How to Fix Your Audit Issues
Not all issues are equally important. Here's how to decide which ones to fix first.
Prioritisation: What Matters Most
Critical — Fix First
These have the biggest impact on your rankings and visibility:
- ➜Crawlability — If Google can't find your pages, nothing else matters
- ➜Mobile — Over 60% of searches are on mobile; Google prioritises mobile experience
- ➜Performance — Slow sites lose visitors and rank lower
- ➜Security — HTTPS is required; browsers warn visitors about insecure sites
Fixing these can dramatically improve your visibility within weeks.
High Impact — Fix Next
These keep you competitive with other local businesses:
- ➜On-Page SEO — Titles and descriptions get more clicks from Google
- ➜Structured Data — Stand out in search results with rich previews
- ➜Content — Detailed, helpful content ranks better
Maintenance — Fix Later
These improve experience but don't drastically change visibility:
- ➜Link Health — Broken links frustrate visitors
- ➜Accessibility — The right thing to do; helps all visitors
DIY vs Professional Help
You Can DIY
- •Add/update titles and descriptions
- •Add alt text to images
- •Update old content
- •Fix broken links
- •Add basic structured data (with plugins)
Hire a Developer
- •Crawlability issues (robots.txt, redirects)
- •Performance optimisation (caching, CDN)
- •Mobile responsiveness issues
- •Security (SSL, security headers)
- •Complex structured data
Rule of thumb: If it takes technical knowledge or touching code, hire help. Your time is better spent on content and your business.
Step-by-Step Fix Plan
Week 1: Assessment
- Read what each low-scoring category means
- Click into each issue in your audit results
- Note which ones you can fix vs need help on
- Get quotes from developers if needed
Weeks 2-3: Quick Wins
- Fix any on-page issues (titles, descriptions)
- Update outdated content
- Fix broken links you find
- Add alt text to images
Weeks 4-6: Bigger Projects
- Get developer help with crawlability/performance if needed
- Implement structured data
- Mobile optimisations
Ongoing: Maintenance
- Monthly — Update content, check for broken links
- Quarterly — Re-run audit to check progress
- Annually — Full site review
Realistic Expectations
2-4 weeks
Easy fixes
Titles, broken links
4-8 weeks
Medium fixes
Content, performance
2-3 months
Complex fixes
Crawlability, mobile redesign
Google doesn't instantly reward fixes. It takes time for crawlers to revisit and re-index your changes.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Fixing everything at once — Makes it hard to see what worked
Focusing on low-impact issues first — Spend time on things that don't move the needle
Not measuring results — Re-run audits to confirm improvements
'Set and forget' — One audit isn't enough; maintain your site continuously
Ignoring your customers — Don't fix issues just for SEO; make sure improvements help your visitors
Get Help When You Need It
There's no shame in hiring help. A good developer can:
- ✓Fix technical issues you can't
- ✓Save you time (better than DIY)
- ✓Implement best practices you might miss
It usually costs less than the customers you'd lose by staying broken.
Next Steps
- 1 Identify your Critical issues — Start with crawlability, mobile, performance, security
- 2 Read the dedicated guides — Understand what each category means and how to fix it
- 3 Make a plan — What can you fix? What needs professional help?
- 4 Take action — Pick one issue and fix it this week
- 5 Measure and repeat — Re-run your audit monthly to see progress
Every fix you make is a step toward more visibility in Google and more customers finding your business.