Manual Technical SEO Audit · Australia

Find the real reason your site is underperforming.

A senior SEO with 13+ years experience reads your site the way Google does — and the way AI platforms do — and tells you what is actually holding it back. No automated PDFs. No template. No 200-point list of issues that don't matter.

Three tiers. From a $49 Loom walkthrough to a full audit + implementation. Founder-led by Dorian Menard.

$49 starting tier. Sample audit available below. No retainer required.

Screaming FrogGSCPRQG WorkbookSchema validatorAI visibility check
25 points Manual technical audit — not 200 templated checks
15 days Turnaround on the comprehensive audit
13+ years Senior SEO running every audit personally
What is a technical SEO audit?

A senior practitioner reading your site the way a search engine — and an AI — actually does.

Definition

A technical SEO audit is a manual inspection of every system that controls whether your website can be crawled, indexed, understood and ranked by search engines and AI platforms — and a prioritised plan for fixing what is broken.

It is not a button you press. Automated tools produce inputs; a senior SEO interprets them, cross-references with manual checks, and tells you which 25 issues out of 200 actually move the needle. That is the difference between a report and an audit.

What our audit covers

Eight systems. All inspected manually.

Each of the 25 checklist points sits inside one of these eight systems. The audit deliverable maps every finding back to the system it belongs to — and to the action that fixes it.

  1. Crawl & indexation

    What Google can reach, what it actually indexes, and the gap between the two.

  2. Site architecture

    Click depth from the homepage, internal linking equity, orphan pages, hub-and-spoke logic.

  3. Heading structure

    H1/H2/H3 hierarchy as Google reads it — not as your page builder pretends it does.

  4. Schema & entity clarity

    Markup that tells AI engines and Google exactly what your business is, validated against errors.

  5. Core Web Vitals

    LCP, INP, CLS measured on real mobile devices, with concrete root causes — not "improve speed".

  6. AI / LLM visibility

    Citation behaviour across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews and Gemini for your category.

  7. Backlink profile health

    Authority distribution, anchor balance, toxic patterns, link gaps versus competitors.

  8. NAP & digital footprint

    Consistency across the entire web — the thing that triggers GBP suspensions and confuses LLMs.

Three audits

From a $49 walkthrough to audit + implementation.

Same senior SEO running all three. The only thing that changes is depth and whether we also fix what we find. Prices ex-GST. One-time, no retainer required.

15-Minute Loom Video Audit

Owner-operators, marketing managers and founders who want a senior set of eyes on their site before committing budget.

Price
$49 one-off · ex-GST

A manual 15-minute Loom screen-share. I open your site, GSC and Ahrefs, and walk through the highest-impact issues I see. No template, no PDF, no fluff.

  • Manual review by a senior SEO
  • Homepage, indexation and on-page scan
  • Backlink profile snapshot
  • Top 3–5 fixes ranked by impact
  • Private Loom link + short written summary
  • 3–5 business day turnaround
Most popular

Comprehensive Technical SEO Audit

Established businesses spending real money on SEO who suspect their current setup is leaving rankings on the table.

Price
$599 one-off · ex-GST

The full 25-point manual technical audit. Built from Screaming Frog, GSC, Ahrefs, schema validation and the PRQG workbook — interpreted by a senior SEO and turned into a prioritised action plan.

  • 25-point manual technical analysis
  • GSC indexation and performance review
  • Keyword cannibalisation map
  • Interactive PRQG (E-E-A-T) workbook
  • AI / LLM visibility check across 4 platforms
  • Prioritised action plan with fix order
  • 30-min walkthrough call on delivery
  • 15 business day turnaround
Done-for-you

Audit + On-Page Implementation

Businesses without a dev team ready to action the audit findings — or who just want the work done.

Price
$999 one-off · ex-GST

Everything in the Comprehensive audit, plus implementation: one priority page fully optimised, three more lite optimised, and resolution of the critical technical issues we surface.

