The Ultimate Guide to DIY Website Audits for Small Business Owners

Introduction

Let's face it. Your website might be the hardest-working employee you've never properly evaluated.

It sits there, day in and day out, representing your business to the world. But when was the last time you gave it a proper performance review? For most small business owners I speak with, the answer ranges from "not recently" to "what's a website audit?"

If that sounds familiar, you're not alone. Most small businesses build a website and then leave it to it’s own devices, only addressing issues when something breaks. The problem is, your website could be underperforming in ways that aren't immediately obvious but are costing your business every single day.

The good news? You don't need to be a tech genius to evaluate your website's performance. This guide will walk you through a straightforward DIY website audit that will help you identify what's working, what isn't, and what needs your attention most urgently.

Part 1: Why Regular Website Audits Matter

Signs Your Website Needs Attention

Your website rarely sends up flares when it's struggling, but there are warning signs if you know what to look for:

• A steady decline in enquiries or sales from your website
• Customers mentioning they had trouble finding information
• Pages that take more than a few seconds to load
• Poor performance on mobile devices
• Outdated information or broken functionality
• Low rankings in search results for your business name or key services

Any one of these issues suggests your website needs attention. Multiple red flags indicate it's definitely time for an audit.

What a Good Audit Covers

A comprehensive website audit examines five core areas:

• Technical performance: How well your website functions from a technical standpoint
• User experience: How easy and pleasant your site is to use
• Content effectiveness: Whether your content clearly communicates what visitors need to know
• SEO foundations: How well your site is set up to be found in search engines
• Conversion optimisation: How effectively your site turns visitors into customers

We'll cover each of these areas in a way that doesn't require technical expertise or special tools – just your time and attention to detail.

Part 2: The DIY Website Audit Process

Step 1: Technical Health Check

Your website's technical foundation determines everything else. A site that loads slowly or breaks on certain devices will struggle regardless of how good your content is.

Speed Testing

Start by testing your website's speed. Use Google's free PageSpeed Insights tool (just search for it) and enter your website address. This will give you a score out of 100 and highlight specific issues slowing your site down.

Common speed issues include:

• Unoptimised images that are larger than they need to be
• Too many plugins or scripts running
• No caching enabled
• Hosting that's inadequate for your needs

A good speed score is 70+. Below that, and you'll want to address the specific recommendations the tool provides. Most of it can seem overwhelming with jargon most web developers might not even know, so don't stress this part. Find the content that is large and make note of it. You will want to reduce the size of everything that's flagged. More often than not, it will be media and resizing might not be necessary, converting images to webp or AVIF will do wonders.

Mobile-Friendliness

Next, check how well your site works on mobile devices. Google's Mobile-Friendly Test (also searchable) will analyse your site and flag any issues.

Additionally, grab your own smartphone and navigate through your entire website. Look for:

• Text that's too small to read without zooming
• Buttons or links that are difficult to tap
• Content that extends beyond the screen
• Forms that are frustrating to complete on a small screen

Security Check

Website security is increasingly important both for your business and your visitors. Check for:

• HTTPS – Your website address should begin with "https://" not "http://"
• Security certificate – Click the padlock icon in your browser address bar to ensure your certificate is valid
• Privacy policy – Ensure you have an up-to-date privacy policy accessible from every page

Functionality Testing

Finally, test all interactive elements on your site:

• Fill out and submit every form to ensure you receive the submissions
• Click every menu item and link to check for broken links
• Test any calculators, filters, or interactive tools
• Verify that your contact details are correct and any embedded maps work properly

Step 2: User Experience Evaluation

A technically sound website can still fail if it's confusing or frustrating to use. This part of the audit focuses on how visitors experience your site.

Navigation Assessment

Your website navigation should be intuitive and straightforward:

• Can visitors find key information within three clicks?
• Is your main navigation clear and consistent across the site?
• Are important pages (contact, services, etc.) easily accessible?
• Does your site have a search function for larger sites?

An easy test: Ask someone unfamiliar with your business to find specific information on your site. Watch where they click and note any hesitations or confusion.

Content Readability and Structure

Content should be easy to scan and understand:

• Break up text with headings, short paragraphs, and bullet points
• Use plain language rather than industry jargon
• Ensure there's enough contrast between text and background
• Check that fonts are large enough to read on all devices

Basic Accessibility

Making your site accessible isn't just good practice – it expands your potential audience:

• Do all images have alt text descriptions?
• Can you navigate the site using only a keyboard?
• Is there enough colour contrast for text visibility?
• Do videos have captions or transcripts available?

Design Evaluation

Finally, assess your overall design:

• Does it look professional and aligned with your brand?
• Is there consistent use of colours, fonts, and styling?
• Does the design feel modern and up-to-date?
• Is there enough white space, or does the site feel cluttered?

Step 3: Content Audit

Your website content does the heavy lifting of communicating with potential customers. This step evaluates whether it's doing that job effectively.

