Website audit checklist: 24 checks you can do yourself in an hour

A website audit is a check of how well your site works for customers and for Google. You can do a useful one yourself in about an hour with a phone, a laptop and free tools. Tick each item below, then fix what you missed, starting with anything that stops people contacting you.

Audit in this order: can people reach you, can they trust you, can they find you. A faster site does not help if the contact form is broken.

Part 1: Can people contact you? (10 minutes)

• You sent a test message through every form and it arrived
• The call button opens the dialler on a phone
• The WhatsApp button opens a chat with the right number
• Your phone number and email are correct on every page
• A stranger could find your contact details in ten seconds

Part 2: Does it work on a phone? (10 minutes)

• Text is readable without zooming
• Buttons are easy to tap with a thumb
• Nothing runs off the side of the screen
• Pop-ups do not cover the main content
• The menu opens and closes properly

Part 3: Is it fast enough? (10 minutes)

Test your home page and one inner page at PageSpeed Insights, which is free. Our website speed guide explains how to read the result.

• Main content shows within 2.5 seconds on the phone test
• The page does not jump around as it loads
• Images are not huge files

Part 4: Can Google find it? (15 minutes)

Type site:yourdomain.com into Google. If your pages appear, they are in Google's index. If nothing appears, read our guide on why a website does not show on Google.

• Your important pages appear in the site: search
• Every page has its own title
• Each service has its own page
• The address starts with https and shows no warnings
• You can open yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml
• Your business appears on Google Maps with correct details

Part 5: Would you trust it? (15 minutes)

• Prices, services and dates are up to date
• Real names, photos or reviews are shown
• Your privacy policy exists, and refund terms if you take payments
• No links lead to broken pages
• The copyright year and business details are current

Reading your score

This score is only a rough guide we use to sort the work, not a measure of how much business you will win.

Free tools used in this audit

• PageSpeed Insights: speed and basic quality checks.
• Google Search Console: what Google has indexed and the searches that show your site.
• Your own phone: still one of the most useful tests available.

Common questions

How often should I audit my website?

Every few months for a small site, and after any big change such as a redesign, a new form or a new payment system.

Is a free audit enough?

It finds the problems you can see. A deeper review also looks at indexing reports, structure, content gaps and competitors, which takes longer.

Do I need technical skills?

No. Everything above is done by opening pages and tapping buttons. You may need help fixing some of what you find, but not finding it.

Next step

Would you like a second opinion? Our contact page is the place to ask, and our SEO service covers the deeper checks and fixes.