  • Full Comprehensive audit (above)
  • 1 priority page — full optimisation
  • 3 additional pages — lite optimisation
  • Critical technical issues resolved
  • Schema markup deployed and validated
  • Implementation handover with screenshots
Want to estimate the upside? SEO campaign ROI calculator Free AI visibility check: GEO checklist tool Multi-site / enterprise — scoped on call.
What you actually get

A deliverable you can actually act on.

Most "SEO audits" are 200-page PDFs nobody reads. This is not that. You get an executive summary on page one, a prioritised plan in the middle, and the raw evidence at the back — all stored as a working Google Sheet so you can tick items off as you fix them.

The full sample audit is below. Open it, scroll through it, see exactly what you'd receive.

View the sample audit

Real audit deliverable, client details anonymised. Opens in Google Sheets.

  • Executive summary

    One page. The 5 highest-impact issues, ranked by ROI, written so a non-technical CEO can read it in three minutes.

  • 25-point checklist

    Each of the 25 checks scored Pass / Watch / Fail with evidence, screenshots, and the fix.

  • Prioritised action plan

    Every finding mapped to an action, ordered by impact and effort. Hand it to a dev team or work through it yourself.

  • PRQG / E-E-A-T workbook

    Interactive workbook scoring your site against Google's Page Quality Rater Guidelines — the one Google's own raters use.

  • Indexation & crawl report

    Every URL Google has indexed, every URL it should, every URL it shouldn't. Plus crawl-budget waste mapped to root cause.

  • AI visibility snapshot

    Live citation check across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews and Gemini. Who gets cited in your category, who doesn't, why.

  • Backlink profile review

    Authority distribution, anchor patterns, toxic flags, and the link gaps versus the sites already outranking you.

  • 30-minute walkthrough call

    I take you through the deliverable in person on Zoom. Questions answered live, recording sent after. ($599 and $999 tiers.)

Patterns across 100+ audits

The seven issues we find on almost every site.

These aren't checklist items — they're the structural failures we surface again and again, regardless of platform, vertical or budget. If your site has been ranking flat for 6+ months, expect at least three of these in your audit.

  1. 01

    Crawl budget burned on pages that should be noindexed

    Search engines waste their crawl on filter pages, parameter URLs, tag archives and duplicate templates — instead of the pages that actually need to rank. Internal links to your money pages are diluted by hundreds of low-value links elsewhere on the same template.

    Crawl wasteIndexationInternal linking
  2. 02

    Heading hierarchy broken — usually by the page builder

    Multiple H1s on a single page, skipped heading levels, decorative text marked up as H2. Page builders like Elementor, WPBakery and most Shopify themes generate semantic mess by default. Google reads structure; AI engines read structure. Broken structure = broken understanding.

    Heading structurePage buildersSemantic HTML
  3. 03

    Site architecture sends authority to the wrong pages

    Your homepage is strong, but the internal linking pushes equity into the footer, the privacy policy, and the blog — not the service pages that need to rank. Money pages sit 4+ clicks deep with no contextual links pointing at them.

    ArchitecturePageRank flowHub & spoke
  4. 04

    Schema markup missing, wrong type, or invalid

    Either no structured data at all, or the wrong schema type (Article on a service page, LocalBusiness on a national brand), or markup riddled with validation errors. AI engines can't cite a business they can't parse — schema is the first thing they read.

    SchemaEntity clarityAI retrieval
  5. 05

    Inconsistent NAP and a fragmented digital footprint

    Your name, address and phone appear three different ways across GBP, your site, Yellow Pages, True Local, the AHPRA register, and old supplier listings. This triggers GBP suspensions, kills map pack rankings, and confuses every LLM trying to identify you as a single trusted entity.

    NAP consistencyGBP suspension riskEntity confusion
  6. 06

    Backlink profile is thin, generic, or built by someone who didn't know what they were doing

    Either almost no referring domains, or a profile dominated by directory junk, foreign-language sites and unrelated PBN remnants. Authority is the single hardest signal to fake — and the one that decides whether you compete at the top of organic and AI search.

