A website audit checklist for qualifying web design leads
Quick answer
Audit the customer journey before judging the design. Open a prospect’s site on mobile, find a service, and follow the path to an enquiry. Record a reproducible problem, the page where it occurs, and a realistic fix. Use performance reports as supporting evidence, then build your pitch around the clearest verified issue.
- Start with the homepage and one important service or booking page.
- Record the URL, device, date, and steps needed to reproduce a problem.
- Check the mobile menu, readable content, and enquiry path manually.
- Separate automated audit findings from your own observations.
- Prioritize a fix you can deliver over a general design opinion.
- An audit finding is a project hypothesis, not proof of lost revenue.
How it works
- 1
Confirm the site belongs to the business
Match the domain, location, and contact details. Follow redirects before reviewing an old URL.
- 2
Try the main customer task
Find a service, check the area served, and reach the booking or contact option on a phone-sized screen.
- 3
Record and cross-check the issue
Keep the exact page, reproduction steps, and a screenshot. Use an audit report when a technical measurement helps explain the problem.
- 4
Recommend one first improvement
Explain the change, its scope, and how you would verify it. Ask about the owner’s priorities before proposing a full rebuild.
What should you check on the website?
Use the checklist below as a short qualification pass. Mark an item “not checked” when you lack access or evidence. An automated tool can identify some issues, but it cannot decide whether the site serves the business well without context.
| Check | Evidence to keep | Possible next step |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile navigation | The menu or an overlay blocks a service or contact link at a recorded screen size. | Repair navigation or overlay behavior. |
| Readable service information | A key service, menu, or price list is hard to read without zooming. | Create responsive, readable page content. |
| Enquiry path | A visible button points to a missing page, wrong destination, or unusable form. | Fix the link or simplify the contact path. |
| Business details | The site’s hours, phone, address, or service area conflict with another current source. | Ask the owner which details are correct, then update them. |
| Performance | A dated report for a specific URL and device, plus any repeatable loading issue. | Investigate the measured bottleneck before choosing a remedy. |
| Page purpose | The title, heading, or content does not explain the service on the page. | Clarify the page around the service and customer question. |
| Contact confidence | The site omits a usable business contact route or clear next action. | Add an appropriate enquiry or booking option. |
Inspect forms without submitting a fake enquiry or making a booking. A visible form is not proof that messages reach the owner; label delivery as untested unless you can run an agreed end-to-end test.
How should you use an automated audit report?
PreyReach can generate a website audit PDF for a lead with a website. The report combines performance measurements with separate checks of the page’s HTML for SEO and conversion signals. Review which findings were measured and which still need a manual check.
Google’s PageSpeed Insights documentation distinguishes simulated lab tests from real-user field data. A single lab result is a diagnostic snapshot; it does not establish the experience of every customer. Keep the tested URL, device mode, and date alongside the result, and repeat a surprising measurement before making it central to a pitch.
If a report cannot measure a value, leave it unknown. A missing score is not zero. Do not turn an automated SEO score into a claim about the business’s Google ranking or assume a low performance score explains its sales.
Which findings deserve a redesign conversation?
A broken contact link or an unusable mobile menu usually gives you a clearer opening than an old color palette. Prioritize issues that affect a task the business wants customers to complete and that you can reproduce reliably.
Separate a small repair from a rebuild. If changing one link solves the problem, propose that fix. If the service structure, mobile layout, and content all need work, explain why a broader project may be appropriate. Ask who maintains the site and whether a redesign is already planned.
For example, an Atlanta cleaning company might offer both residential and commercial services but send every visitor to an unclear contact page. Your hypothesis could be two clear service paths and a better quote enquiry. Confirm the owner’s process before claiming this change will create more bookings. Start with the Atlanta cleaning-company search to investigate that segment.
What should you put in your audit notes?
Use this record for each finding. It keeps observations, assumptions, and proposed work separate:
Business and website: Page checked: Date, device, and screen size: Customer task: Steps to reproduce: Observed result: Supporting screenshot or report: What remains unverified: Suggested first fix: Question for the owner:
Turn the strongest entry into two or three sentences: what you tried, what happened, and the improvement you could help with. Offer to share the evidence. Avoid an alarmist report that implies every automated warning is urgent.
The broader outdated-website prospecting page covers discovery. This checklist is for deciding which of those discoveries is worth a conversation.
Frequently asked questions
Does an old-looking website need a redesign?
Not necessarily. Check whether visitors can read the content, find relevant services, and contact the business. A visual preference alone is a weak reason to propose a rebuild.
Does a low audit score prove the business is losing customers?
No. A score can support a technical investigation, but it does not measure lost revenue. Reproduce the issue and ask about the business’s goals and actual customer experience.
Can I audit a business that has no website?
A technical website audit needs a reachable site. For a business without one, document the missing information or customer journey instead and discuss a first-website project.
Should I send a full report in the first email?
Start with one clear observation and offer to share the supporting detail. The full report is more useful when the recipient understands why the finding matters to their site.
Find a prospect, then verify the opportunity
Search for businesses with a website problem that matches the work you can deliver.
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