Unlock Your Full Sales Potential With A Foolproof Shopify Audit

How many customers does Shopify have? +4,200,000 and counting. That's the number of live Shopify stores right now. BuiltWith keeps track of the data in real time.

With a level of competition this high, questions arise. How to increase traffic? What are the best marketing and pricing strategies? How to enhance the shopper experience? Other concerns vary depending on the merchant's industry, audience, and goals.

After reading this post – which isn't related to operational or compliance – you'll learn:

• What a Shopify audit is and why it matters
• How to perform a thorough store audit on your own
• And in which scenarios it's best to leave the audit to someone else

Find out what works, what doesn't, and what you can do better—without a Shopify auditor.

What is a Shopify audit exactly?

A Shopify audit is an examination of your store's performance and functionality. The goal is to identify areas for improvement and recommend actions based on those insights. It's like a check-up for Shopify sellers so you can see how things are doing with your online store. Drop in sales channels? More cart abandonments? Increase in average order value? And so on.

For example, you have a product page optimized for search engines. But you're not using high-quality photos to showcase your product. In the online shopping experience, product images represent the #2 priority for 61% of buyers. So you have to do something about it.

The purpose of having store audits

When your body hurts so bad, what do you do? You go to a doctor's appointment to understand what's wrong and get a prescription. It's kind of the same principle.

Here's why running a Shopify site audit is a good idea:

• Detect errors impacting sales to work on weaknesses
• Analyze historical stats to supercharge strengths
• Plan the best course of action to leverage opportunities

A store audit is a surefire way to make sure your eCommerce business is running at peak performance. Because it gives context to develop a roadmap for growth.

What does a Shopify audit cover?

In most cases, Shopify store audits include all things conversion rate optimization (CRO). Tweaks often go from store/product changes to marketing and customer support efforts.

Key aspects of a store audit meant for conversion:

• General configurations and updates
• Header and footer guidelines
• Store home page fundamentals
• Must-haves on product and collection pages
• Basics for cart, checkout, and thank-you pages
• Expected standards of customer support
• Marketing strategies and integrations

Surprise, surprise—Attrac has a free Shopify self-audit checklist that's a game-changer. The best part? It's packed with +100 tips and best practices you won't find anywhere else.

How to audit your Shopify store (DIY)

First things first, there's no one way to conduct a Shopify self-audit. You, merchant folks, have at least three options to choose from. Those are manual, with an app/extension, or ticking boxes on a pre-made checklist. So it all boils down to the type of store audit you run.

Heads up, we'll walk you through what to do after an audit in the next section. Stay tuned.

The manual way

Picture this. You're a detective, investigating every nook and cranny of your store to find the hidden gems and trouble spots. That's the essence of the manual method. It's a hands-on approach that requires managing the store inspection from scratch.

Here's how it works. Start by diving into your analytics (whether it's on Shopify or Google Analytics) to catch patterns. What's growing? What's dropping? What's staying the same? 

Armed with this data, look for solutions to overcome those obstacles.

Let's say that sales of X product have been just okay in the last quarter, and you want to give it a boost. This is where you can steal 10 Genius Shopify Hacks to Elevate Your Ecommerce Game and see what happens. Maybe you'll try a new marketing campaign, upgrade site speed, tweak product descriptions, or experiment with pricing. The sky's the limit.

The extension way

Nothing can't beat the straightforwardness of this alternative. All you have to do is install a Chrome extension like Shopify Website Audit and activate it. What's even cooler about this tool is that it shows up IDs, tech stack, products, collections, and other pages.

Still, keep in mind that the software has limitations and lacks in-depth analysis.

I recommend using it in combination with the #manual or #checklist options. That way, you get a more comprehensive store audit that covers the bases.

The checklist way

All-in-one spreadsheet with tactical actions to speed up your store audit. And for $0 forever: Shopify Optimization Checklist. Get access to instructions, examples, notes, and an optimization score to measure the improvements you've made so far.

What's next after a Shopify audit?

Moving from theory to practice, basically. Taking action is what follows once you're done with the Shopify audit. But not in some random order, of course. Here's how.

Impact first, the rest second

How do you decide where to start? Impact is the answer. Focus on the items that have the greatest positive effect on your store. With the Shopify Conversion Checklist, you also get an impact-action-bar. Imagine an audit revealed that your checkout process could have more payment methods. In that case, fixing this issue is a top priority to increase sales completion.

Let implementation begin

With the highest impact changes on your side, this is when you put strategic recommendations in place. Depending on the scope and complexity of the tasks, you can tackle them one at a time or in batches. For optimal results, make a plan and timeline for execution.

Track progress over time

Changes alone won't say a word. Your homework will be to watch your store's numbers. This will help you figure out whether or not the modifications are moving the needle. The end goal of what you do after the audit can look many ways. Like lowering cart abandonment rates, boosting Shopify conversions, or reducing support tickets. To name a few.

How long does a Shopify store audit take?

On average, a Shopify audit takes 5-7 business days. Factors such as store size, product listing, and the full scope of the audit also affect the turnaround time. Meaning, it could be hours or even weeks. As long as the audit is thorough, the wait is worth it.

When is it smarter to hire a Shopify audit service?

DIY is a philosophy—budget-friendly, total control and you learn as you go. It doesn't necessarily mean that it's suitable for a store audit solution every single time. Instead of wasting resources, check out two scenarios when it's better to bring in a Shopify auditor:

• Limited time or knowledge. Even with the self-audit checklist open in one tab and the Shopify admin in another, you must be somewhat familiar with the platform. Otherwise, it'll take you twice as long or more. For time-sensitive cases, take the audit service.
• Demand for specialized expertise. Think of store audits for navigating compliance regulations, streamlining operations, or balancing finances. These are areas beyond solopreneurs' capabilities. Therefore, it's better to err on the side of caution.

Call the pros for support when you're short on time, knowledge, or expertise.

Get your copy of the ultimate Shopify audit checklist

Say bye to the feeling of not knowing what the heck to do. And hi to a more simple store audit journey. We've created a tool with all those nitty-gritty details you must work on to skyrocket any online shop imaginable. Download your Shopify Optimization Checklist for FREE.