{"id":2424,"date":"2024-01-04T17:20:25","date_gmt":"2024-01-04T17:20:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/free-website-audit-checklist\/"},"modified":"2024-01-04T17:20:25","modified_gmt":"2024-01-04T17:20:25","slug":"free-website-audit-checklist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/free-website-audit-checklist\/","title":{"rendered":"Free Website Audit Checklist"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"author-desktop\">\n<div class=\"post-navigation2\">\n<div id=\"fright\" class=\"share-post-top-bottom subscr-fright\">\n<p>Get the week&#8217;s best marketing content<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <span><\/p>\n<p>Have a feeling your website needs an audit but don\u2019t know how to go about it? Trying to win new clients for your agency with a website audit?<\/p>\n<p>Check out our website audit checklist to discover the critical issues you <em>need<\/em> to\u00a0fix.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve cut out the fluff and pinpointed important issues that are not only worth fixing but also move the needle for SEO and user experience.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewbox=\"0 0 14 14\" style=\"\"><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\"\/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style=\"\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"Download the checklist\" data-section=\"download-the-checklist\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-170445-_3jx367cn0bep\"\/>Download the website audit checklist<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1535\" height=\"788\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/website-audit-checklist-in-google-sheets-1.png\" alt=\"Website audit checklist in Google Sheets\" class=\"wp-image-170450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/website-audit-checklist-in-google-sheets-1.png 1535w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/website-audit-checklist-in-google-sheets-1-680x349.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/website-audit-checklist-in-google-sheets-1-768x394.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1535px) 100vw, 1535px\"\/><\/figure>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewbox=\"0 0 14 14\" style=\"\"><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\"\/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style=\"\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"Why you should use our checklist\" data-section=\"why-you-should-use-our-checklist\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-170445-_ygnooo4fs0xl\"\/>Why you should use our checklist<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>There are hundreds of potential factors to look at when auditing a website. Our website audit checklist doesn\u2019t cover all of these things. Instead, it allows you to cut through the noise and focus 80% of your time on fixing the 20% of things that matter.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s also:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Easy to follow (each step has clear instructions).<\/li>\n<li>Easy to outsource (just send it to an employee, freelancer, or\u00a0VA).<\/li>\n<li>Interactive (check each item off the checklist as you\u00a0go).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"recommendation\">\n<p>DOING A WEBSITE AUDIT FOR A POTENTIAL NEW CLIENT?<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommendation-content\">\n<p>A website audit is a great way to sell marketing and web design services by helping clients fix major issues. However, it can also be overwhelming for regular business owners to digest.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of sending clients a report with hundreds of technical issues they don\u2019t understand (like every other agency out there), focus on the ones that both move the needle and the business owner cares\u00a0about.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s much easier to win new business when you solve these pain points in a way the client understands and trusts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewbox=\"0 0 14 14\" style=\"\"><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\"\/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style=\"\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"What our checklist covers\" data-section=\"what-our-checklist-covers\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-170445-_7fo6n6vgee83\"\/>What our website audit checklist includes<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Our website audit checklist covers 27 critical site issues across five broad categories:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>SEO + performance<\/li>\n<li>Content<\/li>\n<li>Design +\u00a0UX<\/li>\n<li>Accessibility<\/li>\n<li>Data privacy + security<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"sidenote\">\n<p>Sidenote.<\/p>\n<p> Yes, there are hundreds of things you <em>could<\/em> be looking at. Remember, our goal with this checklist is to surface the most important ones quickly so you can get to fixing the issues faster. Finding issues only gets you so far; fixing the ones that matter is what really moves the needle.<\/div>\n<p>Follow the three simple steps\u00a0below.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-170445-_ot2f9izliod\"\/>1. Get access to analytics tools<\/h3>\n<p>You will need access to some analytics tools like <a href=\"https:\/\/analytics.google.com\/analytics\/attribution\/onboarding\">Google Analytics<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/search.google.com\/search-console\/about\">Google Search Console<\/a>. If you\u2019re running the website audit on behalf of a client, they will need to share access to these accounts with\u00a0you.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s best to ask for permission as an \u201cOwner\u201d or \u201cFull User\u201d if possible.