You think your job is done after your website goes live? No, it isn’t fine. Tell you what, your long journey has just started. And it won’t be an easy trip without knowing the right tools and features to guide you in running a website audit. Yes, you do need to conduct a website audit.
So, if you’re thinking about creating a website and feel lost, No worries. Strikingly has simplified the process for you to build and manage your own online space. Let us guide you along the way. Before you head on to our sign-up page, you can take some time to know your website stats and how to audit a website so that you can consider and address site issues as early as you can.
In this article, we have made a website audit checklist to guide you in your way. Everyone who builds and publishes their own website wants zero issues when it comes to the performance and functionality of their site. That is why, Strikingly, as one of the most go-to website builders with over 12 million users across the globe, has thoroughly sorted the importance of running a website audit. What is it, and why is it important?
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What is a Website Audit?
According to Wix blog, a website audit is a comprehensive analysis of a site’s performance and its ability to be found on search engines. This includes page speed, technical issues, and user experience.
Also known as a site check-up, a website audit aims to review your website’s overall functionality and ability to be searchable online. Once your site is up and running, it is ideal and healthy to conduct a website audit. This is to ensure that nothing is affecting website traffic and searchability. No matter how fully optimized your site is, some factors may affect its visibility on search engines. Hence, preventing the traffic and sales, too. Updates are great, but they may trigger issues that need immediate fixing. Therefore, a website audit is vital to the overall success of your site. Here’s more about why you need to conduct a website audit.
Why Do You Need to Conduct a Website Audit?
After you get through building a website, the next thing you need to do is run a website audit. You might ask why you need one, so we have simplified the reasons to emphasize its importance.
Why audit a website?
Whether your website is newly published or you’ve made a few upgrades, its total success depends on its performance and functionality. Just like what we have pointed out above, you need to ensure that your website can be found online. Your dashboard contains all the stats you need to work on, but it’s just an overview of your site activity. You need to look at some aspects such as SEO, performance, and technical and content SEO audits. These are the types of website audits that will define the overall success of your online space. You can’t do anything without identifying the cause of some issues going on your website. That is why a check-up is necessary, a website audit.
The most important reason you are running a website audit is that you’re doing it for your audience, who will eventually be your clients or customers. The ease in navigation, secure checkout process, and hassle-free transaction made on your website are the things you must ensure included on your website audit checklist. Let us dig into the process.
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How to Do Website Audit?
We will look into the details of running a website audit. How it’s done and the main ways you need to focus on.
- Website Performance and Speed Assessment
- SEO On-Page Optimization Check-Up
- Content Quality Understanding
- Figure Out and Isolate Technical Issues
- Conduct a UX or User-experience Test
- Website Accessibility Monitoring
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1. Website Performance and Speed Assessment
Website audit should begin with a review of your website page speed scores. This is how it’s normally done. According to a Wix article, since 2010, Google has prioritized page speed to decide what to make visible in search. This year the Google Page Experience Update has made it more significant.
The concept is just pure and simple. Google wants its users to find the best search, and the fastest one gets on top of the rank. Many website owners’ goal is to rank well on search engines like Google. This is why having a website performance and page speed assessment is a must. Ensuring that your web designs are mobile-friendly makes your site more searchable by users and favored by search engines. Thus, Strikingly websites are responsive and mobile-first web designs.
2. SEO On-Page Optimization Check-Up
Your website needs to be SEO optimized to be found on search engines. Well, you must ensure you get a higher chance to be searched online. If your site is SEO-focused, you will determine its ability to be found and do something to improve it.
Running a simple SEO website audit, you may encounter different tools along the way. Interestingly, these tools can inform you about SEO-wise issues and how you can fix them. For instance, missing optimization data can be determined quickly, such as meta tags, alt tags, canonicals, etc. Strikingly web services and tools include SEO optimization.
3. Content Quality Understanding
Content quality understanding is the key to ensuring the successful publishing of your site with success. If you are aware of your content quality and the gaps, then there's a higher chance you can improve it. Be more focused on the topics, keywords, and niches your target audience is looking for. Once you have figured it out, it will be easy for you to create content according to their searches and interests. You may also visit forums that talk about the same niche you are catering on your website. There you will gain ideas to create quality content for your site visitors. Thus, making your website searchable online. Another thing you need to look out for is the bounce rate. What happens after a user finds out about your page? Is there any engagement made? Strikingly ensures our users get through this stage successfully by making effective content more interactive and engaging to visitors.
4. Figure Out and Isolate Technical Issues
Okay, technical issues are typical, but you need to isolate them to give your users the best experience when they get to your landing page. Some of the most common are technical-related SEO problems, 404 errors or pages not found, and under construction websites. Strikingly analytics gives you the power to figure out and fix these problems right away. Page redirection is one way to solve technical issues.
5. Conduct a UX or User-experience Test
How does your website work? You should know how your customers or visitors feel when they get to your web page on or off the spotlight. Conducting a user-experience test is another most important way to audit a website. You should know that a bad user experience can lead to a higher bounce rate. Thus, impacting your website traffic negatively. What’s worse is losing potential conversion to sales or profit margin if you’re running an eCommerce website.
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6. Website Accessibility Monitoring
Is your website accessible 24/7? Monitoring your website accessibility can help you maintain good performance and functionality. This is the gateway to discover your website by users. If you don’t perform website accessibility monitoring, you might not be aware of some issues that need an immediate solution.
How Often Do You Need to Conduct a Website Audit?
You have understood the importance of running a website audit. Now, how many times do you need to do it? Twice or thrice a year is the most ideal, but you can also conduct mini audits in between, especially if you’re making updates or integrating your website. Depending on the size or number of pages, some websites need frequent checkups to ensure seamless performance and functionality.
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Final Thoughts
With Strikingly, you can run a website seamlessly. You are assured of our best web services and tools, from building to brand strategy and audience engagement. Moreover, we have a team of experts and happiness officers that you can chat with anytime. Making the most out of Strikingly website features will help you run your business or personal online space. Starting out something online has never been as easy as doing it with Strikingly. From building a solid brand, website maintenance and upgrade, simple editing, and integrating web pages, we got your back. With over twelve million users across the globe, we have mastered how our best web features help them achieve their goals. Strikingly is one of the go-to website builders that empowers business owners, artists, professionals, and individuals to make a change online. You, too, can do the same. Get started today.
