# What a digital audit actually checks, and how to do a quick one yourself

Published: 2026-10-20  
Category: Digital Strategy  
URL: https://stacked.pro/blog/what-a-digital-audit-actually-checks

> A digital audit looks at your business the way a new customer does: the website, the search results, the reviews and the social pages. Here is what gets checked, and a quick version you can do this afternoon.

Most business owners have a rough sense that their online presence could be better, but not where to start. A digital audit answers that. It looks at your business the way a new customer does, from the first search to the moment they decide whether to get in touch, and points out what is costing you enquiries.

## What gets checked

**Your website.** Does the homepage say what you do, and for whom, in the first few seconds? Is there an obvious next step on every page? Does it work properly on a phone?

**Speed.** A page that takes more than a few seconds to appear loses people before they read a word. Images that are far too large are the usual culprit.

**Search visibility.** When someone searches for what you do in your area, do you appear? Which pages rank, which do not, and is anything broken that Google has noticed and you have not?

**Your Google Business Profile.** Opening hours, photos, services, categories. For a local business this listing often brings in more enquiries than the website itself.

**Reviews and reputation.** How many reviews you have, how recent they are, how they compare with your competitors', and whether you reply to them.

**Social media.** Not how many followers you have, but whether the pages look looked-after. A Facebook page whose last post is from 2022 tells people something.

## A 30-minute version you can do yourself

1. Open your website on your phone. Time how long the homepage takes to appear. Try to find your phone number and your prices without scrolling for ages.
2. Fill in your own contact form. Check the message actually arrives, and how long it takes.
3. Search for your main service and your town in a private browser window. Note where you appear, and who appears above you.
4. Look at your Google Business Profile as a customer would. Are the hours right? When was the last photo added?
5. Read your last ten reviews, and your competitors' last ten. Have you replied to yours?
6. Scroll your social pages. Would a stranger think you are still trading?

Write down everything that made you wince. That list is your starting point, and most of it costs nothing to fix.

## What a proper audit adds

The quick version shows you the obvious problems. A full audit goes further: it measures page speed properly, checks how search engines see the site, compares you against the businesses you are actually competing with, and puts everything in order of what will make the biggest difference first.

If you would rather have someone else do it, we offer a [free digital audit](https://stacked.pro/digital-audit). You get a clear report with scores, findings and a plan for the next 90 days, and there is no obligation to do anything with it.