    Link profileAuthority gapAnchor balance
  7. 07

    Site never structured for AI search

    No entity clarity in the markup. No answer-shaped content blocks. No FAQ schema. No comparison or "best of" pages. AI engines retrieve passages, not pages — sites built for the 2015 SERP get filtered out of the 2026 AI answer.

    AI visibilityGEO readinessAnswer-shaped content
What you'd do with these findings

The audit surfaces your version of these — with screenshots, evidence and a fix order. Then you either action it yourself, hand it to your dev team, or have us implement it as part of an local SEO, AI SEO or ecommerce SEO retainer.

Free audit vs paid audit

Why the free SEMrush, Ahrefs and Screaming Frog reports aren't actually an audit.

Automated tools are inputs. We use them too — Screaming Frog, GSC, Ahrefs, Lighthouse. But a tool flagging 200 issues isn't an audit, it's a list. The audit is what a senior SEO does with that list.

Aspect Free automated audit Search Scope manual audit
Who runs it A bot. No human reads your site. A senior SEO with 13+ years experience reads every page personally.
What it checks A fixed list of generic technical signals. Site-specific systems — architecture, internal linking, schema, AI visibility, intent match.
Heading structure Counts H1/H2 tags. Cannot tell if the hierarchy makes sense. Manually validated as Google reads it — including page-builder semantic mess.
Internal linking Counts inbound links per URL. Flow of authority audited — is it pushing equity where you need it?
Schema markup Detects presence/absence. Validates type, completeness, accuracy, and AI-engine readability.
AI / LLM visibility Not checked at all. Live citation check across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI, Gemini.
Backlink profile Lists referring domains. Authority gaps versus competitors, anchor balance, toxic patterns flagged.
What you receive A 200-issue PDF nobody reads. Executive summary + 25-point checklist + prioritised action plan.
Prioritisation Everything flagged equally. 25 things that actually move rankings, ranked by impact and effort.
Walkthrough call None. 30-minute call walking through the findings live.
Cost Free. $49 / $599 / $999.

The free reports are a fine starting point. They're a terrible finishing point. If your business depends on organic search, the audit needs a human to interpret the data.

Process

15 business days. No mystery process.

This is the timeline for the $599 and $999 tiers. The $49 Loom audit turns around in 3–5 business days — there's no synthesis or walkthrough, just the manual review and the screen-share.

  1. Submit
    Day 1

    You share access. I confirm scope.

    • Short intake form — site URL, GSC access, current SEO context
    • I confirm scope and timeline within 24 hours
    • NDA signed if requested
    • Calendar block reserved on the delivery date
  2. Audit
    Day 2–12

    Manual inspection. 25 systems. No automation shortcuts.

    • Screaming Frog crawl + GSC + Ahrefs pulled and read
    • Manual review across all 25 checklist points
    • AI visibility check across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI, Gemini
    • PRQG (E-E-A-T) workbook scored
    • Findings cross-referenced and prioritised
  3. Synthesise
    Day 13–14

    Findings translated into an action plan.

    • Executive summary written
    • Action plan ordered by impact + effort
    • Screenshots and evidence attached to each finding
    • Implementation notes for your dev team
  4. Deliver
    Day 15

    Walkthrough call. Deliverable in your hands.

    • Full deliverable shared as a working Google Sheet
    • 30-minute walkthrough call (Zoom, recorded)
    • Q&A live on the call
    • Implementation handover or retainer scope if you want it
Honest about the timeline. 15 business days is real. The audit isn't faster because it isn't automated — I read every system on your site personally. If a competitor offers a "comprehensive technical audit" delivered tomorrow, it's automated. The deliverable might still be useful. It just isn't the same thing.
Is this audit right for you?

We do good work — if you're the right fit.

Plain answer up front: this audit suits some businesses and not others. If we're not the right call, we'll tell you on the consult and point you somewhere that is.

