On-Page SEO Audit — Phase 3

Executive Summary

On-page SEO is the highest-leverage, lowest-cost ranking lever available. Title tag + meta optimization alone can improve CTR by 20–35% within 30 days (GSC data 2024). In 2025, on-page signals have a dual role: traditional ranking AND AI Overview citation probability. Pages without direct standalone answers and FAQPage schema rarely appear in AIO. Always compare against the top-ranking competitor's on-page patterns.

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Tools for This Phase

Tool	Purpose	Cost
Screaming Frog	Bulk audit: titles, meta, H1s, word counts, duplicate detection	Free/Paid
Google Search Console	Page-level impressions, CTR, position — identify rewrite priorities	Free
Surfer SEO	Content Score vs. top competitors — target 70+ cluster, 80+ pillar	Paid
Clearscope	Content grade vs. top 10 competitors — target A- pillar, B+ cluster	Paid
Ahrefs	Organic keywords per page, SERP features per URL	Paid
SEMrush	On-page checker — compare vs. top 10 ranking pages	Paid
Google Rich Results Test	FAQPage schema validation, structured data presence	Free
Chrome DevTools → Sources	Verify rendered HTML (JS-rendered content vs. raw HTML)	Free
site_crawler.py	Word counts, title/meta data per page CSV	Free (local)

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Step 1: Read Project Context

Read {AUDIT_DIR}/intake-data.md — business name, URL, services, location. Read {AUDIT_DIR}/technical-findings.md — page indexation status, canonical issues. Read {AUDIT_DIR}/competitor-profiles.md — competitor on-page patterns, title formats, schema usage. Read {DATA_DIR}/crawl/ — crawler output for bulk title/meta analysis.

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Priority Page Inventory

Audit in this order (highest business impact first):

1. Homepage
2. Primary service page(s) — one per core service
3. Location/service-area pages
4. Top-performing blog posts (by GSC impressions — filter top 10)
5. Contact page
6. About page (E-E-A-T critical)

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Section 1: Title Tags

Character Limits (2025)

• Optimal: 50–60 characters (displays fully in desktop SERPs)
• Mobile SERP: 50–55 characters
• Maximum before truncation: 60 characters (580px pixel width)
• Google rewrites if: Title doesn't match page content or is < 10 characters

Per-Page Checklist

For each key page, verify:

• Unique across the entire site? (Screaming Frog → Title → duplicates)
• Primary keyword in first 5 words?
• 50–60 characters?
• Location included for all service/location pages?
• Brand name at end (after | or —)?
• Contains action word, number, or value prop for CTR?
• No keyword stuffing (same keyword repeated)?

Optimal title formats:

Page Type	Format	Example
Service page	[Service] in [City] | [Brand]	Emergency Plumber in Chicago | Acme Plumbing
Homepage	[Brand] — [Service] in [City, State]	Acme Plumbing — Plumber in Chicago, IL
Blog post	[Question/Keyword] [Year] — [Brand]	How to Fix a Leaky Faucet 2025 — Acme Plumbing
Location page	[Service] in [City, ST] | [Brand]	Drain Cleaning in Evanston, IL | Acme

AI Overviews Title Optimization

Titles that appear in AIO tend to:

• Directly match conversational query intent
• Include "How", "What", "Best", or specific quantifiers
• Signal definitive authority: "Complete Guide", "Expert Guide", "[Year] Guide"

Competitor Title Comparison

Page	Client Title	Competitor #1 Title	Gap
Homepage
Primary service
Location page

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Section 2: Meta Descriptions

Character limits: 150–160 characters (desktop) | 130–145 characters (mobile) If Google rewrites 90%+ of meta descriptions: Page content doesn't match intent — rewrite lead paragraph first.

Per-page checklist:

• Unique across site? (Screaming Frog → Meta Description → duplicates)
• 150–160 characters?
• Contains primary keyword + location (local pages)?
• Clear value proposition (WHY click this result)?
• CTA: "Call today", "Get a free quote", "Book online"?
• Phone number on high-conversion service pages?
• No passive language ("We provide..." → "Get same-day service...")?

