Your website is often the first impression a customer has of your business. That's why it's important to make sure your website is up to par with a website audit. A website audit checks all aspects of your website, from speed and performance to security and basic SEO to ensure that it is functioning correctly. It also assesses your user experience and content to make sure that it is engaging and persuasive.

Yet, many businesses treat their website as a one-time project rather than an evolving, strategic asset. Over time, small issues—slower loading speeds, outdated content, security vulnerabilities—snowball into major problems that impact conversions, credibility, and revenue.

So, how do you know if your website is healthy and performing at its best?

A website audit can help change all that. A website audit is a comprehensive review of your website with the goal of identifying opportunities for improvement. It's not just a technical analysis, but a strategic one as well. A website audit isn't just about finding and fixing errors. It's also about understanding how your website fits into your marketing strategy and making sure it aligns with your business goals.

The cost of neglecting your website

Ignoring your website is like ignoring routine maintenance on a car—it might still run for a while, but eventually, problems pile up, and the cost of repairs skyrockets. Here’s what happens when your website isn’t properly maintained:

1. Lost Revenue from Downtime

Every second your website is down, potential customers are clicking away to competitors. Whether due to server issues, broken pages, or expired domains, downtime translates into lost sales, frustrated visitors, and a damaged reputation.

💡 Example: If an e-commerce store experiences just one hour of downtime, it could lose thousands of dollars in sales—especially during peak shopping seasons.

✅ DIY Check: Use tools like UptimeRobot to monitor your site’s availability. If your site is frequently down, talk to your hosting provider about a more reliable solution.

2. Declining Search Engine Rankings

Search engines prioritize fast, secure, and well-maintained websites. If your website is slow, outdated, or has broken links, your rankings will drop. Lower rankings mean less organic traffic, fewer leads, and reduced visibility.

🚨 Did you know? Google considers page speed, mobile-friendliness, and security as ranking factors. If your site doesn’t meet these criteria, it will struggle to compete.

✅ DIY Check: Use Google PageSpeed Insights to check your website’s speed and receive improvement suggestions.

3. Security Vulnerabilities & Data Breaches

Cyber threats are not just a big-business problem. Small businesses are frequent targets for hackers because they often lack proper security measures. An unmaintained website with outdated plugins or software is a goldmine for cybercriminals, putting both your data and your customers’ information at risk.

🔒 A single data breach can cost thousands—not just in fines and recovery costs, but also in lost customer trust.

✅ DIY Check: Ensure your site uses HTTPS, keep all software up to date, and run a free security scan using Sucuri.

4. Poor User Experience & Frustrated Visitors

A slow, glitchy, or confusing website is the digital equivalent of a messy store—customers will walk away without making a purchase.

Common signs of a bad user experience (UX):

Slow-loading pages
Broken links and error messages
Hard-to-navigate layouts
Mobile-unfriendly design

When visitors leave due to frustration, your bounce rate increases and conversions suffer.

✅ DIY Check: Test your website on different devices and browsers. Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to check if your site is optimised for mobile.

What is a website audit?

A website audit is a process of evaluating a website for areas of improvement. The purpose of a website audit is to identify issues that may be preventing a website from growing and achieving its goals. In this blog post, we will discuss what a website audit is and why it's so important for your business. We'll also go over what you can expect after you have a website audit performed on your website.

Conducting a website audit can be a complex and time-consuming process to do it yourself, but it is often essential for website owners who want to ensure that their website is performing at its best.

Why is a website audit crucial to your business?

Your website should be working for you, not against you. Regular website audits ensure that your site remains an asset, not a liability. By identifying issues early and continuously improving, you set your business up for long-term success.

🔹 Better search rankings → More organic traffic

🔹 Stronger security → Protection against cyber threats

🔹 Enhanced user experience → Higher engagement and conversions

🔹 Optimised performance → Faster loading speeds and happier visitors

How to perform a DIY website audit

If you want to assess your website’s performance yourself, here’s a structured process:

1. Evaluate Your Website’s Speed

Use GTmetrix or Google PageSpeed Insights to check loading speeds.
Compress large images with TinyPNG to improve speed.
Minimise excessive plugins and scripts that slow down your site.

2. Check for Broken Links & Errors

Use Broken Link Checker to find and fix dead links.
Ensure all buttons, forms, and interactive elements work as expected.

3. Review Your SEO Performance

Run a free SEO audit using Ahrefs Webmaster Tools or SEMRush.
Ensure every page has unique title tags, meta descriptions, and relevant keywords.
Optimize images with descriptive alt text.

4. Test Your Site’s Mobile-Friendliness

Check how your site looks on mobile devices using Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test.
Ensure buttons and text are easy to tap and read on smaller screens.

5. Assess Security & Compliance

Ensure SSL encryption is enabled (your URL should start with https://).
Keep all CMS, plugins, and themes updated.
Use Wordfence (for WordPress) or similar security tools to scan for threats.

Is it time for a professional website audit?

If it’s been more than six months since your last website review—or if you’ve never had one—it’s time to take action. A well-maintained website is one of your most valuable business assets.

🔍 Want to ensure your website is helping, not hurting, your business? Book a comprehensive website audit with Gem Media today and get a clear roadmap for improvement.