Every website is different, and the requirements of a holiday cottage website are very different from those of a local tradesperson or professional service business.
What we can compare though is how well the website presents to its target audience, the tech stack behind the website, and how the website performs. These are a few of the areas that we target with every website audit.
1: Page Speed - Does the Website Load Quick Enough to Retain Visitors?
It's a tale as old as time and It's something we see time and time again. If you have a slow website, your visitors are more likely to drop off before the page loads fully.
This means that potential customers aren't even seeing your website - they click on your website in the search results and then decide it's not worth bothering waiting for it to load, and move on to another business.
Google has a free tool available to check your page speed: Page Speed Insights. Simply enter your website URL and it will return your Core Web Vitals scores. But be warned - these scores aren't the be-all and end-all, and should be advisory only. It's extremely difficult to get a clean 100/100 score.
2: SEO - Does the Website Have the Right Content? And Is Google Aware of the Site?
It might sound daft, but one of the first things we check is “can I find this site on Google”.
There have been plenty of occasions where we see websites where the “Discourage search engines from indexing this site” box has been checked in WordPress, meaning that Google simply ignores the website and customers are unlikely to ever find the business through search.
Secondly is the content itself. This should include keywords, things like “website designer Cumbria” or “holiday cottage Ambleside” within the text of the website's pages. This is how Google decides what each page is about, and eventually where to place the website in the search results.
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is the process of optimising a website so that search engines can find it, but there's a new one - AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation). This means structuring content in such a way that AI platforms like Gemini and ChatGPT are able to read it, understand it, and potentially cite your business as a source.
SEO and AEO are two of the most important parts of any website audit, and getting these in good shape gives you the best chance at getting visitors to your website and converting those visitors into customers.
3: Design - Not Just Does It Look Nice, But Is It Accessible?
We're going to break this into two parts: the design itself, and accessibility.
For the design itself, we'll check if the website is responsive (and it very much should be in 2026). This means that the website adapts and changes depending on the screen size or device your visitors are using.
Then it's down to the colours, fonts and layout itself. We'll check that this aligns with the business's branding, social media content and is sound from a user-experience standpoint.
This means making sure that we have appropriately sized headings, paragraphs and call-to-action buttons, as well as ensuring that if you click something, an action actually happens. For example, clicking on a button that is supposed to open a form should open the form, not do nothing.
For accessibility, we'll check that the contrast ratio between text and backgrounds is sufficient, meaning that those with visual impairments are more likely to be able to read content. We also check that images have appropriate alt tags and that buttons and other interactive elements are properly labelled for screen readers.
This stage of the audit is a quality check, ensuring that the website looks great and is accessible to all visitors.
4: Security and Maintenance
This one's especially important for WordPress websites. We'll carry out a check of the website's security from the ground up.
That means checking that it's served securely (with an SSL certificate), that the PHP version is modern and supported, and that the website administrator login has a genuinely strong password.
Letmein123, for the record, is not a strong password.
For WordPress sites, we'll also check any available updates and advise accordingly. Updates for WordPress core, themes and plugins are essential, as they regularly contain important security patches and bug fixes.
There's nothing a hacker loves more than an unmaintained website. Every missed update is a potential vulnerability. Keeping your website updated is your first line of defence.
5: Conversion Optimisation & Business Goals
Your website can be lightning fast, SEO optimised and have fantastic imagery, but that's all useless if your customers have no idea what to do next.
We check that your website has the appropriate actions for potential customers to take. This could be a “Request a Quote” button directing them to an online form, a prompt to “Call for a Free Consultation”, or something more direct like “Book Now”.
We also look for trust signals such as testimonials, reviews and case studies that help visitors feel confident in getting in touch.
A website without a clear call to action is not complete. We check that each section of the website has an appropriate action and that no opportunities have been missed.
Conclusion
Our website audits aren't about picking faults. They are designed to highlight key areas that can be improved to strengthen a website.
Sometimes the recommendations are technical, sometimes they're design-related, and sometimes they're as simple as making it easier for customers to get in touch.
If you'd like a fresh pair of eyes on your website, get in touch. We'll provide honest feedback and highlight any opportunities we think could improve performance, usability or lead generation.