Small-Business Digital Audit Checklist

Small-Business Digital Audit Checklist

Small-Business Digital Audit Checklist

Your 30-Minute Digital Audit: A Stress-Free Guide for Stratford-Area Businesses
Published: May 7, 2025 · Read time: 6 min

In 2025, 72% of Canadian customers say a clunky website makes them question whether they can trust a business. And yet, if we're being honest, most of us haven't taken a real look at our online presence since the world turned upside down a few years ago.

This isn't about perfection—it’s about progress.
In less than 30 minutes, you can spot small cracks before they turn into real problems that cost you customers, reputation, and opportunities to grow.

And you don’t have to fix everything alone—or out of pocket.

                                                                                                 Start with a Simple Scorecard

                                                                                                      Use this quick checklist as your roadmap:

Your lowest-scoring areas are the cracks most likely to widen as customer expectations climb. The good news: you don’t have to patch them alone—or out of pocket. Below is a shortlist of grants and free advisory services that line up neatly with the gaps Stratford& District businesses tell us about most often. Pick the program that matches your top priority, then move on it while funds are still available.

Quick Free Tools to Help You Check

Task                                             Free Tool                                                           How to Use It (5 min or less)

Website speed & mobile             Google PageSpeed Insights                             Paste URL → note mobile & desktop scores; anything <60 needs work.

SEO quick check                             HubSpot Website Grader                                Paste URL → review SEO & security tabs.

Broken links & site health           Screaming Frog – Free version                       Crawl → look for 404s & duplicate titles.

Local search visibility                   Google Business Profile                                  Search your business name → verify hours, category, reviews.

Cyber hygiene                                  Have I Been Pwned?                                       Enter work emails → if “pwned,” change passwords & enable MFA.

Social consistency                        Brand audit mini-check                                   Scroll last 10 posts on each platform → note gaps in branding, tone, or posting frequency.

Record scores in your sheet as you go.

What Your Scores Mean

  • 4s & 5s = Pat on the back—maintain.
  • 3s = Good effort, but schedule a tune-up in the next 90 days.
  • 1s & 2s = Time to prioritize—these are gaps that could cost you visibility or trust.

Rule of thumb:Focus on website speed and cybersecurity first.A beautiful site doesn’t matter if customers can’t load it—or if their data isn’t protected.

Free (or Nearly Free) Support to Help You

  • Digital Main Street Squad – Trained students will tackle PageSpeed fixes, Google listings, and basic e-commerce setup for free.
    Book: digitalmainstreet.ca/squad
  • Get Cyber Safe – Guide for Small Businesses – A Government of Canada booklet + interactive assessment covering passwords, MFA, incident response and more.
    Watch: https://www.getcybersafe.gc.ca/en/resources/get-cyber-safe-guide-small-businesses
  • CIRA Free “Cybersecurity for Remote Workers” Micro-Course – 10-minute, bilingual video module with best practices on VPNs, phishing, device security (no signup fee).https://www.cira.ca/en/resources/documents/cybersecurity/free-course-remote-workers/

  • BDC Digital Maturity Assessment - 20-question quiz with instant PDF roadmap. Take it: bdc.ca/digital-maturity
  • Tech & Lattes (Chamber Peer Circle) – Monthly coffee meetup where members swap tool tips; first visit is on us. Next date: June 9 - Email Shannon at info@stratfordchamber.com to learn more
  • A Small Step Forward

    Pick one thing from your scorecard—the area that scored lowest—and set a 30-day goal to improve it.

    Example: Raise my mobile PageSpeed score by compressing images and moving to a faster web host.”

    Digital audits don't have to feel overwhelming or expensive. They’re simply a way to stay in control—and to make sure your online presence grows right along with your business.

    Need a second set of eyes?

    If you’re feeling stuck—or just want a little extra confidence—you don’t have to figure it out alone.

    Book a quick 30-minute coffee chat with the Stratford & District Chamber of Commerce - info@stratfordchamber.com
    We’ll walk through your scorecard together, talk about easy next steps, and make sure you’re on track.

    No pitches. No tech jargon.
    Just practical, friendly advice to help you move forward with confidence.

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