Website Audits for Veterinary Practices 101

If you're like most veterinary practices with a focus on digital marketing, your website is probably your hardest-working and most active sales tool. Your website is responsible for highlighting your service offerings, sharing your team's proficiencies and expertise, educating pet owners, and converting visitors into clients. But with so many responsibilities, how do you know if your website is still doing all of those things well?

Thankfully, the answer is pretty straightforward: a website audit. Website audits are valuable tools for veterinary practices aiming to not only improve their online presence, but also identify what their site does well and what areas it is weaker in.

Whether your goal is to attract more clients, enhance user experience, or ensure compliance with industry standards or accessibility recommendations, conducting a website audit is the best way to identify strengths and weaknesses, as well as give your team insights into how your website contributes to your practice's overall growth and success. Here's what you need to know to get started.

 

What Is a Website Audit?

Without getting too technical, a website audit is a complete evaluation of your website's performance across various factors, including functionality, design, content, and search engine optimization (SEO). Think of it as a health check for your online presence. Just as you would perform regular check-ups for your patients, your website needs periodic reviews to ensure it functions properly and is getting you – and your practice – the best results possible.

The audit process can get pretty involved depending on what your goals are, but ultimately, it helps identify areas where your website performs well and spots issues that may hinder your practice from reaching its full potential online. The ultimate goal is to improve your website's usability, visibility, and effectiveness.

Why you should audit your website

 

Why You Should Audit Your Veterinary Practice Website

  • Improve Client Experience
  • Enhance Visibility
  • Stay Competitive
  • Increase Conversions
  • Ensure Compliance & Accessibility

 

Types of Website Audits

Within the realm of website audits, there are a few different types of audits where you can get more granular into a specific aspect of website performance. The general types of specific website audits commonly include SEO audits, design audits, technical audits, content audits, and privacy audits. We’ll cover each of these below and highlight the key elements of each audit.

SEO Audit

An SEO audit examines how well your website ranks in search engine results and identifies opportunities to improve visibility.

  • Keywords: Are you using terms potential clients are searching for? Keywords are incredibly important, as they allow search engines, like Google, to recognize that the content of your website is related to the search intents of users. For example,
  • Meta Titles and Descriptions: Meta titles and descriptions are often overlooked aspects of SEO for professionals who DIY their website or try to do the upkeep on it themselves. When assessing your meta titles and descriptions, ask yourself, "Will these titles and descriptions make people want to visit my website?" If the answer is no, then it may be time to give them a refresh!
  • Backlinks: Are other credible websites linking to yours? Credibility is a big factor in how search engines view – and subsequently rank – websites, and having links from other trusted and authoritative websites can boost the credibility of your own website, leading to better rankings and overall organic visibility.
  • Local SEO: Local SEO is a big factor for veterinary practices because you are only able to serve a confined geographic location. While ranking for general keywords and getting site traffic from across the country is great for your brand visibility, it doesn't do much to fill up our appointment books if your visitors aren't local to your area. Check out our guide on local SEO for veterinary practices to learn everything you need to know to optimize your online presence and get more clients on your schedule.

 

Design Audit

A design audit evaluates your website's aesthetic and user experience.

  • Navigation: Nothing can be more frustrating to a visitor than not being able to find what they need on your website. So take a good, hard look at your site, and ask yourself, "Is my site easy to navigate?" When you take a minute to explore your website on your own, you may be surprised to find that some of your navigation elements – or lack of them – may not make sense to the average user and could be negatively affecting your site
  • Mobile-Friendliness: Does your website perform well on smartphones and tablets? It should! Mobile-friendliness on websites is incredibly important, as so many of your prospective clients are looking your practice up on their phones or tablets. HubSpot reports that "53.8% of web designers cite 'not being responsive on all devices' as a top reason for a website to be redesigned."
  • Branding: It's essential to make sure your website reflects your practice's branding and personality. Visitors to your website should be able to easily identify
  • Accessibility: Is your site accessible to users with disabilities?

 

Technical Audit

A technical audit focuses on the backend mechanics of your site.

  • Page Load Speed: Slow websites can frustrate users and hurt your search rankings, so page load speed should definitely be one of the aspects you review in a website audit. Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights can help you identify and fix speed issues, making your site more responsive and user-friendly.
  • Broken Links: Broken links are another non-optimized aspect of a website that can lead to error pages and leave users annoyed and make them navigate off of your site. Regularly check for and fix any non-functional links on your site to keep everything up and running smoothly.
  • Security: When it comes to a good and trustworthy website, security is non-negotiable. Using HTTPS is essential for protecting user data and ensuring a secure browsing experience. An SSL certificate is a must-have for veterinary websites.
  • Indexing: Having great content and optimized pages doesn't matter if your website isn't being effectively crawled by search engines. During your audit, make sure all of your web pages are being indexed and can be visible on search engine pages.

