A website can look fine and be running - but that doesn't mean it's actually doing well. Most problems aren't visible at first glance, until someone runs into them directly. There are three areas worth checking regularly: performance, functionality, and security. Each needs a different approach - and each is something you can check yourself, without major expense.
1. Performance
A slow website means lost visitors. Google also treats speed as one of its search ranking factors - so a slow website not only drives people away, it also ranks worse in search.
How to check it
The quickest way - open your browser, press F12 (or right-click → "Inspect"), find the "Lighthouse" tab in the panel that opens, and run an analysis. Within a few seconds you'll get scores across several categories - performance, accessibility, best practices, SEO - along with a specific list of what's slowing the page down.
What to watch for
The result can be heavily affected by third-party plugins and integrations - Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, chat widgets, ad scripts, and similar tools. None of these are bad on their own, but every extra script adds weight to the page and slows down loading. If your performance score is low, it's worth checking first how many such third-party elements are connected - often that, rather than the website's own structure, is the main culprit.
2. Functionality
A website can look tidy, but that doesn't mean every element on it works the way it should. A broken form, a dead link, or a button that does nothing when clicked - these kinds of bugs often go unnoticed for weeks or even months.
How to check it
The only reliable way - go through the website yourself, as a visitor would. Click every button, check every link, fill out and submit every form, view the site on both desktop and mobile. This is normally a tester's job, but if you don't have one, or testing happens rarely - going through the whole website yourself at least once is always worth it.
Why it matters
Most people assume everything's working fine - until they get a report of a problem. But in reality, far more people have likely already noticed that something's broken; they just never thought to report it. They simply closed the tab and went to a competitor.
3. Security
Security issues are the most dangerous precisely because they go unnoticed the longest - a website can be compromised and keep running with no obvious signs at all.
The essentials
- Updates - an outdated CMS version, theme, or plugins are the most common point of entry for attackers
- SSL certificate - without one, browsers flag the site as insecure, and data between the visitor and the server travels unencrypted
- Passwords and access - weak or reused passwords on the admin panel
- Backups - without them, even after fixing a problem you can lose all your content
- Unlicensed plugins - using cracked or unlicensed versions often means malicious code gets bundled in along with them
How to check it
To get a general picture without any technical knowledge, you can use a free tool built by Marius Pareščius, parescius.lt/saugumo-patikra (Lithuanian-language site) - enter a domain, and within seconds you get a 0-100 score checking TLS/SSL, security headers, reputation, email protection (SPF/DKIM/DMARC) and known vulnerabilities (CVEs). It's a good first check, but if the score is low or the website matters to your business - it's worth getting a more thorough audit.
Wrapping up
All three areas - performance, functionality, security - are usually invisible until they become a problem. A regular check takes little time, and the cost of ignoring a problem too long is usually far higher - lost visitors, lost trust, or a compromised website.
Want someone to professionally check your website?
We'll run a website audit and tell you where the real problems are - no obligations.