Your Step-by-Step Website Audit Guide: From Amateur to (Almost) Pro
So you want to give your website or digital platform a proper health check? Brilliant! While professional audits have their place, there's quite a bit you can do yourself. Here's a practical guide to get you started with your own QA process.
Essential Tools You'll Need
A spreadsheet for tracking issues - Excel or Google Sheets will do nicely. Set up columns for the issue type, location, severity, and status.
Browser dev tools (built into Chrome, Firefox, etc.) - These are invaluable for checking responsive design and identifying technical issues. The 'Inspect' feature will become your new best friend.
A spell checker (Grammarly or similar) - Don't rely solely on your browser's built-in spell check. A dedicated tool will catch more nuanced language issues and maintain consistency.
Mobile devices (or Chrome's device emulator) - Real devices are best, but Chrome's device emulator is a good starting point. Test on both iOS and Android if possible.
Patience (lots of it!) - Quality assurance isn't a sprint; it's a marathon. Take regular breaks to maintain attention to detail.
The DIY Audit Checklist
1. Content Review
Start with the basics:
Read every page out loud - This might feel silly, but it's the best way to catch awkward phrasing and run-on sentences. Your ears will catch what your eyes miss.
Check for consistent formatting - Look for matching heading styles, font sizes, and spacing throughout. Inconsistencies here can make your site look unprofessional.
Look for outdated information - Pay special attention to dates, prices, and service offerings. Nothing erodes trust faster than outdated information.
Verify contact details - Call your own phone numbers and send test emails to contact addresses. You'd be surprised how often these simple things get overlooked.
Review image captions and alt text - Ensure every image has meaningful alt text that accurately describes the image for accessibility. Captions should add value, not just repeat what's visible.
2. Technical Check
Time to get a bit more technical:
Click every single link - Check both internal and external links. Keep track of which ones you've tested using your spreadsheet.
Test all forms with dummy data - Submit forms with various combinations of data, including edge cases. Try special characters and extremely long inputs.
Check your site on different browsers - At minimum, test on Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. Each browser might render your site slightly differently.
Test on various devices - Check both portrait and landscape orientations on phones and tablets. Pay attention to how images resize and text wraps.
Verify loading speeds using GTmetrix or PageSpeed Insights - Make note of both mobile and desktop speeds. Look for specific recommendations to improve performance.
3. User Experience Assessment
Put yourself in your users' shoes:
Try completing common tasks - Time yourself completing key user journeys. If you find yourself hesitating or confused, your users will too.
Note any confusing navigation - Can you get to key pages in three clicks or fewer? If not, consider restructuring your navigation.
Check if your CTAs are clear - Each page should have an obvious next step. Buttons and links should clearly communicate what will happen when clicked.
Time how long it takes to find important information - Ask someone unfamiliar with your site to find specific information. Watch where they click and what confuses them.
Test your search function - Try common misspellings and variations of key terms. Your search should be forgiving and helpful.
4. Basic SEO Review
Even without fancy tools, you can check:
Page titles and meta descriptions - Each page needs a unique, descriptive title under 60 characters and meta description under 155 characters.
Header structure (H1, H2, etc.) - Each page should have exactly one H1 tag and a logical hierarchy of subheadings.
Image alt text - Beyond accessibility, alt text helps with SEO. Use descriptive, keyword-rich text without stuffing.
URL structure - URLs should be clean, readable, and include relevant keywords. Avoid parameter-heavy URLs when possible.
Internal linking - Look for opportunities to link between related content naturally. Ensure your most important pages are well-linked.
5. Accessibility Quick Checks
Some basic accessibility tests:
Use your site with keyboard only - Can you access all features without a mouse? Tab order should be logical and focus indicators visible.
Check colour contrast - Use a contrast checker to ensure text is readable. WCAG guidelines recommend a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for normal text.
Verify form labels - Every form field needs a proper label. Placeholder text is not enough and disappears when typing.
Test with screen reader - Use VoiceOver on Mac or NVDA on Windows to experience your site as visually impaired users do.
Check text scaling - Increase text size to 200% - does your layout break? Can users still access all features?
When to Call in the Professionals
While DIY auditing is valuable, there are times when professional help makes sense:
When you're too close to the project to be objective
If you're short on time (these audits can be quite time-consuming)
When you need specialised expertise
For complex platforms or e-commerce sites
When compliance is crucial
If you're preparing for a major launch or update
Finding It All a Bit Much?
Let's be honest - proper auditing is time-consuming and can be quite tedious. While this DIY approach will help you catch obvious issues, there's often value in getting an expert eye on things. A professional audit can:
Save you valuable time
Catch issues you might miss
Provide actionable solutions
Offer fresh perspective
Create documented processes for future maintenance
If you're finding the DIY approach overwhelming or just want to ensure nothing slips through the cracks, I'm here to help. Sometimes it's worth investing in expertise to get things right the first time.
Need a hand with your digital audit? Let's chat about how I can help make your platform shine!
