Web site auditing : first step towards re-engineering

There is a growing demand for redesigning the existing Web sites. Many organisations want their sites evaluated, or audited, with recommendations to improve them. Historically, auditing has related to financial matters. It is now applied to other disciplines such as quality, environment, safety, information systems and security. Correspondingly, there are many national and international standards for such audits. Operationally, a financial audit is an independent and expert opinion on how an organisation handles its resources and may recommend, if necessary, changes in the organisational practices to meet the established standards and obligations. In contrast, a Quality audit is meant to aid continuous improvement strategies. The definition and role of a Web site audit are not so clear. This paper addresses these two problems. First, it establishes a general context for Web site auditing in terms of the types of Web-based systems, the stages of Web development and the need for frequent re-engineering of the existing sites. The paper then argues that Web site auditing, as currently understood, is qualitatively different from normal auditing and recommends that it be an integral part of the re-engineering strategy and not be seen as mainly a reassurance exercise.