Website audit
How to do a website audit: an 8-step guide with a checklist
A website audit is a structured check of your site that finds what stops it doing its job: being found, loading, being used and turning visitors into customers. This guide covers what a website audit is, the main types, eight steps to run one and a checklist you can work through today.
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Short answer
To do a website audit, decide what the site must achieve, check that tracking works, then review speed, mobile use, SEO basics, content, conversion and what AI agents can read, page by page, starting with the pages that get the most traffic. Write down every problem with its evidence, rank the list by impact and effort, and fix from the top.
- Start with the goal and the numbers: an audit without a target finds problems, not priorities.
- Check tracking first. If analytics is wrong, every finding after it points the wrong way.
- Audit the pages that get the most traffic and the pages closest to a sale before anything else.
- Record each problem with its evidence, then rank by impact, confidence and effort.
- A free automated audit covers one page in minutes; your analytics and recordings show what it cannot.
What is a website audit?
A website audit is a structured review of a website that finds the problems stopping it from reaching its goals. It checks how the site is built, how fast it loads, how it works on a phone, how search engines and AI agents read it, what the content says and whether visitors can do what you want them to do. The output is a ranked list of fixes, each with its evidence.
An audit is different from a redesign. A redesign changes the site; an audit tells you what to change and why. Done well, it often shows that the problems sit on a handful of pages and templates, which is cheaper to fix than rebuilding everything.
Most audits mix two kinds of evidence. Tools measure what can be counted: load times, broken links, missing titles, tap target sizes. People judge what cannot: whether the offer is clear, whether the page answers the visitor's question, whether there is reason to trust you. Your analytics and session recordings then show which problems real visitors hit.
What are the types of website audit?
The main types of website audit are technical, SEO, content, user experience, accessibility, conversion and AI readiness audits. Each asks one question about the site. A full website audit runs a short version of each; a focused audit goes deep on the one that matches your problem, such as a conversion audit when traffic is fine but sales are not.
| Audit type | The question it answers | Run it when |
|---|---|---|
| Technical | Does the site load, work and stay secure? | Pages are slow, errors appear, or after a platform change |
| SEO | Can search engines crawl, index and understand the pages? | Search traffic drops or new pages do not show up |
| Content | Is each page accurate, current and useful to the people who land on it? | The site has grown for years without a review |
| User experience | Can visitors find what they need and use the site on any device? | Visitors leave quickly or recordings show confusion |
| Accessibility | Can people using keyboards, screen readers or zoom use the site? | Always, and before any redesign goes live |
| Conversion (CRO) | What stops visitors from buying, booking or signing up? | Traffic is steady but sales or leads are not |
| AI readiness | Can AI crawlers and agents read what you sell, the price and the policies? | You want to show up in AI answers or AI shopping |
If you are not sure which you need, look at where the numbers fall. Low traffic points to SEO and content. Traffic that leaves without acting points to user experience and conversion. For a conversion-focused method, see how to do a CRO audit.
How to do a website audit in 8 steps
To do a website audit, work from the goal down to the page: set what the site must achieve, confirm the numbers are right, then check speed, mobile, search basics, content, conversion and AI readiness on your most important pages, and finish with a ranked fix list. The steps below follow that order, so each one builds on the last.
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Set the goal and pick the pages
Write down what the site is for in one line: sell products, book calls, collect leads. Then list the pages that matter most to that goal. Start with the pages that get the most visits (your analytics landing page report shows them) and the pages closest to a sale, such as product, pricing, cart, checkout and contact pages. On a large site, audit one example of each page template rather than every page.
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Check that tracking works
Before you trust a single number, make sure your analytics records visits and conversions correctly. Place a test order or submit a test form and confirm it shows up once, not twice and not zero times. Check that the conversion event fires on the thank-you or confirmation step, not on the button click. If tracking is broken, fixing it is your first finding.
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Gather the data you already have
Pull conversion rate by device, traffic source and landing page from your analytics. In Google Search Console, note which searches bring visitors to each page and which pages Google does not index. If you have session recordings or heatmaps, such as Microsoft Clarity, which is free, watch recordings of visitors who left without converting. This tells you where to look hardest.
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Check speed and technical health
Run each key page through Google PageSpeed Insights on mobile. Where there is enough data it shows Core Web Vitals from real Chrome users; otherwise it shows a lab test. Fix the metric that fails, not the overall score. Then look for broken links, error pages, mixed content warnings, pages that redirect in chains and forms that do not submit.
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Test the site on a real phone
Open every key page on a phone, not only a narrow desktop window. Check that nothing scrolls sideways, text is readable without zooming, buttons are easy to tap, pop-ups can be closed and the main action is visible without hunting. Complete one purchase or form on the phone from start to finish. Many problems only show up there.
