How to use the SiteInsight Website Scanner – Complete Guide

Step 1: Enter a Website URL #

Type or paste any WordPress website URL into the search box. You can enter:

• Just the domain: example.com
• With HTTPS: https://example.com
• With or without www: www.example.com or example.com
• Any WordPress site you’re curious about!

Pro tip: Start with competitor sites or sites you admire in your niche. You can also test non-WordPress sites – we’ll identify the platform!

Step 2: Click “Scan Website” #

Our scanner analyzes the site in real-time using multiple detection methods. This typically takes 10-45 seconds (longer for comprehensive Google Lighthouse analysis).Behind the scenes, we’re:

• Analysing HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files
• Detecting unique plugin signatures (100+ patterns)
• Checking HTTP headers and server responses
• Running Google Lighthouse performance tests
• Measuring Core Web Vitals
• Identifying CDN and optimisation technologies
• Detecting HTTPS and security configurations
• Calculating performance metrics
• Scanning for 13+ different website platforms

Step 3: Review Your Comprehensive Intelligence Report #

📊 Overall Intelligence Score (0-100) #

An easy-to-understand score that tells you at a glance:

• 85-100: Excellent – This site follows best practices
• 70-84: Good – Well-optimised with minor improvements possible
• 50-69: Fair – Several optimisation opportunities exist
• Below 50: Needs work – Multiple critical issues detected

No need to be a technical expert – our scoring system does the analysis for you and tells you exactly what the numbers mean.

🎯 Category Breakdown #

Visual breakdown showing strengths and weaknesses across 7 key categories:

1. Plugin Quality (20%) – Smart plugin choices and optimisation
2. Image Optimisation (15%) – Modern formats (WebP, AVIF) and compression
3. SEO Tools (20%) – Search engine optimisation setup
4. Performance (20%) – Caching, CDN, and speed optimisation
5. Security (15%) – HTTPS, firewalls, and protection measures
6. User Experience (5%) – Accessibility and usability features
7. Technical Infrastructure (5%) – Server configuration and modern standards

Each category gets its own score with colour-coding:

• 🟢 Green = Excellent (80-100)
• 🟡 Yellow = Needs improvement (50-79)
• 🔴 Red = Critical issues (<50)

🔌 Detected Plugins #

Complete list organised by category with 100+ plugin signatures:

• Page Builders – Elementor, Divi, Beaver Builder, Bricks, Oxygen
• SEO Tools – Yoast, Rank Math, All in One SEO, The SEO Framework
• E-commerce – WooCommerce, Easy Digital Downloads, FluentCart
• Performance & Caching – WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache, LiteSpeed, WP Super Cache
• Security – Wordfence, Sucuri, iThemes Security, FluentAuth
• Image Optimisation – ShortPixel, Smush, Imagify, EWWW, Converter for Media
• Forms – Contact Form 7, WPForms, Gravity Forms, Fluent Forms
• Analytics – Google Site Kit, MonsterInsights, Matomo, SFR Directory Analytics
• Email Marketing – Brevo, Mailchimp, Newsletter
• Directories – GeoDirectory, Business Directory Plugin, SFR Directory Map
• And 15+ more categories

Includes both free and premium plugins with clear labelling, plus plugins that might be installed but not publicly visible.

⚡ Google Lighthouse Analysis (Powered by Google) #

NEW! Comprehensive performance analysis using Google’s industry-standard Lighthouse tool:

4 Core Scores (0-100): #

• ⚡ Performance – Page load speed and optimisation
• ♿ Accessibility – WCAG compliance and usability
• ✅ Best Practices – Security and modern web standards
• 🔍 SEO – Search engine optimisation score

Each score shows:

• 🟢 90-100: Pass
• 🟡 50-89: Needs improvement
• 🔴 0-49: Fail

🎯 Core Web Vitals (Real-Time Metrics): #

Google’s official performance indicators with pass/fail ratings:

• LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) – Loading performance
• 🟢 Good: <2.5s | 🟡 Needs work: 2.5-4s | 🔴 Poor: >4s

• CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) – Visual stability
• 🟢 Good: <0.1 | 🟡 Needs work: 0.1-0.25 | 🔴 Poor: >0.25

• TBT (Total Blocking Time) – Interactivity
• 🟢 Good: <200ms | 🟡 Needs work: 200-600ms | 🔴 Poor: >600ms

These metrics directly impact Google search rankings!

