Audit before buying the site: check what the seller shows in the cabinet
A pre-purchase site inspection is an independent measurement of an asset before a deal is signed and money transferred. We count the catalog from the outside, determine what the store actually works on, pull up the history of the domain from the archive and compare it with what is written in the ad. For the first step, access from the seller is not required at all. In the three assets that we analyzed using this method, a discrepancy between the stated and the measured was found in each one: the stack turned out to be the wrong one, and the store turned out to be a storefront on someone else's site.
independent measurement of directory, platform, domain and accesses to the deal
after a free audit
Price
30
Guarantee
days after project sign-off
independent measurement of directory, platform, domain and accesses to the deal
What are we doing?
2-3
External inspection
working days, no access from the seller, free of charge
7–15
Full audit before the deal
working days, depends on the catalog and access speed
found in each of the three: stack, platform, or confirmation of items
Discrepancies in disassembled assets
a catalog of 4,000 products turned out to be a showcase on someone else's site
The most expensive find of the sample
a document with numbers, sources, and a date — even if the deal didn't happen
What is left with you?
we do not evaluate the value of the business and do not check the legal side of the deal
What we don't do
Free external verification of the asset
We look at the site as anyone can - without access from the seller. This is enough to see the real size of the catalog, the real platform and some of the risks that are not mentioned in the ad.
What we measure
The actual size of the directoryWe count from the outside using two methods. The declared number of goods and the actual amount do not always match.
What the site actually works onWe regularly see a discrepancy between the declared stack and the actual one. In one of the dimensions, Next.js was specified in the portfolio, and the site turned out to be an OpenCart store.
This is an asset or a showcase on someone else's siteA critical question. A real-life example: a store with 4,000 products turned out to be a storefront on a marketplace platform, that is, the sitemap and markup there are boxed capabilities of the platform, not the property of the seller.
Domain historyWhat was at this address before and did the owner change? Archival pictures show the chronology better than any narrative.
What will have to be fixed immediatelyAn empty sitemap, dead counters, a version of the platform without support - all these are the costs of the new owner, not the old one.
What confirms the words about trafficWe check whether there is at least one working counter on the site. If it isn't there, any traffic numbers from the seller are unverified.
What you get
Independent directory numbers and actual site platform.
List of discrepancies between what is stated and what is measured.
A list of risks that will become your expenses after the deal.
Conversation for 30 minutes on the document.
Timeline: 2-3 working days
Why is it free
Because this inspection often ends the conversation in three days: a person sees that he is not buying what he thought, and does not spend either money on the audit or money on the asset. It is more profitable for us than the reputation of those who "checked" and remained silent.
What's next
If the agreement remains in force, we do a full audit with access: analytics, position history, code status, a list of what is transferred with the site.
Short form: your contact and site URL
Contract, act and 30-day warranty
Every project gets a written contract: scope, deadlines, amount, acceptance procedure. After delivery — act and invoice, then 30 calendar days of warranty.
Sole proprietor & bank transfer
The contractor is a registered sole proprietor. Payment by invoice with closing documents.
Rights & access — yours
Code, design and materials transfer to you after full payment. Domain, hosting, repository and analytics are registered to you.
Client portal instead of email chains
During the project you get access to a portal: contracts, invoices, acts and project status in one place.
European clients
Among our work — projects for Norway, Bulgaria, Moldova and Spain.
Verifiable numbers
Every case in the portfolio comes with a link to a live site and a technical measurement.
Audit first, then pricing
There is no price list on the site intentionally: the scope of the same work differs multiples between clients.
We say "no" when unsure
If the task isn't ours or the deadline is unrealistic — we tell you upfront.
What affects the price
Why two seemingly identical tasks are priced differently
Directory size and depthA hundred items are checked in an hour. A few thousand is a tour of the site map, a comparison with the regular search, a selective check of cards and a search for duplicates. In the disassembled hardware store, the map gave 8,358 addresses for 4,000 products, and to see that, you have to count both numbers.
How many accesses the seller really givesWith access to the webmaster and analytics, some issues are closed in half a day. Without them, the same questions remain open forever, and the work shifts towards the archive and external measurements.
Domain age and archive densityA fresh domain is multiple snapshots. The domain, which has been alive since 2019, gives thousands of hits, and the chronology has to be compiled by month.
