Self audit of the website

A full audit once a quarter is a reasonable minimum for active websites and stores. After any major change to the site (new template, CMS migration, hosting change, rebrand) conduct an audit within 7 days of implementation - technical changes can introduce regressions in SEO and security that can go unnoticed for weeks without an audit. Sites with little activity (business card sites, rarely updated) can afford an audit every six months, but always after every CMS or plugin update.

This checklist gives you a diagnosis of technical problems - it answers the question "what is broken". A professional SEO audit additionally answers the question "why aren't you ranking". - includes competitive analysis, keyword research, link profile analysis, content evaluation for search intent and strategic recommendations. A standalone audit is enough to maintain a site's technical health. If the site has no organic traffic despite correct technique - you need an SEO audit, not just a technical one.

Sort the problems you find along two axes: business impact and cost to fix. Start with "quick wins" - low cost to fix, high impact. Classic examples: missing meta descriptions (30 minutes of work, visible effect in CTR in a few weeks), images without alt text (better accessibility and SEO of images), expiring SSL certificate (critical - fix immediately). Plan complex technical problems (URL structure rebuild, CLS optimization requiring template changes) as separate tasks with estimated time budget, do not pack them into the current sprint.