What a website audit is and what it should include

What a website audit is (and isn’t)

A website audit is a structured review of your website and online presence that answers one question: what needs to change for the website to do its job, and in what order?

Very different things are sold under the same name:

• Technical audit: speed, security, errors, mobile usability. Useful, but only part of the picture.
• SEO audit: how Google sees you, keywords, content and links.
• Strategy audit: it starts from the business. Who you are talking to, what message you convey and whether the website helps people get in touch. It covers technical and SEO aspects too, but as means, not ends.

An automated report from an online tool isn’t an audit: it’s a list of data. It can be a good starting point, but it doesn’t tell you what matters for your business or what to do first.

When it makes sense

• Before rebuilding the website. So you don’t repeat the same mistakes with a new design, and to find out whether you really need a rebuild or whether improving it is enough.
• When the website doesn’t generate enquiries. It gets visits, but nobody gets in touch, or the wrong people do.
• When your business has changed. New services, a different type of client or a new area, while the website still tells the old story.
• Before investing in advertising. If the website doesn’t convince, every paid click is wasted.

If your website is only a few years old, up to date and working for you, you probably don’t need one. The guide how often to update a website has more signs to help you decide.

What it should include

A useful audit for a small business or professional firm should review at least:

1. Business and goals. What you offer, which services you want to grow and what you expect from the website: calls, quote requests, bookings…
2. Client. Who looks for you, what problem they have, what doubts hold them back and why they choose you.
3. Message. Whether it is clear within five seconds what you do, who for and why choose you. Whether the copy talks about the client or only about the company.
4. Structure and content. Whether each key service has its own page, whether essential information is missing and whether contact is easy from anywhere.
5. Competitors. How the businesses you are compared with present themselves, and where there is room to stand out.
6. Online presence. Whether the website, Google profile, social media and directories say the same thing, with up-to-date details.
7. Technical basics. Mobile, speed, security, legal notice, cookies and forms that actually work.
8. Measurement. Whether you know how many visits and enquiries you get and where they come from.

What you should receive at the end

This is what most separates a good audit from a bad one. At the end you should have:

• A clear diagnosis in plain language: what works, what doesn’t and why.
• Priorities. Not everything weighs the same. First what has the most impact for the least cost, then the rest.
• An action plan with concrete steps that you, your team or any professional can carry out.
• An honest recommendation on whether to improve the current website or rebuild it, and what kind of project fits your case.

If all you get is a long list of problems with no order or context, the audit is only half done.

Signs an audit won’t help you

• It’s an automated report with your logo on it. Dozens of pages of scores and charts nobody has interpreted for your case.
• Everything is urgent. If everything is a priority, nothing is.
• It only covers the technical side. A website can score 100 for speed and win no clients at all.
• Nobody asks about your business. Without understanding who you serve, it’s impossible to judge whether the message works.
• The conclusion is always “rebuild it with us”. Sometimes that’s right, but a good audit also tells you when it isn’t necessary.

What it costs and how long it takes

It depends on the scope. There are free automated reports, reviews of a few hours and audits lasting several weeks for large websites or online shops. For a small business or firm, a review of a few days combining a prior questionnaire, the analysis and a prioritised report is reasonable.

Also consider what happens next. If the audit is an independent piece of work, the diagnosis is yours and you can take it to anyone. If it’s free, it is usually the first step of a sale. That isn’t bad in itself, but it shapes the conclusions.

If you are considering a rebuild, how much a website costs covers the usual price ranges.

What you can check yourself today

Before commissioning anything, spend half an hour on these questions:

• Can someone who doesn’t know you understand within five seconds what you do and who for?
• Do you have a page for each key service?
• Can people contact you within two clicks from any page, on mobile too?
• Have you sent a test through your form this month, and did it arrive?
• Are your team, services, opening hours and contact details up to date?
• Do your Google profile and social media say the same as the website?
• Do you know how many enquiries came through the website last month?

If several answers are “no” or “I don’t know”, you already know where to start. And if you run a law firm, common law firm website mistakes covers the most frequent problems.

Frequently asked questions about website audits