  • ✓
    You suspect your current SEO is missing something.
    Rankings flat for 6+ months despite ongoing spend, traffic dropped without an obvious cause, or your agency keeps reporting "progress" you can't see in revenue. The audit tells you where the truth lives.
  • ✓
    You're about to commit budget — and want to scope it first.
    Hiring a new agency, signing a 12-month retainer, or considering a site rebuild. The audit is the diligence step that prevents you from spending the next year fixing the wrong things.
  • ✓
    Your website matters to revenue.
    Organic search is a meaningful channel for you — service business, ecommerce brand, B2B with a content engine. The audit pays for itself the first time it surfaces a real ranking blocker.
  • ✓
    You want senior eyes, not a junior's checklist.
    You've already run the free Ahrefs and SEMrush reports. You want a 13-year practitioner reading your site — not a templated PDF.
See the three audits

$49 entry tier. No retainer. No proposal at the end unless you ask.

Probably not the right fit if…
  • ✕ You're shopping for the cheapest automated PDF you can find. We're not the cheapest.
  • ✕ You want a brand-new site audited before launch with no content live. Audit the staging build with us, but a pre-launch audit is a different scope — ask on the call.
  • ✕ You're looking for a Joomla audit. Honest answer — we don't run audits on Joomla sites. Every other CMS is fine.
  • ✕ You want results without changing anything. The audit identifies the work. You or your team still have to do it — or hire the $999 tier to do it for you.
  • ✕ You need an audit delivered tomorrow. Manual audits take 15 business days. The $49 Loom audit takes 3–5.
We optimise for your outcome, not our audit count. If a free Ahrefs report would solve your problem, we'll tell you that on the call.
Dorian Menard — Search Scope founder and senior SEO consultant
Founder
Dorian Menard
Search Scope · Australia
SEO since
The founder

Meet your senior SEO consultant — Dorian Menard

Founder. 13+ years, SEO only.

13 years specialising in SEO. Founder of Search Scope. I work directly with every client on strategy and execution. No account managers, no offshore teams, no templated retainers.

My work covers local SEO, Google Maps, GBP and GMC reinstatement, ecommerce SEO, technical audits, and AI search visibility. I work with established Australian businesses that want a senior specialist — not a service package.

13+
Years
200+
Engagements
98%
Reinstatement
1
Specialist on your account
Why Search Scope

Six reasons the audit is worth the money.

We're not the cheapest audit in the market. We're the one a senior SEO actually does.

  • Manual, not automated.

    Screaming Frog, GSC, Ahrefs and Lighthouse are inputs. A senior SEO reads the output and tells you what matters. Nobody at Search Scope hands you a 200-page PDF generated by a tool.

  • Founder-led, every audit.

    Dorian runs every $599 and $999 audit personally. No junior analysts, no offshore team, no white-label resellers. The same person who audits your site is the person who knows your site.

  • AI search baked in.

    Citation behaviour across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews and Gemini is part of the standard 25-point checklist. Most audits in the market still don't check this.

  • Prioritised, not exhaustive.

    25 things that move rankings, ordered by impact and effort. Not 200 things flagged equally so the deliverable looks thick.

  • Walkthrough call on delivery.

    30 minutes on Zoom going through the findings live. Questions answered in real time. Recording sent after. ($599 and $999 tiers.)

  • No retainer required.

    The audit is a one-off. You can implement it yourself, hand it to your dev team, or engage Search Scope for ongoing work — your call.

Clients

The kind of outcome an audit unlocks.

Quotes below are from ongoing engagements that started with the same diagnostic work the $599 audit produces.

See all reviews on Google
★★★★★
Verified

Top 3 nationally for a 12,000/month keyword. 3,000% organic growth in 6 months.

"Dorian and the Search Scope team transformed our SEO performance. We achieved a top 3 ranking for one of our most competitive national keywords with 12,000 monthly searches, and saw a 3,000% increase in organic traffic over six months. Their technical knowledge and strategic thinking are second to none."

