# Free SEO Audit: What You Get and What You Don’t > What a free SEO audit checks, what it misses, how to spot a sales pitch, and how Dex's free SEO plan differs. No card needed, ready in 60 seconds. Canonical: https://www.getdexseo.com/blog/free-seo-checks/free-seo-audit/ Author: Dex SEO, Editorial team Published: Oct 24, 2026 · Updated: Oct 24, 2026 A **free SEO audit** is an [automated or semi-manual scan of your website](https://www.getdexseo.com/blog/free-seo-checks/) that flags technical problems, on-page gaps and a handful of quick fixes. It costs nothing, takes minutes, and tells you what is broken. It usually does not tell you what to write, which keywords you can actually win, or how to get it done. That gap matters. Dex has answers. An audit is a diagnosis. You still need a treatment plan. Below you will see what a free audit covers, where it falls short, whether it is a sales pitch, and how Dex’s free SEO plan differs. ## What is included in a free SEO audit? Most free audits run the same core checks. The depth varies by tool, but expect a report that covers some or all of the following. ### Technical checks - **Crawlability:** whether search engines can reach your pages, and whether robots.txt or noindex tags block anything. - **Broken links and redirects:** dead pages, redirect chains, 404 errors. - **Page speed and mobile:** load time signals and whether the layout works on a phone. - **HTTPS and security:** whether your site is served securely. - **Sitemap and indexing:** whether a sitemap exists and pages appear indexable. ### On-page checks - Missing or duplicate title tags and meta descriptions. - Missing H1 headings or several H1s on one page. - Images without alt text. - Thin pages with very little text. ### Basic off-page signals Some audits add a [rough backlink count](https://www.getdexseo.com/blog/free-seo-checks/check-backlinks/) or an authority-style score. Treat these as loose indicators, not verdicts. ### What you walk away with Usually a score and a list of issues sorted by severity. [The score is handy for tracking change over time](https://www.getdexseo.com/blog/free-seo-checks/seo-score-checker/), but the list is what you act on. Fixing a missing title tag is useful. It will not, on its own, make a page rank for a competitive search. ## Are free SEO audits just sales pitches? Sometimes, yes. Not always. A free audit is a common lead magnet, so it helps to know what you are looking at. ### Signs the audit is mostly a pitch - The report is intentionally alarming, with dozens of red warnings and no priorities. - Key details are hidden until you book a call or hand over contact details. - It promises rankings or traffic if you sign up. No honest provider can guarantee that. - It flags trivial items as critical to make the problem look bigger. ### Signs it is genuinely useful - Issues are ranked by impact, with a plain explanation of why each one matters. - You can see the full report without paying. - It tells you what to fix first and what can wait. - It is clear about what it did not check. A pitch is not automatically bad. A tool can be free and still want you as a customer. What matters is whether the report is honest and whether you can use it without buying anything. Judge it on that. ## What can a free audit miss? Plenty. Audits are good at things a crawler can measure. They are weak at things that need judgment about your market and your buyers. ### Keyword strategy An audit can tell you [a page lacks a title tag](https://www.getdexseo.com/blog/free-seo-checks/seo-page-checker/). It rarely tells you which searches your buyers type, how hard they are to win, or whether your site is close to ranking for them. Without that, you may polish pages nobody searches for. ### Content gaps A crawler sees the pages you have. It cannot easily see the pages you should have. If a café has no page for a search like “brunch near me” or a dentist has nothing on a common treatment question, the audit will not complain. Nothing is broken. Something is missing. ### Search intent A page can be technically perfect and still fail because it does not match what searchers want. Tools rarely judge that well. ### Competitor context A score of 80 means little if the sites above you are stronger on the searches that matter. [Rankings depend on competition and site history](https://www.getdexseo.com/blog/free-seo-checks/check-website-ranking-google/), not on your score alone. ### Execution Even a perfect audit leaves a to-do list. Someone has to research, write, publish and measure. [For a small business owner, that is the part that never happens](https://www.getdexseo.com/blog/seo-for-small-business/seo-services-small-business/). It is exactly the gap Dex is built to close: your whole SEO team, one robot. ### AI search visibility Most classic audits focus on Google signals. They often say little about how your content might show up in answers from tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude or Bing. No one can promise citations there, but clear, well-structured, fact-checked content gives you a better shot. | Area | Typical free audit | Needs more than an audit | | --- | --- | --- | | Broken links, missing tags | Yes | No | | Page speed basics | Yes | Sometimes | | Which keywords to target | Rarely | Yes | | What content to write | Rarely | Yes | | Publishing and reporting | No | Yes | ## How is a free SEO plan different from a free audit? An audit looks backward at what your site has. A plan looks forward at what to do next. That is the core difference, and it is why Dex builds plans, not fault lists. Dex’s free SEO plan starts from your website. You paste your URL and Dex reads your pages to learn what you sell, who you sell to and how you talk. From that, it builds a plan instead of a list of faults. ### What that changes - **Starting point:** an audit begins with errors. A plan begins with your business and your buyers. - **Output:** an audit gives you issues. A plan points to the searches worth going after. - **Focus:** Dex scores keywords by volume, difficulty and how close your site already is to ranking, so the plan leans toward searches you can actually win. - **Next step:** an audit leaves you alone with a to-do list. A plan connects to writing, publishing and reporting if you choose to continue. ### What the plan does not do It does not guarantee rankings, traffic or a result by a certain date. Outcomes depend on competition and your site’s history. It is also not a replacement for fixing real technical faults. If your site blocks search engines, that still needs attention. ### Using both The two work well together. Run an audit to catch technical problems. Use a plan to decide what to publish. If you are weighing Dex before paying, the free plan lets you see how it understands your site first. ## How do you get a free SEO plan without a card? It is short. No card is required, and you only need your website URL. 1. **Enter your website URL.** That is the only thing you need to start. 2. **Let Dex read your site.** It looks at your pages to understand what you sell, who you sell to and how you talk. 3. **Get your plan in about 60 seconds.** No payment step stands in the way. 4. **Decide what to do next.** Review it, then choose whether to continue. ### If you continue Dex handles keyword research, writing, publishing and reporting as one agent. Articles run 1,000 to 3,000 words, are fact-checked and carry a content score. You can use review mode or full autopilot, and you approve the content plan before anything is written. Dex publishes to WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, Wix and Framer through a secure sign-in, with no API keys. Clicks are reported from Google Search Console. There are no contracts and you can cancel anytime. Published articles stay on your site. ## FAQ ### Is a free SEO audit accurate? It is accurate for what it measures, such as broken links and missing tags. It is less reliable for strategy. Scores differ between tools, so use them to track change, not as a final grade. ### How long does a free SEO audit take? Automated audits often finish in minutes, though larger sites can take longer. Dex’s free SEO plan is delivered in 60 seconds. ### Do I need to pay to see the full report? It depends on the tool. Some hide details behind a form or a sales call. Check what is visible before you enter your details. Dex’s free plan needs no card. ### Will fixing audit issues improve my rankings? It can remove obstacles, but fixes alone rarely win competitive searches. You also need content that matches what buyers search. Results depend on competition and site history, and nobody can promise a timeline. ### Should I do an audit or get a plan first? If you suspect technical problems, start with an audit. If you do not know what to publish, start with a plan. Many site owners benefit from both. ## Want Dex to look at your site? Free audits show you what is broken. A plan shows you where to go. Tired of guessing? Paste your URL and see what Dex makes of your website, or get in touch with Dex SEO. No card, no contract, and no promises beyond an honest plan.