Before you pitch any local business on your digital marketing services, you need to know what’s wrong with their website. A quick audit gives you concrete talking points, builds instant credibility, and makes your proposal feel tailored rather than generic.
Here’s how to run a complete website audit in five minutes or less.
Minute 1: Check SSL and Speed
Type the URL into your browser. Does it load with HTTPS? If you see a padlock icon, they have SSL. If you see “Not Secure,” that’s your first talking point. Then use Google PageSpeed Insights (free) to get a performance score. Anything below 50 on mobile is a serious problem.
Minute 2: Test Mobile Experience
Pull up the site on your phone. Does text resize properly? Are buttons easy to tap? Can you read the content without zooming? If the site feels broken on mobile, most of their visitors are having a bad experience.
Minute 3: Check Google Presence
Search the business name on Google. Is there a Google Business Profile on the right side? How many reviews do they have? Are the reviews recent? A business with zero reviews or a last review from 2021 has a trust problem.
Minute 4: Check Tracking and Pixels
Right-click the page → View Page Source → Ctrl+F and search for “fbq” (Facebook Pixel), “gtag” (Google Analytics), and “pixel”. Missing tracking means they have no data on where their customers are coming from and can’t run targeted ads.
Minute 5: Check Social Media
Look for social media links in the header or footer. Click the Facebook or Instagram link if it exists — is it active? An account with the last post from 2020 is actually worse than no account at all.
Use a Tool to Do It Faster
Doing this manually for 20 prospects takes hours. OnlineMarketinger automates the entire process — SSL check, mobile test, review count, tracking pixel detection, and social media scan — in seconds, for any number of businesses you’ve sourced from Google Places.
The businesses with the most problems are your best prospects. The more problems you find, the more value you can offer.
