A SaaS website may contain a marketing homepage, feature pages, documentation, pricing, comparison content, and a customer application. An audit should distinguish public pages that can appear in search from authenticated application routes that should remain private. A large checklist is less useful than a short queue tied to specific URLs and reproducible evidence.
1. Confirm which pages should be searchable
List the canonical public URLs that support discovery and evaluation: homepage, product pages, useful documentation, pricing or plan explanations, and editorial guides. Exclude sign-in screens, internal dashboards, private customer workspaces, duplicate previews, and pages that have no standalone value.
2. Check crawl access and status codes
- Open
robots.txtand confirm the intended public pages are not disallowed. - Check that the file points to the sitemap you actually maintain.
- Request each priority URL and record its status, redirect chain, and final URL.
- Confirm the server returns meaningful page content to crawlers without requiring a browser login.
- Check that error pages return appropriate HTTP status codes instead of looking like successful pages.
A sitemap helps search engines discover URLs but does not guarantee that they will crawl or index them. Keep it to canonical, indexable pages that you want considered for search.
3. Review indexation and canonical signals
For each important URL, inspect the robots meta directive, canonical link, and Search Console URL inspection result. A canonical should normally identify the preferred version of that same page, not send every URL to the homepage. Keep host and trailing-slash conventions consistent across internal links, canonical tags, and the sitemap.
When a page is intentionally private or excluded, use the appropriate access control or indexing directive. Do not rely on robots.txt alone to keep sensitive information private; robots rules guide crawlers and do not provide authentication.
4. Audit page templates, not just single pages
Sample at least one URL from every important template: homepage, feature page, pricing, documentation, and article. Look for repeated titles, missing H1s, generic descriptions, accidental noindex directives, inconsistent canonicals, and content that appears only after scripts run. A template bug can affect hundreds of URLs; a one-page observation may not reveal its scope.
5. Check content and internal navigation
Each public page should explain a distinct subject and help a visitor make progress. Make feature pages answer who the feature is for, what it does, important limitations, and what a user needs to get started. Link related guides to the relevant product or workflow page using descriptive text. Avoid manufacturing dozens of thin location or alternative pages that repeat the same copy.
6. Validate structured data carefully
Use structured data only when it accurately describes visible page content and follows the format’s current guidelines. For editorial pages, Article or BlogPosting markup can make article properties explicit; it does not guarantee a rich result or ranking boost. Validate the rendered page, because a static source check can miss markup inserted by JavaScript. Do not add rating or review markup without qualifying, genuine reviews.
7. Assess performance and mobile experience
Test representative pages on mobile, where layout, images, fonts, and JavaScript can affect usability. Measure Core Web Vitals with field data where available; a single lab run is diagnostic evidence, not a complete view of every visitor’s experience. Compress large images, avoid layout shifts, and reduce unnecessary scripts. Prioritize changes that improve actual user experience and repeat the measurement after release.
8. Rank findings by evidence and verify fixes
| Finding | Evidence | Verification |
|---|---|---|
| Important URL blocked | Robots rule and crawler response | Re-fetch the URL under the intended crawler policy |
| Wrong canonical | Rendered canonical differs from preferred URL | Check source and Search Console after recrawl |
| Template title duplicated | Title export for URLs in the template | Re-crawl a representative URL set |
| Missing useful answer | Specific buyer question not answered on relevant page | Review page content and user feedback |
For every task, record the affected URL, exact evidence, severity, owner, and the test that will prove the fix. “Improve SEO” is not an actionable issue. “The pricing page is blocked by a noindex directive; remove it if the page should be searchable, then confirm indexation” is.
Further reading: Google’s sitemap guidance explains discovery and its limits. See also the SEO Starter Guide and structured data introduction.