How to conduct a UX audit: Steps, tips, & best practices

Customers want a product that offers clarity. If they’re confused, they become disengaged. And what follows are high bounce rates, dropping conversions, and falling revenue. A strategically conducted UX audit can prevent that.

I’ve been working closely with websites, software, and electronic products throughout my 20-year career. The biggest mistake I see is that businesses tend to overlook user experience (UX) when launching their products. Little do they know the impact that UX, or the lack of it, can have on business outcomes.

However, even if you overlooked UX initially, it’s still not too late. Conducting periodic UX audits helps you preempt usability issues that might turn customers away. And if you’re experiencing drops in conversion, engagement, or website glitches, it’s about time to run one.

In this article, I’ll explain what a UX audit is, describe its benefits, and provide an overview of how to conduct one.

Table of Contents

• What is a UX audit?
• How to Conduct a UX Audit
• How to Make a UX Audit Report
• The Benefits of UX Audits
• When to Conduct a UX Audit
• Tips for Conducting a UX Audit
• What to Do After a UX Audit

What is a UX audit?

A UX audit is a systematic approach to assessing a product for gaps, challenges, and opportunities in user experience (UX). It combines several methods, such as empirical analytics, heuristic evaluation, usability testing, and observations, to provide user-centric recommendations.

In simpler words, a UX audit tells you what causes specific behavior in a customer’s interaction with your product and why. When running a UX audit, you map the product onto the customer journey to find friction points and opportunities for improvement.

For example, I was promoting an ebook for freelancers several years ago. While I did get some sales, they weren’t at the level I anticipated. I conducted an audit of the landing page. It turned out I missed a crucial element that builds trust — testimonials. Once I included feedback from past mentees, conversions increased.

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How to Conduct a UX Audit

The steps for conducting a UX audit may differ across teams, products, and projects. However, they generally require a collaborative approach amongst various stakeholders, including the end users.

Below, I share the workflow I use when auditing websites.

1. Define the audit scope and objectives.

First, determine what you want to achieve from the audit. Notably, every website serves different purposes and thus requires distinct audit goals. For example, an ecommerce site prioritizes conversion. Therefore, your audit plan generally follows the customer’s path from the product page to the payment page.

Also, set a clear end goal for the audit. Otherwise, you might end up stretching the timeline working on scopes that were never agreed upon. From my experience, this tends to happen because a UX audit is always a “work in progress.”

Once you have a clear outline, gather a team to work on it. Usually, you can run the audit yourself if the website is relatively simple. But if you’re auditing a complex ecommerce marketplace, SaaS, or corporate sites that span hundreds of pages, team effort is more effective.

Here’s a typical setup of a UX audit team:

• UX designer.
• UI designer.
• Information architect.
• Web developer.
• Copywriter.

2. Collect performance metrics and product data.

“You can’t improve what you can’t measure.” I’m a strong believer in this adage. Therefore, to run a UX audit that provides impactful recommendations, you start by collecting data that matters.

Typically, when I audit commercial websites, I’ll collect these data types:

• Bounce rate.
• Time spent on pages.
• Conversion rate.
• Churn rate.
• Load time.

You can download most of them from tools like GA4, either directly or through customized reports. Or, if you’re hosting your website on HubSpot, you can find and download the data from the marketing analytics dashboard.

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This data can tell you what happens when users interact with your website. They reveal drop-off points, slow-loading pages, and other performance bottlenecks. However, they don’t tell you why a particular UX issue happens.

To do that, I suggest setting up heat maps and screen recordings, especially for critical pages that drive revenue. That way, you can attribute the drop-off to issues such as difficulties completing transactions due to poorly constructed calls-to-action (CTAs).

3. Identify and understand target users.

If you don’t know who you’re building for, you won’t go far, even with the most comprehensive UX audit. That’s the lesson I learned in one of my earlier websites. I was getting very significant traffic but almost no conversions. After weeks of tinkering, I realized I was targeting the wrong segments.

Therefore, create user personas to profile your target users. Some websites might target multiple user types. Take the time to characterize each of them in the persona. Then, map the user’s journey from the moment they discover your website to achieving specific goals.

If you need help creating user personas for commercial websites, use this buyer persona generator from HubSpot.

Ideally, conduct interviews with your target audience to understand their pain points and desired solutions. This will help you understand emotional responses, purchasing behaviors, pushbacks, and other challenges that raw data can’t.