⚙️ Top 5 Optimisation Opportunities: #

Specific improvements with estimated time savings:

• “Eliminate render-blocking resources” – Save ~1.2s
• “Reduce unused JavaScript” – Save ~0.8s
• “Properly size images” – Save ~0.5s
• “Enable text compression” – Save ~0.3s
• “Use modern image formats” – Save ~0.4s

Direct, actionable items ranked by impact!

🔍 SEO & Performance Audit #

Deep technical analysis, including:

• Server Response Time – How fast the server responds with rating (Excellent/Good/Poor)
• XML Sitemap – Essential for Google indexing (Found/Not Found)
• HTML Sitemap – User navigation improvement (Found/Not Found)
• Compression – GZIP/Brotli detection for faster page loads
• CDN Status – Content delivery network detection (Cloudflare, StackPath, KeyCDN, etc.)
• HTTPS Status – Secure connection with 🔒 or ⚠️
• Mixed Content Detection – HTTP resources on HTTPS pages (security issue)
• Modern Image Formats – WebP and AVIF adoption
• Lazy Loading – Performance optimisation for images

🔒 Security & HTTPS Analysis #

NEW! Comprehensive security assessment:

• HTTPS Enabled – 🔒 Secure or ⚠️ Not secure http: no SSL
• Mixed Content – Detection of insecure HTTP resources on HTTPS pages
• Mixed Content Count – Number of issues (images, scripts, stylesheets, iframes)
• Security Plugins – Firewalls, malware scanners, login protection
• Security Score Impact – How HTTPS and mixed content affect overall security rating

🌐 Platform Detection #

NEW! Not a WordPress site? We’ll identify it!Detects 13+ platforms:

• Wix 🎨
• Squarespace ⬛
• Joomla 🔷
• Magento 🛒
• Shopify 🛍️
• Drupal 💧
• Webflow 🌊
• Weebly 🐝
• BigCommerce 🏪
• PrestaShop 🛒
• Blogger 📝
• Ghost 👻
• And more!

If it’s not WordPress, we’ll tell you what it IS and offer help options.

💡 Smart Recommendations (High/Medium Priority) #

Personalised, actionable suggestions based on what’s missing:High Priority (Fix Now):

• ❌ Missing XML or HTML sitemaps
• ⚠️ Not secure (no HTTPS/SSL)
• 🔴 Mixed content detected (X issues)
• 🐌 Slow server response times (>1 second)
• 📦 No compression enabled
• 🖼️ Poor image optimisation (score <60%)

Medium Priority (Improve Soon):

• 🚀 No CDN implementation
• 🔒 Missing security measures
• ⚡ Low PageSpeed scores (<50)
• 🎯 Core Web Vitals failing

Each recommendation includes:

• Why it matters for your site
• Expected impact on performance/SEO
• Direct links to solutions (your tools or resources)
• Priority level so you know what to fix first

🔧 Quick Tools #

Always-visible shortcuts to recommended services:

• ImageInsight – Analyse all your site images
• CDN Information – Learn about CDN implementation
• Speed Test – Run additional performance tests

Step 4: Take Action #

Use your newfound insights to:✅ Improve your own website – Implement missing features and optimisations✅ Learn from competitors – See what’s working in your industry✅ Discover new tools – Find plugins and technologies you didn’t know existed✅ Identify opportunities – Spot optimisation gaps before they impact rankings✅ Make better decisions – Choose technologies with confidence based on data✅ Fix security issues – Address HTTPS and mixed content problems✅ Boost performance – Follow Google’s own recommendations✅ Improve Core Web Vitals – Meet Google’s ranking factors✅ Competitive research – Analyse any site in your niche✅ Client prospecting – Show potential clients what they’re missing

📈 What Makes This Scanner Different? #

• 100+ plugin signatures vs competitors’ 20-30
• Google Lighthouse integration – Official Google performance data
• Core Web Vitals – Real-time metrics that affect SEO rankings
• 7-category intelligent scoring – Not just a plugin list
• Platform detection – Works beyond WordPress
• Security analysis – HTTPS and mixed content detection
• Time-saving estimates – Know exactly what optimisations will help most
• Free to use – No registration required
• Real-time analysis – Instant results in 10-45 seconds
• Regularly updated – New plugins and features added constantly

Start scanning now and unlock the technology behind any WordPress website! 🚀 #