A website audit is used to establish how well a website "works".

Website audits can be used to assess security, performance and content.

By far the most important question a website audit can address is "What is the purpose of this website and how well has this purpose been realized?" While this may seem like a simple enough question, it requires some in depth knowledge of the business that is being represented by the website.

Websites are no longer online brochures. They are much more than that. They are an integral part of a business' marketing initiatives. As such, the website must present materials in a way that is meaningful to a target demographic. Additionally all content on a website should be optimized for search. If it is not, the website effectiveness will be severely compromised.

Additionally, the web is now a place that interactive elements can be deployed to enhance the relationship between a business and current or potential clients. Some examples of these are:

• Newsletters
• Surveys
• Forums
• Directories
• Form submission (i.e. information request or input)
• E-commerce (catalog and shopping cart)

In short, the primary purpose of a website is to help drive business. If the website is not making a significant contribution to that process, it has failed it's primary mandate.

An effective website audit can determine how effective a website is and help establish guidelines for improvement where there are inadequacies.