E-commerce
Online Store Audit: What It Is and How to Do It
An online store audit is like a health check that identifies what's working and what isn't on your site. Find out what an e-commerce audit covers and how to carry one out.
An online store audit takes a close look at every aspect of how your site operates and examines it inside out. The conclusions it produces let you step back and view a store you may know so well that its problems become invisible to you, even though a potential customer would spot them instantly. Find out what an e-commerce audit consists of and which tools are worth reaching for when carrying out the analysis.
Table of contents
- What is an online store audit?
- What makes an online store audit different?
- What does an online store audit consist of?
- Legal considerations for online stores
- Which tools should you use for an e-commerce audit?
- E-commerce audit - summary
What is an online store audit?
An online store audit is a thorough assessment and analysis of every aspect of how a store operates. You could compare it to a medical check-up, one designed to identify what's working well and what's causing problems on the site.
The conclusions it produces let you step back from a store you might know inside out, and see the problems that a potential customer would notice immediately. This makes it easier to find areas that need improvement and to build a growth strategy that delivers better business results.
An audit is a tool that helps you get closer to answering questions such as:
- Is the site visible in search results?
- Is the site fast? Or does it take too long to load?
- Which categories and products attract the most interest?
- When and why do users abandon their purchase?
- Are the menu and navigation intuitive?
- What causes abandoned carts?
- Do users come back to your store?
- Does the store meet legal requirements?
An audit should culminate in a detailed report. This is often a lengthy document that pinpoints exactly which problems were found on the site, as well as which elements work well and have a positive impact on conversion.
There can be many conclusions and areas for improvement. That doesn't mean you have to act on all of them at once. Each one carries a different weight - plan for the most urgent issues first (payment problems or a broken contact form are far more pressing than, say, an unpolished visual layout).
With a well-prepared report, no observation or detected error gets overlooked. This makes it possible to introduce the necessary changes step by step. Alongside the findings, the report should also include recommendations for further action. These can vary widely and may cover things like optimizing for visibility, restructuring the category tree, or making changes to the cart.
What makes an online store audit different?
Wondering how an online store audit differs from an audit of any other website? Both a store audit and an audit of an informational site (a so-called "business card" site) can cover similar elements, such as technical analysis and an assessment of performance, usability, and visibility. However, the main goals and priorities of an audit can vary depending on the specifics and purpose of the site in question.
An online store audit focuses mainly on elements tied to e-commerce. What's under review, above all, is the broadly defined purchase flow, along with product presentation and availability. Technical and security matters are hugely important for online stores, since they determine whether the checkout process runs smoothly.
What does an online store audit consist of?
An e-commerce audit is an extensive, multi-stage analysis that can be broken down into several parts - an analysis of the site's visibility and technical aspects (SEO), a usability review (UX), and a review of legal aspects. A thorough analysis like this lets you identify areas that need attention and effectively implement the right solutions to reach your business goals. Take a look at the individual steps worth carrying out.
SEO audit of an online store
An SEO audit of an online store consists of analyzing many different elements that together shape the store's visibility in search results. Here are a few of the main areas covered during this type of audit:
Keywords and content on the site
When auditing a store, you need to verify the set of keywords your online store is (or should be) visible for. Draw up a list of phrases along with their search volume and competitiveness, and check which of them, when typed into a search engine, actually lead to your store.
Next, assess the quality of the content on the site, including product and category descriptions. Check whether the content is unique, engaging for users, and whether it weaves in the right keywords. For stores, the most important content sits on the homepage, category and subcategory pages, and product pages. There's no single right answer to the question of how many keywords a text should contain. Relevance and natural phrasing matter more than sheer quantity. Remember that copy should be written for people, not for Google's crawlers. Descriptions and informational content should above all match what your potential customers are looking for and give them the information they need.
Analyzing keywords and content lets you check:
- whether the site ranks for your key phrases,
- which keywords are missing from the site,
- whether the site contains thin content (low-quality content) that needs optimizing,
- whether visibility in Google is being held back by duplicate content or content cannibalization,
- whether the content is organized correctly.
The blog also plays a real role in a store's visibility. Guide-style articles are a genuine trove of content that can effectively boost a store's visibility for key phrases and help customers find all kinds of products. It's worth checking whether the blog delivers valuable, unique content to readers and whether it's updated regularly.
In blog articles, but also in homepage copy and product descriptions, it's worth paying attention to the presence of headings. They help readers understand the structure of a text and locate the sections they're interested in. As a rule, no page should be missing a single main H1 heading. You should also check that the remaining H2-H5 headings are present and used correctly, in line with the hierarchy.
