What Should You Focus on During a Website Audit?

A website audit is more than a quick SEO scan. It is a structured review of the factors that affect whether a website can be found, used, trusted and maintained.

A practical guide for business owners, website managers and anyone responsible for maintaining a website.

Why audit a website?

A website can look fine at first glance and still contain problems that affect visitors or the business behind it. Links may lead nowhere, important pages may be difficult to find, forms may fail, mobile layouts may be awkward, or search engines may have trouble understanding the content.

An audit creates a clearer picture of what is working, what needs attention and which improvements should be prioritized. It is useful after a redesign, before a marketing campaign, when traffic changes, or simply as part of routine website maintenance.

1. Search engine optimization and discoverability

SEO checks help identify whether search engines can access and interpret important pages. Review page titles, meta descriptions, heading structure, canonical URLs, indexability directives, internal links and XML sitemap references.

• Check that important pages have unique, descriptive title tags.
• Review meta descriptions for accuracy and usefulness to searchers.
• Look for missing, duplicated or confusing heading structures.
• Confirm canonical tags point to the preferred page URL.
• Check for accidental noindex directives or crawl restrictions.
• Review internal links so important pages can be discovered.

These checks can reveal technical obstacles, but they do not guarantee indexing or higher rankings. Search performance also depends on content quality, competition, relevance and many other factors.

2. Website speed and performance

Slow pages can make a site frustrating to use, particularly on mobile connections. Review image sizes, page weight, render-blocking resources, caching and server response. Use field data and repeatable lab tests where available, because a single speed score is only a snapshot.

• Compress and appropriately size large images.
• Reduce unnecessary scripts, stylesheets and third-party widgets.
• Check server response times and caching behaviour.
• Test key pages on both mobile and desktop.
• Review Core Web Vitals where real-user data is available.

3. Security and HTTPS configuration

Visitors should be able to connect to the correct website securely. Confirm HTTPS works consistently, certificates are valid for the domain, and HTTP requests redirect to the intended HTTPS pages. Review security headers and exposed information where your audit process supports those checks.

An automated website audit is not a penetration test and cannot certify that a website is secure. Treat security findings as indicators that may require review by the site administrator or a qualified security professional.

4. Mobile usability and responsive design

Visitors may arrive from phones, tablets, laptops and large screens. Check that layouts adapt without horizontal scrolling, text remains readable, buttons are easy to tap and navigation works at smaller widths.

• Check the mobile viewport configuration.
• Test menus, forms, buttons and important user journeys on a phone.
• Look for clipped text, overlapping elements and oversized images.
• Make sure key information is not hidden on smaller screens.

5. Accessibility and inclusive use

Accessibility helps more people use a website, including visitors who navigate by keyboard or use assistive technology. Review image alternative text, form labels, colour contrast, keyboard focus, heading order, link purpose and page language. Use the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) as a reference, and test with people and assistive technologies when possible.

Automated checks can identify some detectable issues, but they cannot establish full accessibility or legal compliance on their own.

6. Navigation, links and site structure

Visitors should be able to find important information without guessing. Review the main menu, footer links, internal navigation, calls to action and the paths to key pages. Check for broken links, redirect chains, links to insecure destinations and references to pages that have moved.

When a page has permanently moved, use a relevant redirect to its replacement. Avoid sending every broken URL to the homepage, because that can confuse visitors and search engines.

7. Content, trust and conversion paths

Useful content answers visitors’ questions and makes the next step clear. Check whether service descriptions are current, contact details are easy to find, pricing and policies are understandable, and calls to action match the page’s purpose.

• Remove outdated offers, announcements and references.
• Make business name, contact details and service information consistent.
• Check that enquiry forms provide clear labels and confirmation messages.
• Make important actions visible without overwhelming the visitor.
• Review whether each page serves a clear purpose for its audience.

8. Forms and important website functions

Do not assume a form works just because it appears on the page. Test the full process, including validation messages, successful submission, confirmation emails and mobile behaviour. Also check booking tools, search, shopping carts, downloads and other functions that matter to the business.

How to prioritize audit findings

Not every finding deserves the same urgency. Start with problems that block access, expose visitors to risk, prevent enquiries or stop essential functions. Then address issues that affect important pages, mobile usability and search discovery. Cosmetic refinements can usually follow after higher-impact problems are understood.

1. Critical: outages, broken purchase or enquiry flows, serious security concerns.
2. High priority: major mobile issues, important broken links, indexing blockers on key pages.
3. Medium priority: missing metadata, confusing navigation, slow assets and inconsistent content.
4. Ongoing improvements: visual refinements, content updates and routine maintenance.

Confirm automated findings before making changes. Some sites block automated requests, load content dynamically or use intentional access restrictions that can affect test results.

Make website reviews a regular habit

A website changes whenever pages, plugins, content, hosting or integrations are updated. Revisit important pages periodically and run focused checks after significant changes. Keep a record of findings, fixes and follow-up tests so you can see whether the work solved the original problem.

This guide is independently written for GetSiteCheck. The external resources above are provided for further reading. This article is general educational information, not a guarantee of search performance, security, accessibility compliance or business results.