{"id":48668,"date":"2024-10-15T13:42:46","date_gmt":"2024-10-15T17:42:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/?p=48668"},"modified":"2025-11-05T08:51:12","modified_gmt":"2025-11-05T13:51:12","slug":"how-to-conduct-a-website-audit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/blog\/story\/how-to-conduct-a-website-audit","title":{"rendered":"How to Conduct a Website Audit"},"content":{"rendered":"

Is your company\u2019s website losing you new business? If you have any concerns, a website audit can provide clear guidance and a path forward.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is no ignoring the staggering importance of website performance. To remain competitive, you need a website that clearly articulates your value proposition, demonstrates your experience and expertise, and generates high-quality leads.<\/span><\/p>\n

But websites have a shelf life\u2026 To keep pace with changes in technology, buyer behavior, and the competitive landscape, every business must keep a pulse on the state of their website and have a plan for its continued development. This is where a website audit can help.<\/span><\/p>\n

A website audit is a detailed assessment of your website\u2019s performance. It is a comprehensive review of your website\u2019s health, technical performance, user experience, design, messaging and how all these factors compare to your competitors.<\/span><\/p>\n

At Hinge we have <\/span>audited<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>designed<\/span><\/a> hundreds of professional services websites. In this post we\u2019re going to share exactly how we go about conducting a website audit for our clients along with some of the tools we use. If you choose to conduct your own website audit, we hope this article will be a helpful resource.<\/span><\/p>\n

The 7 Components of a Website Audit<\/b><\/h2>\n

The goal of a website audit is to gain clarity on two fronts: 1) how well your website is at attracting and engaging your target audiences, and 2) how to improve performance. At the end of an audit you should have a clear idea of whether you need to make some relatively minor website modifications or undertake a complete <\/span>website redesign<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Going back to the original question of this article, if you suspect that your website could be a reason you\u2019re losing business to your competitors, then you need to know why this is happening. Is it simply because your website is older and makes your firm appear behind the times? Or is it something related to your positioning and messaging? Or perhaps a confusing user experience is making content difficult to find? A comprehensive website audit will shed light on the answers and direct you toward solutions.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Learn More: Hinge’s Website Audit Services<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Should you hire an outside firm or conduct the audit yourself? There are clear advantages of using an outside specialist. They will approach your situation without any bias or preconceptions. And they have special skills and tools to make the process more efficient and insightful. But it is possible to tackle the job yourself, too. Just be aware that you may have a few blind spots.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So here are the 7 areas we recommend exploring in a website audit:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Website Health and Technical Performance<\/b><\/h4>\n

Before we look at the front end of the website, we start our website audits with a series of health checks\u2014examining everything from plugin health to overall site speed. Websites that are slow to load or have many broken links will inevitably have negative performance and user experience consequences. These problems are also likely to affect your ability to rank in search engines.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are a number of tools out there you can use to evaluate your website health. One tool we use is SEMrush\u2019s website <\/span>site audit tool<\/span><\/a> which checks over 140 on-page and technical SEO issues that could appear across your website.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, for a technical website health analysis like this we recommend working with a seasoned partner with website development experience as a part of the process. Developers understand why something is broken and can tell you how much it will cost to fix it. A good partner will be candid about whether it’s better to fix all the issues or redesign the website.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are a few questions to ask about your website health and technical performance:<\/span><\/p>\n