Short answer. A full SEO audit checks seven blocks: indexing and crawler access, duplicates and URL structure, speed and the mobile version, semantics and how pages match queries, meta tags and headings, the link profile, structured data. The result is a document with a prioritised plan: what to do first, what will have an effect, what can wait. Timeline — 1–3 days for a site of up to 30 pages, up to a week for a large one. Price — from ₽1,500 for a technical review of a small site and from ₽15,000 for an audit of a shop or portal with semantics and competitors.
The seven blocks of an audit — and what each looks for
1. Indexing and crawler access
How many pages of the site the search engine knows about, and whether that matches what you want to show. Checked: robots.txt, sitemap.xml, server responses, pages "in the index" and "excluded" in Yandex Webmaster and Google Search Console. A typical finding: half the pages are blocked from indexing by mistake, or the opposite — service pages and filters are in the index.
2. Duplicates, mirrors and URL structure
The same page at several addresses (with and without www, with and without a trailing slash, with parameters) splits the weight and confuses the search engine. Checked: redirects, canonical addresses, site versions, section structure. A finding from practice: old addresses after a migration return 404 instead of 301 — and positions accumulated over years are lost.
3. Speed and the mobile version
Lighthouse, Core Web Vitals, page weight, uncompressed images, scripts that block rendering. The mobile version is checked separately: today it is the main traffic. A typical finding: the home page weighs 4–6 MB because of uncompressed photos and loads in 6 seconds on a phone — and half the visitors leave before it loads.
4. Semantics and how pages match queries
Which queries people use to find you, whether every query has its own page and whether it answers the query. Checked: search volume, query grouping, "thin" pages with no content, cannibalisation (two pages for one query). A finding: a service searched for 2,000 times a month lives as a single paragraph on a general page — and does not rank.
5. Meta tags, headings, texts
Title and description on every page: uniqueness, length, presence of the query, appeal in the results. H1 — one and on topic, H2 — structure. Texts — volume, usefulness, no keyword stuffing. A finding: 60 pages with the identical title "Home" — the search engine treats them as one.
6. Links: internal and external
Internal linking (does the weight reach the important pages, are there "orphans" with no incoming links, broken links) and the external profile (who links to you, are there toxic donors, are there mentions in directories and maps). A finding: a service page with no link from the site other than the sitemap.
7. Structured data and snippets
Organization, Service, FAQPage, BreadcrumbList, Article — the markup that makes the snippet more visible and helps search engines' AI answers cite the site. Checked with the Yandex and Google validators. A finding: the markup exists but with errors — and is not taken into account at all.
What you get at the end
- A document with findings by block — what was found, where, a screenshot or a link to the evidence.
- A prioritised plan — 5–15 items ordered by "effect / effort": what to do this week, what within a month, what not to touch.
- A timeline and price estimate for each item — so you can hand part of it to your own team and part to a contractor.
- Checkpoints — what to check after the changes and when: indexing in 2–4 weeks, positions in 1–3 months.
An audit without a plan is half the job. If you were sent 40 pages of "errors" with no answer to "what first", ask for prioritisation: that is exactly what separates an audit from an automatic service report.
Timeline and price
| Scope | What is checked | Timeline | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Site up to 30 pages, technical review | Blocks 1–3, 5, 7 + plan | 1–3 days | from ₽1,500 |
| Site up to 30 pages, full audit | All 7 blocks + semantics + plan | 3–5 days | from ₽5,000 |
| Shop or portal from 100 pages | All blocks, page sampling, competitors | 5–10 days | from ₽15,000 |
| Audit + implementation | Audit and fixes according to the plan | 2–4 weeks | from ₽8,000 |
How does an audit for ₽1,500 differ from one for ₽50,000? In the depth of semantics and competitor analysis, not in the quality of the technical check: the technical side of a small site is checked in a day with the same tools. If the site is under 30 pages, there is no reason to overpay.
How to tell an audit that was done from one that was generated
- There are findings with evidence: a Webmaster screenshot, a page address, a number — not "we recommend improving".
- There are priorities and an effect estimate, not an alphabetical list from a service.
- There is what NOT to do: buy links, chase 96 to 100 points, multiply thin pages.
- The author is ready to explain every item by voice or in writing — and name the implementation price.
How long does an SEO audit take?
A technical review of a small site — 1–3 days, a full audit with semantics — 3–5 days, a shop or portal — up to 10 days. Longer is usually unnecessary: findings after the first week repeat each other.
What do you need from me for the audit?
Access to Yandex Webmaster and Google Search Console (guest), access to analytics, a list of services and regions that matter. Access to the site itself is not needed for the audit — only for implementation.
When will results appear after the audit?
The search engine notices technical fixes 2–4 weeks after recrawling. Growth in positions for competitive queries — 1–3 months after implementing the plan. The audit itself does not change positions — the fixes based on it do.
How does an audit differ from SEO promotion?
An audit is a one-off diagnosis with a plan. Promotion is regular work on the plan: texts, pages, links, monitoring. Everyone needs an audit once every six to twelve months; promotion — those in a competitive niche. Ten signs it is time for an audit — in a separate article.