The 9-point website audit we run before quoting any project

We never quote a project blind. Before any number leaves our desk, we run the same nine-point audit on your existing site, because the fastest way to waste a client’s money is to rebuild something that only needed a fix. Here is the entire checklist. Run it on your own site this afternoon — or have the free nine-point audit tool run seven of the nine for you in about ten seconds, and give you a permanent page with every reading on it.

The nine points

1. Speed on a real phone. Not on your office fibre — on a mid-range Android over mobile data. If your largest content takes more than 2.5 seconds to appear, you are losing visitors before they see a word.
2. Mobile experience. Tap targets, readable type without pinching, no horizontal scroll, no layout shifting as things load. Most traffic is mobile; most sites are still designed desktop-first.
3. The five-second clarity test. Can a stranger tell what you do, who it is for, and what to do next within five seconds of landing? If not, no amount of traffic will save it.
4. One clear primary action per page. Call, book, buy, enquire — pick one. Competing buttons split attention and kill conversion.
5. Technical SEO basics. Titles and meta descriptions, a clean URL structure, a working sitemap, no accidental “noindex,” and an HTTPS lock that actually holds.
6. Structured data. Is there Organization, LocalBusiness, and FAQ schema telling Google and AI engines exactly what you are? Usually the answer is no — and it is free rank left on the table.
7. Trust signals. Real reviews, real photos, real contact details, a physical or service area. People and algorithms both reward businesses that prove they exist.
8. Analytics and tracking. If you cannot see where visitors come from and where they drop off, you are optimising in the dark. A working analytics and Search Console setup is non-negotiable.
9. Security and maintenance. Up-to-date software, backups, and an SSL certificate. A hacked or broken site undoes every other point on this list overnight.

What the score tells you

Most sites we audit pass three or four of these and quietly fail the rest. The good news is that the failures are almost always cheaper to fix than owners fear — and fixing them usually beats a full rebuild on return. The audit is what lets us tell you the difference honestly, before you spend anything.

That is the whole philosophy: diagnose before you prescribe. Run the nine points yourself, or let us run them for you — free, no obligation, and you keep the report either way.