4. Analyze information architecture and navigation.

When customers land on your website, they want the quickest path to accomplishing their goal. Chances are, you’ve heard of the “3-click” rule, which stipulates that it shouldn’t take users more than three clicks to do whatever it is they want to do. While there may be exceptions, the general idea is not to let confusing information architecture frustrate users.

So, during your audit, find out if your website’s architecture is still well-organized. Sometimes, a website might have grown so complicated that it requires re-architecting. Also, check if relevant pages are connected with internal links. It helps customers to get the information they want easily. Plus, internal links are an important SEO signal.

Next, make sure that customers can easily see and navigate to any parts of your website, particularly on a mobile phone. Otherwise, you’ll lose one of the largest user segments in most industries. One of the common UX mistakes I see is that the navigational menu is awkwardly positioned on smaller screens.

5. Conduct heuristic evaluation.

Now that you have a better understanding of your users, let’s step into their shoes and evaluate your website from their perspective using heuristic evaluation.

Heuristic evaluation allows you to discover UX issues from pre-determined criteria. Unlike usability testing, you assemble a team of cross-functional experts to assess the website. I suggest adopting Jakob Nielsen’s 10 usability heuristic principles. They’re widely used amongst UX professionals.

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Of course, you don’t need to apply all the heuristics in your audit. Choose those that will more likely provide useful insights that help you improve engagement. For example, if you’re getting more complaints about invalid form submission than usual, assess whether your site’s error messaging is consistent.

6. Discover user behaviors and trends.

Use performance data, customer research, and heuristic results to deduce the UX issues that are plaguing your website. Sometimes, aggregating the data on a spreadsheet is all you need to unearth useful insights. But more often than not, visualizing them with charts, graphs, and tables will be more helpful.

On top of that, ask probing questions like:

• Is a particular target segment experiencing a higher drop-out rate?
• Why do certain landing pages have shorter dwell times?
• Are performance issues associated with previous feature updates?
• Which page do customers who transact enter from?

They’ll help you zoom in on blind spots that expert UX auditors usually pick up.

Pro tip: I’ll also suggest segmenting performance data by the personas you’ve created. This will help you identify the friction affecting high-value customers.

7. Augment UX data with additional methods.

Often, you’ll need additional information to identify your website’s strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities. For that, I’ve tried these methods and found them extremely useful in providing more context.

• UI design assessment. You assess whether your website is responsive when viewed on different screen sizes. This includes ensuring that typography, grid, and images on your website scale across all devices. Also, pay attention to brand styles, colors, and fonts across different pages.
• Usability testing. Similar to heuristic evaluation, you put the website to the test. The only difference is that those who walk through the website are the actual users. For example, you ask users to complete a purchase and note down their experience, as well as any difficulties they faced.
• Inspect original design specifications. Over time, your website might undergo several changes to meet evolving needs. Revisiting its purpose helps you detect changes that might lead to UX issues.
• Examine customer journey maps. Often, customers interact with a website multiple times before they commit to purchase. Look out for opportunities or bottlenecks across sections dedicated to the top, middle, and bottom of the funnel. You can use HubSpot’s Customer Journey Analytics tool to track customer touch points.

8. Audit for accessibility compliance and inclusivity.

Accessibility compliance improves the user experience for everyone. Make sure the design meets Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.2 (WCAG) accessibility criteria and works well with assistive technologies, such as screen readers.

Use this checklist to identify any accessibility issues. Here’s what you need to look out for:

• Confirm that all images have alt text. Screen readers convert the image alt text into audio, so make sure all visuals are properly labeled.
• Verify keyboard navigation and tab order. Make sure users can navigate the page using only the keyboard. Confirm that all interactive elements are focused in a logical order.
• Test forms for support of accessibility features. Confirm that labels are connected with their corresponding inputs. Make sure form fields can be read by screen readers.

9. Report your findings and recommendations.

Finally, you consolidate what you’ve found after several iterations of assessment into a UX audit report. They could range from design issues, confusing user journey, website glitches, or other concerns that resulted in subpar user experience.

I make it a practice to record each result as soon as I finish an assessment. Then I tabulate them in a spreadsheet and rank them by severity. I suggest you do the same. Otherwise, your team might attempt to tackle all issues at once, which isn’t productive.

Throughout my experience, I have come to realize that certain UX issues have a more significant impact on business outcomes. For example, formatting inconsistency can wait, but a missing Cart icon deserves top priority.

Now, don’t stop at explaining why your website’s UX broke, but include ways to fix it too. It’s fine if you don’t have the exact solutions right now. You can create probable steps backed by strong reasoning and include them in the report.

Done? Share your UX report with fellow stakeholders, so they can also contribute to the next course of action.

