Performing your own website audit using a SWOT analysis

Would you like a quick, simple, and organized method to evaluate your website?

When businesses want to better understand their current situation, they perform a SWOT analysis. This tool can easily and effectively be applied to a website audit or website evaluation. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. The first two categories evaluate your internal situation and the latter two are in regards to your external, or market, situation.

In conducting a comprehensive website audit it is helpful to have an understanding of Internet marketing, however the following questions are straightforward and should serve as a springboard for conversations with your website manager.

Strengths & Weaknesses

In reviewing your site for strengths and weaknesses (internal to your company remember), ask yourself the following questions. Your yes answers are strengths, no answers are weaknesses.

In general:

  • Do we have SMART goals for the site (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely)?
  • Do we have the resources, both financial and leadership, to invest in site improvements?
  • Do we monitor site traffic?
  • Do we understand our traffic sources and whether they correspond to our target audience?
  • Do advertisements on our site invade or enhance visitor experience?

In regards to content:

  • Are we able to develop, manage and update our content in a manner that is current, relevant, supportive of our brand, and effective at achieving our overall SMART website goals?
  • Do we use keywords, make frequent updates, and utilize other techniques for improving search engine optimization (rankings)?
  • Is all of our contact information accurate and easy to find?
  • Is there a clear call to action?
  • How does the content influence our credibility?
  • Is copyright, privacy, security or other pertinent legal information available?
  • Does the voice of our content accurately reflect our brand?

In regards to design:

  • Do we have a clear understanding of our brand?
  • Do the color palette, font selection, and graphics reflect our brand accurately and effectively?
  • Is our unique selling proposition or brand promise highly visible?
  • Is the layout cluttered or clean?
  • Do design elements change with different browsers/platform configurations?

In regards to functionality:

  • Is the site easy to navigate and is the navigation consistent across the site?
  • Do all the functional elements of the site work? (navigation, forms, motion graphics)
  • Do we offer an email form on the site so visitors can contact us without leaving our site?
  • Are there any broken links and is there a process to regularly check for broken links?

Opportunities & Threats

Next, review your site for external situational factors in terms of opportunities and threats. Here are some considerations:

  • Are we doing everything we can to both capture and meet visitor needs?
  • Are there technologies we could better utilize?
  • Are there unidentified revenue opportunities through the site?
  • Do we practice targeted segmentation marketing?
  • How well do we understand our competition, including their strengths and weaknesses?
  • Has our site kept up with changes in visitor preferences?
  • Has a better way of serving customers replaced the our Internet strategy?
  • Are there macro-economic trends impacting our success?

With strengths and opportunities in one hand and weaknesses and threats in the other you can clearly identify easy improvements and serious vulnerabilities. For any questions that left you scratching your head, talk to your website manager or a good web firm (we know one).

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