Count On Coffey

Website audits reveal issues and opportunities;
the value comes from action

By Sherilee Coffey, VP of Business Development and Client Experience

A healthcare website audit can reveal what is working, what is not and where the biggest opportunities lie. It can show you what is on your site; how that content is performing; and where gaps may be affecting visibility, trust and engagement. But the real value of an audit is not the report itself. It is what happens after the findings have been delivered.

Too often, audits are treated as a one-time exercise. A report is presented, a few quick fixes are made and the organization moves on.

But your website does not stand still. Service lines evolve, priorities shift, patient expectations change—and search behavior changes too. Without a plan for what comes next, even a strong audit can become a moment of insight that never turns into meaningful progress.

The organizations that get the most from an audit are the ones that use it to build momentum. In many cases, that momentum takes shape in three phases.

Phase 1: What are we really dealing with?

The first phase is clarity. Not just a list of pages, but a clearer picture of whether the website still reflects your organization's priorities and whether patient journeys are working the way they should.

That matters because many healthcare websites become harder to manage over time. Pages multiply, ownership gets fuzzy and different departments add content for immediate needs—but not always with a broader strategy in mind. The result is often a site that is full of information but not always easy to navigate, maintain or align priorities around.

A good audit helps bring those problems into focus. It can reveal where content no longer supports current priorities, where structure creates confusion and where users may be dropping off before taking action. It also gives teams something they often lack: a shared view of reality.

Shared clarity matters in healthcare, where marketers often need buy-in from service line leaders, physicians, compliance, IT and executive leadership. Before you can build momentum, everyone needs to understand what is really happening on the site today.

Phase 2: What should we tackle first?

Once the picture is clear, the next challenge is deciding where to act. This is where
an audit becomes more than an assessment.
It becomes a tool for prioritization.

Not every finding deserves the same level of attention. The most valuable post-audit planning helps organizations focus first on the areas with the greatest growth opportunity and the clearest visibility to leadership. Often, those are the areas tied most closely to service line growth, patient acquisition and conversion.

This phase is especially important for marketing teams that feel stretched thin or uncertain where to begin. An audit can help shift the conversation from "How do we fix everything?" to "What will make the biggest difference right now?"

That is a much stronger place to operate from.

At CGH Medical Center, for example, their content audit prior to a website redesign did more than identify issues. It created a path forward. Early improvements produced quick wins, while deeper work in key content areas helped the team better support users and make a more credible case for where resources should go next.

Phase 3: How do we keep this from becoming one more report on the shelf?

This is the phase many organizations miss.

The audit is done, a few actions are taken and then the report starts collecting dust.

But if leadership has invested in an audit, the real opportunity is not to treat it as one and done. It is to use it as the start of a more strategic approach to the website.

That does not mean every organization needs multiple massive initiatives. It does mean the website needs to stay active in the marketing conversation and key performance indicators (KPIs). It should keep evolving alongside your goals, your services and the needs of your audience.

This is where the website becomes so much more than a repository of content. It becomes a tool that actively supports your marketing goals over time.

For healthcare marketers, this shift is powerful. It creates a stronger foundation for internal conversations and helps move website work from reactive requests to intentional planning. It also makes it easier to connect digital iterations and improvements to broader organizational growth.

That's what a strong audit should really do: not just point out what is wrong, but help your team see what is possible.

Categories: Digital