Portrait of John Shaba
John Shaba
KPMG Australia · National SEO engagement
★★★★★
Verified

Two years in. Consistent map pack visibility across multiple suburbs.

"I've been working with Dorian and the team at Search Scope for over 2 years now. We've gone from struggling to get noticed to showing up consistently at the top of the map pack across several key suburbs. The results have been outstanding."

Portrait of Honoré Ducastel
Honoré Ducastel
Home Services · WA

4.9 stars across 30+ verified Google reviews. Read on Google

FAQ

SEO audit questions.

The 30-minute consult call answers anything specific to your site. Real answers, no pitch deck.

Book a strategy call

A technical SEO audit is a manual inspection of every system that controls whether your website can be crawled, indexed, understood and ranked by search engines and AI platforms. It covers crawl behaviour, indexation, site architecture, heading structure, internal linking, schema markup, Core Web Vitals, mobile-first rendering, JavaScript rendering, backlink profile health, and AI/LLM retrieval signals. It is not a button you press — it is a senior practitioner reading your site the way a search engine does.

Those tools are inputs, not audits. They flag everything — including hundreds of issues that don't matter — and miss the ones that do. A Search Scope audit uses those tools as one source, then a senior SEO interprets the output, cross-references it with manual checks (heading structure, content architecture, internal linking logic, schema validation, AI visibility), and tells you what actually moves the needle. The output is a prioritised plan, not a 200-page PDF nobody reads.

After you submit your site, I record a 15-minute Loom screen-share walking through the most important issues I find — homepage, indexation, on-page, backlinks. You get a private link, watchable on any device, and a short written summary of the top fixes. No template, no PDF, no fluff. Turnaround: 3–5 business days.

15 business days from when you provide site information and access. The audit is manual — I read every system on your site personally — so it is not faster, but it is more useful than anything automated. You get the full deliverable on day 15 plus a 30-minute walkthrough call.

The $599 tier is the audit itself — the 25-point analysis, the prioritised action plan, the PRQG workbook, the deliverable. The $999 tier includes the same audit plus implementation of the top recommendations: one fully optimised priority page, lite optimisation across three more, and resolution of critical technical issues we surface during the audit. It is the right tier if you do not have a dev team ready to action the audit findings.

Yes. Core Web Vitals (LCP, INP, CLS), mobile-first rendering, JavaScript rendering checks, and AI search visibility (citation behaviour across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Gemini) are all part of the standard 25-point checklist. The AI visibility layer is the one most audits in the market still skip.

Yes. The audit is platform-agnostic — Shopify, Webflow, Squarespace, Wix, Magento, custom builds, headless setups, BigCommerce. Every CMS introduces its own technical quirks; surfacing them is part of the audit.

Yes. If you need an NDA in place before sharing access or competitive context, send yours over and I will sign before the audit begins. No additional fee.

For the $49 Loom audit, if you watch it and feel you got nothing actionable, email me and I refund — no argument. For the $599 and $999 tiers, refunds are not offered once the audit is delivered (the work is already done), but I will revise any section you feel did not meet brief.

You own the deliverable and the action plan. You can implement it yourself, hand it to your dev team or current SEO agency, or engage Search Scope to run the implementation as part of an ongoing local-SEO, AI SEO, or ecommerce-SEO retainer. There is no obligation — many clients run the audit as a one-time diagnostic before deciding whether to commit to ongoing work.

30 minutes · No pitch deck · No obligation

Ready to get SEO working properly?

A genuine 30-minute conversation with the specialist who will do the work — not a salesperson. You leave with a clear view of what is broken, what it would cost to fix, and whether we are the right team for it.

Book a Free Strategy Call
No lock-in contracts 13+ years specialising in SEO Founder-led from first call
Written by Dorian Menard — Founder, Search Scope. 13+ years executing SEO.
Last updated: