Everything You Need to Know About Website Audit: What, Why, When to Conduct

So, you’re a business owner or marketer striving to make your online presence as impactful as possible in today’s competitive digital landscape. You’ve been working on optimizing your website, but something still feels off. 

You’re down with one or more of the below issues. 

• Your website traffic isn’t translating into leads or sales.
• You’ve noticed slow loading times or broken links that frustrate visitors.
• Your search engine rankings aren’t where you want them to be.
• Your competitors seem to have an edge, and you’re unsure why.

If these challenges sound familiar, you’ve realized it’s time to dig deeper. Something needs to change—something that can uncover hidden issues and maximize your website’s potential. 

The solution? A comprehensive website audit. 

If you are ready to learn about the what, why, and when of website audit, here is the Table of Contents we will follow. 

In this blog, we’ll explore:

• What is a website audit?
• Why is a website audit important?
• When should you conduct a website audit?
• Is it a good idea to audit my website by myself? 
• Wrapping up 
• FAQs about website audits 

By the end of this article, you’ll have the tools and knowledge to transform your website into a high-performing asset that drives growth. Let’s dive in and uncover the essentials of website audits!

What is a website audit?

A website audit is like a checkup on your site’s performance, appearance, and functionality. It also outlines factors that may affect your website’s interactivity and ranking on search engines. 

Auditing keeps your website relevant and attracts new audiences, engaging them and converting them to grow your business. 

A website audit focuses on five primary areas. The purpose is to ensure that every aspect of your site performs as effectively as possible. Let’s explore them. 

1. Technical audit

A technical audit examines your website’s backend infrastructure to determine its performance, speed, security, mobile responsiveness, and other aspects. 

2. SEO audit

An SEO audit is a process that reveals shortcomings and opportunities within the SEO strategy, allowing you to improve the visibility of your website using Google and other search engines. They analyze keywords, backlinks, meta titles, meta descriptions, etc. 

3. Content audit

A content audit mainly assesses the usefulness and efficiency of textual and multimedia content on a website. It focuses on relevance, engagement, and web page optimization. 

4. UX audit

UX, or user experience, is fundamental to understanding how users navigate your site, how engaged they are, and how likely they are to become customers. A UX audit focuses on the design and responsiveness of your website. 

5. Compliance audit

As digital regulations become stricter, it becomes crucial to ensure compliance with accessibility and data privacy laws. A compliance audit checks your website’s security and privacy regulations. 

Now, let’s talk about why we need to conduct website audits. 

Why is a website audit important?

It enhances your website’s performance.

According to research, even a slight delay of 1 second in loading speed can reduce website conversions by 7%. That’s why you need to audit your website. It will identify bottlenecks, unoptimized images, excessive code, design flaws, and everything else slowing it down. 

Fast loading speeds and responsive design are no longer optional—they are essential for retaining visitors and improving conversions. 

It improves SEO rankings.

Your website’s visibility on search engines determines its capacity to attract organic traffic. When conducting a website audit, you may encounter SEO-related problems, which can cause poor site performance.

Then, you can identify and fix errors like broken links, duplicate content, meta tags, etc. You can also optimize your keywords to ensure they rank higher in the search results. 

It strengthens user experience.

Your website’s usability will dictate if the visitor stays and completes their intended task. In fact, when a website has good UX, people spend more time using it. 

Doing a website audit is helpful because it presents chances to determine where users may get stuck while browsing your website. It may be an issue with the navigation. But how would you know if you don’t conduct a website audit? 

It identifies and fixes persistent issues.

Undetected issues can silently harm your website’s performance and credibility. For example, broken links can frustrate visitors and harm your SEO rankings. Duplicate content may confuse search engines, leading to penalties. 

It helps you stay competitive.

The industry is dynamic, and you can bet your competitors are investing in their websites. Regular audits keep you ahead by ensuring your website meets modern standards. You can easily identify and adapt to new trends. 

Audits also allow you to compare your website’s performance against competitors, giving you a clear picture of your current position. 

Now, how will you know your website needs an audit? Let’s discuss the signs and scenarios when a website audit becomes imminent. 

When should you conduct a website audit?

Let’s be honest: A thorough website audit is a lengthy and rigorous process. We cannot conduct audits too often, so here are a few indicators that suggest it is time for one. 

When you have designated a fixed schedule, and the time has come.

Having a fixed schedule fixes humans. What is a website audit compared to that? Well, jokes apart. You can conduct a quarterly website audit or one every six months. This will ensure a balance between thoroughness and practicality. 

Regular audits help you identify small issues before they snowball into larger problems that adversely affect your website’s functionality. 

When you recently made major changes to your website.

Major changes to your website can inadvertently introduce errors or disrupt user experience, making an audit essential. For example, redesigning your website or updating its layouts and content may lead to broken links, missing metadata, or compatibility issues. 

Also, when you move to a new CMS or change your website’s hosting platform, you need thorough testing to identify functionality issues or bad user experience. 

When you regularly follow SEO algorithm updates.

Search engines like Google frequently update their algorithms to deliver better search results, often impacting website rankings. These algorithms prioritize page speed, a mobile-first design approach, relevant content, and other factors. That’s why conducting a website audit after algorithm updates is a good practice to ensure your site remains SEO-friendly and complies with the new standards. 

When you observe a decline in the performance metrics of your website.

A sudden or gradual decline in website performance is often a red flag that demands immediate attention. Issues like keyword cannibalization and keyword stuffing can damage keyword rankings, causing a drop in traffic and increased bounce rates. Search engines may also penalize your website if you try forbidden techniques to gain traffic. 

That’s when a website audit can be your savior. By keeping these declining metrics in mind, you can quickly diagnose and eradicate these issues from their roots. 

Is it a good idea to audit my website by myself?

When deciding between a DIY audit and hiring professionals, consider the following comparison table:

	Professional website audits	DIY website audits
Pros	Comprehensive analysis, expert insights, and tailored recommendations. Ideal for businesses lacking in-house expertise.	Affordable and convenient for basic assessments. Suitable for businesses with technical knowledge.
Cons	Higher costs compared to DIY methods. But the experts have access to the latest tools and technologies.	Lower costs but limited scope and potential for missed issues without advanced tools or expertise. And these pro tools come with a monthly/annual subscription cost.

Wrapping up 

Regular website optimization is essential for businesses striving to succeed in the digital landscape. Here are the key takeaways:

• Automate monitoring for uptime, speed, and security to ensure continuous performance.
• Stay updated with industry trends to align with best practices and user expectations.
• Use audit insights to create actionable improvement plans.

Here are some more reads that will help you be more informed if you’d like to consider. 

Related articles you may find useful 

How to do Technical SEO Audit for E-commerce Websites 

How To Run An SEO Audit For Your Hubspot Website 

The Ultimate Guide to Mavlers’ SEO-Optimized Website Development Services 

FAQs about website audits

1. How long does a website audit take?

The duration will depend on your website’s size and design. A basic audit might only take a few hours, although a comprehensive one may take several days.

2. Can I perform a website audit myself?

You can easily perform an SEO site audit using Google Search Console or Screaming Frog for a basic level. Nevertheless, professional and thorough audits bring more insights and complex suggestions than the basic audit.

3. What is the cost of a professional website audit?

A website audit might cost between $50 and $5000, depending on the provider’s demographic location, experience, and the complexity of your website.

4. How often should I audit my website?

A website audit should be conducted at least once every three months or twice a year at the very least. Furthermore, audits must be run after more significant updates and when the observed performance significantly degrades.