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Section 3: Header Tag Hierarchy (H1–H6)

Per-page checks:

• Exactly ONE H1 per page? (Screaming Frog → H1 → filter "Multiple H1")
• H1 contains primary keyword?
• H1 is unique across the site?
• Logical hierarchy — no level skipping (H1 → H2 → H3, NOT H1 → H3)?
• H2s structure main sections with secondary keywords?
• H3s for subtopics under H2s?
• Headers descriptive, not generic ("Our Services" → "Plumbing Services in Chicago")?
• Question-format H2s/H3s for AIO citation potential?

AIO-optimized header pattern (2025):

H1: [Primary Keyword in City] — [Benefit]
  H2: What Is [Service]?  ← AIO extraction target
  H2: How Much Does [Service] Cost in [City]?  ← AIO + featured snippet
    H3: Factors Affecting [Service] Cost
  H2: Our [Service] Process  ← HowTo schema opportunity
  H2: Frequently Asked Questions  ← FAQPage schema target
    H3: [Question 1]?
    H3: [Question 2]?

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Section 4: Content Optimization

Keyword Density & Distribution

• Primary keyword in first 100 words: ✅/❌
• Natural density: 1–2% (not stuffed, not absent)
• LSI/NLP entities used (not just exact match): ✅/❌
• Synonyms and related variants included: ✅/❌

Word Count Benchmarks (2025 HCS Standards)

| Page Type | Minimum | Competitive Target | Red Flag | |-----------|---------|-------------------|---------|- | Homepage | 600 words | 800–1,200 | < 400 | | Service page | 800 words | 1,200–2,000 | < 500 | | Location page | 600 words | 900–1,500 | < 400 | | Pillar blog | 2,500 words | 3,500–5,000 | < 1,200 | | Cluster blog | 1,200 words | 1,500–2,500 | < 600 | | FAQ answer | 150 words | 250–400 | < 50 |

Search Intent Satisfaction

Intent	Content Required	Conversion Rate
Informational	Comprehensive guide, all related questions answered	1–3%
Commercial	Service description, pricing signals, reviews, comparison	3–8%
Transactional	Clear path to contact/book, click-to-call, urgency	8–20%
Navigational	Gets user to destination immediately	Brand intent

Competitor comparison (Surfer/Clearscope):

Page	Client Word Count	Surfer Score	Comp #1 Words	Comp #1 Score	Gap
Homepage
[Service] page

Content Freshness

• Date visible on time-sensitive pages (updated YYYY)? ✅/❌
• Statistics current (< 2 years old)? ✅/❌
• Seasonal pages updated for current year? ✅/❌
• 2025 context: ChatGPT cites content updated within 30 days at 76.4% rate — freshness = AIO signal.

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Section 5: E-E-A-T On-Page Signals

E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) — Google's quality framework, critical since HCS integration into core algorithm (March 2024).

Experience Signals (NEW "first E" since Dec 2022)

• Real photos of team doing actual work? ✅/❌
• Case studies with before/after + specific outcomes? ✅/❌
• Project galleries with client permission? ✅/❌
• Video content showing expertise in action? ✅/❌
• Real project examples with specifics (location, problem, solution, outcome)? ✅/❌

Expertise Signals

• Author name + bio on all blog posts? ✅/❌
• Author page with credentials at /about/[name]? ✅/❌
• Certifications, licenses, professional memberships stated? ✅/❌
• Years of experience stated with specific projects? ✅/❌

Authoritativeness

• External links to authoritative sources (not competitors)? ✅/❌
• Industry data cited with sources + dates? ✅/❌
• Awards or recognition mentioned with links? ✅/❌

Trustworthiness

• About page with real team photos + bios? ✅/❌
• Physical address in footer and Contact page? ✅/❌
• Privacy policy + terms of service linked from footer? ✅/❌
• SSL/HTTPS on all pages? ✅/❌
• Third-party review platform links (Google, BBB, Yelp)? ✅/❌

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Section 6: Internal Linking

Hub-and-Spoke Architecture Check

• Pillar service pages link to all related subtopic pages? ✅/❌
• Subtopic pages link back to pillar? ✅/❌
• Blog posts link to relevant service pages (conversion bridge)? ✅/❌
• Service pages link to related blog content (depth signal)? ✅/❌

