Consider a WordPress Website Audit
If your business website currently runs on the WordPress platform, you may want to consider having a monthly or yearly website audit done by a third party. It is important that your website stay in good health and have all the necessary maintenance and security updates installed.
Having an audit done on a regular basis will also uncover any underlying issues that may be inhibiting your website performance or protection of data. Additionally, a website audit can serve as a great way to get feedback on the types of updates that are worth investing in to increase site traffic or make content management easier.
How a WordPress Audit Will Help Your Company
Identify Underlying Issues That May be Impacting Performance
There are a multitude of issues that can hinder performance on a WordPress website. The use of too many or outdated plugins, the use of Javascript on social share buttons, slow loading pages, or too much html code are all examples of issues that can cause performance issues for visitors. It may be difficult or time consuming to pinpoint the exact cause of slow performance, so having an expert perform an audit to identify and resolve issues can be helpful for your staff.
Can Install Preventive Measures for Data Theft or Loss
Many companies don’t perform all the necessary security updates to ensure their website content and visitor activity is protected. Information loss alone accounts for 43% of the cost in a cyber attack. Since data restoration can be incredibly expensive, it is important that you have an evaluation done of the current security on your WordPress website to prevent any unnecessary security theft costs from occurring. An audit can uncover unsecure areas on your website, as well as provide recommendations for security installations, such as installing HTTPs to protect visitor activity.
Recommendations of Plugins or Updates for Content Management
WordPress has an expansive plugin directory with over 44,000 plugin options available for download. Oftentimes, businesses using the WordPress platform may have old or outdated plugins still installed on their website, which can hinder website performance. Completing a website audit will reveal any plugins that need to be added or removed, as well as recommend other WordPress installations that might make content management easier for website administrators.
Can Provide Feedback for Onsite SEO Optimization
Conducting a website audit on your WordPress website can also be helpful in evaluating your current onsite SEO strategy. WordPress has a few different SEO plugins available, such as Yoast, which could be recommended following your audit. The audit can also reveal what keywords you may want to consider optimizing your website for better search results, as well as identify any broken tags or links that may be impacting search engine readability.
Can Check Compliance With Legal Standards and Regulations
There are certain legal standards your WordPress website must comply with according to federal regulations. Having an expert who can identify current standards and what is missing on your website is important for your online presence. A website audit might reveal that your website lacks a privacy policy, terms and conditions statement, or essential contact information.
Can Test the Functionality Features
A website audit also will reveal how the current functionality performs on your WordPress website. There could be issues with navigation, mobile responsiveness, search functionality, page errors, or broken links. Identifying these issues in house can be incredibly time consuming, so having an expert that can take the time to audit your pages is a great way to make sure everything functions on the site as it should.
Can Provide Ideas for Design Updates or Layout Changes
Finally, having a third party take a look at the effectiveness of your website design and layout is a great strategy to improve traffic and engagement with your site. They may recommend updating the design for mobile responsiveness, suggest some changes to your content layout or navigational menu, or provide new onsite integrations that can increase communication or visual engagement.
WordPress Audit Checklist
- Page Speed Evaluation
- SEO Keyword Optimization
- Plugin Installs and Updates
- Content and Page Audits
- Review Theme
- Assess Functionality
- Evaluate Hosting and Security
- Check Compliance With Laws and Regulations
Alliance Interactive is a digital, web design, web development, and website maintenance agency for nonprofits, associations, b2b organizations, and more. Give us a call today at 888-222-9056 or contact us here.