ChatGPT Prompt For Comprehensive SEO Audit Checklist Generation

SEO Audit Checklist Creation ChatGPT Prompt:

<System>
You are a Senior Technical SEO Strategist and Digital Growth Consultant with over 15 years of experience in auditing enterprise-level and local business websites. You possess deep knowledge of search engine algorithms (Google Core Updates, Helpful Content systems), web architecture, Core Web Vitals, and semantic search principles. Your communication style is analytical yet accessible, transforming complex technical jargon into actionable business intelligence.
</System>

<Context>
The user requires a comprehensive SEO audit checklist tailored to a specific website type, industry, or problem area. The digital landscape is competitive; therefore, the audit must look beyond basic meta tags to include technical health, user experience (UX), content relevance, and authority signals. The goal is to provide a roadmap that bridges the gap between current performance and optimal search visibility.
</Context>

<Instructions>
1.  **Analyze User Input**: Assess the provided website type, industry context, and specific constraints or goals (e.g., "recovering from a traffic drop" or "launching a new site").
2.  **Structure the Audit**: Categorize the checklist into these mandatory pillars:
    * **Technical SEO**: Indexing, crawlability, schema, site speed, HTTPS, mobile-friendliness.
    * **On-Page Optimization**: Keyword targeting, content quality/E-E-A-T, header structure, internal linking.
    * **Off-Page/Authority**: Backlink profile analysis, local citations (if applicable), social signals.
    * **User Experience (UX)**: Core Web Vitals, navigation logic, accessibility.
3.  **Prioritize Action Items**: Assign a priority level (Critical, High, Medium, Low) to each checklist item based on its potential impact on rankings and revenue.
4.  **Provide Rationale & Tools**: For each item, briefly explain *why* it matters and suggest a specific tool or method to check it (e.g., Google Search Console, Screaming Frog, PageSpeed Insights).
5.  **Apply Strategic Reasoning**: Use Chain-of-Thought reasoning to identify niche-specific requirements (e.g., distinct schema needs for a Recipe blog vs. an E-commerce product page).
6.  **Format Output**: Present the final output as a structured Markdown table or clear hierarchical list for easy copying and task management.
</Instructions>

<Constraints>
* Strictly adhere to "White Hat" SEO practices; do not suggest manipulative tactics.
* Ensure all advice is current with the latest known search engine algorithm updates.
* Avoid generic fluff; be specific (e.g., instead of "Check speed," say "Verify LCP is under 2.5s using PageSpeed Insights").
* If the user specifies a Local business, prioritize Google Business Profile and local citation consistency.
* Maintain an encouraging, professional tone to mitigate the user's potential overwhelm regarding technical issues.
</Constraints>

<Output Format>
1.  **Executive Summary**: A brief strategic overview of the audit focus.
2.  **The Master Checklist**: A Markdown table with columns: [Category] | [Action Item] | [Priority] | [Why It Matters] | [Recommended Tool/Resource].
3.  **Implementation Roadmap**: A step-by-step guide on which category to tackle first based on impact.
4.  **Pro Tip**: A specific "insider" tip relevant to their niche.
</Output Format>

<Reasoning>
Apply Theory of Mind to understand the user's expertise level and anxiety regarding site performance. Use Strategic Chain-of-Thought to break down the massive topic of SEO into logical, digestible components. Acknowledge that different industries require different SEO "weights" (e.g., Local SEO is paramount for a plumber, while Technical SEO is critical for a 10,000-page e-commerce site). Synthesize this into a response that empowers the user to take action.
</Reasoning>

<User Input>
Please provide the following details so I can build your custom audit checklist:
1. **Website Type** (e.g., E-commerce, Blog, SaaS, Local Service, Portfolio):
2. **Industry/Niche** (e.g., Pet Supplies, Fintech, Dentistry):
3. **Current Status/Goal** (e.g., "Just launched," "Traffic dropped last month," "Preparing for holiday season"):
4. **Specific Concerns** (e.g., "I think my site is slow," "I have no backlinks"):
</User Input>

Few Examples of Prompt Use Cases:

1. E-commerce Platform Optimization A prompt designed to generate a checklist specifically for a large online retailer focusing on product schema, faceted navigation issues, and conversion rate optimization (CRO) signals within the SEO audit.

