How to Read Your Website Audit Report

You ran your site through the audit. You see a number, a tier name and a list of steps.

Where do you start?

To read a website audit report, start with the score and its tier. Then find the step that lost the most points, fix that one and run the audit again.

What does the score mean?

It is a score out of 100 for the whole buyer's visit. Each step has its own share of the 100.

The points come from the audit's scoring code, so they stay right if we change the scoring:

Step	Points
Search (found)	20
Share	10
Open (speed 9, clear first screen 6, accessibility 10)	25
Check (trusted)	25
Decide (next step)	20

Together that is 100. Open and Check carry the most points of the five.

What are the tiers?

The score also gets a name, so you can see where you stand.

Score	Tier
0 to 34	Not on the list
35 to 49	Easy to pass over
50 to 64	In the running
65 to 79	Strong contender
80 to 100	Shortlist-ready

The names describe a buyer's shortlist. A site in the "Shortlist-ready" tier is likely to be considered. A site in "Not on the list" is not.

The tiers are our judgment, not an industry standard. I set the bands on 2026-10-07, and they may change.

What happened to our own score?

We ran our homepage on 2026-10-16. It scored 73, a "Strong contender." After fixes it scored 93, "Shortlist-ready."

Step	Points possible	Before	After
Search	20	19	20
Share	10	6	10
Open: speed and clear first screen	15	10	13
Open: accessibility	10	10	10
Check	25	20	20
Decide	20	8	20
Total	100	73	93

The biggest gain was the next step, from 8 to 20. Part of it was the audit's fault. It didn't count "Tell us about your project" as a direct ask, so we fixed the audit too.

Share went from 6 to 10 after we added the missing link preview tags. Check stayed at 20 of 25. That is our honest limit, and we haven't closed it.

What do you fix first?

Fix the step with the biggest gap between its possible points and your points.

1. Subtract your points from the possible points for each step.
2. Circle the biggest gap. In our case that was Decide, 12 points short.
3. If two gaps tie, fix the easier one first. A missing link preview tag takes minutes. Building a body of proof takes months.
4. Fix it, and only that one.
5. Run the audit again.

Then run the audit again. Our score moved from 73 to 93 across a series of small fixes, not one big one.

Expect some steps to stay stuck. If Check is low because you are new, that is normal. Work on what you can change this month and keep a list of what takes longer.

What can the audit not see?

It reads your homepage only. It makes no AI calls, so it can't say what ChatGPT thinks of you. Some of what it scores is judgment, such as whether a first screen is clear.

It can also be wrong. We found that out on our own homepage. And a score can't see your goals.

That is where a person helps. When you work with us, we look at the whole experience and whether it moves you toward what you want.

How did we build it?

I've been building score tools since 2010. In August 2010, Eyeflow Internet Marketing in Pittsburgh released SEOzio, a free app that scored a URL from 0 to 100. The press release says I came up with the idea.

The Swift Site Audit is built on separate tools I made this year for chrishornak.com. The hub of this guide tells the rest of the story.

What does each tier tell you to do?

The tier is a prompt for your next move, not a verdict.

• Not on the list (0 to 34). Start with the basics: can a buyer find you, open the page and tell what you do?
• Easy to pass over (35 to 49). You show up, but something loses the visit early. Fix the weakest step.
• In the running (50 to 64). You hold up. Look at trust and the next step.
• Strong contender (65 to 79). Most steps work. Polish the one or two that don't.
• Shortlist-ready (80 to 100). Keep it that way. Re-run after changes.

The tiers are our reading of the number, not an industry standard. Treat them as a conversation starter.

How do you compare two runs?

Write down each run, so the second one means something.

Run	Score	Tier	What you changed
First	73	Strong contender	Nothing yet
After fixes	93	Shortlist-ready	Link preview tags, first screen, next step

Those two rows are ours. Yours will have your own dates and changes. The point is to see which fix moved which step.

What if a step can't be checked?

The report tells you. If a test fails, or a page can't be reached, the score is worked out without that step, and the report names what it left out.

Read that line before you trust the number. A score built from four steps is not the same as a score built from five. Run the audit again later, when the site or the speed test is reachable.

What should you do when a score drops?

Don't panic, and don't rewrite your homepage.

First, run the audit again. A speed test can vary, and a step that couldn't be checked can change the total. Second, look at which step changed, not only the total. Third, ask what changed on the site since the last run: a new image, a new script, a redesigned page.

One more cause is ours. If we change how the audit scores a step, old and new scores can't be compared directly. We'll say when we do that. Until then, a drop usually points at something on your side.

Where should you keep your log?

Anywhere you'll open it again. A shared note or a spreadsheet works. So does a page in the notebook you use for everything else.

Put the date, the score, the tier and one line about what you changed. If you work with a developer or an agency, share it with them. A short log of real runs is clearer than any summary of how the site is doing.

FAQ

What is a good website audit score?

In the Swift Site Audit, 80 or above is "Shortlist-ready." Our own homepage started at 73, a "Strong contender," and reached 93.

How often should you run an audit?

After each fix to the weakest step, and again after any big change to your homepage.

Can the audit tell me what to fix on other pages?

No. It reads your homepage. Run your other key pages through it one at a time to compare.

Ready to run yours? Try the Swift Site Audit. If you'd like a person to read the result with you, book a free 30-minute consultation. We want your success as much as you do.