Every tool below is publicly available, free at the level needed for a self audit, and produced by either Google, Schema.org, or an established SEO platform. The point is not to replace deeper analysis; it is to find the basics that need fixing before any agency engagement is worthwhile.
The 7 checks
1. Page speed
Open Book the call. Paste the home page URL. Run the test. Look at the mobile score. Below 70 is a problem; below 50 is the biggest single issue. Specific recommendations appear below the score.
2. Mobile usability
Same tool. Scroll to the mobile screenshot. If text wraps awkwardly or buttons look too small, the mobile experience is hurting both conversion and Google's mobile first indexing.
3. Title tag
Right click the home page, view page source, search for the title tag. The format that performs is 'Service in Suburb or City | Business Name'. Generic 'Home | Business Name' is one of the most common ranking blockers.
Source: Google Search Central, Title links in search results.
4. Meta description
Same source view. Look for the meta name="description" tag. Around 140 to 160 characters of human written copy that mentions the suburb or city. Auto generated or empty descriptions reduce click through rate from search results.
5. Schema markup
Open the Schema.org validator. Paste the URL. The result shows whether LocalBusiness or a more specific subtype is in place, and flags errors.
6. Google Business Profile cross check
Search the business name on Google. Look at the panel on the right side. Address matches the website footer? Phone matches? Photos uploaded recently? Reviews above 4.5 stars? Each missing piece is a cheap fix.
7. Backlink sanity check
Open Ahrefs Free Backlink Checker. Paste the domain. Referring domain count under ten suggests a thin link profile; lots of links from unfamiliar foreign domains suggests a toxic profile.
Scoring
Score yourself out of 7. Each pass scores 1, each fail scores 0.
- 0 to 2: The site is the bottleneck. Fix the basics before paying for SEO.
- 3 to 5: Foundation is decent. Fix the misses, then start on content and links.
- 6 to 7: Site is fine. Investment in content and competitive analysis will pay back.
If you want a free second opinion, the strategy call is 18 minutes. Tell us your score and we will tell you which gap is most expensive to ignore.
Edited by a human.