The Truth Every Website Owner Needs to Hear (Before You Pay for SEO)
You’ve probably heard it a hundred times: “SEO takes time.”
Sure, but what if you’re spending time (and money) on all the wrong things?
Here’s the deal — before you hire an SEO expert, you should always run a DIY SEO Check for Your Website. It’s the simplest, smartest way to understand what’s working, what’s broken, and where your traffic is leaking. When you know how to audit your own site, you can fix quick issues yourself — and when it’s time to outsource, you’ll know exactly what you’re paying for.
This post from SouravLabs is for every small business owner, startup founder, or solo entrepreneur who wants to DIY their SEO audit first, learn the ropes, and then outsource smarter.
Let’s roll up our sleeves and get into a 7-step ultra-practical DIY SEO check that’ll show you exactly where your website stands.
Step 1: Test How Fast Your Website Loads
Why Speed Matters More Than Ever
Google loves fast websites. Users love them even more.
A slow site means higher bounce rates, lower conversions, and lost sales.
How to Check
Use free tools like:
What to Look For
- Loading time under 3 seconds
- Core Web Vitals (LCP, FID, CLS) in the green zone
- Compressed images and optimized caching
💡 Pro tip from SouravLabs: if your score is under 70 on mobile, start fixing your images and scripts before doing anything else.
Step 2: Evaluate Your On-Page SEO Health
The DIY Checklist
Go page by page and review:
- Title tags: Include your main keyword naturally.
- Meta descriptions: Around 155 characters, clear and click-worthy.
- Header structure (H1-H6): Logical, keyword-balanced, easy to scan.
- Image alt texts: Describe each image using relevant phrases.
- URL slugs: Short, readable, and keyword-focused.
Example
Bad URL: www.yoursite.com/1234-post
Good URL: www.yoursite.com/diy-seo-check
🧠 SouravLabs Tip: Use a plugin like Yoast SEO or Rank Math to guide you through these basics. It’s like having a mini SEO expert whispering in your ear.
Step 3: Analyze Your Keyword Placement
Are You Targeting the Right Words?
Most beginners make the mistake of using broad keywords like “SEO” or “marketing.”
Instead, go for intent-based ones like:
- “DIY SEO check for beginners”
- “how to check SEO score manually”
- “website SEO audit checklist”
Tools You Can Use
- Google Keyword Planner
- Ubersuggest
- SEMrush (free trial available)
Action Step
Create a Keyword Map — a simple Excel sheet showing:
| Page | Primary Keyword | Supporting Keywords | Search Intent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home | DIY SEO Check | website audit, SEO basics | Informational |
| Blog | SEO Tools | keyword finder, audit tools | Transactional |
Step 4: Check for Broken Links and Redirect Issues
Why It’s Critical
Nothing kills SEO faster than broken internal links or bad redirects. Google sees them as poor user experience.
Tools to Use
Quick Fix
Replace or redirect 404 errors to relevant pages using 301 redirects.
🧩 Pro insight from SouravLabs: Make it a habit to check broken links every month.
Step 5: Review Your Content Quality
Ask Yourself:
- Does your content solve real problems?
- Is it longer, deeper, or more updated than competitors?
- Are you using internal links to related topics?
DIY Strategy
Use tools like Grammarly and Hemingway App to simplify and clean up your text.
Then compare your article’s depth with the top 3 Google results.
💡 Pro move: Update old posts every 6 months — Google rewards freshness.
Step 6: Mobile-Friendliness Test
Why Mobile SEO Is Non-Negotiable
Over 60% of searches come from mobile devices. If your site isn’t mobile-friendly, you’re invisible to half your audience.
How to Test
- Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test.
- Check font sizes, tap targets, and menu usability.
What to Fix
- Use a responsive theme (like Astra or GeneratePress).
- Avoid pop-ups that cover content.
- Compress visuals without losing quality.
📱 SouravLabs Reminder: A mobile-optimized website is the first step to ranking on both Google Search and Google Maps.
Step 7: Check Your Backlink Profile
The Power of Quality Links
Backlinks = authority. But not all links are good.
Toxic links can hurt your rankings.
Tools to Analyze
- Google Search Console
- Ahrefs Backlink Checker
- Moz Link Explorer
What to Look For
- Links from relevant, high-authority sites
- No spammy or irrelevant sources
- Balanced anchor text variety
Action Step
If you find toxic backlinks:
- Export them.
- Use Google’s Disavow Tool carefully.
🧠 Pro tip from SouravLabs: Start guest posting or local directory submissions to build authority naturally.
Step 8: Track Your Technical SEO
What to Check
- XML sitemap exists and is submitted to Google Search Console.
- Robots.txt is configured correctly.
- No duplicate meta tags.
- Canonical URLs are properly defined.
Quick DIY Tools
Action Tip
Run a full crawl monthly. Look for missing alt tags, duplicate titles, or slow-loading pages.
Step 9: Analyze User Experience (UX) and Engagement
Metrics to Monitor
- Bounce rate
- Time on page
- Pages per session
- Conversion rate
How to Check
Use Google Analytics 4 and Hotjar (for heatmaps).
💬 SouravLabs Tip: If visitors leave your site within 5 seconds, your content isn’t matching their search intent. Refine your messaging.
Step 10: Track and Compare SEO Performance
The DIY Dashboard
Use Google Search Console and Google Analytics to track:
- Clicks
- Impressions
- CTR (Click-through Rate)
- Keyword rankings
📊 Pro move: Create a monthly progress report to see which keywords are improving and where traffic drops.
When to Stop DIY and Call in the Experts
You’ve just run through a full DIY SEO audit — congrats!
You now understand your site better than most first-time marketers.
But here’s the truth: DIY can take you far… just not all the way.
When you’re ready to scale — technical SEO, advanced link building, structured schema, and conversion optimization — that’s when SouravLabs steps in.
👉 Need help taking your SEO from DIY to ROI?
Contact us today at Contact@souravlabs.com for a personalized strategy.
External Resource: Learn more about Google’s SEO Starter Guide here — Google Search Essentials
