When a client brings us their website for improvement, the first thing we do is not open Figma or start talking about design. The first thing is to audit. Without a structured audit, the changes you make can solve secondary problems while the main ones remain untouched.
These are the 20 points we systematically review on every website before proposing any changes. We've organised them into five categories so you can prioritise them.
Category 1: Technical performance (points 1-4)
- 1. Loading speed (Core Web Vitals): Open PageSpeed Insights with your URL. The target is LCP < 2.5s, FID < 100ms, CLS < 0.1. If you fail on any of these, you're penalising both user experience and rankings.
- 2. Crawling and indexation: Check in Google Search Console that all your important pages are indexed. Look for coverage errors and pages blocked by accidental robots.txt or noindex.
- 3. 404 errors and broken redirects: Use Screaming Frog (free version up to 500 URLs) to crawl your site. Identify all 404s and make sure redirects are 301s, not chains of 302s.
- 4. HTTPS and security: Verify the entire site serves over HTTPS, there's no mixed content (resources loaded on HTTP inside HTTPS pages) and the SSL certificate is up to date.
Category 2: On-page SEO (points 5-9)
- 5. Title tags and meta descriptions: Each page needs a unique title of 50-60 characters with the main keyword. Meta descriptions should be 150-160 characters with a clear CTA.
- 6. Heading structure (H1-H6): Each page should have exactly one H1 with the main keyword. H2s structure the content. Never use headings for visual styling.
- 7. Image alt text: Check all content images have descriptive alt text. Decorative images should have empty alt="".
- 8. Clean and descriptive URLs: URLs should be readable, short and contain the keyword. Avoid unnecessary dynamic parameters and special characters.
- 9. Structured data (Schema.org): Implement at least Organization and WebSite. If you have services, add Service. If you have FAQs, add FAQPage. Verify with the Rich Results Test.
Category 3: Mobile experience (points 10-13)
- 10. Viewport configured correctly: The meta viewport tag must be present with content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1".
- 11. Readable font size: Body text should be a minimum of 16px on mobile. Less than that forces the user to zoom.
- 12. Buttons and touch elements: Interactive elements should have at least 44x44px of touch area. Check that buttons aren't too close together.
- 13. No overflowing content: Check that no element is wider than the screen. Use Chrome DevTools in mobile mode to detect overflow.
Category 4: Conversion and UX (points 14-17)
- 14. Clear value proposition in the hero: Within the first 5 seconds, the visitor should understand what you do, who for and why you're different. Ask someone outside your company to read it and tell you what your company does.
- 15. Clear and visible CTAs: Each page should have an obvious primary CTA. Button text should describe the action and result ("Request free quote", not "Submit").
- 16. Social proof: Reviews, testimonials, client logos or case studies should appear before the first CTA. Without social proof, the visitor has no reason to trust.
- 17. Simplified forms: Ask only for fields that are absolutely necessary. Each additional field reduces conversion rate. Do you need the phone if contact is by email?
Category 5: Content and structure (points 18-20)
- 18. Information architecture: Does the navigation make sense to someone who doesn't know your company? Do a 5-second test: show the homepage to an outsider and ask them what the company does and how to contact.
- 19. Outdated content: Review copyright dates, references to past events, undated testimonials, prices that are no longer correct. Outdated content destroys trust.
- 20. Orphan pages: Use Screaming Frog to identify pages with no internal links pointing to them. These pages are invisible to Google and to your users.
How to prioritise what to fix first
Once you have the diagnosis, use this rule: first what blocks, then what converts, then what ranks.
Critical blockers: indexation errors, broken HTTPS, very poor Core Web Vitals. These go first because without them everything else is building on sand.
Conversion: unclear CTA, lack of social proof, forms with friction. This has the most immediate impact on business results.
Ranking: on-page optimisation, structured data, marginal speed improvements. Important, but slower-acting.