Step-by-Step Website Audit Checklist for Small Business Owners (No Technical Skills Required)
You don't need to be a tech expert to audit your website. As a small business owner, you can check your site's health, identify problems, and make improvements—even if you've never touched a line of code.
This practical checklist breaks down the website audit process into simple, actionable steps. Follow along, check each item, and you'll know exactly what's working and what needs fixing.
Why Audit Your Website?
Regular website audits help you:
- Find and fix problems before they hurt sales
- Improve search rankings and get more traffic
- Enhance user experience so visitors stay longer
- Increase conversions from visitors to customers
- Stay competitive in your industry
How often to audit: Once per quarter (every 3 months) for small businesses, monthly for e-commerce or high-traffic sites.
Checklist Part 1: First Impressions (5 Minutes)
✅ Homepage Loading Speed
What to check: How fast does your homepage load?
How to test:
- Go to Google PageSpeed Insights
- Enter your website URL
- Wait for the test to complete
- Check your mobile and desktop scores
What's good: Score above 70 (mobile and desktop)
What's bad: Score below 50
How to fix if bad: Compress images, upgrade hosting, enable caching (contact your web developer)
✅ Mobile-Friendliness
What to check: Does your site work well on phones?
How to test:
- Open your website on your smartphone
- Try clicking buttons and links
- Check if text is readable without zooming
- Ensure images fit the screen
What's good: Everything is easy to read and click
What's bad: Text too small, buttons hard to click, horizontal scrolling
How to fix: Use responsive design (your web developer can implement)
✅ First Visual Impression
What to check: Does your homepage clearly explain what you do?
How to test:
- Show your homepage to someone unfamiliar with your business
- Ask: "What does this company do?"
- They should answer correctly in 5 seconds
What's good: Clear headline, obvious value proposition
What's bad: Confusing messaging, unclear what you offer
How to fix: Add clear headline like "We help [audience] achieve [result] with [solution]"
Checklist Part 2: Technical Basics (10 Minutes)
✅ HTTPS Security
What to check: Is your site secure?
How to test: Look at your URL bar—it should show a padlock icon and "https://" (not "http://")
What's good: Padlock icon visible, HTTPS enabled
What's bad: "Not Secure" warning, HTTP only
How to fix: Contact your hosting provider to install SSL certificate (often free)
✅ Broken Links
What to check: Do all your links work?
How to test:
- Use free tool: Broken Link Checker
- Enter your website URL
- Review list of broken links
What's good: Zero broken links
What's bad: Any 404 errors or broken links
How to fix: Update links to correct URLs or remove them
✅ Contact Information Visibility
What to check: Can visitors easily find how to contact you?
How to test:
- Look for contact info in header or footer
- Check if there's a dedicated Contact page
- Verify phone, email, or contact form is present
What's good: Contact info in header/footer AND dedicated contact page
What's bad: No visible contact information
How to fix: Add contact info to every page's footer
Checklist Part 3: SEO Basics (15 Minutes)
✅ Page Titles
What to check: Does each page have a unique, descriptive title?
How to test:
- Look at your browser tab—that's your page title
- Check titles on 5-10 key pages
- Ensure each is unique and describes the page
What's good: "Best Italian Restaurant in Chicago | Luigi's" (unique, descriptive, includes keywords)
What's bad: "Home" or "Untitled" or duplicate titles across pages
How to fix: Update page titles to be unique and descriptive (in your website builder or CMS)
✅ Meta Descriptions
What to check: Do pages have descriptions that appear in search results?
How to test:
- Google your business name + "site:"
- Look at the description text under your listing
- Check if it's compelling and accurate
What's good: Clear, compelling 150-160 character description
What's bad: Generic text like "Lorem ipsum" or no description
How to fix: Add unique meta descriptions in your CMS/website builder
✅ Image Alt Text
What to check: Do images have descriptive text for accessibility and SEO?
How to test:
- Right-click an image on your site
- Select "Inspect" (Chrome) or "Inspect Element" (Firefox)
- Look for alt="description text"
What's good: alt="red running shoes for women" (descriptive)
What's bad: alt="" (empty) or alt="IMG_1234.jpg" (filename)
How to fix: Add descriptive alt text to images in your CMS
✅ Google Search Console Setup
What to check: Are you tracking how people find you on Google?
How to test: Try to log into Google Search Console with your Google account
What's good: Account set up, seeing data
What's bad: No account or not verified
How to fix: Set up free Google Search Console account and verify ownership
Checklist Part 4: Content Quality (20 Minutes)
✅ Homepage Content
What to check: Does your homepage have enough content?
How to test: Copy all text from homepage, paste into word counter
What's good: 300+ words with clear value proposition
What's bad: Under 200 words or just images
How to fix: Add text explaining who you help, what you offer, and why choose you
✅ About Page
What to check: Do you have an About page that builds trust?
How to test: Navigate to your About page
What's good: Story, team info, credentials, 500+ words
What's bad: Generic template text or missing
How to fix: Write about your background, expertise, and why you're qualified
✅ Service/Product Pages
What to check: Do product/service pages fully explain offerings?
