A practical website audit checklist

Read the evidence before writing the recommendation

This platform’s browser capture collects observations from one page visit. The distinction between a fact and a diagnosis is central to the personal video workflow.

A description tag is absent

You can explain that the captured page had no description tag. Check the intended search snippet and page purpose before recommending copy. This observation does not establish that the site is absent from search.

The navigation timing looks slow

You can describe the observed visit and its test conditions. Repeat the measurement and investigate the main content and real-user data before calling it a Core Web Vitals failure.

An image has no alternative text

Check what the image conveys. An informative image may need a useful description; a decorative image may correctly have empty alternative text. Count alone does not establish an accessibility failure.

A score is unavailable

Leave it unavailable. Missing data is not a score of zero. Explain which further test you would run instead of using an invented number to make the audit look complete.

For example, an illustrative audit message could say: “I found no description tag on the page I captured. I’d check how that page appears in search and whether a clearer summary would help someone choose the right service.” It should not jump to “your site cannot rank” or promise a ranking increase.

1. Walk through the mobile experience

Open the important pages at a narrow viewport and at normal text size. Check whether the page stays within the screen, navigation is easy to operate, and the main offer is understandable before a long scroll.

• Try the menu, contact links, and the primary call to action.
• Look for overlays that obscure the page or controls that are difficult to tap.
• Test longer labels and enlarged text, rather than relying on one screenshot.
• Record the actual page and viewport you tested so someone else can reproduce the observation.

2. Check whether the content answers the visitor’s question

Can a new visitor tell what the business does, who it serves, and how to take the next step? Useful copy explains the service in the customer’s language. Descriptive headings and links help both people and search engines understand the page.

Look for outdated statements, broken links, vague link labels, and claims that need evidence. Adding more words or repeating keywords does not make a page more helpful. Google’s SEO Starter Guide prioritises useful, well-organised content and clear titles.

3. Verify the basics of search visibility

Check the public page’s response, title, description, canonical URL, robots directives, and sitemap membership. A page that should be private should remain protected and excluded. A public page intended for search must be accessible to a crawler.

• Use a unique, descriptive title and a concise summary that matches the visible content.
• Choose one canonical HTTPS URL and link to it consistently.
• Include real public pages in a sitemap; exclude login screens and private invitations.
• Make important text and navigation available in the server-rendered page.
• Use verified Search Console access to inspect crawling and indexing, rather than guessing from a single search.

A missing description does not prove that a page cannot rank, and a sitemap does not guarantee indexing. Google explains these limits in its sitemap guidance.

4. Measure performance in context

One navigation timing describes one visit. A full performance assessment should also consider real users, the main content’s load time, responsiveness after interactions, and unexpected layout movement.

The current Core Web Vitals are Largest Contentful Paint, Interaction to Next Paint, and Cumulative Layout Shift. Google’s good-experience thresholds are LCP within 2.5 seconds, INP below 200 milliseconds, and CLS below 0.1, assessed at the 75th percentile of page visits. See Google’s Core Web Vitals guidance for the measurement context.

Use lab testing to diagnose a problem and field data to understand actual visitors. Do not label a single browser capture as a Core Web Vitals pass, or promise a search position because a lab score improved.

5. Test more than the visual design

Move through the page using the keyboard. Focus should remain visible, controls should have useful names, forms should have labels and explain errors, and the order should make sense.

• Check readable text contrast and useful alternative text for informative images.
• Make sure users can enlarge text and use the page without horizontal scrolling.
• Provide text alongside essential video information and captions where appropriate.
• Respect reduced motion and avoid hiding content behind an animation.

A missing image description can be a useful lead for investigation. It is not a complete accessibility assessment: decorative images may correctly have empty alternative text. The W3C’s WCAG 2.2 reference explains the wider requirements.

6. Follow the customer’s next action

Try the enquiry or booking flow. Check whether the action is clear, whether the form works, and whether the person receives an accurate confirmation. If the business expects a phone call, test the mobile phone link; if it expects an appointment, check availability and time zones.

Record what happened and where friction appeared. Connect your recommendation to that evidence. A useful personal video says “here is what I noticed, and here is what I would test next” before it claims a commercial result.

Turn the checklist into a conversation

Pick one or two concrete observations. Explain them in the context of the actual website, review the message, and give the recipient a clear next step. A personal audit should be helpful even if the recipient never becomes a customer.

See how the personal video audit workflow works.