Identify hidden issues and untapped opportunities through comprehensive website evaluation
Organizations know their websites aren't perfect but struggle to prioritize improvements. Performance seems acceptable, accessibility is 'probably fine,' and content sprawl happens gradually. The 360-Degree Website Audit Methodology provides systematic evaluation across six critical dimensions: technical performance, accessibility, content quality, SEO, user experience, and security. Developed through audits of complex enterprise web properties at Tableau, Salesforce, and university systems, this methodology surfaces issues teams didn't know existed and quantifies improvement opportunities with data-driven recommendations.
Technical Performance Analysis
Evaluate Core Web Vitals, load times, bundle sizes, and infrastructure to identify performance bottlenecks impacting user experience.
Accessibility Compliance Review
Systematic WCAG 2.1 AA audits covering automated scans, manual testing, and assistive technology validation to ensure inclusive experiences.
Content Quality Assessment
Analyze content freshness, accuracy, discoverability, and maintenance burden to identify outdated material and gaps in coverage.
SEO and Discoverability
Evaluate technical SEO, content optimization, site architecture, and search visibility to improve organic traffic and findability.
User Experience Evaluation
Assess navigation patterns, information architecture, conversion funnels, and usability to identify friction points reducing effectiveness.
Security and Compliance
Review security headers, dependency vulnerabilities, data privacy practices, and regulatory compliance to mitigate organizational risk.
Why comprehensive audits reveal hidden value
Point solutions audit one dimension, a Lighthouse report checks performance, an accessibility scan finds ARIA issues. But these isolated assessments miss connections: slow performance caused by legacy content nobody maintains, accessibility issues stemming from outdated component libraries, SEO problems from fragmented information architecture. The 360-degree methodology evaluates all dimensions simultaneously, revealing root causes rather than symptoms.
At Tableau, comprehensive audits identified that poor search rankings weren't an SEO problem, they were a content problem. Outdated documentation outranked current pages because teams published without archiving obsolete material. At a university client, accessibility issues traced back to decentralized governance allowing departments to deploy non-compliant templates. Holistic evaluation surfaces these systemic issues that single-dimension audits miss.
The audit process
Audits combine automated scanning with manual evaluation and stakeholder interviews. Performance analysis uses Lighthouse, WebPageTest, and Chrome DevTools to measure Core Web Vitals across representative pages. Accessibility evaluation includes axe DevTools automated scans, manual keyboard navigation testing, and screen reader validation. Content audits analyze page inventories, traffic data, and freshness metrics to identify high-value content versus dead weight.
SEO evaluation reviews technical implementation (structured data, meta tags, sitemaps), content optimization, and competitive positioning. User experience assessment includes analytics review, heatmap analysis, and usability testing to identify friction points. Security scans check dependency vulnerabilities, CSP headers, and HTTPS implementation. The methodology weights findings by impact and effort, producing a prioritized roadmap rather than an overwhelming list of issues.
Turning findings into action
Audit deliverables include detailed findings documentation, prioritized recommendations with effort estimates, and success metrics for measuring improvement. Recommendations are categorized by impact (high/medium/low) and complexity (quick wins, medium projects, major initiatives). This creates clear next steps: fix critical accessibility issues immediately, plan medium-term performance optimizations, and roadmap long-term content strategy improvements.
Follow-up audits track progress and validate that improvements deliver expected results. Did performance optimizations improve Core Web Vitals scores? Did accessibility fixes reduce screen reader friction? Did content cleanup improve search rankings? Measurement validates that audit recommendations translate to real-world improvements, and identifies new issues that emerge as sites evolve. Audits aren't one-time events; they're part of continuous quality improvement.
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