How do I know if my website is really attracting my Ideal Clients consistently? Is there a way to find out how user-friendly my website truly is? Can I significantly lower my website’s high bounce rates?

You shouldn’t let these types of questions bring fear or doubt into your mind because there is a solution that you can do yourself! Whether you’re launching a brand new website or you’ve had your online home for years, you should be conducting (at the very least) a bi-annual audit of your website. When I tell people this, I usually get one of the following responses:
1. It’s too expensive to hire an expert to audit my website.
2. I like to DIY all of the things.

Honestly, I see you and I get you. This is absolutely an expense I’d bypass if I couldn’t do it myself. But I believe that no matter the season of your business, you should still be conducting some kind of website audit. And because of that, I’ve compiled a list of 8 things to consider when auditing your website yourself.

(But just in case you’d like to hand it over to an expert, you can scroll down for an opportunity to win a 1-hour website audit with Abigail Dyer Design Studio!)

What is a website audit?

A website audit is an analysis of everything related to your website. It determines just how well your website is performing and attracting your Ideal Clients. A thorough website audit goes into not only your design and content, but also all the fun “techie” stuff, too!

Should I really be concerned about auditing my website?

You absolutely should be concerned about auditing your website, and to be honest, you can’t afford NOT to! Experts say it only takes 8 seconds for new users to land on your website and decide if they would like to stay any longer. It’s important to know that you are taking advantage of every opportunity to get your Ideal Client to your website, and once they are there, keeping them there to book your services or buy your products.

What can a website Audit do for your business?

A simple website audit can help grow your business in both the short and long-term. There are countless ways a website audit can be beneficial to your business, but here’s just a handful of my favorites. A website audit can help you:
– rank better on search engines (like Google or Bing).
– insure you are attracting your Ideal Clients.
– assess that your website is user-friendly.
– solve underlying issues you are facing with bookings or purchases.

8 things to consider when auditing your website:

1. Your Ideal Client

Your website should be perfectly crafted to attract your Ideal Client, and because of that, your Ideal Client should always be on the front of your mind when auditing your website. When you aren’t thinking about their wants and needs, you are missing the true point of a website audit and will always fall short on making beneficial improvements.

2. Goals and Objectives

Your website should have 1-2 main goals. For most business owners, those goals are for customers to buy a product or clients to book a service. An objective is a measurable step or action to help you reach a goal, and you can (and should) have many objectives in place to help attract your Ideal Clients. It’s important to keep your goals and objectives in mind. Every image, blog post, text character, etc. should act as an objective to help visitors reach your ultimate goal.

3. Imagery

Your website’s design and imagery are arguably the most important aspects of your online home. It’s been said that 90% of what we remember is visual. If your website isn’t attractive and your visuals aren’t standing out from your competitors, visitors most likely won’t be sticking around your site, and they definitely won’t be remembering your name or work.

4. Copy

After you’ve visually attracted your Ideal Clients to your site, and they decide to stick around, it’s your website copy’s job to hook them into booking or buying from you. Words matter, and I encourage you to make sure the words on your site are welcoming, powerful, and help solve your client or customers wants and/or needs.

5. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

A website audit isn’t just about examining your website’s content, and SEO is where a website audit becomes “techie.” There are so many factors that play into SEO: blogging, tagging, images, copy, website speed, bounce rate, and so much more. A website is one of the only things that can market you and your business 24/7, but it’s useless if people aren’t going to your online home. Having great SEO in place can help attract your Ideal clients and help you elevate your business significantly, and because of that, I highly encourage you to take any and all extra steps to have a great SEO plan in place.

6. Mobile Responsiveness

When a website is responsive, it is able to adapt based on the screen size that is being used. Most website platforms or themes have a built-in website that is responsive on mobile devices. In today’s social media driven world, most viewers are seeing your website for the first time on their phones. In fact, Google has acknowledged this and has decided to pay extra attention to a website’s mobile presence as it relates to ranking. And because of that, I encourage you to take the extra time to develop your website’s mobile version so it can improve your SEO, and of course, leave a great impression to mobile viewers.

7. Blogging

A whole new layer of auditing occurs when you are considering your blog. Remember to keep your goals at the front of your mind when you are reviewing your blog and all of your posts. Your blog is your biggest opportunity to help grow SEO. You’ve put in the time and energy to write and publish your post, so take a few more minutes to make sure you are tagging images, adding the correct keywords, etc. to take full advantage of great SEO.

8. Security

Last but definitely not least, you should always be aware of your website’s security. Make sure that your username and password are strong and secure. Remove any unnecessary admin users to your website. Consider having a plugin or some type of security in place to protect you from pesky spam or ruthless hackers. I also suggest that you have a backup system or plan in place in the unfortunate circumstance that your website is hacked or crashes. It’s a scary thing to think about, but it’s 100% necessary.

Next Steps:

Now that you’ve unlocked the 8 keys to a thorough website audit, it’s time to invest some time and energy into refining your online home. Although performing a website audit is a tedious task, it can ultimately help you assess what kind of online presence your viewers are experiencing and uncover what content needs improvement. So no matter the season of your business, invest the time and energy to perform an audit. Your Ideal Clients will thank you, and I’m willing to bet you will wish you had completed it sooner!