Have you ever paid for an SEO audit only to receive a massive PDF that looks suspiciously like it was generated by an automated tool? A document so packed with technical jargon and “urgent issues” that you need a translator and a stiff drink just to get through page one?

You’re not alone. And I’m here to tell you why that money could have been better spent on literally anything else.

The copy-paste SEO Audit con

Here’s what typically happens: You hand over several hundred quid to an “SEO expert” who promises a comprehensive website analysis. Three days later, you receive a 50-page document that’s essentially a Semrush or Ahrefs report with the expert’s logo slapped on top.

They’ve run your site through an automated tool, changed precisely nothing in the output, and called it an audit. It’s like paying a nutritionist who just hands you the ingredients list from the back of your cereal box and calls it a personalised diet plan.

What you’ve received isn’t an audit – it’s a data dump. And data without context or practical implementation steps isn’t worth even the 20 seconds it took your expert to run it.

The “fix everything” fallacy

These audits typically include a laundry list of “critical issues” that absolutely must be fixed right now or Google will apparently banish your site to the digital equivalent of Siberia.

“Your meta description on your privacy policy page is 167 characters instead of 155-160! CRITICAL ERROR!“
“This image could be compressed by an additional 0.02%! YOUR SITE IS DOOMED!“

But not every technical SEO issue actually matters to your business. A website doesn’t need a 100% perfect health score to rank well. It needs to be good enough in the areas that actually impact your specific users and search visibility.

Often sites with a fair few technical “errors” outrank technically perfect sites because they have better content and serve user needs more effectively.

What’s missing from most audits

A proper SEO audit should answer these questions:

What specific issues are holding YOUR site back from ranking better?
Which of these issues will make the biggest difference if fixed?
How exactly do you fix them (not just what to fix, but how)?
What opportunities are you missing that competitors are capitalising on?
What’s working well that you should do more of?

Most importantly: How does this translate to actual business results?

Instead, most audits focus on technical box-ticking exercises with no prioritisation and no clear path to implementation. You’re left with a document that makes you feel terrible about your website but gives you no practical way forward.

The audit alternative that actually works

If you’re considering spending money on an SEO audit, pause for a moment and consider whether you might be better served by:

A focused consultation with someone who will actually look at your specific business goals and challenges
Clear, prioritised action steps you can implement immediately
Guidance on what actually matters for your industry and competitors

Not coincidentally, this is exactly what I offer in my 1:1 SEO Training sessions. For less than the cost of most generic audits, you’ll get personalised advice tailored specifically to your website and business goals. No automated reports, no generic recommendations – just straight talk about what will actually move the needle for your business.

Are there any good audits?

Yes, but they’re rare. A good audit comes from someone who:

Actually visits your website and explores it like a user would
Understands your business model and revenue goals
Provides clear implementation steps, not just problems
Prioritises actions based on impact, not technical purity
Focuses on opportunities, not just issues

If your audit doesn’t include these elements, you’ve likely wasted your money on a glorified automated report.

What to do instead:

Stop throwing money at generic SEO audits that tell you to fix everything but help you fix nothing. Instead, invest in personalised advice from someone who actually takes the time to understand your business.

Want a no-nonsense evaluation of what’s actually holding your website back? Book a 1:1 session, and let’s cut through the BS together. No 50-page reports. No technical jargon. Just practical advice you can actually use.