Oftentimes, when a client comes to us ready for a new website, what they really mean is that they want to update the look and feel. Nicer visuals, more modern layouts, updated colours/brand – everything they think they need to refresh their online presence and appeal to their target audience.
However, jumping straight into the design process could risk creating a website that looks the part, without actually performing how it is needed; for some businesses, that’s generating leads and increasing traffic, for others, it’s supporting wider marketing goals with awareness and brand building.
That’s why we kick off our website projects with an audit. Whether you have an existing site that’s ready for an upgrade, or you’re starting from scratch with little or no online presence, an audit ensures your new website is built on solid foundations. Audits aren’t just to provide a guide to fixing what might be broken, they’re about highlighting what’s working, and where the biggest opportunities lie – a key part of the process for ensuring a return on investment.
What do we mean by a website audit?
A website audit is a structured review of your online presence designed to guide your next steps. It’s not just a box-ticking exercise or a report that nobody reads – it’s an important tool to guide our approach to your new website. A Browndog audit consists of a proven process tailored to each client and their individual needs/objectives, but most typically will cover the following areas:
- Content – we’ll look at words and messaging across your site, asking if they’re clear and engaging. Do they answer the questions that your customers are asking?
- SEO – search visibility is often a key objective for any new website. We’ll look at your rankings, keywords, and how your website compares to competitors. Our SEO audit can highlight missed opportunities and ensure that your new website gains visibility in search engines for the right keywords (this is essential for driving the right traffic to your website).
- Technical – a little behind the scenes check-up, if you will. We’ll look at factors such as site speed, mobile-friendliness, crawl errors and overall user experience. While these technical aspects won’t necessarily be visible to your visitors, they could well have an impact on their experience and how you appear (or don’t appear in search results).
Whether you simply cover one aspect or all three, an audit will help bring clarity and direction, giving you a path from where you are now to where you want to be.
If you already have a website, why audit first?
If you’ve got an existing website, you might be tempted to delete it all and start again if you don’t think it’s working for you. In most cases, we’d say there’s always something that is working well – particularly if there is legacy content that has been building over time. An audit can help to make sure you avoid losing the bits that are working and help guide you around the bits that aren’t working so well.
Here’s how the audit will help:
- Keep what works – if some of your content is already performing, such as blog posts that bring in organic traffic, service pages that rank well, or case studies that your audience actually reads, we’ll identify these higher value assets so that you can carry them over (or tweak them as needed) for your new site.
- Spot weaknesses – an audit will highlight which elements are letting your site down. It might be slow load times or confusing navigation, or maybe the content is too thin and needs some expansion. It’s easy to miss these when you know exactly what you’re talking about and you might struggle to put yourself in the visitor’s mind.
- Plan your new site structure – we always recommend an audit to help design a site map that will work for your desired customer journey. We can look at journey data, drop-off points, content gaps, and we can map out the navigation and landing pages that will take your visitors from engagement through to enquiry.
- Avoid costly mistakes – a redesign without an audit could leave you flying blind, and could result in your site not doing what it needs to do, or repeating the process to get it right, after launch. You certainly wouldn’t be alone if you found your site with broken links, pages that don’t convert, confused visitors and a fall in search engine rankings. We’d prefer that didn’t happen though, so we like to ensure a thorough audit upfront to put you in the best position to achieve your objectives!
If you don’t have a website, why an audit still matters
If you don’t already have a website, you might assume there’s nothing to audit. However, that’s far from the case! Rather than focusing on an existing website or content, we’ll switch our focus to what the landscape looks like and how your potential competitors fare.
Here’s the areas an audit might cover if you don’t have a website to begin with (and why it matters):
- Competitor audit – we’ll look at what others in your space are doing well (and not so well). This helps identity gaps you can fill, opportunities to differentiate, and industry benchmarks you should aim to meet or exceed.
- Content & SEO analysis – a new website needs to answer all the questions your potential customers are already asking. We’ll use specialist tools to find out what people are asking and what keywords and phrases they might be searching with. We’ll identify landing pages that will convert and give you a clear map to shape your overall content. If you’ve already got some content prepared, great. We’ll review it and help guide you to make sure it performs well.
An audit really is an essential part of the website development process, particularly if you currently have no online presence. Rather than guessing what should go on each page, you’ll have evidence-backed guidance that will help build a website that supports your business goals from launch.
What practical outcomes can you expect?
When you work together with us on a new website, we’re as invested in its success as you. We aim to produce work that serves a purpose and helps you to achieve your goals. We don’t want our audit to sit unread, we want it to be a detailed guide to help shape the whole process. Here’s what you’ll have:
- A clear site map and structure – a clear navigation set around your customer journey, not just guesswork. Visitors can easily find what they’re looking for, and will be guided to your chosen call to action.
- Defined landing pages – whether it’s explainer pages for products or services, or to support your PPC campaigns, you’ll know exactly which landing pages you’ll need and what content will drive traffic. Our web designers will ensure they’re perfectly laid out for conversion, and our web developers will build them with skill and technical capabilities to make sure they perform.
- A content plan – as part of our process, we’ll identify areas of content that will support your objectives. We can also produce an additional piece of work that will give you a 12 month content strategy, guiding you with titles and topics for blogs, landing pages, and other SEO-focused content to boost your site’s performance.
Once we’ve produced your audit, we’re more than happy to go through it in detail, giving you the chance to ask questions and ensure the deepest understanding. Once this process is complete, you can produce your own content and provide it to us before the design stage, or we can support you with copywriting and search engine optimisation, giving you a structured plan to make sure your website is a success.
Our opinion on website audits
A new website should always start with an audit. Whether you’re upgrading an existing site or building your first one, the audit stage will set you up for a smooth and successful process. At Browndog, we don’t just rush into design, we care about the strategy and the reason why you’re beginning a project.
We work with lots of SMEs, so we know budgets can be tight and every penny counts. A website audit should be seen as an investment that is essential to the success of your online strategy, and certainly not a corner worth cutting!
