3 Free Tools to Audit Your Municipal Website in Under 10 Minutes
You don’t need a tech team or a big budget to know whether your municipal website is doing its job.
With a few free online tools, you can run a basic audit that checks performance, mobile compatibility, and accessibility. These insights will help you determine if you need to make improvements to your municipal website.
Here are the three tools every small town should use to audit its website.
1. Lighthouse by Google (for Speed and SEO)
What it does:
Checks how fast your site loads
Scores your site on mobile and desktop performance
Highlights technical issues affecting user experience
How to use it:
Open your website in Chrome
Right-click anywhere and click “Inspect”
Go to the "Lighthouse" tab and run the audit
You’ll get a score and detailed breakdown of where your site needs improvement.
2. WAVE Accessibility Tool
What it does:
Identifies accessibility issues such as missing alt text, low contrast, or bad navigation
Simulates how your site works for users with disabilities
How to use it:
Go to wave.webaim.org
Enter your site URL
Review the color-coded errors and suggestions
This tool helps ensure your site complies with ADA guidelines and serves all residents.
3. Mobile-Friendly Site Test by SE Ranking
What it does:
Analyzes how well your site works on smartphones
Flags content that is too small, requires zooming, or has broken layouts
How to use it:
Visit www.seranking.com
Paste your URL
Review the results and fix anything marked “not usable on mobile”
Why it matters: More than half your residents use phones to access local services. Munibit websites are fully mobile-optimized from day one.
TL;DR: Audit Your Municipal Website in Minutes
Use these tools to audit your website today:
Lighthouse: For speed and performance
WAVE: For accessibility
SE Ranking: For mobile usability
Want help interpreting your results? Munibit is here to help →