Messaging Clarity

Scan your homepage and key landing pages to assess:

• Is it immediately clear what your business offers?
• Do you articulate your unique value proposition?
• Would a first-time visitor understand who your products or services are for?
• Is there a clear next step for interested visitors?

Content Freshness

Outdated content damages credibility:

• When was your content last updated?
• Are there references to past events, old pricing, or outdated information?
• Do you have a blog with recent posts, or does it appear abandoned?
• Are team members, testimonials, and case studies current?

Content Gaps

Look for missing information that customers typically need:

• Pricing information or guidance
• Detailed service descriptions
• FAQs addressing common questions
• Delivery or service area information
• Returns or guarantee policies

Brand Consistency

Your content should maintain a consistent voice:

• Does the tone match your brand personality?
• Is terminology used consistently throughout the site?
• Do all pages feel like they belong to the same business?

Step 4: SEO Fundamentals Check

Search engine optimisation helps potential customers find you. Even basic SEO elements can make a significant difference.

Title and Description Review

Each page should have unique, descriptive titles and meta descriptions:

• Do your page titles describe the specific content of each page?
• Are meta descriptions present and compelling enough to encourage clicks?
• Do they include relevant keywords naturally?

You can view these by right-clicking on a page, selecting "View Page Source," and looking for the "title" and "meta description" tags near the top.

URL Structure

Check your page URLs:

• Are they descriptive of the page content?
• Are they reasonably short and readable?
• Do they use hyphens between words (not underscores or spaces)?

Image Optimisation

Properly optimised images improve both speed and search visibility:

• Do images have descriptive file names?
• Have alt text descriptions been added?
• Are images appropriately sized for where they appear?

Internal Linking

Internal links help visitors and search engines navigate your site:

• Do your pages link to other relevant pages on your site?
• Are important pages linked to more frequently than less important ones?
• Do the link texts (the clickable words) describe what the linked page is about?

Local SEO Check

For businesses serving specific geographic areas:

• Is your business address consistent across all pages?
• Do you mention the areas you serve in your content?
• Have you claimed your Google Business Profile?

Step 5: Conversion Path Analysis

Finally, evaluate how effectively your site converts visitors into leads or customers.

Conversion Path Clarity

For each major service or product:

• Is there a clear path from your homepage to the point of enquiry or purchase?
• How many steps does this journey require?
• Are there distractions or dead-ends along the way?

Call-to-Action Effectiveness

Your CTAs direct visitor actions:

• Is there a clear primary CTA on each important page?
• Do the CTAs stand out visually from the rest of the page?
• Is the language action-oriented and clear about what happens next?
• Are secondary CTAs visually distinguished from primary ones?

Conversion Blockers

Look for elements that might prevent conversions:

• Required account creation before purchase
• Long, complicated forms
• Lack of trust indicators (testimonials, credentials, secure payment icons)
• Missing or hard-to-find contact information
• Unclear next steps in the process

Form Assessment

If your site uses forms for enquiries or orders:

• Do they ask only for essential information?
• Is it clear which fields are required?
• Do they work properly on mobile devices?
• Is there confirmation after submission?

Part 3: What To Do With Your Findings

Prioritising Your Fixes

After completing your audit, you'll likely have a sizeable list of potential improvements. Here's how to prioritize:

Critical Issues (Fix immediately):

• Security problems
• Broken functionality
• Major mobile usability issues
• Significantly outdated information
• Missing contact information

High Impact Improvements (Address soon):

• Slow loading pages
• Unclear messaging
• Weak calls-to-action
• Poor navigation structure
• Missing key content

Nice-to-Have Enhancements (Schedule for later):

• Design refreshes
• Content expansions
• Advanced SEO optimisations
• Additional functionality

Create a simple roadmap with timelines for addressing each category.

When to Call in a Professional

While many issues can be addressed in-house, some situations warrant professional help:

• Technical issues you don't understand or can't resolve
• Design problems that require significant visual changes
• Structural site problems affecting multiple pages
• Ongoing SEO campaigns requiring specialist knowledge
• Conversion rate problems with no obvious cause

Even when hiring a professional, your DIY audit provides valuable direction, potentially saving time and money by clearly communicating the issues you've identified.

Conclusion

A DIY website audit isn't a one-time task but rather a regular maintenance routine that keeps your online presence effective. Consider scheduling a basic audit quarterly and a more comprehensive review annually.

Remember that your website is often the first impression potential customers have of your business. Regular audits ensure it represents you accurately and works as hard as you do to grow your business.

By systematically evaluating your site's technical performance, user experience, content, SEO foundations, and conversion paths, you'll uncover opportunities for improvement that can dramatically impact your business results.

Ready to Get Started?

Download my free Website Audit Checklist to help you track your findings and create your improvement plan. Simply enter your email below, and I'll send it straight to your inbox.

And if you discover issues that require professional attention, I'm here to help. Get in touch for a consultation to discuss how we can address your specific website challenges and transform your online presence into a powerful business asset.

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