Indexing
As already mentioned, an SEO audit of a store largely covers technical matters. Even with good-quality content, gaps in technical optimization can significantly limit a site's visibility in search results.
Maybe you added a series of new products to your store a while ago, or wrote blog articles targeting carefully chosen phrases, yet organic search still isn't bringing in traffic? It's possible that those pages were never indexed correctly.
During an audit you need to check whether the site has been indexed - that is, found by Google's crawlers and then added to the search engine. The tool that will help you here is Google Search Console. There you'll find information about the indexing status of individual pages, along with the reasons behind any indexing problems.
URL addresses
Another important technical area of SEO. During an audit, assessing the URLs of every page can take up a fair amount of work. Why does this matter so much? Google looks favorably on URLs that are concise, logical, and accurately reflect what's on the page. On the other hand, URLs that are too long or contain unnecessary letters, digits, or punctuation are viewed negatively. Unfortunately, some sales platforms automatically generate unfriendly URLs, for example by appending strings of numbers. In that case, manual work is the way to go - simplify them and optimize their content.
Redirects and errors
Since we're on the subject of URLs, we can't skip over 301 redirects. Redirects mean that users landing on an old URL are automatically sent to the new one, giving them a smooth transition and helping them avoid "404 - Not Found" errors. For Google's crawlers, this is a signal that a deliberate redirect has taken place, so only the content at the "new" address gets evaluated. The search engine won't penalize this, and won't treat the two different addresses as harmful duplicate content. During an SEO audit, it's important to check carefully whether every page variant has a redirect in place and whether it's configured correctly.
Internal and external linking
You should assess the store's link profile - the quality and number of addresses pointing to your site, as well as the anchor text used for those links. A useful tool here is the previously mentioned Google Search Console, though you'll find far more detailed and up-to-date data in the paid tool Ahrefs. Building authority by earning high-quality links from external sites can be key to a store's position in search results. When it comes to linking, quality matters more than quantity. Harmful links can weaken your site's visibility even when everything on-site is done right.
So how do you analyze internal links - the ones leading from one page of the store to another? First and foremost, check whether your site has any so-called orphan pages - important pages that no links point to. These will be harder for both users and crawlers to find.
Review the presence of CTA buttons that lead to pages critical for conversion. Also check the anchor text - the words a link is attached to. These should be closely tied to the content and context of the page they lead to, and should include the right keywords. Try to avoid generic anchors such as "click here" or "learn more."
Meta titles and descriptions
Meta titles and meta descriptions appear in search results as the page's headline and summary. Their quality and how well they match the page's content are key to grabbing users' attention and getting them to click through. Check whether your meta data contains the right keywords and conveys the content and value of the page in an appealing, persuasive way.
Images and ALT attributes
Photos and illustrations can draw traffic from image search results, particularly for online stores in the fashion, beauty, furniture, and many other industries where a product's visual presentation carries a lot of weight. During an audit, check whether your images load correctly, aren't too large (over 400KB), and aren't slowing down the page.
Most sales platforms let you add alternative text (the "alt" attribute) when uploading an image. In a few words, it describes what's shown in the picture or photo. This matters to crawlers indexing the page, since they process its content based on textual data. During an audit, make sure every image on the site has an alt attribute. This can help boost the site's visibility in search and bring in extra traffic.
Page load speed
The time it takes for a page to load has a real impact on user experience. Even a few seconds of delay can be enough to put off a potential customer and make them abandon the idea of shopping in your store. But that's not all you stand to lose. Page load speed also affects SEO - poor performance means a lower position in search results. Be sure to test your page's load speed, identify the sources of any delays, and pinpoint the factors affecting performance. The popular PageSpeed Insights tool from Google will help you with this. It will also show you exactly what might be affecting performance and how you can improve it.
UX audit of an online store
The next stage, alongside the analysis of visibility, is an assessment of the store's usability. A UX (User Experience) audit of an online store is the process of evaluating and analyzing the user's experience while interacting with the site, in order to identify areas that need improvement.
Where should a UX audit start? Begin by clearly defining your target audience. Once you've answered the question of who your site is meant to reach, the following stages of the audit will yield more relevant conclusions. Look at your audience's goals, needs, and expectations. During this part of the audit, it's crucial to understand how users perceive what you communicate to them, how they use the store, and what factors might influence their purchasing decisions. The changes you make after the audit will produce real results and meet the goals you set out with - which might be to increase sales.
Here's what to examine during a UX audit.