Internal Link Metrics (from Screaming Frog)

Check	Target	Client
Orphan pages (0 internal links)	0
Pages requiring > 3 clicks from homepage	0
Max internal links per page	< 100
Homepage internal links	25–75

Anchor Text Quality

• Descriptive, keyword-inclusive anchors (not "click here")? ✅/❌
• Varied anchor text (not same anchor for all links to same page)? ✅/❌
• Primary keyword anchor to primary service page? ✅/❌

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Section 7: Image SEO

Check	Target	Impact
Alt text: descriptive, 5–15 words, keyword-inclusive	All images	AIO image citation + accessibility
Alt text max length	150 characters	Screen reader UX
Filename: descriptive (not IMG_1234.jpg)	All images	Image search ranking
Format: WebP or AVIF	All non-hero images	Page speed
Dimensions width/height specified	All images	CLS prevention
loading="lazy" on below-fold images	All below-fold	LCP improvement
Geo-tagged EXIF data	Location-relevant images	Local SEO signal
Image in XML sitemap	Significant images	Image search visibility

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Section 8: AI Overviews Optimization (2025 Critical)

Pages cited in AIO score 4× the impressions of position 1 organic when AIO appears. AIO appears for 20–35% of local service queries (SparkToro 2025).

AIO citation requirements — checklist per page:

• Direct, standalone answer in first 40–50 words (no preamble)?
• Question-format H2/H3 headers matching common voice/conversational queries?
• Definitions: "A [service] is..." format in first paragraph?
• Specific data points (costs, timelines, measurements) stated precisely?
• Numbered step-by-step processes (HowTo schema opportunity)?
• Structured comparisons using tables?
• FAQPage schema with 5+ questions on service pages?
• Content updated within last 30 days (freshness = AIO citation bias)?
• Business rated ≥ 4.3 stars (review signal for local AIO)?

Test: Search target keyword → does AIO appear? Is client cited? If competitor cited but not client → content gap in answer structure.

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Section 9: Page Experience Signals

• Core Web Vitals all "Good" (from Phase 10)? ✅/❌
• No intrusive interstitials blocking content on mobile? ✅/❌
• No aggressive ads above fold? ✅/❌
• Safe browsing clean (no malware)? ✅/❌
• Mobile-friendly (Google Mobile-Friendly Test passing)? ✅/❌
• No horizontal scrolling on mobile (375px viewport)? ✅/❌

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Section 10: CTAs

Check	High-Intent Pages	Blog Posts
At least 1 CTA per page	Required	Required
CTA above fold on mobile	Required	Optional
Click-to-call <a href="tel:...">	Required	Recommended
Service-specific CTA (not generic "Contact Us")	Required	N/A
CTA visual contrast (color + size)	Required	Required
Multiple CTAs on long pages (top/mid/bottom)	Required	Recommended
Sticky CTA header/bar on mobile	High priority	Optional

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Scoring

Category	Weight	Score
Title tags (uniqueness, optimization, length)	15%	/15
Meta descriptions (uniqueness, CTR optimization)	10%	/10
Header hierarchy (H1 uniqueness, keyword use, AIO structure)	10%	/10
Content depth + intent satisfaction vs. competitors	20%	/20
E-E-A-T signals (all 4 components)	20%	/20
Internal linking (hub-and-spoke, orphans, anchor text)	10%	/10
Image SEO (alt text, format, dimensions)	5%	/5
AI Overviews optimization (FAQPage, direct answers)	10%	/10

Veto: > 50% of service pages missing FAQPage schema → maximum AI visibility score capped at 40/100.