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-170445-_k1ozqaizrwfi\"\/>2. Crawl your website<\/h3>\n<p>Set up a free <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/webmaster-tools\">Ahrefs Webmaster Tools (AWT)<\/a> account and crawl your website with <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-audit\">Site Audit<\/a>. (Make sure to tick the \u201cBacklinks\u201d option under \u201cCrawl settings,\u201d as this is important for one of the checks in the checklist).<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1652\" height=\"952\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/how-to-turn-on-the-backlinks-option-under-crawl-s-1.png\" alt=\"How to turn on the backlinks option under &quot;Crawl settings&quot; in Ahrefs' Site Audit\" class=\"wp-image-170451\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/how-to-turn-on-the-backlinks-option-under-crawl-s-1.png 1652w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/how-to-turn-on-the-backlinks-option-under-crawl-s-1-680x392.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/how-to-turn-on-the-backlinks-option-under-crawl-s-1-768x443.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/how-to-turn-on-the-backlinks-option-under-crawl-s-1-1536x885.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1652px) 100vw, 1652px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1652\" height=\"952\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/how-to-turn-on-the-backlinks-option-under-crawl-s-1.png\" alt=\"How to turn on the backlinks option under &quot;Crawl settings&quot; in Ahrefs' Site Audit\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-170451\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/how-to-turn-on-the-backlinks-option-under-crawl-s-1.png 1652w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/how-to-turn-on-the-backlinks-option-under-crawl-s-1-680x392.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/how-to-turn-on-the-backlinks-option-under-crawl-s-1-768x443.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/how-to-turn-on-the-backlinks-option-under-crawl-s-1-1536x885.png 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1652px) 100vw, 1652px\"\/><\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-170445-_3s99o8j43y2o\"\/>3. Download and follow the checklist<\/h3>\n<p>As you complete each item, check it off the\u00a0list.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"642\" height=\"446\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/how-to-follow-the-website-audit-checklist-1.gif\" alt=\"How to follow the website audit checklist\" class=\"wp-image-170452\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"642\" height=\"446\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/how-to-follow-the-website-audit-checklist-1.gif\" alt=\"How to follow the website audit checklist\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-170452\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>Websites are dynamic and new issues are bound to pop up over time. To stay on top of these (and fix them as soon as they arise), set up regular crawls in Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"722\" height=\"302\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/how-to-run-scheduled-crawls-with-ahrefs-site-audi-1.png\" alt=\"How to run scheduled crawls with Ahrefs' Site Audit\" class=\"wp-image-170453\" style=\"width:504px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/how-to-run-scheduled-crawls-with-ahrefs-site-audi-1.png 722w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/how-to-run-scheduled-crawls-with-ahrefs-site-audi-1-680x284.png 680w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 722px) 100vw, 722px\"\/><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"722\" height=\"302\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/how-to-run-scheduled-crawls-with-ahrefs-site-audi-1.png\" alt=\"How to run scheduled crawls with Ahrefs' Site Audit\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-170453\" style=\"width:504px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/how-to-run-scheduled-crawls-with-ahrefs-site-audi-1.png 722w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/how-to-run-scheduled-crawls-with-ahrefs-site-audi-1-680x284.png 680w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 722px) 100vw, 722px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>It\u2019s also worth setting up email notifications in <a href=\"https:\/\/search.google.com\/search-console\/about\">Google Search Console<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Both tools will alert you about important issues as they happen so you can fix them well before they cause problems affecting SEO and conversions.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019ve got any questions, reach out on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/despina-gavoyannis\/\">LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p> <\/span><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/website-audit-checklist\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Get the week&#8217;s best marketing content Have a feeling your website needs an audit but don\u2019t know how to go about it? Trying to win new clients for your agency with a website audit? Check out our website audit checklist to discover the critical issues you need to\u00a0fix. We\u2019ve cut out the fluff and pinpointed [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2425,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-seo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2424"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2424\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2425"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ewebtoolz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}