SEO Action Plan vs. SEO Audit: What’s the Difference?
If you’ve spent any time looking into ways to improve your website’s performance, you’ve probably come across both SEO audits and SEO action plans. While they sound similar, they serve very different purposes – and knowing which one you need (and when) can save you time, money, and a lot of frustration.
In this article, I’ll break down the key differences between an SEO audit and an SEO action plan, and help you decide which is right for your business.
What Is an SEO Audit?
An SEO audit is a comprehensive health check of your website. It involves analysing a wide range of technical, on-page, and off-page elements to identify anything that might be holding back your performance in search engines.
Most audits will look at:
- Crawlability and indexing
- Site speed and mobile usability
- Meta tags and on-page content
- Broken links and redirects
- Backlink profile
- Basic keyword alignment
Audits are often generated using SEO tools like Screaming Frog, SEMrush or Ahrefs, and while they can be incredibly detailed, they usually don’t tell you what to do with that data – or how to prioritise it.
What Is an SEO Action Plan?
An SEO action plan is the next step – or, in many cases, the better first step.
Rather than simply pointing out what’s wrong, an action plan focuses on what matters most, and gives you a clear, tailored strategy for fixing it.
A good SEO action plan includes:
- A prioritised list of fixes and improvements
- Strategic context (why each action matters)
- Clear next steps for implementation
- Advice tailored to your goals, site, and sector
- No jargon – just what to do and how to do it
Where an audit diagnoses the problems, an action plan is the treatment plan – designed to help you take action with confidence.
Key Differences at a Glance
SEO Audit | SEO Action Plan |
Tool-led analysis | Consultant-led strategy |
Flags issues | Recommends fixes |
Can be overwhelming | Prioritised and easy to follow |
Often technical and generic | Tailored to your site and goals |
Useful for in-house teams | Ideal for business owners or marketers |
Do You Need Both?
Not necessarily. If you’re running a large site with a development team, a detailed audit may be useful. But for most small to mid-sized businesses, an action plan is often more valuable – because it focuses on clarity and impact, not just data.
In fact, many SEO audits sit untouched in inboxes because they don’t answer the real question: what should we actually do next?
Which One Is Right for You?
If you’re a business owner, marketing manager, or freelancer trying to get better results from your website without wasting time or budget, an SEO action plan is probably what you’re looking for.
It helps you:
- Understand what’s really holding your site back
- Focus on actions, not just problems
- Avoid “SEO paralysis” caused by endless data
Save time, reduce confusion, and improve ROI
Need an SEO Action Plan That Cuts Through the Noise?
At Slingshot Search, I offer a one-off, one-day SEO service designed for small businesses. You’ll get a clear, prioritised action plan tailored to your website – with no retainers, no fluff, and no hard sell.
Book your discovery call today.
Want to fix your SEO without committing to a long-term contract?
Book your call and let’s get your website sorted.