Note: You can also supplement your recommendations with examples of websites you found that demonstrate the desired outcome.

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How to Make a UX Audit Report

The UX audit report summarizes your findings and recommendations for web developers, product managers, and other key stakeholders. When you create one, make sure you use languages that non-designers can understand.

While there isn’t a specific format, I make sure my report includes these sections.

1. Executive Summary

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Summarize key findings from the audit. Highlight the main issues with user experience (UX). If possible, include stats or numbers to back up your points.

2. Target Users

Include the age groups, industry, designation, interests, spending power, and other traits that influence interaction behavior.

3. Audit Methodology

Provide methods you use to collect data, discover patterns, and identify UX issues. Ideally, state why specific methods were chosen.

4. Key Findings (UI/UX)

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List the key takeaways from the UX audit, including flow issues, pain points, and areas of improvement.

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Include UI findings in the UI audit, like visual design elements that need improvement.

5. Qualitative Insights

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Highlight quotes from the interviews or surveys that give insight into user experience.

6. Detailed Page Analysis

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Create an audit page for each section of the website or app. Show screenshots. Provide a brief explanation of the design elements that need improvement.

7. Prioritized Recommendations and Action Plan

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Create an action plan that outlines the steps necessary to address each issue. Prioritize actions that carry more weight in business outcomes. Include deadlines and responsible parties for each task.

The Benefits of UX Audits

Some brands that I’ve worked with, unfortunately, perceive UX audits as a cost. But studies by the Baynard Institute and personal experience show that prioritizing user experience eventually yields multifold returns on investments. Here are some of the benefits.

Increased Conversion Rates

UX audits address potential issues that may be causing friction or hindering the user experience on a website.

Let’s take cart abandonment, for example. In 2025, ecommerce businesses’ cart abandonment rate stood at 71.72%, a slight decrease compared to the year prior. Design experts believe that UX optimization, which simplifies the purchase process through features like one-click payment, encourages customers to complete transactions.

Better Brand Reputation

When you improve your UX, you improve your users’ journey and increase your chances of being recommended by customers.

Think about it: A UX audit results in a positive user experience, which translates to increased customer satisfaction, positive reviews, and recommendations. All of these improve your brand’s credibility, attract new customers, and retain existing ones.

Improved SEO

User experience directly contributes to your SEO effort. Gone are the days when websites that barely passed a UX audit could rank on Google. Modern websites need to load quickly, preferably within three seconds, or risk losing visitors (and ranking).

Also, Google switched to mobile-first indexing in 2016. This means that Google expects your website to be mobile-responsive. Every text, image, and layout that looks presentable on a desktop must automatically rearrange for smaller screens.

Pro tip: To assess your website for SEO and usability, pop your URL into this free Website Grader. You’ll receive a quick report with suggestions on how to improve your website performance for users and search engines.

Lower Development Costs

UX audits help lower costs by identifying and resolving issues in a website or app before they become too expensive to fix. Imagine introducing several new features to an ecommerce site that’s already struggling with conversion.

Without a UX audit, developers and design teams will struggle to identify the root causes of more severe problems, such as website glitches, in the long run.

Enable Data-Driven Decision Making

A comprehensive UX audit provides the “ground truth” for stakeholders to make informed decisions about changes to websites, business strategy, and operational workflows. Instead of relying on guesswork, they base their decisions on metrics like drop-offs, which are mapped to specific personas, such as customers living in suburban areas.

Enable Compliance With Accessibility Standards

More businesses want to expand their reach by catering to people with diverse abilities. Conducting a UX audit outlines the requirements and gaps that need to be fulfilled to make a website more accessible. For example, web pages with keyboard assistance and descriptive alt-tags allow people to access content in different ways.

When to Conduct a UX Audit

You run an audit after your website has been live for a certain period. The reason is that an effective UX audit needs data from actual user interactions. The exact timeline (which I share below), however, depends on your project’s needs.

1. Before Redesigning Your Website

“Website owners should conduct a UX audit before doing a website redesign,” explains Maigen Thomas, founder of Level 11 Technology. “And the audit results will inform where to focus any user research on fixes that can provide an immediate return on their investment in digital upgrades.”

Personally, I’m a strong believer that a UX audit should be part of your website redesign strategy. Without knowing what challenges your users are facing, it’s almost impossible to implement changes that they find useful.

2. Anytime Your Performance Metrics Are Off

Some red flags that suggest a UX audit is imminent are high drop-off rates, declining conversion, and slow-loading pages. These signs might point to UX issues that are surfaced because of evolving trends, design flaws, or feature updates.

