Choose a useful sample
Start with your homepage, a main service page and a page visitors use to contact or buy from you. Write down why each page matters. A short, deliberate list makes the first audit easier to act on than a large export with no owner.
Create a record for every observation
For each URL, record the title, description, primary heading, canonical destination and any failing internal links you can reproduce. Keep the observed value beside the proposed change. An absent field and a poorly written field are different problems; do not combine them into one vague task.
Decide what deserves attention first
Our suggested work order is access problems, misleading page information, then editorial improvements. Give each task an owner and a checkable outcome. For example, “replace the broken contact link and confirm the destination opens” is more useful than “improve technical SEO”.
Avoid inventing a traffic diagnosis
A public-page audit can inspect the website but cannot reveal its Google clicks or keyword performance. If you have no Search Console connection, treat the audit as a technical review. Link performance evidence later instead of filling gaps with estimated traffic.
Recheck and keep a change log
Record the date, page and exact change. Reopen the public URL and rerun the check. Completion means the intended change is present, not that rankings improved. Keep later search-performance observations separate from the implementation checklist.