Language versions and subdomainsEach branch is measured separately. The two language versions double the number of addresses in the sitemap, and without this correction the directory looks twice as big as it is.
What exactly should be in the conclusionThe list of risks is one job. A list with an estimate of elimination in days, suitable for trading, is different: each item must be opened and counted.
Who it's for
Situations where this service delivers results
Scenario 1 of 5
The seller shows the cabinet, and the access date is in no hurry
A screenshot is taken from any period and any resource — it is not a document. The minimum that removes the question: read access to analytics and the webmaster for two or three days. They don't give under any pretext - the check is done anyway, just the section "cannot be confirmed" will appear in the report. It will have to be taken into account in the price.
We'll review your situation in a free audit
Scenario 2 of 5
The ad says "all set" and it's not clear what exactly
In a disassembled wholesale medical supplies store, the site really worked: 1,656 addresses in the sitemap, the first server response was 364.7 ms. But there was no structured markup on the main one at all, and the stack in the asset description was listed as Next.js with TypeScript — while it's an OpenCart store with old index.php routes.
Scenario 3 of 5
You buy a store because of the catalog
The first question is how many items are actually there; we calculate from the outside using two methods and compare with the announcement. The second is more difficult: who owns this directory. If the products and descriptions came from the supplier's feed, you inherit the dependency with the site, not your own content.
Scenario 4 of 5
This is the first purchase of a ready-made site and there is nothing to compare it with
The most common scenario. A person looks at the design and the number of products, because there is nothing else to look at. The check gives a coordinate system: what is boxed, what is handmade, what is broken and how many days of work each item costs.
Scenario 5 of 5
The price has already been named, an argument is needed for bargaining
Technical debt is translated into working days, and days into money. An empty sitemap, dead counters, unsupported platform version, duplicate addresses are not complaints to the seller, they are lines of your future estimate.
What's included
Complete list of work and what you get as a result
Calculating the catalog by two methods — bypassing the site map and standard engine search: you get your own number instead of the number from the ad.
Actual platform by markup, file paths, and response headers — the "technology" line in the description is no longer the sole source.
The answer to the main question: this is an independent system or a storefront on someone else's site, that is, an account, not an asset.
The history of the domain according to archival images by month: when the project grew, where it broke off, whether the owner changed.
Inventory of accesses that are actually transferred: domain, hosting, analytics, webmaster, mail, keys of payment and courier modules.
Reconciliation of each statement of the seller with data; unconfirmed remains marked in the report and does not disappear.
The state of the service part - sitemap, robots, redirects, canonical addresses, structured data: this is the work of your first week.
A list of technical debt with an estimate of elimination in days of work is a line that is placed on the table during the auction.
Raw measurements with date and references so that any of your contractors can repeat them.
When this service isn't right
What's not included — so there are no surprises at delivery
Legal review of agreements, contracts and trademark rights
Financial audit and verification of the seller's reporting
Valuation of the market value of the asset - we give technical facts, not an estimate
Elimination of found technical debt — separate works with a separate estimate
Verification of what cannot be verified externally or through delegated access
Process steps
Transparent stages with approval at every step
Total duration:3–15 days
1
External measurement without access
2-3 working days
Catalog by two methods, actual platform, service files, rate of return, presence of counters. This stage is done free of charge and often closes the issue even before talking about a full audit.
2
Domain history by archive
1-2 working days
Snapshots by month: when the site appeared, how the catalog grew, where it broke, when the redirects first started, and whether the management system changed. The archive sees only what it managed to remove, and we show the gaps as gaps.
3
Access and what is transferred
2-4 working days
We analyze the seller's list by items: domain, hosting, analytics, webmaster, mail, payment and courier module keys. Separately, we look at who the domain is registered to and who pays for hosting.
4
Comparison of the stated with the measured
1-2 working days
Each claim in the ad receives a status: supported by data, refuted, or cannot be confirmed. The third status occurs most often, and it is it that affects the price the most.
5
Technical debt in working days
1-2 working days
What is found is divided into what is fixed and what is not fixed. The first gets an estimate in days, the second gets a separate mark: someone else's platform and the lost history of the domain cannot be fixed with money.
