How to run a simple business website audit
How good is your website and, in who’s opinion?
Who has full control of my website? Where is my domain registered, and is the site secure? Are we “doing SEO,” or are our Google Ads performing well with the new landing pages?
Business website audits are not just about SEO or mobile design. I’m talking about some serious keys to crush your business and cost you a ton of aggravation and $.
In reality over the past 25 years, I’ve heard various responses. Yes, it’s evolved to where the people I speak to know a lot more. It’s also become more apparent that many people think they know more than they do or don’t know what they don’t know. When you can’t see the end of the line do you know how many are actually waiting in line? (I like metaphors)
Where I am going is, do you really know what is going on with your website, and is that base of info appropriate for what you need to know?
Let’s dig in.
Auditing a website regularly is critical
Download PA’s Free Business Website Audit Worksheet
One of the most historically reoccurring painful situations we see is a business not knowing:
- Who has access to their domain and DNS records?
- Who has to their website?
- Who has access to their analytics, ads, or other accounts?
- What are the email, password, 2FA, and PIN that go along with each of these?
This is just a start too. And hey, maybe you don’t really need to know all these things. You pay people to “know” these things, but how often do they change? Who are the people that can log in and update plugins, or change the password to your merchant processor?
Yeah, see what I mean?
Website information audits facilitate many needs
While everyone knows their competition, do you really know why they are considered a strong competitor online? Who are your top 3 competitors, and why? Are you all targeting the exact keyword phrases, and are those relevant to what you sell or service? Are they really? Does your company deserve to be at the top of search results like them?
When we start any project, there is an intake sheet where we go through a series of questions and determine what we need for the tasks assigned to us. From here, instructions and collaboration can be modified so conversations can be relative and in a “tone” so we both understand. Or, whom we need to go to to get what we need to get done and what you want done.
But I digress, and I fade into the real topic.
Are your goals and needs aligned with your expectations?
Behold is our free Business Website Audit PDF with which you can take an assessment. How much of this you know and can answer or, actually care will be revealing. You can process the answers and determine their value however, I guarantee they will be eye-opening (if not reinforcing what you already know).
Website Audits are cool and useful no matter who you are
Knowledge is powerful, not to mention covering your ass is a huge relief when the unsuspecting happens.
- Know who has access to the super-important things like your website domain?
- Who actually owns things, or when renewals and licenses need to be paid?
- Is the website performing how I want, or are there problems because of x, y, and z?
- Is competition doing things differently?
- Are my ad budgets showing good ROI? Do I know why?
- Is my strategy for SEO working?
- Did the recent Google Core update help or hinder us?
- Is the info I get from analytics helping me make decisions, and do I realize the work in those modifications?
Taking inventory of “who has what and how” 4 times a year can give you peace of mind and insights on what you may want to do next in marketing online.
Photo Credit: Businessman on laptop
