How To Perform A Website Audit

By Gavin Kilgallon on Tuesday, 17 December 2024

We are often asked to audit a website at ID Studio, mainly due to perceived performance issues such as lack of conversions, high bounce rate and poor customer feedback. In this article, we will cover why you should audit a website, how to perform an audit and the benefits it can bring. In addition, we will suggest tools that can help simplify and speed up the audit process.

What Is A Website Audit?

An audit will look at the health of a website and its performance, both on-page and off-page. The primary purpose of an audit is to identify existing and potential issues with your website. Some key areas an audit should investigate include:

User Experience (UX) Audit

• Look at the navigation and see if it can be improved.
• Is the layout and design optimised for a user-friendly experience?
• Are there adequate CTAs?
• Is there visual consistency throughout the website?

Technical Audit

• Look at your XML sitemap setup.
• Analyse your website's loading speed.
• Check for any broken links.
• Investigate responsive credentials on mobile phones and tablets.

On-Page Audit

• Look at URLs, title tags, headers, keywords and meta tags.
• Review internal linking and any broken links.
• Review page content, checking for SEO compatibility, relevance and that it contains the latest information.

Security Audit

• Inspect the website for any vulnerabilities.
• Check that all software updates have been completed, including any plugins.
• Ensure passwords are secure and robust.

Analytic Audit

• Look at traffic sources. Are they relevant (country, demographics, etc.)?
• Make sure the bounce rate is not too high.
• Is the website creating sufficient conversions?
• What are your visitors doing whilst on your site?

Tools To Help Perform An Audit

Below, we will look at some tools available to help perform a more successful website audit. Some software tools are free, while others require payment (although some offer a free trial period). Using third-party software can provide several advantages:

• Automation can significantly decrease the time required to complete the audit.
• There is less chance of human error, and the results are usually more accurate.
• They offer comprehensive statistics and information that would be virtually impossible to achieve manually.
• They can be set to perform automated checks on a website for a set time period, freeing up time for other tasks.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a free, powerful tool that provides valuable insights. You’ll need to install it on your website by adding a small code snippet to the HTML. Key features of this platform include:

• Substantial information on your site visitors and their actions once on your website.
• Information on your bounce rate.
• The ability to track conversions and the success of different online campaigns.
• Device and session information.

Screaming  Frog

ID Studio often uses Screaming Frog to help with a technical on-page website audit. Screaming Frog will audit your website to identify all linked pages and offer insights into SEO by providing information on page titles, headers, descriptions and URL naming. It can also help identify broken links, content that doubles up, and page content analysis.

Ahrefs

This is another excellent tool used daily at ID Studio for our website and clients using our SEO services. Some of the key attributes of Ahrefs include:

• Conduct an SEO audit of a website.
• Analyse keywords and their search volumes, as well as provide suggestions.
• Ability to analyse competitor websites.
• Compare SERP rankings over time.
• Provide information on new backlink opportunities and potential PPC.

Hotjar

Hotjar offers both free (restricted) and paid plans. It also requires a tracking code to be added to your website HTML. If you are using WordPress, some plugins can aid you with the installation process. Hotjar works by analysing a user's behaviour whilst on your website. It tracks their movement and interactions. Key features include.

• It will create heat maps of visitors' behaviour.
• Hotjar will also record the site visitor on your website, allowing you to understand their movements, what they are looking at, and what they interact with.
• It also allows you to create surveys to gain valuable user feedback.

How Often Should I Audit?

There is no exact answer to how often you should audit a website, as this will depend on the type of website, industry and goals of the site. There are also other considerations, such as costs, resources, and available time. A site audit can be an intensive and time-consuming process.

A key factor that should be considered is the type of website. For example, a showcase site for a business that rarely changes its offerings should require less frequent audits than an eCommerce site that is frequently updating and changing.

Segment Audits

Another option is to carry out segmented audits by completing audits on what you deem to be the most essential sections, e.g. just focus on the user experience (UX) audit. Segmenting your audit allows you to concentrate on other parts of your business and not rush the audit process.

Major Website Updates

Even minor updates can have a significant impact on the performance of a website. Hence, after major updates, it is essential to check for no new issues. Some common problems include broken links, 404 errors, loading speed and security vulnerabilities.

Summary

Regular website audits are important to maintaining optimal performance, usability, and security for your website. By identifying issues such as broken links, outdated content, and SEO weaknesses, audits help ensure your website remains functional and user-friendly. Contact the ID Studio team anytime for impartial advice if you require a website audit or for any web-related information.