How to audit a website (without being an expert)

A website audit is just a structured way of answering three questions: what's broken, what's holding the site back, and what to fix first.

1. Decide what the site is for

A store, a blog and a SaaS product succeed in different ways. Before you judge anything, write down the one action you want visitors to take — buy, subscribe, book, sign up, donate. Every other finding is judged against that.

2. Check that search engines can read it

Look for a page title and description on each important page, one H1 per page, a sitemap, and no accidental noindex. A sitemap doesn't mean Google has indexed you — only Google Search Console can confirm that.

3. Measure speed with real tools

Use Google PageSpeed Insights. Pay attention to the difference between lab data (a single simulated test) and field data (what real Chrome users experienced). Field data is more trustworthy, but only exists for sites with enough traffic.

4. Run basic security checks

Confirm HTTPS works, the certificate isn't about to expire, and HTTP redirects to HTTPS. Check the response headers in your browser's developer tools. A public scan like this is not a penetration test, but it catches the most common configuration gaps.

5. Test accessibility — automatically and by hand

Automated tools catch missing alt text, unlabeled form fields and low contrast. Then try using your site with only a keyboard. Automated checks find only part of the problems, so treat them as a starting point.

6. Review the visitor journey

Read your homepage as a stranger. Is it obvious what you offer within five seconds? Is the main button visible without scrolling? Can you find pricing and contact details?

7. Prioritise

Sort what you found by impact and effort:

1. Anything that breaks the site, blocks search engines or exposes data — fix now.
2. Problems on high-traffic pages — fix next.
3. Polish — schedule it.

LaunchSafer automates steps 2 to 6 and produces this prioritised list for you. Run a free audit.