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Review SEO basics and content
For each page, check that it has a unique title and meta description, one H1 that says what the page is about, a sensible heading order, alt text on meaningful images and no accidental noindex tag. Confirm the page is in your sitemap. Then read the content as a visitor would: is it accurate and current, does it answer the question that brought people there, and does it say who you are?
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Audit conversion: offer, calls to action, trust and friction
On each page, ask whether a new visitor can tell what you offer and what to do next without scrolling. Check that the main button is clear and not competing with five other links, that the form asks only for what you need, and that reviews, guarantees, policies and contact details sit near the decision. This is where a CRO checklist helps, because it turns judgment into yes or no questions.
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Check what AI crawlers and agents can read
Open the page source and search for your product name, price and key policies. If they only appear after JavaScript runs, some AI crawlers may never see them. Check that robots.txt does not block the AI crawlers you want, and that structured data matches the visible page. The crawlability test shows what is in the HTML before scripts run.
Finish by writing up and ranking what you found, which the next section covers. If you would rather have one page checked for you first, the free audit runs steps 4 to 8 on it in a few minutes.
Website audit checklist
This website audit checklist has 24 yes or no questions in six areas. Run it on each key page, on a phone and on a desktop. Every "no" is a finding: write it down with a screenshot or a number as evidence. To print it, use your browser's print command (Ctrl+P on Windows, Cmd+P on a Mac).
Tracking and data
- A test conversion shows up in analytics exactly once.
- The conversion fires on the confirmation step, not on the button click.
- You can see conversion rate by device, traffic source and landing page.
- Search Console is set up and shows the site's pages as indexed.
Speed and technical health
- The page passes Core Web Vitals in PageSpeed Insights on mobile, or the lab test shows no failing metric.
- There are no broken links or error pages in the main navigation and key pages.
- Every page loads over HTTPS with no security warnings.
- Forms submit and show a clear confirmation.
Mobile
- Nothing scrolls sideways on a phone.
- Text is readable without zooming and buttons are easy to tap.
- Pop-ups and cookie banners can be closed and do not cover the main action.
- A purchase or form can be completed on a phone from start to finish.
SEO basics and content
- Each page has a unique title, a meta description and one H1.
- No key page carries an accidental noindex tag, and all are in the sitemap.
- Meaningful images have alt text.
- The content is current and answers the question that brings visitors to the page.
Conversion
- A new visitor can tell what you offer and what to do next without scrolling.
- There is one clear main call to action per page, with specific wording.
- The form asks only for what you need.
- Reviews, guarantees, policies and contact details are near the decision.
AI readiness
- The product or service, price and key policies are in the HTML without JavaScript.
- robots.txt does not block the AI crawlers you want to reach you.
- Structured data is present, valid and matches the visible page.
- Your business name, contact details and what you sell are stated plainly on the page.
For a longer version focused on conversion, with 150 checks grouped by page type, use the CRO checklist. For the agent side alone, see the AI agent readiness checklist.
How to write up and rank website audit findings
A website audit report is a list of findings, each written so someone else can act on it, ranked by how much it matters. Write every finding the same way: what the page should do, what it does now, the evidence, why it matters and the fix. Then score each one on impact, confidence and effort, and work from the top.
| Part of the finding | What to write | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Expected | What the page should do | The main button is visible on the first mobile screen |
| Found | What it does now | On a phone, the button sits below a large image and a cookie banner |
| Evidence | A screenshot, a number or a recording | Screenshot at phone size; recordings show visitors scrolling past |
| Why it matters | Who it affects and how | Every mobile visitor has to scroll before they can act |
| Fix | The change to make | Move the button above the image and shrink the cookie banner |
Fix plain breakages straight away: broken tracking, failing forms, pages blocked from search engines. They are bugs, not opinions. For judgment calls, such as a new headline or a shorter form, test the change against the current page where your traffic allows; the A/B test sample size calculator tells you whether you have enough visitors.
Which free tools help with a website audit?
The free tools that cover most of a website audit are Google PageSpeed Insights for speed, Google Search Console for indexing and search queries, Microsoft Clarity for what visitors do, Google's Rich Results Test for structured data and an automated page audit for conversion. Each answers one question well; none replaces looking at the site yourself.
| Tool | What it tells you | What it cannot tell you |
|---|---|---|
| Convertica's free CRO audit | Eight checks on one page, scored out of 100, from first impressions and mobile to SEO fundamentals and AI readiness, with every finding and its fix | How your visitors behave; it reads the page only |
| PageSpeed Insights | Core Web Vitals from real Chrome users where there is enough data, plus a lab test and diagnostics | Whether the offer or form work |
| Google Search Console | Which searches show and bring visitors to each page, and indexing problems | What happens after the click |
| Microsoft Clarity | Session recordings, heatmaps, rage clicks and dead clicks | Why visitors did what they did |
| Rich Results Test | Which structured data Google finds and any errors in it | Whether the markup matches the visible page |
| Your analytics (such as GA4) | Conversion rate by device, source and landing page | Which part of the page caused a drop |
A website grader gives you a quick score to start from, and roast my website gives you a blunt review in plain words. The rest of Convertica's free calculators and checkers are on the free tools page.
