When to get a health check on your Kentico website

Code audit

A check to ensure that everything is coded properly for basic functionality. But it also has a good look at the way the pages have been built and how Kentico has been implemented.

Security audit

This is to ferret out any vulnerabilities that may be subject to exploitation, such as phishing or cross site scripting.

Kentico backend configuration

Making sure the workflow on the backend is in harmony with the way your team of administrators and editors do their jobs. It can also have a look at the Kentico licence to see if it’s the best one for your needs.

Performance profiling

Using software tools to have a closer look at performance and configuration. This information can potentially give insight on slow-to-load pages and other problematic spots that can then be addressed.

SEO and accessibility optimisation

An SEO and accessibility audit will uncover obstacles to better Google rankings,

It isn’t often that a manager asks for a complete Health Check covering all areas of a Kentico website. But occasionally one type of audit may uncover some bigger underlying issues that are affecting other areas of functionality. In that case, we may recommend a complete Health Check to ensure two things. Firstly that there aren’t any other hidden problems that are contributing to your site’s difficulties. And secondly that any fixes to the initial issues are accommodated without knock-on problems.

For example, if a code audit were to uncover gaps in the security provision, then that may indicate that there are other security oversights. A broader security audit would probably be a good idea. Similarly, page loading issues will definitely affect SEO. These two need to be looked at holistically in order to get the best from the Health Check process.

But how do you know you need a Health Check as opposed to a minor investigation into an issue? Essentially it’s a question of scale. For instance, if your website has suddenly gone incredibly slow or your Google rankings have abruptly started acting like a champion cliff diver, then you probably need to talk to your digital support about a deeper audit. It’s possible that there are a bunch of older issues that have built up over time to finally create a kind of perfect failure. That could require exploratory surgery, so to speak. Or it could mean something more nefarious was afoot.

You could have been hacked. If that’s the case, you need a thorough security audit, including a code audit. Every possible nook and cranny has to be poked and prodded to make sure it’s locked tight against future attacks.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. On the much more optimistic side of things, a Health Check of some sort, especially a code audit, is always a great idea if you’re in the business of acquiring new businesses. When you’re adding websites to your portfolio—websites you had no hand in bringing into existence—getting a good look under the bonnet will tell you what you’re dealing with both in terms of security liabilities as well as backend configuration. The latter may make a big difference if you’re integrating a new content management team with your existing one.

Once your Health Check is complete and the fixes have been made, don’t forget to keep up the maintenance. Kentico websites should be kept upgraded as close to the current version as possible in order to stay secure. Your digital agency should also be able to assist you with ongoing development to ensure performance stays tip top.

If you have a need for a Kentico Health Check or want to talk more about it, contact our Technical Director, Ben Franklin.