A homeowner tells you she filled out your quote form last week and nobody called. You open the inbox the form feeds. Nothing. Then you check spam, and there she is.
That form is check 7 of 12. A list like this is sometimes called a findability audit or a website diagnostic audit, and you can run it yourself in an afternoon with a phone, a laptop and your website, domain and Google logins.
How do you work through the checklist?
Take the checks in order and write pass, fail or unsure beside each. Budget about ten minutes a check. Google's pages on technical requirements,[1] AI features[2] and page experience[3] shaped the list; other Google pages and my own judgment cover the rest.
Can Google and AI crawlers open your pages?
Yes, if nothing blocks them and Google has the pages. Google's three technical requirements for appearing in Search are that Googlebot, Google's crawler, isn't blocked, the page works and it has indexable content.[1] It adds no others for AI Overviews and AI Mode.[2]
1. Key pages are in Google
In Search Console, a free Google service,[4] paste each key page into the bar at the top.[5] Pass: "URL is on Google" for every page you want calls from. If you haven't set it up, start with our Search Console guide.
2. Robots.txt blocks nothing
Open yourdomain.com/robots.txt, a public file that tells crawlers, the programs that read your pages, where not to go. Pass: no "Disallow: /" under "User-agent: *", which Google's examples show blocks crawling of the whole site,[6] and no rule naming a service page. No file at all passes too: Google calls that functionally equivalent to a rule that allows everything.[6]
3. AI crawlers aren't blocked
In the same file, look for a group that disallows OpenAI's OAI-SearchBot, Anthropic's Claude-SearchBot or Perplexity's PerplexityBot.[7][8][9] OpenAI says sites that opt out of OAI-SearchBot won't be shown in ChatGPT search answers, though it can still appear as a navigational link.[7] Pass: no such group, and no AI-bot block in your host or firewall. Our two-minute check shows where those hide.
4. The sitemap lists your pages
Open your sitemap (ask your web person for its address) and check your service pages are in it. Pass: they're listed. No sitemap isn't a fail on a small site: Google says about 500 pages or fewer, linked from the home page, probably doesn't need one.[10]
Does the site work for someone on a phone?
It should: Google indexes and ranks the mobile version of your content, and strongly recommends having one.[11]
5. The home page loads fast
Load your home page on your phone off Wi-Fi, then run it through PageSpeed Insights on Mobile. Pass: in the top section, which reflects real visitors, the main content shows in 2.5 seconds or less, the line web.dev calls good.[12][22] No data there means unsure. Our guide to the three speed numbers covers a fail.
6. Tap-to-call works
Tap the number on your home page, each job page and the contact page. Pass: the dialer opens with the right number every time. A number that doesn't open the dialer, or an old number, fails.
7. The form reaches an inbox
Fill in your quote form from your phone with a made-up job, then find the message in the right inbox and in spam. Pass: it arrives within minutes, someone reads that inbox and the visitor sees a confirmation.
Can a stranger tell what you do and where?
They should, on every page you want calls from. Google asks whether a page's main heading or title gives a descriptive, helpful summary.[13] To test it, show a friend your home page on a phone for five seconds, then ask what you do and where. The five-second test has the steps, and our website clarity audit does the same on a phone.
8. Each job has its own page
List your five best-paying jobs. Each needs its own page, and its tab title and first heading should name the job and your main town. Google asks for a distinct, descriptive title on every page.[14] Pass: five pages, five different titles. How to write a service page says what goes on each.
9. Town pages are earned
Put two town pages side by side and swap the town names. If one turns into the other, it fails. Pass: each has jobs, photos or questions from that town. Our city page guide has the full test.
10. Photos show your own jobs
Look at every photo on each job page. Pass: your crew's work, with a plain caption. A stock shot of a smiling roofer fails, because a buyer can't judge your work from someone else's. How to photograph your jobs has the shot list.
Do your details match everywhere else?
They need to, because Google compiles profile information from several sources, including crawled web content such as a business's official website.[15] Local AI answers do cite business websites:
Business websites supply 42% of the ~1.97M citations in local AI answers (ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, AI Overviews); Google Business Profile ~29%.
Source: BrightLocal local AI visibility study · (opens in a new tab)
11. Business details match
Copy your name, phone, hours and service area from your Google profile onto a card. Compare your website and the main listings: Apple Maps, Bing, Yelp, Facebook. Google wants the name you use consistently on your storefront, website and stationery.[16] Pass: the same details everywhere. Which listings matter says which to claim first.
12. Structured data matches
Structured data is code that labels your business details for software. Right-click your home page, choose View page source and search for "ld+json". If nothing shows, still run Google's Rich Results Test, because Google can read markup that JavaScript adds.[17] Pass: a block exists, the test accepts it and its details match the page, since Google says not to mark up what visitors can't see.[17] Schema markup for contractors says which block is worth adding.
What does a filled-in checklist look like?
Here is one for a made-up siding company in Tyler, Texas.
A siding company's filled-in checklist
- 1. Key pages in Google: fails. The siding page isn't on Google.
- 3. AI crawlers: fails. A host setting blocks AI bots.
- 5. Speed: unsure. No test data, and the top photo loads last.
- 7. Form: fails. It sends, but the message lands in spam.
- 8. Job pages: fails. Three pages share one title.
- 10. Photos: fails. Two stock shots on the siding page.
- 11. Business details: fails. Saturday hours differ from the profile.
- Passes: 2, 4, 6, 9 and 12.
Illustrative example
I'd fix lines 1 and 7 first, because both stop a customer reaching the company. Unclear pages and mismatched details come next.
When is a paid audit worth it?
When the list finds problems you can't read or fix, or you'd rather hand the afternoon off. Google says a small local business can probably do much of the SEO work itself, and that a great time to hire is when you're considering a site redesign.[18]
A full website audit adds a second pair of eyes, the evidence behind each finding and an order to fix them in. Our website visibility audit covers Google, Maps and AI answers in one report.
What does a website audit cost?
Doing this list yourself costs an afternoon. With us, the first look is free: the Free AI visibility check is a review by hand of your website and Google profile, with the first fixes, usually within two business days.
The Complete Visibility Report covers Google, Maps, AI answers and your website, with the evidence for each finding. Its price is on our pricing page. The Expert Action Plan ($149) is that report plus a 30-minute consultation. The Found Sprint ($1,500 fixed) is up to 10 prioritized fixes from that report, done within 30 days once we have access and an agreed scope.
I won't quote a market average; I have no verified source for one. Ask any seller for the list of checks and the proof behind each finding, and be wary of anyone who guarantees first place.[18]
What can you skip?
Skip three things:
- One score. Google says chasing a perfect Core Web Vitals score just for SEO reasons may not be the best use of your time.[3] The same goes for any score, ours included.
- Every warning. Google says a URL can be left out of the index for good reasons,[19] and to check a third-party tool's audit against Google's official guidance before big changes.[18]
- A tool before the list. Google says third-party tools don't have its internal ranking data and can't guarantee performance.[20]
What can't this checklist see?
Your calls, your competitors' pages and what AI assistants say about you. Only your call records and lead log show whether the phone rang. A local search audit compares you with the companies above you, and an AI visibility audit asks the AI assistants we test (currently ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity) your buyers' questions.
A pass isn't a ranking, either: Google says "URL is on Google" means eligible to appear in Search results, not guaranteed to be there.[5] Changes can take hours to months to show.[21] These pages were checked on October 15, 2026.