 

Content Audit

Content audits analyze the quality and relevance of your site's information.

  • Accuracy: Veterinary content must be accurate and up-to-date. Outdated service descriptions or incorrect contact details can harm your credibility and can frustrate clients looking for information on how you can help their pets.
  • Engagement: Interactive content like videos, blogs, and FAQs can keep visitors engaged longer, meaning they're more likely to continue navigating around your site and consuming information. All of your content should add value to your website. If your engagement is low on certain content pieces or types, it may be time to rework it or eliminate it from your website if it's not driving results.
  • Call-to-Actions (CTAs): CTAs like "Schedule an Appointment" or "Contact Us" should be clear, concise, and strategically placed to encourage visitors to your site to take action. Remember, these are going to be large drivers of conversions on your site, so they need to be strong!
  • Readability: Ensure your content is easy to read and free from jargon – which can be a little challenging in the veterinary field. Use headings, bullet points, and concise sentences to improve user experience and make your content easily skimable, which is a priority for a number of online readers.

 

Privacy Audit

Privacy audits ensure compliance with data protection laws, such as HIPAA (if applicable) and GDPR.

  • Data Collection: In a privacy audit, you'll want to review how client data is collected, stored, and used on your site and by your practice. All data collection practices should be ethical and comply with appropriate regulations in the area in which you operate.
  • Privacy Policies: Your privacy policy should be transparent, detailing how user data will be collected and used and be easy to find on your website.
  • Cookie Compliance: Implement a cookie consent banner to inform visitors about tracking and obtain their permission before collecting data.
  • Third-Party Tools: Audit any third-party tools or plugins on your site to ensure they meet privacy compliance standards. If you work with a marketing partner to manage your website, be sure to ask them for recommendations on integration tools and applications for your safety and the safety of your users!

 

How to Do a Website Audit for Your Veterinary Practice

Conducting a website audit doesn't require advanced technical knowledge and can be done by just about anyone with the right tools and the right know-how. You can use these steps to get started on your own veterinary website audit:

  • Set Goals: Before you get started, you'll need to determine what you're looking to improve. Is it more traffic, better usability, improved conversion rates, or compliance with certain regulations?
  • Use Tools: The best news about a website audit is that you don't have to do it entirely by yourself. You can utilize free or paid tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and SEO crawlers like SEMrush or Moz to gather data.
  • Evaluate Key Areas: Go through each type of audit (SEO, design, technical, content, and privacy) systematically to identify strength and weakness of your website in these key areas.
  • Analyze Results: Compare your findings to industry benchmarks and your own goals. How did you do? Were you surprised by any results?
  • Prioritize Fixes: Focus on high-impact changes first, such as fixing broken links or improving page speed. These can have a large impact on your site right away and are considered “low-hanging fruit” for improving your web experience and performance.

Website audit checklist

 

Website Audit Checklist

SEO

  • Are your keywords relevant and well-researched?
  • Do all pages have optimized meta titles and descriptions?
  • Is your practice listed in local directories?

Design

  • Is your website mobile-friendly?
  • Is the navigation intuitive?
  • Are your visuals modern and appealing?

Technical

  • Are all links functional?
  • Does your site load in under three seconds?
  • Are you using HTTPS?

Content

  • Is your blog regularly updated?
  • Are all service descriptions accurate?
  • Do you have clear CTAs encouraging clients to book or contact you?

Privacy

  • Do you have a visible and easy-to-understand privacy policy?
  • Are you compliant with cookie consent regulations?
  • Is client data securely stored?

 

What to Do After a Website Audit

Once your audit is complete, it’s time to take action! Review your audit findings with your team and determine the best course of action for making improvements that align with your goals and immediate needs. When working to prioritize how to work on implementing solutions uncovered during your audit, consider categorizing fixes and action items into different groups. Check out this example:

  • Immediate Fixes: Repair broken links, optimize meta descriptions, and update outdated content to get the most out of every page on your website.
  • Mid-Term Goals: Improve page load speed, enhance mobile functionality, and revamp your site’s design to ensure your site’s performance is meeting standards and expectations.
  • Long-Term Strategies: Develop a content marketing plan, build backlinks, and implement regular monitoring to keep your site performing well and converting visitors into clients!

Don’t forget to keep up on your website maintenance after your audit is complete! Measure your progress using analytics tools and perform follow-up audits every six to twelve months to ensure ongoing improvement and positive movement for your website’s performance.

 

Build a Better Performing Website With GeniusVets

At GeniusVets, we specialize in helping veterinary practices create and maintain high-performing websites. Our expertise ensures that your site not only looks great but also performs well, helping you attract new clients and retain existing ones. From SEO and design to accessibility and technical excellence, we’re here to help your practice thrive online.

Want to start evaluating the effectiveness of your website and learn what you can do to improve your online presence? Schedule a FREE Veterinary Marketing Health Exam and consultation with the GeniusVets team today.