Why long audit lists get ignored
Most businesses run a website audit at some point. The tool checks every page and returns a long spreadsheet: images without descriptions, titles a few characters over the limit, repeated descriptions on archive pages, minor style warnings.
The order to fix things in
- P0Page blockedFix the same day.
- P1Page cannot be readFix this sprint.
- P2Page not savedFix next sprint.
- P3Gaps in labels and answersSchedule it.
- P4Cosmetic warningsFix when convenient.
Faced with that list, a manager sees the number of tickets, works out that fixing everything would take weeks, and sets the whole thing aside. Meanwhile three pricing pages may be returning errors every time Google visits.
Ranking the problems by severity gets you past that standstill.
Google handles a page in order: it finds it, reads it, saves it, and only then decides whether to show it.
So a sensible to-do list follows the same order. A failure early on blocks everything after it.
The five levels
A problem at an earlier step stops Google from judging the later ones, so your list should follow the same order:
| Level | What it is | Examples | When to fix it |
|---|---|---|---|
| P0 (critical) | Google cannot reach the page | The server returns errors, a setting blocks Google, the security certificate has expired | Fix today |
| P1 (high) | Google reaches the page but cannot read it | Text that only appears after heavy scripts run, pages too slow for Google to wait for | In the current round of work |
| P2 (medium) | Google reads the page but is unsure whether to save it | Two addresses claiming to be the main version, a "do not show" tag left on a live page, chains of redirects | In the next round of work |
| P3 (normal) | Gaps in labels and answers | No structured data, weak answers to what people search, broken links between your own pages | Put it on the plan |
| P4 (low) | Cosmetic warnings | A title a few characters too long, a missing description on a minor image | Tidy up when convenient |
P0: Google cannot reach the page
If Google cannot get a normal response from a page, nothing else about that page matters. Better keywords, labels or copy cannot make up for a page that errors out or refuses the visit.
These problems need attention straight away:
- A robots.txt file that blocks too much. This small file tells search engines where they may go. Blocking the folder that holds your styles and scripts is a common slip, because Google then sees a broken page.
- A site that turns Google away. Some sites limit how fast any visitor can load pages, and answer Google with a "too many requests" or "unavailable" error.
- Redirects that chain. A link that sends visitors through three or more redirects before it reaches the page wastes Google’s time, and Google may stop before the end.
Check the real response with the URL Inspection tool in Google Search Console, and not only in your own browser. A browser remembers pages and puts up with loops that Google gives up on.
P1: Google reaches the page but cannot read it
Some websites build their pages in the visitor’s browser using JavaScript, a programming language that runs inside the page. Google can run JavaScript, but it does so in a separate queue, and it will not wait forever.
If your main text depends on several requests that take a few seconds each, Google may see an empty page and save that. A page that looks fine to you can look blank to Google.
The fix usually sits with your developer: have the main text and headings in the page when it loads, rather than added afterwards. Ask whether the pages that matter most for sales can be built that way.
P2: Google is unsure whether to save the page
Once a page can be reached and read, Google decides whether to save it. Mixed signals can make it pick the wrong address or leave the page out:
- Two addresses for the same page. Each page should name one main address, written the same way every time (https, and with or without a trailing slash).
- A "do not show" tag left behind. Pages built on a test site often carry a noindex tag, and it can reach the live site by mistake.
- Addresses that multiply. Tracking codes and filter options on shop and listing pages can create thousands of addresses for the same content.
How to share out the work
To avoid arguments between marketing and development, agree what "done" means for each level:
- Treat P0 and P1 problems as urgent until Google stops meeting errors on your site.
- Group fixes that share a cause. Correcting how the main address is set on every product page is quicker than patching pages one at a time.
- Leave cosmetic warnings out of the main plan. A developer’s hours are better spent on errors Google meets than on rewriting 200 descriptions.