Pre-Acquisition Site Audit

Website Due Diligence Audit

Before finalizing a company or asset purchase, order our pre-acquisition audit. Our website due diligence audit will confirm the provided data and uncover hidden issues.

Our comprehensive, due diligence audit gives a detailed health check of the planned site acquisition.


Website Due Diligence: Pre-Acquisition Site Audit

Before finalizing your company or asset purchase, our pre-acquisition audit will uncover hidden issues. Our website due diligence audit will confirm the validity of the owner provided data. Within these 8 modules, we’ll check more than 360 factors.

Our due diligence audits will also provide a basis for negotiations. And a checklist of optimization opportunities once the deal closes.

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Website Due Diligence Audit: 8 Module Checklist

During a pre-acquisition website audit, we’ll perform due diligence on the following factors. The audit will assess these factors to determine its value, performance, and potential risks.

Within these 8 modules, we’ll check more than 360 factors affecting the site health before the deal closes.

Here’s a comprehensive checklist we’ll cover during due diligence:

1. Technical SEO

The technical SEO component focuses on how search engines access your site. We check the code for crawlability and indexability.
This includes robots.txt, sitemap.xml, canonicals, errors, security, head tags, redirects, and much more.

  • Indexability & Crawlability: Check if search engines can properly access and index the website.
  • Site Speed & Performance: Assess page load times and Core Web Vitals.
  • Mobile-Friendliness: Verify that the site is responsive and functions well on all devices.
  • URL Structure: Look for logical, SEO-friendly URLs.
  • Site Security: Confirm SSL implementation and protection against vulnerabilities.
  • Schema Markup: Ensure the use of structured data for rich results.
  • Best Practices: We’ll review the overall health of your site against current best practices. While some details are minor, others have a direct influence on how users and search engines access and consume your content.

See more about what’s included in our technical SEO audit.

2. Domain Analysis

We’ll run background checks to determine the health of the domain(s).

  • Domain health: Check link profile and history of the primary domain, and any secondary domains, involved in the sale.
  • Technical setup: This includes DNS settings, redirects, CDNs, and integrations with out tools and apps.
  • Blacklist or Spam: Any blacklist mentions or questionable usage.

3. Site Performace: Organic Traffic & SEO Health

This module audits how the site performs in organic search, referrals, and social platforms.

  • Traffic Trends: Analyze historical traffic patterns for consistency or volatility.
  • Keyword Rankings: Identify high-performing keywords and assess their competitiveness.
  • Backlink Profile: Audit for quality, diversity, and potential spammy links.
  • Penalties: Check for manual or algorithmic penalties using tools like Google Search Console.
  • Content Quality: Evaluate whether the content is original, relevant, and optimized for SEO.
  • Google Analytics/GA4: Confirm access and verify accurate tracking implementation.
  • Key Metrics: Review bounce rates, time on site, pages per session, and conversion rates.
  • Demographics & Audience: Understand the site’s target audience and engagement levels.

4. Content Review

Content review of pages, guides, blog posts, and landing pages. Some of these factors include:

  • Underperforming Content: Uncover opportunities for content updates, pruning, or optimizations.
  • Duplication: Check for original/duplicated content.
  • Grammar and Spelling Issues: While some errors are natural, excessive errors may reveal neglect or spammy practices.
  • Content Updates: Evaluate content is updated and its relevance to current trends.

5. Revenue & Monetization

  • Revenue Sources: Identify income streams (ads, affiliate marketing, e-commerce, etc.).
  • Traffic-to-Revenue Conversion Rates: Assess how well the site converts visitors into transactions.
  • Recurring Costs: Understand ongoing operational expenses (e.g., hosting, plugins).
  • Growth Potential: Identify opportunities for increasing revenue post-acquisition.

6. Competitor Analysis

  • Market Positioning: Compare the site to competitors in the same niche.
  • Competitive Advantages: Assess the site’s unique strengths in its industry.

7. Platform & Infrastructure

  • CMS & Hosting: Assess the content management system and hosting provider for reliability and scalability.
  • Technical Dependencies: Identify third-party tools, plugins, or integrations critical to operations.
  • Scalability: Determine whether the site can handle increased traffic and growth.

8. Risks & Liabilities

  • Past Violations: Investigate any history of spam, black-hat SEO, or other unethical practices.
  • Dependency on Paid Traffic: Determine reliance on paid campaigns for traffic.
  • Seller’s Intentions: Understand why the site is being sold to identify potential red flags.
  • Other Factors: We’ll also identify any specifics that surface during the audit, even if outside of the checklist.

Our due diligence is a complete audit, giving you ensure the website aligns with your strategic goals and minimizes post-acquisition surprises.

Other Factors

Other factors that should be considered during due diligence. While we will review these details, they should be audited by legal and accounting professionals.

  1. Legal & Compliance: Privacy Policy & Terms of Use (GDPR or CCPA), Licenses & Permissions, Trademark Issues
  2. Content & Intellectual Property: Content Ownership, Copyright or Licensing Issues
  3. Financial Assessment: Profit & Loss Statements
website due diligence

Due Diligence Site Audit FAQ’s

Should the buyer or seller order the website due diligence audit?

Much like real estate home inspections, we recommend that the buyer order the audit. This can remove any perceived conflicts of interest. And is an important part of the due diligence process.

How much does a website due diligence audit cost?

Pre-acquisition audits begin at $2195. Because website vary in complexity, each due diligence audit is custom quoted. They can range from $2195 to $8000.

What information do you need to complete the audit?

For your due diligence audit, we’ll need access to Google Search Console, Google Analtytics, domain registrar, and the CMS. As we begin the audit, we may need access to other accounts.

We are happy to sign an NDA or any privacy agreements, as required.

Will you make changes during the pre-acquisition website due diligence audit?

No. We never make change during an audit.

Do you provide recommendations to correct the issues?

Yes, we’ll include specific recommended fixes for each issue discovered.

  • Pre Acquisition: This will be helpful to determine the costs/time involved to correct, before making the purchase decision.
  • Post Acquistion: And after the purchase goes through, these recommendations will serve as a to do list for your development team.

Should website sellers request a pre-sale audit?

This is a good idea, to correct significant errors and improve the curb appeal of the asset. Some errors can be easily corrected for some quick wins that could boost valuation – or prevent value reduction during negotiations.

Do you audit for AI content?

Not specifically. We’ve found that most AI detectors are unreliable, especially regarding text content. But we will note if photos are obviously AI generated. These are a red flag for a low-quality website.

What is of greater concern is low-quality content, regardless of how it was produced.

Other Types of Audits

Considering another type of audit? We offer four types of audits for your business.

  1. Technical SEO Audit
  2. Website Content Audit
  3. Local SEO Audit (Free)
  4. Due Diligence Audit

Ready to Increase Site Earnings?

To get started, please book a Discovery Call. You’ll learn about our services and we’ll learn about your goals and challenges. And we’ll see if your needs and our skills are a good fit. Your call will be with Bryan.

Your Discovery Call is the first step to generating more revenue with your site.

If you already know what you need, you can order those services here. These services include SEO audits, new site builds, and other marketing and SEO services.