How to Run SEO Audits on Pakistan Websites

Why SEO Audits Matter for Pakistani Websites

An SEO audit reveals problems that prevent a website from ranking, converting, or delivering a good user experience. In Pakistan’s growing digital economy — with increasing mobile use, regional languages like Urdu, and strong competition in sectors such as e-commerce, education and local services — audits help you:

• Identify technical issues (site speed, crawlability, indexing)
• Improve local search performance (Google Business Profile, local citations)
• Optimize content for Pakistani audiences and regional keywords
• Prioritize fixes to get fast wins and long-term SEO gains

Quick Answer: What Is an SEO Audit?

An SEO audit is a systematic review of a website’s technical infrastructure, on-page elements, content quality, backlink profile, and user experience to identify issues and improvement opportunities that affect search engine visibility.

Step-by-Step: How to Run SEO Audits on Pakistan Websites

1. Prepare: Define Goals and Scope

Before running tools, decide what you want from the audit:

• Goal — increase organic traffic, improve local leads, or boost sales.
• Scope — full site audit, top 100 pages, or specific sections like blog or product catalog.
• KPIs — organic sessions, keyword rankings, conversions, or page speed.

2. Crawl the Website (Technical SEO)

Use a crawler to discover pages, status codes, duplicate content, and more:

1. Tools: Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, DeepCrawl, or free options like Integrity and Xenu.
2. Key checks:
   • HTTP status codes (404, 500, 301/302 redirects)
   • Robots.txt and XML sitemap (presence and correctness)
   • Canonical tags and duplicate pages
   • Blocked resources (JS/CSS blocked from crawling)

3. Check Indexing & Search Console

Verify that Google indexes the right pages and there are no manual actions:

• Set up Google Search Console (GSC) and Bing Webmaster Tools
• Inspect important URLs with the GSC URL Inspection Tool
• Check Coverage report for indexation errors and excluded pages
• Review Performance report for queries, impressions, CTR and average position

4. Page Speed & Mobile Usability

Speed and mobile friendliness heavily affect rankings and conversions in Pakistan, where mobile-first browsing is common.

• Tools: Google PageSpeed Insights, Lighthouse, GTmetrix, WebPageTest
• Key metrics:
  • Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
  • First Input Delay (FID) / Interaction to Next Paint (INP)
  • Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
• Fixes:
  • Enable gzip/Brotli compression and server caching
  • Optimize and serve images in next-gen formats (WebP/AVIF)
  • Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN) — consider edge servers in or near Pakistan

5. On-Page SEO Audit (Content & HTML)

Review content relevance, keyword targeting, and on-page elements:

1. Meta titles and descriptions:
   • Unique, descriptive, and include target keywords
   • Keep title length under ~60 characters and meta description ~150–160 characters
2. Headings (H1, H2…) — ensure semantic structure and use keywords naturally
3. Content quality:
   • Avoid thin pages; add comprehensive, helpful content for Pakistani intent
   • Include local references, currency (PKR), and contact information where relevant
4. Image alt attributes and descriptive file names
5. Structured data (schema.org) for local business, products, reviews

6. Local SEO Checks for Pakistan

Local optimisation is crucial for service businesses and brick-and-mortar sites:

• Google Business Profile (GBP): Claim, verify, and optimize with correct NAP (Name, Address, Phone).
• Local citations: Ensure consistent NAP across Pakistani directories (Pakistan Yellow Pages, local business directories, and industry-specific listings).
• Localized keywords and landing pages for cities (Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad).
• Encourage and manage reviews on Google and local platforms.

7. Backlink & Off-Page Audit

Backlinks remain a strong ranking signal. Audit the backlink profile to spot risks and opportunities:

• Tools: Ahrefs, SEMrush, Moz, Majestic, and Google Search Console links report
• Check:
  • Number and quality of referring domains
  • Toxic links and unnatural anchor text patterns
  • Opportunities for outreach: local Pakistani websites, universities, news sites
• Disavow only if you have clear spammy links harming rankings

8. UX, Conversion & Content Audit

SEO and conversions go hand-in-hand. Evaluate user experience:

1. Navigation clarity and internal linking — important pages should be reachable within 3 clicks
2. Forms and CTAs — work on mobile-first form design and reduce friction
3. Content gaps — map keywords to content and create pages for buyer intent queries (e.g., “best web hosting in Pakistan”)
4. Multilingual content — if targeting Urdu speakers, implement proper hreflang or language tags and ensure accurate translations

9. Security and Technical Best Practices

Security and structured markup improve trust and visibility:

• Enable HTTPS site-wide and fix mixed-content errors
• Check for malware and remove suspicious scripts
• Implement sitemap.xml and submit to search consoles
• Use robots meta tags properly to control indexing

Tools & Resources — Recommended Toolkit

Sample SEO Audit Checklist (Quick Wins)

Use this checklist to quickly identify high-impact issues:

• Is the site using HTTPS across all pages?
• Are title tags unique and keyword-optimized?
• Are there crawl errors in Google Search Console?
• Does the site load under 3 seconds on mobile?
• Is there a valid XML sitemap submitted to GSC?
• Is there a local Google Business Profile and correct NAP?
• Are structured data snippets implemented where relevant?
• Are top landing pages mobile-friendly and conversion-optimized?

How to Prioritize SEO Fixes (Action Plan)

After the audit, sort issues by impact and effort to create a practical roadmap:

1. High impact / Low effort: Fix broken pages, update meta tags, submit sitemap.
2. High impact / High effort: Improve site speed, rework main landing pages, update architecture.
3. Low impact / Low effort: Add missing alt text, small copy edits.
4. Monitor results for 4–12 weeks after major changes and iterate based on analytics.

Local Considerations for Pakistani Websites

Tailor your audit and fixes for Pakistan-specific needs:

• Check hosting location and server response times in Pakistan; consider local or regional CDNs for faster delivery.
• Currency and payment gateway messaging — show PKR and support for local payment methods (e.g., JazzCash, Easypaisa) if applicable.
• Language and script — ensure right-to-left (RTL) support for Urdu and proper hreflang usage if you have multilingual versions.
• Local backlinks — outreach to Pakistani blogs, news sites, and university portals can boost authority in local searches.

If you want a professional audit tailored to a Pakistani audience, Growistan can provide a thorough site review and prioritized action plan.

Frequently Asked Questions (SEO Audit FAQs)

How long does a full SEO audit take?

A basic audit can take 1–3 days. A full technical + content + backlink audit with recommendations usually takes 1–2 weeks depending on site size and complexity.

How often should I run an SEO audit?

Run a lightweight audit monthly (crawl errors, speed, indexation) and a full audit every 3–6 months or after major site changes.

Can I do an SEO audit myself or should I hire an agency?

You can perform basic audits yourself using the tools mentioned. For scalable, in-depth audits and implementation — especially for enterprise sites — hiring experienced professionals often delivers faster, sustainable results.

Final Checklist Before You Finish an Audit

1. Document issues and evidence (screenshots, tool outputs).
2. Prioritize fixes by ROI and effort.
3. Create an implementation timeline and assign responsibilities.
4. Monitor metrics: organic traffic, keyword rankings, conversion rates.
5. Repeat the audit process after major updates or quarterly.