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"Do I Need a Site Audit?" Probably.

Reading time: 3 minutes
Hayden
Written by
Hayden
Content and Marketing Strategist
Site Audit

You and I should go to the doctor for a checkup once a year, but what about your website? How can you make sure there are no underlying health concerns? A site audit!

Audits result in two types of action: corrective and preventative. Corrective action is a response to an existing problem. Preventative action eliminates the potential for problems.

Why Are Regular Site Audits Important?

It's important to regularly run audits regardless of whether symptoms are visible. Here are three reasons.

  1. Website audits monitor user experience.
  2. Website audits help find broken tags and prevent corrupted data.
  3. Website audits make sure your site and data are secure.

When it comes to your website, there are two functions of a CMS Site Audit: security and performance.

Security Audit

Now more than ever, cybersecurity is an important factor in managing a website. As a result, it is now necessary for business owners to heavily secure their Drupal or WordPress websites. The only way to ensure your site is securely running at peak performance is through a comprehensive site audit.

The goal of a site audit is to provide a comprehensive understanding of your site's current state as well as any changes necessary to maximize the effectiveness of your site while reducing potential technical risk. The audit uncovers all relevant issues and suggests the best practice solutions.

There are many reasons to conduct a site audit, such as security or performance concerns. A site audit is also necessary if business goals have changed or the website requires an upgrade for technical reasons. In all cases, an audit will help ensure that you are running a quality, stable, and optimized website.

Audits performed on Drupal and WordPress sites typically include a number of critical reviews. One of the most important steps is the security review. During a security audit, your site will be checked for any potential security risks. Risks could be a result of many site problems such as poor custom coding, known security problems related to modules, weak passwords, or incorrect user permissions.

Performance Audit

Poor site configuration can affect your website’s performance through aspects such as load speed. As a result, it is also important to conduct a performance review when auditing a site. A successful performance audit will most likely recommend several tasks for improving your site's performance, particularly if your site receives a high volume of traffic.

Larger sites with lots of rich media files and content can run slowly if the site is not optimized correctly. Performance is a key issue as it can impact the success of your site in several ways.

A Drupal or WordPress performance audit is something that should be run regularly, even if clear-cut issues have not surfaced. Your site’s ability to respond and handle traffic are the key ingredients for great user experience, so a regular check-up is a smart strategy. Perhaps more importantly, search engines such as Google now prioritize site speed in SEO. A Google penalty is a monster to avoid.

A performance audit reviews all layers of your website to identify likely problems. The Auditor will inform you of all the issues observed as well as recommend solutions. The process will also tell you what you are doing well so that you can focus on increasing those behaviors.

Include Audits in Your Website Strategy

Smart website maintenance requires regular checks, so keep this in mind as you plan your website strategy.


About Hayden

Hayden is a content developer and strategist at O8. She enjoys meeting new people, which is why she has worked in 5 different states! Hayden comes to O8 with prior experience in content creation, social media, SEO, sales, public relations, and production. After graduating with a B.S.B.A. from the University of Richmond, she moved home to Naples, FL with her two dogs, Vandie and Blue. When not writing, you can find Hayden swimming, running or painting.

ABOUT O8

O8 is a different kind of agency, offering Fractional Marketing Services, including expert Digital Strategy, Web Design, and Marketing Automation. We understand that digital marketing gets harder each day, which is why we help marketing teams become more efficient, productive, and healthy. Here’s more information about why you might consider working with us.