ProRank SEO

Site Audit User Guide

Learn how to use ProRank SEO's Site Audit feature to find and fix SEO issues on your website. This tool helps you identify problems that may be hurting your search rankings.

ProRank SEO Site Audit Dashboard
Important: Site Audit requires an active ProRank SEO license. Make sure your license is activated in Support & Account before using this feature.

What is Site Audit?

Site Audit is a tool that automatically scans your entire website to find SEO problems. It checks things like:

  • Missing page titles and descriptions
  • Broken links and images
  • Slow loading pages
  • Mobile-friendliness issues
  • Security problems
  • Content quality issues

The audit runs on ProRank.io's cloud servers, which means it won't slow down your website while scanning.

How to Start Your First Audit

Step 1: Go to Site Audit

  1. In your WordPress admin, go to ProRank SEO in the left menu
  2. Click on Site Audit & Tools
  3. You'll see the Site Audit dashboard

Step 2: Check Your Connection

Look for the connection status at the top of the page:

  • ✅ ProRank.io Connected - You're ready to start
  • ⚠️ ProRank.io Not Connected - Check your license in Support & Account

Step 3: Start the Audit

  1. Click the "Start New Audit" button
  2. The audit will begin scanning your website
  3. You'll see a progress bar showing how many pages have been checked
  4. Wait for the audit to complete (usually 5-15 minutes for most sites)
Tip: You can leave the page while the audit runs. Come back later to see the results!

Understanding Your Results

The Dashboard Tab

After the audit completes, the Dashboard shows:

  • SEO Score: A number from 0-100 showing your site's overall SEO health
  • Total Issues: How many problems were found
  • Issue Breakdown: Issues sorted by severity (Critical, High, Medium, Low)

Issue Severity Levels

🔴 Critical Issues

These need immediate attention. They seriously hurt your SEO.

🟠 High Priority

Important problems that should be fixed soon.

🟡 Medium Priority

Issues that affect SEO but aren't urgent.

🔵 Low Priority

Minor issues you can fix when you have time.

The Issues Tab

Click the Issues tab to see all problems found. For each issue, you'll see:

  • What the problem is
  • Which pages are affected
  • How to fix it
  • Why it matters for SEO

Core Web Vitals Tab

The Core Web Vitals tab shows your site's performance metrics:

  • LCP: How fast your main content loads
  • INP: How quickly your site responds to clicks (NEW in 2024!)
  • CLS: How stable your page layout is
  • FCP: When the first content appears
  • TTFB: Server response time
Note: INP (Interaction to Next Paint) replaced FID in 2024. It measures how responsive your site is throughout the entire visit, not just the first click.

How to Fix Issues

Manual Fixes

Most issues need to be fixed manually. The audit will tell you exactly what to do:

  1. Click on an issue in the Issues tab
  2. Read the "How to Fix" instructions
  3. Make the changes to your website
  4. Run another audit to check if it's fixed

Quick Fix Button

Some issues have a "Quick Fix" button. These can be fixed automatically:

  • Missing meta descriptions
  • Image compression issues
  • Browser caching settings
  • GZIP compression

Just click the Quick Fix button and ProRank SEO will fix it for you!

Exporting Your Results

After an audit completes, you can download the results:

  1. Look for the Export CSV or Export PDF buttons
  2. Click the format you want
  3. The report will download to your computer

This is useful for:

  • Sharing results with clients or team members
  • Keeping records of improvements over time
  • Working on fixes offline

Customizing Audit Settings

Click the Settings tab to customize how the audit runs:

Basic Settings

SettingWhat it DoesRecommended
Max PagesHow many pages to scan500 for most sites
Crawl SpeedHow fast to scan (pages per minute)30 (default)
Check ImagesLook for broken/unoptimized imagesOn
Check External LinksVerify links to other websites workOff (slower)
Note: Higher crawl speeds and more pages will make the audit take longer. Start with default settings for best results.

Viewing Past Audits

The History tab shows your previous audits:

  • Date and time of each audit
  • SEO score for that audit
  • Number of issues found
  • Comparison with previous audits

This helps you track if your SEO is improving over time!

Best Practices

How Often to Run Audits

  • ✅ Monthly: For most websites
  • ✅ Weekly: If you're actively fixing issues
  • ✅ After Major Changes: When you update content or design

Tips for Better Results

  • ✅ Fix critical issues first
  • ✅ Focus on pages that get the most traffic
  • ✅ Run a new audit after making fixes to verify they worked
  • ✅ Export results before making changes for comparison

Common Questions

Why is my audit not starting?

Check these things:

  • Is "ProRank.io Connected" showing at the top?
  • Do you have an active license?
  • Is another audit already running?

If still not working, go to Support & Account and re-enter your license key.

How long does an audit take?

It depends on your site size:

  • Small sites (under 50 pages): 2-5 minutes
  • Medium sites (50-500 pages): 5-15 minutes
  • Large sites (over 500 pages): 15-30 minutes
Can I stop an audit once it starts?

Yes! While an audit is running, you'll see a "Stop Audit" button. Click it to cancel the audit. You'll still see partial results for the pages that were already scanned.

Will the audit slow down my website?

No! The audit runs on ProRank.io's servers, not yours. Your website visitors won't notice any difference in speed while an audit is running.

What's the difference between issue types?

Issues are grouped into categories:

  • Technical SEO: Code and structure problems
  • On-Page: Content and keyword issues
  • Performance: Speed and loading problems
  • Security: HTTPS and safety issues
  • Mobile: Problems on phones/tablets

Troubleshooting

If You See "ProRank.io Not Connected"

  1. Go to ProRank SEO → Support & Account
  2. Check if your license key is entered
  3. Make sure your license is active (not expired)
  4. Click "Save Changes" to reconnect

If the Audit Gets Stuck

  1. Wait at least 5 minutes (some sites take time)
  2. Click "Stop Audit" if available
  3. Refresh the page
  4. Try starting a new audit

If Results Seem Wrong

  1. Check the Settings tab
  2. Make sure "Max Pages" is high enough
  3. Verify no important pages are excluded
  4. Run the audit again

What to Do After Your Audit

  1. Review Critical Issues First - These have the biggest impact on SEO
  2. Use Quick Fix - For issues that can be fixed automatically
  3. Fix Manual Issues - Follow the "How to Fix" instructions
  4. Check Core Web Vitals - Make sure your site loads fast
  5. Re-run Audit - After making fixes, run again to see improvements
  6. Export Results - Save a copy for your records
Ready to start? Go to ProRank SEO → Site Audit & Toolsand click "Start New Audit" to begin analyzing your website!

Additional Features

Re-run Audit Button

After completing an audit, you'll see a "Re-run Audit" button. Use this to:

  • Check if your fixes worked
  • Find new issues that may have appeared
  • Update your SEO score

Real-Time Updates

While the audit runs, you'll see:

  • Live progress bar
  • Number of pages scanned
  • Current status messages
  • Estimated time remaining

Smart Issue Detection

The audit automatically finds:

  • Duplicate content
  • Missing alt text on images
  • Pages that load too slowly
  • Broken internal and external links
  • Mobile usability problems
  • Security vulnerabilities
Remember: Regular audits help maintain good SEO health. Set a reminder to run an audit at least once a month!