SEO Due Diligence Before You Sign

Why SEO Due Diligence Matters

You're buying a company that claims 40% of revenue comes from organic search. The EBITDA looks good. The multiples work. But what happens when Google's next update drops them from page one?

I've seen acquisitions go sideways because nobody looked at the SEO. Hidden manual actions. Unnatural link profiles from 2015. Traffic entirely dependent on a single keyword. Core algorithm vulnerability. These things show up post-close, when it's too late.

SEO due diligence isn't optional. It's risk management.

What I Uncover

Traffic Risk Assessment

• Historical traffic patterns (is growth real or are they riding an algorithm wave?)
• Keyword concentration risk (one keyword propping up the whole business?)
• Core update exposure (did they survive March 2024? December 2024?)
• Competitive positioning sustainability

Penalty & Compliance Check

• Manual action history in Search Console
• Link profile analysis (toxic backlinks, PBNs, paid links)
• Content quality assessment (thin content, AI spam, duplicate issues)
• Technical debt that could trigger future penalties

Hidden Upside Analysis

• Untapped keyword opportunities
• Quick wins for post-acquisition growth
• Content gaps competitors are exploiting
• Technical fixes that could unlock significant traffic

What You Get

A clear-eyed assessment. Not 200 pages of crawler output. A document you can hand to your deal team that answers: "Is the organic traffic sustainable, and what's the real upside post-acquisition?"

• Executive Summary with traffic risk score (1-10)
• Traffic Analysis with historical trends and concentration risk
• Penalty Check covering manual actions and link profile health
• Competitive Position showing where target ranks vs. competitors
• Post-Acquisition Roadmap with prioritized opportunities
• 30-minute call to walk through findings with your team

Red Flags I've Caught

• Company claiming "organic growth" that was actually branded search from a PR campaign
• Unresolved manual action from 2019 still suppressing rankings
• 70% of traffic from one keyword about to face a new competitor
• Link profile full of guest post links from a 2016 agency relationship
• Content that would be flagged as AI-generated by current spam policies