments are applied per Page Name Topic Styling Procedure.
    • Verify Orange pages are correctly integrated Puzzle Piece Cleanup Procedure.

GATE 5 - FUNDAMENTAL SIGN-OFF & HANDOFF

• Owner: SEO Specialist → Design Coordinator
• Required Outputs:
  • Final Checklist: Comprehensive verification that the build meets all standards in the Fundamental Website Requirements checklist.
  • Audit Delivery: Infractions documented using Reference IDs (e.g., 1.a.1) and presented in a top-to-bottom sectioned format.
  • Task Assignment: Task assigned back to the Design Coordinator for revision management.

➡️ Process complete.

SUPPORTING SECTIONS

SEO AUDIT FEEDBACK RULES

When providing audit feedback to designers, the SEO department must follow these rules:

• Reference IDs: Use requirement IDs to better convey infractions (e.g., "1.a.1 - Logo is missing link").
• Structure: Provide feedback in order from top to bottom, clearly indicating sections (e.g., "Hero Section").
• Visual Context: Provide cropped inline screenshots for context (limit: 3 inline, 3 attachments).
• Feedback: Must be included within the relevant section and not separated from the bulk of the audit.

WEBSITE FUNDAMENTAL REQUIREMENTS

All sites must adhere to these standards during the Gate 5 Audit:

1. GENERAL STANDARDS

• Primary Services/Company: Easily identifiable above the fold (desktop) and in the footer.
• Branding Assets: Adequately present on all viewports.
• Clickable Elements: Minimum 48px² target size; cursor: pointer visibly apparent.
• Width: Content must stay within reasonable boundaries; must not exceed viewport width (watch for scroll animations).
• Global Components: Single source of truth for repeated sections (header, footer, menu, reviews).

2. ABOVE THE FOLD

• Logo: Linked to the base domain.
• Phone Number: Prominent in header for all viewports; use {#companymobilephone} tag.
• Menu: Sticky-positioned; must not exceed 30% of viewport height (must scale down on scroll).
• H1: Typically paired with a subtitle/heading element for context.
• Hero Section: Required for homepage; must contain at least one CTA button for scheduling.

3. FOOTER REQUIREMENTS

• Content: Keep items separate (License number, Social icons/links, Boilerplate links, Navigation).
• Storefront Details: Physical address linked to Google Business Profile (via CID), phone, and standard/emergency hours.

4. TYPOGRAPHY & FONTS

• Families: Maximum 3 per site; matching company branding.
• Size: Minimum ≥ 1rem (16px) for body text.
• Hierarchy: Must cascade one tier at a time (e.g., h2 > h3 > h4). Incorrect: h2 > h5.

5. IMAGE OPTIMIZATION

• Responsive: Use Aspect-Ratio (e.g., auto 300/150) and set width/height attributes.
• Compression: Not required for SVG/WebP, but essential for others.
• Loading: Set to lazy unless above the fold (then set to eager).
• Fetch Priority: Set fetchpriority="high" for Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) elements.

6. LINKING & ACCESSIBILITY

• Visual Indication: Links must be noticeably different from text and pass contrast checks.
• Underlining: Must be present for non-hovered links within textual sections.
• Targets: Images, buttons, and text are appropriate; entire sections or heading elements are not appropriate link targets.