Annual Website Audit Checklist: 30 Things to Check Once a Year

Most websites are built, launched — and then left alone. A year or two later, phone numbers have changed, prices are wrong, a form has been broken for months, the copyright says 2022, and nobody remembers who has the hosting password. Monthly maintenance covers routine tasks (see our maintenance checklist). Once a year, a deeper audit catches everything else.

Set aside half a day, go through these 30 checks, and note what needs fixing.

Business information

1. Phone, WhatsApp, email and address are correct everywhere on the site.
2. Working hours and holidays are current.
3. Services and products listed are still offered; new ones are added.
4. Prices, packages or price ranges are up to date.
5. Team, owner and About information is current.
6. Google Business Profile, Bing Places and Apple Maps details match the website. See Bing Places and Apple Maps.

Content

1. Homepage clearly says what you do, where, and for whom.
2. Old blog posts with outdated facts are updated. See content refresh.
3. Photos reflect your current premises, team, vehicles and products.
4. Testimonials and case studies are recent and genuine.
5. No placeholder text, "coming soon" pages or empty sections.
6. Copyright year and any dated references are current.

SEO

1. Search Console shows no major indexing or security issues.
2. Important pages are indexed.
3. Titles and meta descriptions are unique and relevant.
4. Sitemap is accurate and submitted; robots.txt doesn't block important content. See robots.txt and sitemaps.
5. No broken internal links; old URLs redirect properly.
6. Structured data validates without errors.

Speed and mobile

1. PageSpeed Insights and Core Web Vitals are acceptable on mobile. See Core Web Vitals.
2. Images are compressed; no huge files slowing pages.
3. The site works well on a mid-range phone and small screens.

Security and technical

1. SSL certificate is valid and the site loads only on HTTPS.
2. PHP and software versions are supported. See upgrading PHP.
3. Automatic backups are running — and a test restore works.
4. Admin passwords are strong; 2FA is on for key accounts. See 2FA guide.
5. Error logs show no recurring problems. See reading error logs.

Accounts, legal and renewals

1. You have owner access to domain, hosting, Google, Meta and analytics; ex-staff and old agencies are removed. Renewal dates are noted. See hosting renewals.
2. Privacy policy, terms and refund policies reflect how you actually work. See DPDP checklist.

Conversions

1. Every form submits successfully and enquiries arrive; click-to-call and WhatsApp links work.
2. Conversion tracking in GA4 and ads is recording correctly, and you know your leads by source for the year. See measuring marketing ROI.

After the audit

Group your findings into three lists:

• Fix now: broken forms, wrong contact details, security issues.
• Fix this quarter: content updates, speed improvements.
• Plan for later: redesign, new features. See signs you need a redesign.

Who should do the audit?

The business owner should check business information, content and conversions — nobody knows these better. A developer or agency should handle technical, security and SEO checks. Doing it together for half a day each year is one of the cheapest ways to protect the website you've invested in.

Keep a record

Save each year's audit results in a simple document. Comparing year to year shows whether the website is improving, and helps any new developer or agency understand its history quickly.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does an annual audit take?

For a small business site, about half a day for the checks; fixes take longer depending on what you find.

Can I do it myself?

Most checks, yes. Technical items like PHP versions and error logs may need your developer.

When is the best time of year?

Before your busiest season, so the site is ready when demand peaks.

Should I use paid audit tools?

Free tools — Search Console, PageSpeed Insights, Bing Site Scan — cover most needs for small sites.

Want a professional audit?

Joboo Web audits websites and delivers a prioritised fix list. See SEO services or contact us.