Website Audit for Ecommerce — Complete 2026 Checklist
Ecommerce sites have unique audit requirements — duplicate product pages, faceted navigation, checkout security, and compliance with GDPR and CCPA. This checklist covers all four pillars.
This checklist applies to Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, BigCommerce, and custom-built stores. Platform-specific tips are noted where relevant.
🔍 1. SEO audit for ecommerce
Unique title tags on every product page
Don't use the manufacturer's default title. Write keyword-rich titles like 'Blue Running Shoes for Men | BrandName'.
Meta descriptions on category and product pages
Category pages especially need compelling meta descriptions — they appear in SERPs and affect click-through rate.
Canonical tags on filtered/sorted URLs
Faceted navigation (size=M&color=blue) creates duplicate content. Add canonical tags pointing to the base category URL.
Product schema (JSON-LD)
Add Product schema with price, availability, and reviews. Rich results can increase CTR by 20–30%.
Breadcrumb structured data
BreadcrumbList schema helps Google understand your site hierarchy and can show breadcrumbs in search results.
Internal linking from blog to products
Blog posts and buying guides should link to relevant product/category pages using keyword-rich anchor text.
⚡ 2. Performance audit
LCP under 2.5s on product pages
Product hero images are almost always the LCP element. Use WebP/AVIF, serve the right size, and add fetchpriority='high'.
No layout shift on image load (CLS < 0.1)
Always set explicit width and height on product images. CSS aspect-ratio boxes prevent layout shifts.
Lazy-load below-fold product images
A category page with 48 products doesn't need to load all images immediately. loading='lazy' reduces initial payload dramatically.
Fast checkout flow (INP < 200ms)
Interaction to Next Paint measures responsiveness. A sluggish cart or checkout flow increases abandonment.
🛡️ 3. Security audit
HTTPS on every page including checkout
Any HTTP page during checkout (even a redirect) will show browser warnings and lose customer trust immediately.
Security headers (CSP, HSTS, X-Frame-Options)
Missing CSP enables XSS attacks. Missing HSTS allows SSL stripping. Check all 13 security headers with AuditAI.
No mixed content warnings
HTTP resources loaded on an HTTPS page show browser warnings and signal insecurity to customers at checkout.
Dependency vulnerability scan
Outdated npm packages in your frontend or backend can introduce known CVEs. Run npm audit regularly.
⚖️ 4. Compliance audit
GDPR cookie consent for EU customers
If you sell to EU residents, you need explicit opt-in for tracking cookies. Implied consent is no longer valid.
Privacy policy covering data collection
Your privacy policy must describe what data you collect, how you use it, and who you share it with.
CCPA opt-out for California customers
If you have California customers and earn over $25M/year or process 100K+ consumer records, CCPA applies.
Accessible checkout (WCAG 2.1 AA)
Form labels, keyboard navigation, and sufficient colour contrast are legally required in many jurisdictions and improve conversions.
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