ARTICLE
How to Audit a Site You Didn't Build
The audit sequence for sites you inherit from a previous agency, the access traps to expect, and how to deliver the bad news without losing trust.
May 22, 20268 min read
SEO for Agenciesauditagency growthclient managementinherited sites
You didn't build it, but you'll be blamed for it
Every agency takes over sites built by someone else. The previous agency left messy redirects, broken canonicals, ad-hoc schema, and tracking that hasn't worked since 2022. The client doesn't know any of this. The first week of work involves discovering it, and the discovery process is its own skill.
This post is the audit sequence we use when inheriting a site, the seven access traps to expect, and how to deliver the bad news without making the client feel stupid for hiring the previous agency.
Step 1: Run the technical baseline before anything else
The single most useful first move on an inherited site: run a comprehensive audit before opening any code, talking to the previous agency, or asking the client questions.
The free audit tool gives a 60-second technical baseline that's enough to anchor the conversation. For client work, layer additional tools on top:
- The Page Speed Grader for Core Web Vitals breakdown
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