What Is a Website Performance Audit?
A website performance audit helps identify technical issues, slow-loading elements, and usability problems that impact user experience and conversions. Businesses use website performance audits to improve speed, SEO rankings, and lead generation effectiveness.
This free website performance audit template allows you to systematically evaluate your website across multiple dimensions including speed, usability, accessibility, and conversion readiness. Whether you’re managing a business website, SaaS platform, or eCommerce store, this template helps prioritize improvements that directly impact revenue.
Website Performance Audit
Free Website
Performance Audit
A structured 50-point audit across 6 critical dimensions. Score your site, identify gaps, and prioritise the fixes that will move the needle on leads and revenue.
Overall score
0
out of 100
Website URL
Audited by
Date
Speed & Performance
Core Web Vitals, load time, and technical efficiency
| Check | Rating (1–5) | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
Page load time (desktop) Target: under 2.5s. Test with Google PageSpeed Insights. |
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Mobile page speed score Target: 80+. Mobile now accounts for 60%+ of web traffic. |
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Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) Target: under 2.5s. Measures perceived load speed. |
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Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) Target: under 0.1. Unexpected layout shifts hurt UX and SEO. |
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Image optimisation Images compressed, using modern formats (WebP/AVIF), lazy-loaded. |
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Caching & CDN Static assets served via CDN with proper cache-control headers. |
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JavaScript bundle size Unused JS removed. Bundle split and deferred where possible. |
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HTTPS & SSL certificate Valid SSL, HTTP → HTTPS redirects in place. No mixed content warnings. |
SEO & Discoverability
On-page SEO, metadata, and crawlability
| Check | Rating (1–5) | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
Title tags & meta descriptions Unique, keyword-rich title tags (50–60 chars) and meta descriptions (150–160 chars) on every page. |
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Heading hierarchy (H1–H3) One H1 per page. Logical H2/H3 structure with target keywords. |
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XML sitemap & robots.txt Sitemap submitted to Google Search Console. Robots.txt not blocking key pages. |
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Internal linking structure Key pages linked from homepage and navigation. No orphaned pages. |
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Image alt text All meaningful images have descriptive, keyword-relevant alt attributes. |
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Structured data / schema markup JSON-LD schema for Organisation, FAQ, Product, or Article where relevant. |
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Canonical tags Canonical URLs set to prevent duplicate content issues across paginated or filtered pages. |
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No broken links (4xx errors) Run a crawl (Screaming Frog, Ahrefs). All internal links resolve correctly. |
UX & Design
Usability, visual clarity, and mobile experience
| Check | Rating (1–5) | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
Mobile responsiveness Site renders correctly across all screen sizes. No horizontal scroll, no overlapping elements. |
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Navigation clarity Primary nav is intuitive. Users can reach any key page within 2 clicks from the homepage. |
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Typography & readability Body text ≥16px. Line height ≥1.5. Sufficient contrast (WCAG AA: 4.5:1 ratio). |
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Visual hierarchy on key pages The eye is guided naturally from headline → value prop → CTA. No visual clutter. |
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Form usability Forms have visible labels, error states, and inline validation. Minimal required fields. |
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404 page & error handling Custom 404 with navigation links. No dead ends that lose the visitor. |
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Accessibility basics Keyboard navigable. Skip links present. ARIA labels on interactive elements. |
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Brand consistency Consistent fonts, colors, and tone across all pages. No rogue legacy pages. |
Conversion & Lead Generation
CTAs, landing pages, and lead capture mechanisms
| Check | Rating (1–5) | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
Above-the-fold CTA Primary CTA visible without scrolling on desktop and mobile. One clear action. |
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CTA copy specificity "Start free trial" outperforms "Get started". CTAs say what happens next. |
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Social proof elements Testimonials, logos, review counts, or case study links near key CTAs. |
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Lead capture forms At least one opt-in mechanism per high-traffic page (demo, trial, lead magnet, newsletter). |
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Homepage value proposition clarity A new visitor should understand what you do, who it's for, and why it's different — in under 5 seconds. |
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Live chat or chatbot At least a chatbot or live chat widget on homepage and pricing page to capture intent. |
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Pricing page clarity Pricing clearly stated or a reason for "contact us" given. No dead ends. |
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Thank-you / confirmation pages Post-conversion pages offer a next step — upsell, share prompt, or resource — not a dead end. |
Analytics & Tracking
Data visibility, goal tracking, and reporting
| Check | Rating (1–5) | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
Google Analytics 4 (GA4) installed GA4 property set up with data stream connected. Not relying on Universal Analytics. |
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Conversion goals configured Form submissions, demo bookings, and purchases tracked as GA4 conversion events. |
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Google Search Console connected GSC property verified, sitemap submitted, impressions and click data flowing. |
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Heatmap / session recording tool Hotjar, Microsoft Clarity, or similar active on key pages to understand behaviour. |
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UTM parameter usage All paid, email, and social links tagged with UTM parameters for source attribution. |
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Regular reporting cadence Weekly or monthly dashboard reviewed by a decision-maker. KPIs defined and tracked. |
Security & Trust Signals
Compliance, credibility markers, and data protection
| Check | Rating (1–5) | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
Privacy policy & cookie consent Up-to-date privacy policy linked in footer. GDPR/CCPA-compliant cookie banner in place. |
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Trust badges on checkout/forms SSL badge, money-back guarantee, security seals near payment or lead capture forms. |
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CMS / plugin updates current WordPress, plugins, or platform dependencies are on latest stable versions. |
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Contact info visible & accurate Phone, email, or live chat easily findable. Physical address shown if B2B/local. |
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Spam & bot protection on forms reCAPTCHA, honeypot fields, or equivalent on all public-facing forms. |
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Terms of service page ToS linked in footer. Required for SaaS products, e-commerce, and apps. |
Scoring summary
Speed & Performance
0/40
SEO & Discovery
0/40
UX & Design
0/40
Conversion
0/40
Analytics
0/30
Security
0/30
Top priority actions
| # | Action item | Priority | Owner | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||
| 2 | ||||
| 3 | ||||
| 4 | ||||
| 5 |
Want us to run this audit for you?
We'll complete a full 50-point audit of your site and deliver a prioritised action plan — typically within 48 hours.
Why Website Performance Matters
Website performance directly affects search rankings, user satisfaction, and conversion rates. Slow websites lead to higher bounce rates, lost leads, and reduced customer trust. Regular performance audits ensure that your website remains competitive and optimized for both users and search engines.
How to Use This Template
- Enter your website URL and audit details.
- Review each performance category.
- Assign scores based on current performance.
- Identify gaps and prioritize fixes.
- Implement recommended improvements.
- Re-audit your website periodically.
Who Should Use This Website Performance Audit ?
- Business owners managing websites
- SaaS companies improving user experience
- Marketing teams optimizing conversions
- Web developers performing performance checks
- Agencies auditing client websites
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