The Complete Guide to Digital Marketing · Audit

How to Do a Digital Marketing Audit

You cannot improve what you have not assessed. Here is what a digital marketing audit is, what it covers across your website, SEO, channels and analytics, and how to turn the findings into an action plan.

Updated: July 2026
Written by: Andrew Odgers, Managing Director
Reading time: 7 minutes
The short answer

A digital marketing audit is a structured review of all your online marketing, your website, SEO, channels, content, ads and analytics, to see what works, what does not, and where the opportunities are. It covers your website and performance, search visibility, channels, content, paid ads, and analytics setup. Carry it out by setting goals, reviewing your site and analytics, assessing search and channels, checking content and ads, and comparing against competitors. A full audit once or twice a year suits most small businesses. Then turn the findings into a prioritised action plan, tackling the highest-impact items first.

An honest picture first

What an audit is, and what it covers

A digital marketing audit is a structured review of all your online marketing, your website, SEO, channels, content, ads and analytics, to see what is working, what is not, and where the opportunities are. It gives you an honest picture of your current position; because you cannot improve what you have not assessed, an audit is the practical starting point for making marketing more effective. A digital marketing audit covers your website and its performance, your search visibility and SEO, your social and other channels, your content, any paid advertising, and your analytics and tracking setup, so every part of your marketing is reviewed. Looking across all of them shows how the pieces fit together; because marketing works as a system, a good audit reviews the whole picture rather than one channel in isolation.

AU 01

Whole picture

Site, SEO, channels, ads.

AU 02

Structured pass

Methodical, nothing missed.

AU 03

Action plan

Prioritise the fixes.

Steps, frequency and findings

The steps, how often to audit, and acting on findings

You carry out an audit step by step by setting your goals, reviewing your website and analytics, assessing your search visibility and channels, checking your content and any ads, comparing against competitors, and then noting strengths, weaknesses and opportunities. Working through each area methodically keeps the audit thorough, and it pairs naturally with knowing your audience; because a structured pass avoids missing anything important, following clear steps is how you produce a complete and useful audit. A full audit once or twice a year suits most small businesses, with lighter check-ins in between, so you keep on top of performance without over-analysing. Regular reviews catch issues and opportunities while they are still fresh; because marketing and search change over time, periodic auditing keeps your approach current rather than letting it drift. You turn the audit findings into a prioritised action plan, tackling the highest-impact fixes and opportunities first, then measuring the results as you make changes. An audit only adds value when it leads to action, which feeds straight into your marketing plan; because the point is improvement, converting the findings into clear, prioritised actions is what makes the audit worthwhile.

SEO done properly, from £350 a month

See where you stand.
Then improve it.

An audit turns guesswork into a clear picture of what is working and what to fix. We review your website, search visibility, channels and analytics, then give you a prioritised action plan, and quarterly audits are built into your plan so it stays current.

Everything included in your plan:

Google Maps optimisation Full website management Local SEO campaign AI optimisation (GEO) Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn Quarterly audits Monthly reporting
£350 per month

One clear retainer. No setup fee.

Frequently asked

Doing a digital marketing audit

What is a digital marketing audit?
A digital marketing audit is a structured review of all your online marketing, your website, SEO, channels, content, ads and analytics, to see what is working, what is not, and where the opportunities are. It gives you an honest picture of your current position. Because you cannot improve what you have not assessed, an audit is the practical starting point for making marketing more effective.
What does a digital marketing audit cover?
It covers your website and its performance, your search visibility and SEO, your social and other channels, your content, any paid advertising, and your analytics and tracking setup, so every part of your marketing is reviewed. Looking across all of them shows how the pieces fit together. Because marketing works as a system, a good audit reviews the whole picture rather than one channel in isolation.
How do you carry out an audit step by step?
You set your goals, review your website and analytics, assess your search visibility and channels, check your content and any ads, compare against competitors, and then note strengths, weaknesses and opportunities. Working through each area methodically keeps the audit thorough. Because a structured pass avoids missing anything important, following clear steps is how you produce a complete and useful audit.
How often should you audit your marketing?
A full audit once or twice a year suits most small businesses, with lighter check-ins in between, so you keep on top of performance without over-analysing. Regular reviews catch issues and opportunities while they are still fresh. Because marketing and search change over time, periodic auditing keeps your approach current rather than letting it drift.
What do you do with the audit findings?
You turn the findings into a prioritised action plan, tackling the highest-impact fixes and opportunities first, then measuring the results as you make changes. An audit only adds value when it leads to action. Because the point is improvement, converting the findings into clear, prioritised actions is what makes the audit worthwhile.