Buying an existing business? Audit the website before you close

The 30-minute pre-LOI audit

Run this before you sign a letter of intent. It catches the dealbreakers cheap.

1. Domain ownership and renewal

• Run a WHOIS lookup — is the owner the seller, a defunct agency, or an ex-spouse?
• Check expiration date. A domain expiring in 60 days is leverage in negotiation.
• Confirm registrar account credentials will transfer at closing.

2. Google Business Profile

• Search the business on Google Maps. Does the listing have the right phone, hours, photos, and review count the seller claims?
• Ask the seller to send a screenshot of the GBP dashboard showing owner email — confirm it transfers.
• Count reviews in the last 90 days. A listing with no recent reviews is a listing that's stopped driving calls. Why review velocity matters.

3. Website traffic and rankings (the real ones)

• Demand Google Analytics 4 and Google Search Console access for 24+ months. Verify the seller's traffic claims yourself.
• Look for the classic seller red flag: traffic that fell off a cliff 3–12 months ago. That's usually a Google update they never recovered from.
• Use Search Console to check for manual actions — penalties that follow the domain.

4. Backlink profile

• Run the domain through Ahrefs, Semrush, or Moz (free trials work).
• Look for: sudden spikes in backlinks (paid link networks), foreign-language spam links, anchor text stuffed with keywords like "best plumber Denver."
• A clean backlink profile is an asset; a toxic one is a liability that needs disavow work. Related technical debt.

5. The website itself

• Run PageSpeed Insights on mobile. Score under 50 = significant rebuild needed.
• Check the CMS. WordPress on outdated hosting is fixable. Custom code with no documentation from a developer who's vanished is not. Platform context.
• Look for SSL, mobile usability, and broken contact forms — test the form from your phone before closing.

6. Reviews and reputation

• Google, Yelp, Facebook, BBB, industry-specific sites — search the business name on each.
• Pattern of recent 1-star reviews about service quality = the seller is selling because the wheels are coming off.
• Negative news search. A 5-minute Google News search has saved buyers from lawsuits-in-progress.

Closing-day digital handover checklist

Get all of this in the closing documents, not over text:

• Domain registrar account transfer
• Hosting account credentials and billing
• CMS / website admin logins
• Google Business Profile primary owner transfer (initiated before closing — Google has a 7-day delay)
• Google Analytics + Search Console property access
• Google Ads account access (if applicable)
• Email hosting credentials
• Social media account credentials
• Review platform logins (Yelp, BBB, industry directories)
• CRM, booking, and call-tracking account access

First 30 days after closing

• Change every password and revoke old user accounts (especially the previous owner's email).
• Update GBP photos, hours, and post a "new ownership" announcement.
• Submit the existing sitemap to Google Search Console under your account.
• Do NOT redesign the website in month 1 — wait 90 days. Major changes to a stable ranking site can tank rankings overnight.
• Audit and disavow toxic backlinks if Ahrefs flagged any.

Related guides

• First-time website owner's guide
• New business website checklist
• Franchise location website guide
• Starting a business in Colorado
• Local SEO guide
• Google Business Profile setup
• Getting more reviews

Work with us

• Web design — custom builds for Colorado businesses
• SEO and local SEO — get found on Google
• Google Maps optimization
• Transparent pricing