Website Audit Checklist: 25 Things to Check Before Your Site Goes Live

Why Every Website Needs an Audit

Your website is your 24/7 salesperson. If it's slow, broken, or invisible to search engines, you're leaving money on the table every single day.

This checklist covers everything we check in our professional audits. Use it yourself for free, or let us handle it for you.

SEO Checks (1-8)

1. ✅ Unique title tag on every page (under 60 characters, keyword included)

2. ✅ Meta description on every page (150-155 characters, compelling CTA)

3. ✅ H1 heading on every page (one per page, includes primary keyword)

4. ✅ Image alt text on all images (descriptive, includes keywords where natural)

5. ✅ XML sitemap created and submitted to Google Search Console

6. ✅ Robots.txt file is present and not blocking important pages

7. ✅ Internal links connect your most important pages

8. ✅ No broken links (404 errors) on the site

Speed Checks (9-14)

9. ✅ Page load time under 3 seconds (test with PageSpeed Insights)

10. ✅ Images are compressed and served in modern formats (WebP)

11. ✅ Browser caching is enabled

12. ✅ CSS and JavaScript files are minified

13. ✅ Lazy loading is enabled for below-the-fold images

14. ✅ Core Web Vitals pass (LCP < 2.5s, FID < 100ms, CLS < 0.1)

Security Checks (15-18)

15. ✅ SSL certificate installed (HTTPS, not HTTP)

16. ✅ HTTP redirects to HTTPS automatically

17. ✅ No mixed content warnings (HTTP resources on HTTPS pages)

18. ✅ Security headers present (X-Frame-Options, CSP, HSTS)

Mobile Checks (19-22)

19. ✅ Responsive design works on all screen sizes

20. ✅ Text is readable without zooming (minimum 16px font)

21. ✅ Tap targets are large enough (minimum 48x48px)

22. ✅ No horizontal scrolling on mobile

Accessibility & UX Checks (23-25)

23. ✅ Contact information is easy to find (header or footer)

24. ✅ Clear call-to-action on every page

25. ✅ Forms work correctly and have validation

Frequently Asked Questions