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Output

Write complete findings to {AUDIT_DIR}/onpage-findings.md with YAML frontmatter:

---
skill: audit/onpage-seo
phase: 3
date: [YYYY-MM-DD]
business: [Business Name]
url: [URL]
score: [X/100]
pages_audited: [X]
title_issues: [X]
missing_faqpage: [X]
eeat_score: [X/20]
aio_citations: [X]
---

Include:

• Score X/100 with per-category breakdown
• Page-by-page title + meta audit table (all priority pages)
• H1 issues table (duplicates, missing, non-optimized)
• Content depth comparison (client vs. top 3 competitors, Surfer scores)
• E-E-A-T assessment across all 4 dimensions
• Internal linking audit (orphans, hub-and-spoke gaps)
• Image SEO issues table
• AIO readiness checklist (per key page)
• CTAs audit with conversion improvement estimates
• Priority matrix (all issues, Impact × Feasibility scored)
• 30/90-day on-page improvement plan with effort estimates

Output files:

• {AUDIT_DIR}/onpage-findings.md — on-page audit findings with score
• {REPORTS_DIR}/phase-3-onpage-seo.pdf — auto-generated PDF after phase completes

Key consumers:

• research/content-gaps — reads for content quality gaps to address
• strategy/ux-cro-audit — reads for CTA gaps and conversion opportunities
• cross-cutting/serp-trust-auditor — Ranking Signals (R) dimension
• ai-visibility/ai-seo — AIO readiness signals feed AI audit

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On-Page SEO Priority Action Table

Issue Priority by Type

Issue Type	Impact	Feasibility	Priority	Avg Effort	Expected Lift
Missing FAQPage schema on service pages	5	5	25	30 min/page	3.2× AIO citation rate
Title tag missing primary keyword	4	5	20	5 min/page	+5–15% CTR
Missing or duplicate H1	4	5	20	5 min/page	Crawl clarity
Meta description too long (>155 chars) or missing	3	5	15	5 min/page	+3–8% CTR
Thin page content (<500 words on service page)	5	3	15	4–8 hrs/page	Rankings lift
Missing HowTo schema on process pages	4	4	16	30 min/page	Featured snippet + AIO
Internal links: orphaned pages (<3 inbound links)	4	5	20	15 min/page	PageRank distribution
Image alt text missing	3	5	15	30 min (bulk)	Accessibility + image search
Keyword cannibalization (2+ pages targeting same keyword)	4	4	16	1–2 hrs	Consolidates ranking power

Numbered Action Plan

Immediate (Week 1, No Dev Required)

1. Add FAQPage schema to all service pages — highest ROI action: 3.2× AIO citation rate, 30 min/page, no developer needed via JSON-LD script block. Effort: 30 min/page. Priority: 25.
2. Fix title tags — ensure primary keyword in first 50 characters; title length 50–60 characters; unique per page. Use Screaming Frog to batch-identify. Effort: 5 min/page. Priority: 20.
3. Fix duplicate or missing H1s — each page must have exactly one H1. Check with Screaming Frog → filter "Missing H1" and "Multiple H1". Effort: 5 min/page. Priority: 20.
4. Optimize meta descriptions — 120–155 characters, includes primary keyword, has a CTA ("Call us today", "Get a free quote"). Missing meta = Google auto-generates (usually suboptimal). Effort: 5 min/page. Priority: 15.
5. Fix orphaned pages — run site_crawler.py → identify pages with <3 inbound internal links → add contextual links from related pages (not navigation). Effort: 15 min/page. Priority: 20.

Short-Term (Week 2–4, Content + Developer)

6. Add HowTo schema to process pages — "How to [service]" pages without HowTo schema miss featured snippet + AIO opportunities. Effort: 30 min/page. Priority: 16.
7. Expand thin content — service pages <800 words: expand with: local pricing context, process steps, FAQs, local testimonials, before/after. Target Surfer Score ≥70. Effort: 2–4 hrs/page. Priority: 15.
8. Resolve keyword cannibalization — 2+ pages targeting same keyword: pick the stronger one (more links, better CTR), 301 redirect the weaker, consolidate content. Effort: 1–2 hrs per pair. Priority: 16.
9. Add bulk image alt text — use Screaming Frog to export all images missing alt text → add descriptive alt text (keyword-included where relevant, descriptive always). Effort: 30 min bulk. Priority: 15.
10. Audit and fix duplicate title tags — Screaming Frog → filter Duplicate Title Tags → rewrite each to be unique and keyword-specific. Effort: 5 min/page. Priority: 20.