Menu and categories
The menu and categories are the main navigation tools for users, letting them quickly find the products or information they're interested in. That's why it's important for the menu and category tree to be clear, intuitive, and easy to use. A confusing or unintuitive menu can leave users disoriented, and ultimately drive them to leave the store without buying anything. The most common mistakes in building categories can also discourage users and cause them to give up on a purchase. If the category tree becomes overly complex, with imprecise names or incorrectly assigned products, the overall impression will be negative.
Forms and payments
Contact forms, registration forms, and forms tied to the payment process are key touchpoints that can have a real impact on conversion. Unintuitive, overly complicated, or multi-step forms can discourage users from filling in their details, or even lead them to abandon the cart right before payment.
For forms involving personal data and payments, it's essential to give users a sense of security. That's why it's worth using well-known, trusted payment methods, backed by the information and messaging needed to reassure customers about data protection and transaction security.
Content layout
The number, placement, and size of graphics, banners, pop-ups, and blocks of text have a huge impact on how users perceive a page. Too many graphic elements can simply become irritating and pull attention away from the content that matters. On the other hand, long, monotonous, and hard-to-read blocks of text will most likely be skipped and add nothing positive to the user experience.
Mobile version
An online store audit also needs to include an analysis of the smartphone version of the store. That's usually where navigation problems, readability issues, and poor scaling of graphic elements hide. Although you probably view your store's landing page on a computer or laptop screen every day, your customers may prefer shopping on a smartphone. Check how the store looks and behaves on different devices, and make sure it's responsive and easy to use for everyone.
Want to know what else you can do for your site's usability? Read about the most important steps for improving an online store's UX.
When analyzing a site, it's also worth running usability tests with representatives of your target audience. These tests involve having users carry out specific tasks on the site. The conclusions let you identify the most problematic areas and elements that create a negative experience. From these tests you can learn what users' general impressions are and what emotions their interaction with your store triggers.
Legal considerations for online stores
During an audit, it's also worth checking whether every area of your e-store's operations complies with applicable law, both domestic and international, that governs running a business online. In this area, take a close look at:
- compliance with the Omnibus Directive, including the proper labeling of promotional prices,
- the GDPR information obligation,
- your privacy policy - how customers' personal data is collected, stored, and processed, and whether it's adequately protected,
- regulations on distance contracts,
- the consumer's right of withdrawal,
- regulations covering electronic payments, including transaction security, customers' refund rights, and the seller's obligations toward customers when payment problems arise.
Which tools should you use for an e-commerce audit?
Many problems with how a store operates won't be visible to the naked eye. Carrying out an audit requires various tools that quickly gather data, thoroughly analyze websites, and provide explanations for any shortcomings. Here are a few popular tools you can use:
Google Search Console - a free tool that's useful for more than just checking indexing. Google's tool analyzes search data, lets you monitor the site's visibility in search results, collects data on impressions and clicks, flags errors, and provides monthly summaries.
Google Analytics - one of the most important tools for analyzing traffic on a website. It lets you track metrics such as visit numbers, conversions, user behavior, and traffic sources.
Senuto - a popular tool for analyzing a site's visibility and keywords. You can check rises and falls in ranking positions, as well as identify keywords with the highest search volume and the greatest potential for organic traffic.
Hotjar - a tool for analyzing user behavior on a website. It lets you track user sessions, analyze heatmaps, create surveys, and much more, which is very useful for understanding how users interact with your store.
Screaming Frog - used to analyze a website's structure, letting you check URL status, meta tags, source code, and other technical elements.
GTmetrix or PageSpeed Insights - used to assess a website's performance, including load speed, image and code optimization, and other factors that can affect user experience and search rankings.
Ahrefs - an SEO tool that offers link analysis, keyword research, competitor tracking, organic traffic monitoring, and many other features useful for an SEO audit.
E-commerce audit - summary
An online store audit is an extremely valuable tool that allows for a thorough analysis of every key area of how a store operates. Carrying out an audit lets you identify the store's strengths as well as the areas that need improvement, which in turn contributes to higher conversion and greater customer satisfaction.
It's worth noting that an e-commerce audit can be useful at different points in a store's life. This applies to newly launched stores that want to build a solid foundation and optimize their operations from the very start, as well as to existing businesses. If you notice a drop in visibility or a significantly lower conversion rate that isn't simply down to seasonality, consider an audit - it can help boost sales and adapt the store to the market's changing needs.
Although an e-commerce audit can be carried out on your own, a thorough analysis requires in-depth technical knowledge in areas such as SEO and UX, as well as the ability to interpret the results. Incorrect conclusions or poorly chosen actions can produce the opposite effect from the one intended. That's why it's worth turning to specialists in the field of e-commerce. With the right expertise and tools, a marketing agency can carry out a thorough analysis, identify problems, and point to effective solutions that will support the store's continued growth and success.
