🔍 Overview
When you run a Site Audit in Search Atlas, the tool crawls every page of your website to check for technical SEO issues. The time it takes depends on the size and complexity of your site. This article explains what to expect and how to get the most out of the process.
⏳ Typical Audit Durations
Most Site Audits complete within the following timeframes:
- Small sites (under 500 pages): Usually finishes in a few minutes.
- Medium sites (500–5,000 pages): Typically takes 10–30 minutes.
- Large sites (5,000+ pages): Can take 30 minutes to several hours depending on server response times and crawl settings.
These are estimates. Actual duration may vary based on the factors listed below.
⚙️ What Affects Audit Speed
Several factors can make an audit run faster or slower:
- Total number of pages: The more pages your site has, the longer the crawl takes.
- Server response time: If your server responds slowly to requests, the crawl slows down to match.
- Crawl rate settings: A lower crawl rate reduces load on your server but increases audit time.
- Redirects and complex URL structures: Sites with many redirects or deeply nested pages take longer to fully map.
- JavaScript-heavy pages: Pages that rely heavily on JavaScript to render content may require additional processing time.
📊 How to Check Audit Progress
You can monitor your audit in real time directly inside the platform:
- In the left sidebar, go to Site Metrics → Site Explorer (Site Explorer).
- Select the property you are auditing.
- The audit status and progress indicator will be visible at the top of the page.
You do not need to keep the page open for the audit to continue — it runs in the background and your results will be ready when you return.
💡 Tips While You Wait
There is no need to sit and watch the progress bar. Here are a few productive things you can do while your audit runs:
- Review existing keyword data in Keywords → Keyword Magic or Rank Tracker.
- Check competitor gaps using Keywords → Keyword Gap.
- Plan your next content piece in OTTO SEO → All Sites (SEO Automation) (left sidebar → OTTO SEO → All Sites).
🛠️ What to Do If an Audit Seems Stuck
If your audit has been running for significantly longer than the estimates above and shows no progress, try the following steps:
- Refresh the page to check whether the status has updated.
- Confirm your site is publicly accessible and not blocking crawlers via robots.txt.
- Check that your domain is correctly verified and active inside the platform.
- If the issue persists, cancel the audit and re-run it.
If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.