How to Run an SEO Audit on a Practice Website

What an audit is for

An SEO audit is a structured check of whether search engines can find, understand and trust your website, and whether the pages answer what patients search for. It finds problems in one pass so you can fix the ones that matter first, rather than reacting to a drop in calls.

You need two free tools: Google Search Console (how Google sees your site) and PageSpeed Insights (how fast and stable pages are for real visitors). Add a spreadsheet to record what you find.

Indexing and page experience

If a page is not indexed, nothing else on it matters, so start here.

• •Page indexing report: in Search Console, check that your home page, service pages and location pages are indexed, and read the reason for any that are not (for example a noindex tag, a redirect or a duplicate).
• •Sitemap: make sure an XML sitemap lists the pages you want found and is submitted in Search Console.
• •robots.txt: open yoursite.com/robots.txt and confirm it does not block important pages. robots.txt controls crawling, not indexing, so use noindex for pages that must stay out of results.
• •Broken pages: fix or redirect old URLs that return errors, especially ones other sites link to.
• •Page experience: Google's page experience guidance covers HTTPS, Core Web Vitals (loading, responsiveness and visual stability), a layout that works on phones, and avoiding pop-ups that hide the content. Check Core Web Vitals in Search Console and PageSpeed Insights, and fix the slowest templates first. Our site speed guide covers the usual fixes.

Page-by-page checks

Go through your most important pages one at a time:

• •Title: each page has its own clear, specific title that says what the page is about and where, such as the service and city. Google may rewrite titles that are vague, repeated or stuffed with keywords.
• •Meta description: a short, unique summary of the page. Google sometimes shows it as the snippet and sometimes writes its own from the page, so make it accurate rather than chasing a character count.
• •Headings: one main heading that matches the page's purpose, then section headings that help a reader scan.
• •Internal links: link related pages with descriptive text ("dental implant options") rather than "click here".
• •Images: descriptive alt text for meaningful images, and file sizes small enough not to slow the page.
• •Duplicates: watch for near-identical pages, such as several location pages with the same text and only the city changed.

Content and search intent

Check content against what patients actually ask, not a formula.

• •Coverage: list the services you most want to grow. Each one should have a page that explains what it is, who it suits, what to expect and how to book.
• •Patient questions: collect the questions your front desk hears, the queries in Search Console's Performance report, and Google's search suggestions. Answer them plainly on the relevant page, in visible text.
• •Length: Google says there is no word count target. A page is long enough when the question is answered.
• •Wording: use the words patients use and vary them naturally. Repeating the same phrase over and over is keyword stuffing, which is against Google's spam policies.
• •Freshness: update pages with old hours, staff changes, retired services or outdated facts.

Clear, specific answers also make it easier for AI search features to understand and cite your pages; see our guide to AI search visibility.

Local signals

Google's help for local results says ranking depends on relevance, distance and prominence. Prominence draws on information such as links to your business and how many reviews and how good the ratings are. Check:

• •Google Business Profile: verified, with the correct category, hours, phone, website link, services and recent photos. Our Google Business Profile guide walks through each field.
• •Consistency: the practice name, address and phone match on your website, your profile and the directories you are listed in.
• •Location pages: each office has its own page with its address, hours, directions and details that are true only of that location.
• •Reviews: a steady routine of asking every patient the same way, and replying to reviews. See our guide to getting more Google reviews.

Comparing with nearby practices

Search your main services with your city and note which practices appear in the map results and the regular results. For each, compare:

• •Which services have their own pages that yours lacks.
• •How directly their pages answer common patient questions.
• •How complete and active their Business Profile looks, and their review count and rating.
• •Whether local organizations, sponsors or associations link to them.

Use this to find gaps worth closing, not to copy. Your pages should describe your own services in your own words.

Turning findings into a fix list

Sort every finding into three groups:

1. Blocking: important pages not indexed, broken booking or contact paths, wrong phone numbers or hours.
2. Important: slow templates, missing service pages, vague or repeated titles, duplicate location pages.
3. Nice to have: smaller wording, image and internal link improvements.

Give each item an owner, a due date and a way to confirm it is fixed, for example "service page indexed in Search Console" or "Core Web Vitals passing for the template". Fix blocking items first.

Check Search Console monthly and repeat the full audit once a year or after any redesign. If you would rather have it done for you, our SEO service starts with this kind of audit.

Sources

Google updates its documentation, so check it for current wording.

• •Google Search Central: SEO Starter Guide
• •Google Search Central: Understanding page experience
• •Google Search Central: Core Web Vitals
• •Google Search Central: Influencing title links
• •Google Search Central: Snippets and meta descriptions
• •Google Search Central: Build and submit a sitemap
• •Google Search Central: Introduction to robots.txt
• •Search Console Help: Page indexing report
• •Google Business Profile Help: Tips to improve your local ranking
• •Google Search Central: Spam policies