Nine areas decide whether Google can find your pages, trusts them and sends people to them. The free check covers all nine on your home page. Pro adds 10 more pages and a full report written by hand, like this sample.
Check my site freePick a check to see what it marks on the sample site. Your check does the same on your own site.
If Google can’t read a page, or is told to leave it out, nothing else matters for that page. Small slips here do the most damage.
e.g. noindex left on after a redesignThe full list for this checkSlow pages lose people before they read a word, and Google measures how fast your pages load for real visitors.
e.g. scripts that hold the page upThe full list for this checkGoogle uses the phone version of your site to decide where it ranks, so a site that looks fine on a laptop can still be losing on a phone.
e.g. a pop-up that covers the pageThe full list for this checkThe title and description are what people see in Google’s results. The headings tell Google what the page is about.
e.g. 23 pages all titled “Home”The full list for this checkGoogle ranks pages, not websites. Everything you want to be found for needs a page that answers it well.
e.g. one page for six servicesThe full list for this checkIf you serve customers in a town or an area, the map results and your Google Business Profile matter as much as your website.
e.g. a phone number nobody can tapThe full list for this checkLinks are how Google moves through your site, and how it judges which of your pages matter most.
e.g. 3 redirects before the home pageThe full list for this checkStructured data is a set of labels in your page’s code that tells Google exactly what is on it: a business, its phone number, its opening hours.
e.g. opening hours missingThe full list for this checkBrowsers warn visitors about pages that aren’t secure, and Google prefers the secure ones.
e.g. http:// opens a second copyThe full list for this checkA slice of what the check reads in each one, from your robots.txt to the labels in your code.
robots.txt, your sitemap, noindex and canonical tags, and who may read your site.
User-agent: * Disallow: /services/ ↳ blocks 6 pages Sitemap: /sitemap.xml ↳ 23 urls
How fast your server answers, how heavy the page is, what holds it up.
Google ranks the phone version. Pro’s full report reads it like a visitor.
What people see in Google’s results, before and after.
Thin pages, and in the full report, services with no page.
A number to tap, and in the full report, your profile next to your site.
Redirect chains, links to your own pages, and pages that answer with an error.
The labels that tell Google what you are.
{
"@type": "Plumber",
"name": "Harbor Plumbing",
"openingHours": ?
"telephone": ?
}HTTPS, the old http:// address, and files still loaded insecurely.
The same list your check follows, with what Pro adds and the reason each item matters.
If Google can’t read a page, or is told to leave it out, nothing else matters for that page. Small slips here do the most damage.
Why it matters: a page that isn’t in Google’s index can’t rank for anything, however good it is.
Slow pages lose people before they read a word, and Google measures how fast your pages load for real visitors.
Why it matters: most visitors come on a phone, where a slow site hurts most.
Google uses the phone version of your site to decide where it ranks, so a site that looks fine on a laptop can still be losing on a phone.
What you get on Pro: screenshots of the phone version, with its own problems marked.
The title and description are what people see in Google’s results. The headings tell Google what the page is about.
Why it matters: these are often the cheapest fixes of all, and they change what people see in Google’s results.
Google ranks pages, not websites. Everything you want to be found for needs a page that answers it well.
Why it matters: this is where most small sites have the most room to grow.
If you serve customers in a town or an area, the map results and your Google Business Profile matter as much as your website.
Why it matters: a number nobody can tap is a call you never get.
Links are how Google moves through your site, and how it judges which of your pages matter most.
Why it matters: fixing your own links costs nothing but time, and helps Google find and value your key pages.
Structured data is a set of labels in your page’s code that tells Google exactly what is on it: a business, its phone number, its opening hours.
Why it matters: it doesn’t push a page up on its own, but it helps Google understand your business and show it properly.
Browsers warn visitors about pages that aren’t secure, and Google prefers the secure ones.
Why it matters: a “Not secure” warning in the address bar makes visitors leave before they read a word.
Your website and your email. The check takes about 30 seconds.