Common website audit mistakes
The most common website audit mistakes are trusting broken tracking, auditing only on a desktop, chasing a tool's overall score, listing problems without evidence and fixing everything at once. Each one turns a useful audit into a long list nobody acts on, or a set of changes nobody can measure.
- Skipping the tracking check. If a conversion fires twice, every rate you calculate is wrong, and so is every decision based on it.
- Only looking on a desktop. Many sites get much of their traffic from phones. Check your own device split, then audit on the device most of your visitors use.
- Chasing a score. A tool's overall number is a summary, not a goal. A page can score well and still not sell, because no tool knows your visitors.
- Findings without evidence. "The page feels cluttered" is hard to act on. A screenshot with three competing buttons circled is not.
- Changing everything at once. If you fix twenty things in one week, you cannot tell which ones helped. Fix the bugs together, then change the judgment calls one at a time or test them.
- Auditing once. Sites drift: new apps, pop-ups and scripts creep in. Recheck key pages after each significant change.
Get a free website audit from Convertica
Convertica's free CRO audit is a website audit focused on conversion. Enter your website and it loads the page on a phone and a desktop, runs eight checks (first impressions, calls to action, forms and friction, trust and credibility, mobile experience, page performance, AI visibility and agent readiness, and SEO fundamentals), scores each out of 100 and gives you every finding, with how to fix it. One page is checked per run.
After the audit, your team can build the fixes, or Convertica's team builds every fix the audit found: the one page rebuild covers one page and the full site rebuild covers your whole site, whatever platform it runs on.
Website audit FAQ
What is a website audit?
A website audit is a structured review of a website that finds the problems stopping it from reaching its goals. It usually covers technical health and speed, mobile use, search engine basics, content, user experience and conversion, and ends in a ranked list of fixes. It can be done by hand, with tools, or both.
How long does a website audit take?
A first pass on one important page takes under an hour by hand and a few minutes with an automated tool. A small site's full audit, covering its main templates, tracking and analytics, takes about a day. Large sites take longer because each page template needs its own check. Ranking and planning the fixes adds time on top.
Can I get a free audit of my website?
Yes. Convertica's free CRO audit checks one page of your site in eight areas, including mobile, speed, trust, calls to action, SEO fundamentals and AI agent readiness, scores each out of 100 and gives you every finding with how to fix it. You enter the website, watch it run and give an email when the report is ready.
How much does a website audit cost?
It depends on who does it and how much of the site it covers. Automated tools range from free to paid plans, and agencies quote by scope. Convertica's audit is free and covers one page per run. If you want the fixes built, Convertica's one page rebuild and full site rebuild have fixed prices on the pricing page.
What is the difference between a website audit and an SEO audit?
An SEO audit checks how well a site can be crawled, indexed and ranked by search engines. A website audit is broader: it includes those SEO basics but also checks speed, mobile use, content, accessibility, trust and whether visitors convert. Many website audits include an SEO audit as one part.
How often should you audit a website?
Run a full website audit at least once a year and before a redesign or migration. Check your key pages again after any significant change, when a new campaign starts sending traffic to them, and whenever conversions or traffic move without a clear reason. A quick monthly look at analytics catches problems between audits.
Can ChatGPT do a website audit?
An AI assistant can read a page or screenshots and suggest problems, which is a useful second opinion. It cannot see your analytics, your visitors or what loads on a real phone unless a tool gives it that data, and it can describe things that are not on the page. Check every finding against the page before acting on it.
What should I fix first after a website audit?
Fix anything that is broken first: tracking that does not record, forms or checkouts that fail, pages that do not load on a phone, and pages blocked from search engines. Then work through the rest by how many visitors each problem affects and how sure you are that it matters, and test the changes you are less sure of.
What are the 5 C's of auditing, and do they apply to a website audit?
The 5 C's come from financial and compliance auditing: criteria, condition, cause, consequence and corrective action. They work well for writing up a website audit finding: what the page should do, what it does, why, what it costs you, and the fix. Writing findings this way makes them easier to rank and to hand to whoever builds the fix.
