Marketing audit
A marketing audit is an independent assessment of your current marketing: what is running, what it is producing and where your time and budget are best focused next.
It gives you a clear, evidence-led view across the channels, website, measurement and activity that shape your marketing performance.
What the audit covers
The exact scope is agreed at the start, but a cross-channel marketing audit usually covers the following areas.
- 01
Channels and performance
I review the marketing activity currently in place, which may include organic search, paid activity, email, social media, content and referral, as well as offline activity such as print, events, direct mail or word of mouth.
The aim is to understand what each channel is contributing and whether the performance is being assessed in a fair and useful way.
- 02
Attribution and measurement
I look at the data and reporting used to make marketing decisions. This includes whether the measures in place give a reliable picture of performance, and whether there are gaps that make it difficult to understand what is really happening.
Good decisions depend on useful measurement. If the data is unclear, every later decision becomes harder.
- 03
Website and conversion
I assess how well the website supports the people arriving on it. That includes the journey from first visit to enquiry, sale or next step, and the areas that may be making it harder for people to take action.
- 04
Content and messaging
I review what the business says, whether it reflects the questions customers are asking and whether the message is consistent across the places people encounter it.
- 05
Competitive position
I consider the wider market: the alternatives customers see, the claims competitors make and the opportunities to become clearer, more useful or more distinctive.
- 06
Spend and structure
I look at where marketing budget, tools and external support are currently allocated, and whether that reflects the priorities of the business.
Where this sits alongside the other audits
There are two ways to get an independent view of your marketing. Each has a different purpose.
An SEO Audit is a paid, in-depth review of search performance. It is the right choice when organic visibility, technical SEO or search-led traffic is the specific question you need to answer.
A Marketing Audit is broader. It looks across your marketing activity, measurement, website and channel mix to establish what is working together, what is not and what should happen first.
When a marketing audit is the right call
A marketing audit is useful when you have activity in place but do not have a clear, independent view of how it is performing as a whole.
You may have several channels running, with no agreed way to compare their contribution. You may have inherited existing activity and need to understand it before making changes. Or you may be preparing to invest further and want confidence that the foundations, priorities and measurement are in the right place.
It can also be useful when marketing, sales and leadership teams see the situation differently. The audit brings the available evidence together, helping everyone work from the same picture.
The common thread is simple: you need clarity before deciding what to change, stop, improve or invest in.
How it runs and what you get
Most audits take three to five days of work over two to three weeks.
I begin by agreeing the scope, the business questions behind the audit and the access needed. This will usually include read access to relevant analytics, advertising accounts, email platforms and Search Console, alongside conversations with the people closest to each area of marketing.
You receive a written report with findings, supporting evidence and prioritised recommendations. It is structured around what to do first, not simply grouped by channel.
The work concludes with a debrief, which can include the people who need to make decisions or share the findings internally. You leave with a clearer understanding of the current position and a practical route forward.
When an audit is not what you need
An audit may not be the right first step if you already know the problem and are ready to act on it. In that case, focused delivery support is likely to be more useful.
It may also be too broad if the question is limited to one channel. If you need to understand search performance in depth, an SEO Audit will give you a more detailed answer. If you are doing very little marketing and need to decide where to begin, a marketing strategy engagement may be the better route.
Common questions
What is a marketing audit?
What is included in a marketing audit report?
How long does a marketing audit take?
Can you help us implement the recommendations?
Talk through your marketing audit
If you need a clearer, independent view of your current marketing, tell me a little about the situation.
I’ll read it personally and let you know whether a Marketing Audit is the right next step.