If you own or manage a website and want to know what’s really going on under the hood, a site audit is non-negotiable. But if you’ve ever opened up a tool like SEMrush and felt overwhelmed by the dashboards, endless errors, and “opportunities,” you’re not alone. This guide is for folks who want a no-nonsense, step-by-step approach to running a useful audit—without getting lost in the noise or wasting time on fake problems.
Let’s get straight to it.
Step 1: Set Up Your SEMrush Project
First things first—you’ll need a SEMrush account (paid plans get you the full audit; free ones are limited). Once you’re logged in:
- Go to “Projects” in the left sidebar.
- Click “Create Project.”
- Enter your website’s domain. SEMrush can handle subdomains or full URLs, but start simple: use your main root domain.
- Name your project something you’ll remember.
Pro tip: If you run multiple sites, set up each as its own project. Mixing domains in a single audit is a recipe for confusion.
Step 2: Configure the Site Audit Settings
Don’t just punch in your URL and hit “start.” The settings you choose here matter—a lot.
1. Set the Crawl Scope
- Limit the number of pages: By default, SEMrush crawls up to 100 pages, but you can bump this up. For small sites, 500-1,000 is plenty. For bigger ones, set it higher (just be aware of your plan’s limits).
- Crawl subdomains? Only if you actually use them. Otherwise, stick to the main domain.
- Include/exclude URLs: Use “Allow / Disallow URLs” to skip junk (like staging sites or old blog tags).
2. Choose the Crawl Source
- SEMrushbot vs. Website Sitemap: “Website” just crawls links it can find. If you have a good XML sitemap, use it—it’s usually more thorough.
- User-Agent: By default, SEMrush crawls as Googlebot. That’s usually fine unless you’ve got heavy bot-blocking.
3. Handle Login/Restricted Areas
If your site has login-only sections or staging areas, skip them unless you really want to crawl those. Auditing password-protected areas rarely helps SEO.
What to ignore: Unless you’re running a huge, complex ecommerce site, don’t waste time configuring advanced parameters or JavaScript rendering yet. Start simple. You can always re-crawl with more settings later.
Step 3: Run the Site Audit
Hit “Start Site Audit.” Now wait.
- For most sites, a crawl takes a few minutes to an hour.
- Don’t obsessively refresh—SEMrush will email you when it’s done.
Once the crawl finishes, you’ll land on the “Site Audit Overview.” This is where the data dump begins.
Step 4: Understand the Site Audit Dashboard (and What to Ignore)
The dashboard is a wall of numbers and warnings. Here’s how to make sense of it:
The “Site Health” Score
- This is SEMrush’s attempt at a one-number summary. Take it with a grain of salt.
- A low score isn't always an emergency; a high score doesn't mean you're perfect.
The Big Three Sections
- Errors: Technically serious issues (broken links, missing pages, etc.). Focus here first.
- Warnings: Medium-level stuff. Worth fixing, but not always urgent.
- Notices: These are suggestions, not must-fixes. Don’t get bogged down.
What to ignore: Don’t chase a “100%” score. Not every warning is relevant—SEMrush can be dramatic. Prioritize what actually affects your users and your rankings.
Step 5: Dig Into Critical Errors
Start with the red “Errors” section. These are your must-fix problems.
Common Critical Errors
- Broken internal links: Pages on your site linking to dead ends. These hurt navigation and crawlability.
- 4xx/5xx status codes: Pages that return errors (404s, 500s). If important pages are down, fix them ASAP.
- Duplicate content: SEMrush flags identical or near-identical pages. Not always a crisis, but unchecked, it can dilute rankings.
- Missing title tags or H1s: Every page needs a unique title and main headline.
- HTTPS issues: Mixed content (some resources still loading over HTTP) makes browsers flag your site as “Not Secure.”
How to fix: Click into each error to see which pages are affected. SEMrush links directly to the offenders, which saves a ton of time.
What to ignore: Minor duplicate content (like print versions of pages), or errors on old, intentionally deactivated URLs. Focus on live, important pages first.
Step 6: Review Warnings (But Don’t Panic)
Warnings are things SEMrush thinks are problems, but context matters.
Common Warnings
- Missing meta descriptions: Not a crisis, but writing unique descriptions can help click-through rates.
- Large page sizes: Over 1MB? That’s slow for most users. Compress images or cut down bloated content.
- Too many on-page links: Hundreds of links on a single page can confuse bots and users.
- Redirect chains: Multiple redirects in a row slow things down and waste crawl budget.
How to approach: Don’t blindly fix every warning. For example, long title tags aren’t always bad if they’re readable and helpful.
Step 7: Skim Notices for Real Opportunities
Notices are low-priority, but sometimes you’ll spot easy wins.
Examples worth your time:
- Missing alt attributes on images: Helps accessibility and image SEO.
- No sitemap.xml or robots.txt: Both are easy to add and help search engines understand your site.
- Orphaned pages: Pages with no internal links pointing to them. If they’re important, link to them from elsewhere.
What to skip: Hyper-specific stuff like “no rel=‘noopener’ on external links” isn’t a ranking factor. Don’t sweat the small stuff.
Step 8: Compare Crawls Over Time
A single audit is a snapshot. The real value is in tracking changes.
- Re-run the site audit monthly (or after big site changes).
- Compare new vs. old reports—did your fixes actually work?
- Watch for new errors creeping in.
Pro tip: SEMrush can schedule audits and email you reports. Set it and forget it.
Step 9: Export, Prioritize, and Take Action
You’ll get more out of your audit if you take it offline:
- Export your issues: SEMrush lets you download reports as Excel or CSV files.
- Prioritize: Fix critical errors first, then warnings, then notices (if you have time).
- Assign tasks: If you have a team, SEMrush can sync issues straight to Trello, Asana, or Jira. If it’s just you, make a checklist.
Don’t: Get lost in the data. Fix real user problems first—broken pages, slow loads, confusing navigation. That’s what moves the needle.
Step 10: Bonus—Check Your Site’s Core Web Vitals
SEMrush pulls in some page speed and Core Web Vitals data, but it’s not perfect. For a deeper look:
- Use Google PageSpeed Insights or Lighthouse for specific URLs.
- Focus on real-world issues: slow mobile load, layout shifts, etc.
Why it matters: Google cares about user experience, but obsessing over every millisecond isn’t worth it unless you’re already running a fast, functional site.
Keep It Simple—and Keep Going
A SEMrush site audit is a great way to spot technical problems, but don’t treat every warning like a five-alarm fire. Fix the real issues, ignore the noise, and don’t chase perfection.
Most important: run audits regularly, make small improvements, and don’t let the sheer volume of “issues” paralyze you. Websites are never perfect, and that’s okay.