How to test: Review your main service/product pages
What's good: 500+ words, benefits listed, pricing info, call-to-action
What's bad: Just bullets or short paragraphs (under 300 words)
How to fix: Expand with FAQs, use cases, testimonials, detailed benefits
✅ Blog or Resources
What to check: Do you have content that attracts potential customers?
How to test: Look for blog, resources, or articles section
What's good: 10+ helpful articles relevant to your audience
What's bad: No blog or only 1-2 old posts
How to fix: Start publishing monthly helpful content (how-tos, tips, guides)
Checklist Part 5: User Experience (15 Minutes)
✅ Navigation Clarity
What to check: Can visitors easily find what they need?
How to test:
- Ask someone unfamiliar: "Find our pricing page"
- They should find it in under 10 seconds
- No more than 3 clicks from homepage
What's good: Clear menu labels, logical organization
What's bad: Confusing menus, important pages buried
How to fix: Simplify navigation, use clear labels, limit menu items to 5-7
✅ Call-to-Action (CTA)
What to check: Is it obvious what you want visitors to do?
How to test: Look at homepage—where does the main button lead?
What's good: Prominent button: "Get Free Quote" or "Schedule Consultation"
What's bad: No clear CTA or generic "Learn More"
How to fix: Add specific CTA button above the fold
✅ Readability
What to check: Is text easy to read?
How to test:
- Check font size (should be 16px minimum)
- Look for white space between paragraphs
- Paragraphs should be 2-4 lines max
- Headings break up sections
What's good: Large font, short paragraphs, plenty of headings
What's bad: Tiny text, walls of text, no breaks
How to fix: Increase font size, add headings, break up long paragraphs
Checklist Part 6: Conversion Optimization (10 Minutes)
✅ Contact Form Working
What to check: Does your contact form actually work?
How to test: Submit a test inquiry through your form
What's good: Receive email within minutes
What's bad: No email received or error messages
How to fix: Test and fix form, ensure correct email address configured
✅ Trust Signals
What to check: Do you have elements that build credibility?
How to test: Look for:
- Customer testimonials
- Review ratings (Google, Yelp)
- Years in business
- Certifications or awards
- Client logos
What's good: 3+ trust signals visible on homepage
What's bad: No social proof
How to fix: Add testimonials section, display review ratings
✅ Privacy Policy & Legal Pages
What to check: Do you have required legal pages?
How to test: Look for Privacy Policy, Terms of Service in footer
What's good: Both pages exist and are linked in footer
What's bad: Missing or generic template text
How to fix: Use privacy policy generator, add your specific info
Checklist Part 7: Local SEO (If Applicable) (10 Minutes)
✅ Google Business Profile
What to check: Is your business listed on Google Maps?
How to test: Google your business name + city
What's good: Your business appears with map, photos, reviews
What's bad: Not listed or incorrect info
How to fix: Claim/create Google Business Profile, complete all information
✅ NAP Consistency
What to check: Is your Name, Address, Phone consistent everywhere?
How to test:
- Check address on your website
- Check Google Business Profile
- Check Facebook page
- Ensure exact match
What's good: Identical NAP everywhere
What's bad: Different versions (St. vs Street, Suite vs Ste)
How to fix: Standardize to one version, update everywhere
Quick Win Priorities
If you found issues, fix these first for immediate impact:
Priority 1 (Fix Today - 30 minutes)
- Enable HTTPS if not already
- Fix broken links
- Add contact info to footer
- Test contact form
Priority 2 (Fix This Week - 2 hours)
- Improve homepage loading speed
- Add/update page titles
- Add meta descriptions to key pages
- Claim Google Business Profile
Priority 3 (Fix This Month - 4-8 hours)
- Expand thin content pages
- Add image alt text
- Set up Google Search Console
- Add testimonials/trust signals
- Start blogging monthly
Tracking Your Progress
Create Simple Checklist Document
Make a spreadsheet with:
- Checklist item
- Status (Pass/Fail)
- Priority (High/Medium/Low)
- Date to fix by
- Status (Done/In Progress)
Schedule Next Audit
Set calendar reminder for 3 months from now to run this checklist again.
Tools to Make Auditing Easier
Free Tools
- Google PageSpeed Insights: Check site speed
- Google Search Console: Track search performance
- Google Business Profile: Manage local listing
- Broken Link Checker: Find broken links
Our AI-Powered Tool
Want a professional audit in minutes? Use our free AI-powered SEO audit tool:
- Checks 50+ factors automatically
- Provides specific, actionable recommendations
- Prioritizes issues by impact
- No technical skills required to understand
- Get results in 2-10 minutes
Conclusion: Small Improvements, Big Results
You don't need to be a web developer to improve your website. This checklist gives you everything you need to:
- Identify problems
- Understand what's wrong
- Know how to fix it
- Prioritize what matters most
Start with Priority 1 fixes today. Work through Priority 2 this week. Tackle Priority 3 over the next month. Then re-audit in 3 months.
Small improvements compound over time. A faster site, clearer messaging, better SEO, and improved trust signals add up to more traffic, more leads, and more customers.
Want to skip the manual work? Run our free AI-powered audit and get a professional report showing exactly what to fix, in priority order, with step-by-step instructions.
