How to Conduct a Digital Marketing Audit (and Why You Need One)

When you’re busy managing a business, it can be easy to lose track of what’s working—and what isn’t. That’s where a digital marketing audit comes in. A thorough audit will help you identify strengths, pinpoint weaknesses, and create a roadmap for more targeted efforts moving forward.

Here at KBDC Inc., we conduct digital marketing audits for our clients to help them understand what strategies are bringing in the most success. But, it’s not a bad idea to know the basics of how to do one yourself, especially if you’re looking for quick insight. Below are some tips to help you conduct a digital marketing audit of your own.

What Is the Purpose of a Digital Marketing Audit?

Before diving into the “how,” let’s talk about the “why.” A digital marketing audit is an organized process of examining all your online marketing channels, campaigns, and assets. The goal is to evaluate performance metrics (conversions, click-through rates, traffic sources), identify potential holes in your strategy, and pinpoint which channels deserve more investment. You can then use this information to create a clear, step-by-step plan for improvement.

Prepare Your Audit Checklist

A digital marketing audit can vary in scope depending on your company’s size and goals. However, most audits will include these core components:

• Website & User Experience (UX) Audit
  • Page loading speed, mobile responsiveness, and overall navigability.
  • On-page SEO elements (titles, meta descriptions, internal links).
  • Technical SEO factors (indexability, broken links, schema markup).
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
  • Keyword research and targeting.
  • Backlink profile analysis (quality and relevance of incoming links).
  • Content quality and relevance to user intent.
• Social Media Presence
  • Platform-specific strategy (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.).
  • Engagement metrics (likes, comments, shares).
  • Posting frequency and content variety.
• Email Marketing
  • List segmentation, personalization, and automation workflows.
  • Open rates, click-through rates (CTR), and conversion metrics.
  • Compliance with regulations like GDPR and CAN-SPAM.
• Paid Advertising
  • Platforms used (Google Ads, Facebook Ads, LinkedIn Ads, etc.).
  • Cost per acquisition (CPA), click-through rate (CTR), and return on ad spend (ROAS).
  • Targeting parameters, ad creative, and landing page effectiveness.
• Analytics & Tracking
  • Website analytics setup (Google Analytics or other tools).
  • Conversion tracking, event tracking, and goal measurement.
  • Reporting accuracy and dashboard integration for easy monitoring.

Gather Data and Analyze Performance

Once you have your checklist, it’s time to collect data from various sources. Google Analytics offers a comprehensive view of your site traffic, user behavior, and conversions. Google Search Console identifies search queries, click-through rates, and technical issues. You’ll need both to gain a better understanding of how your site is performing.

To uncover backlink quality, keyword rankings, and competitor insights, you’ll want to turn to SEO tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz. PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix evaluate loading speed and performance, which are also crucial for SEO. By knowing what your customers are searching for, you can better optimize your website.

Additional tools to gather insight include social media platforms, email platforms, and paid advertising platforms like Google Ads and Facebook Ads. By compiling this data, you’ll have a snapshot of how each channel performs individually and how they work in unison to achieve your marketing goals.

Diagnose Issues and Identify Opportunities

With your data in hand, it’s time to look for patterns and red flags. Compare your results against benchmarks by referencing industry standards or internal historical performance metrics. A CTR or conversion rate below industry average may indicate poorly targeted campaigns, for instance.

If you spot underperforming channels, consider optimizing your content or reallocating your budget. Also, if your website pages have high bounce rates or slow loading speeds, prioritize technical fixes. It’s possible that you need to clean up your site a bit by optimizing images, minifying code, and minimizing HTTP requests. Your brand messaging should also be consistent across all channels.

Digital marketing audits aren’t just for spotting issues, however. This is also a great time to look for hidden wins, such as high-performing blog posts that could be repurposed into a video, webinar, or social media campaign. At the very least, consider updating this content to keep it relevant.

Develop an Actionable Improvement Plan

An audit’s real value comes from turning insights into actions. Organize recommendations into a clear plan with priorities and timelines. For example, focus on quick wins—fixing broken links or improving title tags—before tackling more resource-intensive tasks like a full site redesign.

Also, set measurable goals—for example, reducing cart abandonment rates by 10%. We recommend using SMART goal-setting principles (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound). Lastly, assign responsibilities and timelines for each task you hope to achieve. Specify who is responsible for each task (e.g., SEO specialist, content writer, social media manager), and leverage project management tools like Trello or Asana to track progress and meet deadlines.

Wrapping Up

A digital marketing audit is more than a checkbox—it’s a powerful tool for understanding your online presence, discovering what’s working well, and revealing where your strategy might be falling short. By following the structured approach above, you’ll be in a position to make informed, high-impact decisions that support business growth. Whether you’re looking to have an in-depth audit done or your website could use some attention, contact KBDC Inc. for a consultation at 844-412-8786.