If you’re using reporting software like HubSpot, you can easily be notified of anomalies and take proactive actions.

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3. At Least Once a Year

Even if you don’t have any major changes happening on your website (that you’ve noticed, anyway), it’s still good to do regular UX audits to catch things that weren’t on your radar.

Gediminas Skirmuntas, senior UX designer at Omnisend, recommends doing so at least once a year.

“Quarterly is even better,” he adds, “but it’s not realistic unless there’s a separate department for that. However, yearly is something doable and on time before too many UX problems occur.”

4. When Customers Flag an Issue

Sometimes, the best hints that your website needs a professional usability review can be found in the customer feedback. For example, I once received multiple complaints indicating a broken page after customers completed payment. That got me to launch a targeted usability audit focusing on the checkout process.

Tips for Conducting a UX Audit

A UX audit can turn into a complex process, and it’s important to consider all aspects of the user experience. Here are some tips for conducting a comprehensive UX audit.

Delegate audit responsibility.

Before starting an audit, determine who will be on the audit team. If you run a lean company, you might need to outsource the UX audit to external agencies. Otherwise, identify experts and stakeholders who will be involved in assessing your website. Usually, your audit team will be cross-functional, whichever way you set it up.

I would also like to emphasize that your audit team should comprise individuals who understand your customers’ behavior and preferences.

As product designer Marko Aleksic puts it, “Reach out to the support team to get their take on what the most common issues users are reporting. The data team can provide valuable analytics that can guide some of the decisions. Business and product teams can help you understand the goals and development to get a clearer picture of the feasibility and limits,” he says.

Leverage tools and AI.

A UX audit is laborious, and honestly, many businesses struggle to expedite the process. So, I totally understand if you want to get the audit done as soon as possible. Thankfully, with a careful selection of tools, you can streamline the process and save valuable time.

For example:

• Screen recorders like Hotjar, Mouseflow, and PostHog help you record mouse movements, generate heatmaps, and replay sessions. However, you’ll need to set them up before the audit to collect that data.
• Use Google Forms to create customer survey questions and consolidate responses. Or, if you’re a HubSpot user, create a custom survey from your CRM dashboard.
• Generative AI, such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, can analyze websites for some usability issues and recommend fixes. All you need to do is learn how to prompt them for the right response.
• Use Figma to record your findings as you evaluate. It allows your audit teams to take notes and share their thoughts collaboratively.

Cross-reference UX findings with business intelligence.

Sometimes, a UX audit can reveal the root causes of customer engagement issues plaguing your website. However, it isn’t a Swiss Army knife that can reveal factors that fall beyond usability. For example, a seasonal trend can cause sales to fluctuate. Likewise, global economic factors may dampen purchasing sentiment among some of your target audiences.

So, before rushing to a conclusion, make sure you’ve covered all grounds with the data, survey, and resources you have.

What to Do After a UX Audit

So, the hard part is over. You have your insights, and you have your report with an action plan. How do you move forward? Here are some key steps to take.

Present your findings.

Communicate your findings to relevant stakeholders, including managers, executives, designers, developers, or clients. The goal is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the user experience and propose potential solutions.

Start with a summary of the most impactful insights. Then, present your findings in a clear, structured, and understandable way. Ensure you avoid technical jargon whenever possible.

Use compelling visual representations, like diagrams, flowcharts, or graphs, to make data digestible. Ensure your presentation provides clear pathways to address the identified issues.

Here’s a free UX research presentation template you can use.

Lastly, listen and respond to feedback. Discussions with stakeholders can often provide further insight for implementing your suggestions. By the end of your presentation, everyone should have a clear understanding of the audit’s findings and the next steps.

Continuously iterate and refine the audit process.

UX audits aren’t one-time affairs. They should be regularly conducted and updated to ensure the user experience stays on point. As your product or service changes, revisit the steps outlined in the previous sections to check for any new issues.

Also, monitor your post-audit results over time and make changes as needed. This way, you can be sure you’re continually improving the user experience.

Now, you’re ready to run a UX audit.

Don’t let web performance woes become an excuse for falling conversion. UX audit is designed to identify factors that break conversion funnels, interactions, and the value chain on websites. With a process in place, you can conduct an audit to address issues before they grow more complex.

I’ve shared the steps I took in auditing my websites for usability, including best practices that other UX professionals use. Remember, a UX audit is more effective when you combine quantitative data and user-centered observations. No one knows your users better than you, but consolidating their interactions with marketing analytics can make a significant difference.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in August 2023 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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