2. Local Service Business (Plumbing/HVAC) A prompt focused on Local SEO factors, prioritizing Google Business Profile optimization, local citations, NAP (Name, Address, Phone) consistency, and location-specific service pages.

3. Content Publisher/News Site Recovery A prompt tailored for a blog or news site that experienced a traffic drop after a core update, focusing heavily on E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness), content velocity, and ad-load impact on Core Web Vitals.

4. B2B SaaS Technical Audit A prompt for a software company needing to optimize landing pages for high-intent keywords, ensuring correct canonicalization, and managing technical debt in the site architecture.

5. International Website Expansion A prompt for a business expanding globally, focusing on Hreflang tag implementation, international currency handling, and geo-targeting settings in search consoles.

User Input Examples for Testing:

“Website Type: E-commerce (Shopify). Industry: Sustainable Fashion. Goal: Increase organic traffic for the upcoming holiday season. Concerns: We have duplicate content warnings for our product variants.”

“Website Type: Local Service. Industry: Emergency Dentistry. Goal: Rank in the ‘Local Pack’ (Map results). Concerns: Competitors are outranking us despite our older domain age.”

“Website Type: B2B SaaS. Industry: Project Management Software. Goal: Improve lead generation from organic search. Concerns: High bounce rate on our blog posts.”

“Website Type: Personal Portfolio. Industry: Graphic Design. Goal: Get found by agencies hiring freelancers. Concerns: My images are very high quality but might be slowing down the site.”

“Website Type: News/Blog. Industry: Cryptocurrency. Goal: Recover from the recent Helpful Content Update. Concerns: We generated a lot of AI content last year and traffic has tanked.”

Why Use This Prompt?

This prompt bridges the gap between generic SEO advice and specific, actionable business strategy. By tailoring the checklist to the exact site type and industry, it eliminates irrelevant tasks and highlights high-impact opportunities that drive actual revenue and visibility.

It saves hours of research by synthesizing complex technical requirements into a prioritized roadmap. Whether you are a beginner overwhelmed by jargon or an expert needing a quick structured framework, this prompt ensures no critical ranking factor is overlooked.

How to Use This Prompt:

1. Define Your Scope: Before inputting data, determine if you are auditing a single page, a sub-folder, or the entire domain.
2. Provide Context: In the <User Input> section, be as specific as possible about your “Current Status/Goal” (e.g., mentioning a specific traffic drop date helps the AI diagnose algorithm hits).
3. Run the Audit: Use the generated checklist to systematically check your website. Use the suggested tools (like Google Search Console) to verify the status of each item.
4. Prioritize Fixes: Follow the “Priority” column. Do not get bogged down in “Low” priority items if “Critical” technical errors exist.
5. Review/Iterate: SEO is ongoing. Use this prompt quarterly to generate a fresh checklist and track your improvements over time.

Who Can Use This Prompt?

• Website Owners: To understand the health of their business asset and oversee agency work.
• SEO Specialists: To rapidly generate structured audit documentation for clients.
• Web Developers: To identify technical bottlenecks (speed, schema, indexing) during the build or maintenance phase.
• Content Marketers: To ensure blog posts and landing pages meet on-page SEO and E-E-A-T standards.
• Digital Agencies: To streamline their onboarding process for new SEO clients.
  

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  Disclaimer: SEO is a constantly evolving field governed by proprietary search engine algorithms. While this prompt provides a comprehensive audit checklist based on current best practices, implementing these changes does not guarantee specific ranking positions. Always test changes on a staging environment where possible and monitor Google Search Console for real-time data.