6
The document and the conversation about it
1-2 working days
A report with figures, sources and date of measurements, followed by half an hour of conversation on points. The document remains with you regardless of whether the transaction takes place.
Did not find your case?
Describe how it works on your side — we will tell you whether “Audit before buying the site” fits and what it means in your situation. No brief and no call: one question, one answer.
Cases
Tasks and results in numbers — all metrics measured by us
wholesale supplier of medical supplies is our technical dimension of the operating site
Task
Check what is claimed about the site with what can be measured from the outside.
Solution
Analysis of the sitemap index by page types, determination of the platform by address structure, speed measurement, checking of structured data.
Result
The site is alive: 1,656 addresses in the site map — 1,602 product pages, 32 categories, 17 manufacturer pages, and 4 information pages. First server response 364.7ms, full markup download 501.3ms at 401.6KB. Two discrepancies with the asset description: the stack is declared as Next.js with TypeScript, but it is actually an OpenCart store with old index.php routes; there is no structured markup on the main page at all, although this is a basic thing for the medical trade. Both findings are the buyer's expense, not the seller's. Measured on 07/31/2026.
Technologies & integrations
What we build on and what it connects to
Stack
Bypassing the sitemap and standard search engine — two independent calculations of the directory; they do not always coincide, and it is the discrepancy that is interesting
platform detection by markup and file paths - works as long as there is no proxy in front of the site that rewrites the headers
The Wayback Machine and CDX API are a single source of domain chronology; the archive sees only what it managed to capture, and a gap in the images does not prove anything
Screaming Frog is a bypass on your side, not on the seller's side; on a large directory rests on protection against bots
verification of the certificate and domain configuration - it is visible when the settings were last touched; the registrant is often hidden by whois-privacy
Google Search Console - by access only; without it, there is nothing to confirm any position statement
GA4 is access-only, and even with it, it's a trend, not accounting: blockers, consent mode, and cookie limits cut some of the data
Integrations
Google Search Console
GA4
domain registrar
hosting panel
Independent measurement against what the seller shows
How this option differs from the alternative
Screenshots and description in the adOur approach
Directory sizethe number from the ad or the number from the admin shown on the screenwe calculate from the outside using two methods — a site map and a regular search engine; the difference between them is also a result
Platform and stackline "technology" in the description; in two of the three assets analyzed by us, it did not coincide with the factwe determine by markup, file paths and response headers
History of the projecta story about the fact that "the project has been working since such and such a year"archive snapshots by month: growth, breaks, change of management system, change of owner
Traffic and itemsa screenshot of the cabinet for the selected periodonly what is confirmed by access to analytics and the webmaster; the rest goes into the report as unconfirmed
What will it cost after the deal"it's all set there, just continue"a list of technical debt with an assessment of elimination in working days
What we need from you
We can't start without this — best to prepare in advance
1Site address — nothing else is needed for external verification.
2For a full audit: read access to analytics and webmaster's office provided by the seller.
3A written list of what the seller promises to transfer together with the site - it is against it that we then check what has been transferred.
4Your terms of the deal: what is critical for you and what is negotiable.
5One person on your side with whom you can quickly cross-check findings while the inspection is in progress.
If something is missing — let us know, we'll help you gather it or do it as a separate task.
FAQ
Most frequently asked questions — with concrete answers
What can be checked at all without access?
More than it seems. The actual size of the directory, the actual platform, the state of the service files, the rate of return, the presence of structured markup, the history of the domain, and whether there is even a single working counter on the site. We count the catalog by two methods — bypassing the site map and standard search engine — and the most interesting is the discrepancy between them. In one of the dismantled stores, the map gave 8,358 addresses with a real catalog of 4,000 products: each page was simply duplicated in two language versions.
What is the most unpleasant find?
When an asset turns out not to be an asset. The disassembled home appliance store had a site map of 8,358 addresses, a full set of structured data, and four advertising and analytics counters. It looked like a mature system. In fact, all the files were given from the infrastructure of the site: this is a showcase on someone else's platform, and the site map and markup are its box capabilities. By buying such a site, you buy an account and with it you inherit the rules of the site, which change without your participation.
Can you trust analytics screenshots?
Just as an excuse to check it yourself: a screenshot is easy to make from any period and any resource. The minimum we ask for is temporary read access to analytics and the webmaster's office. Refusal is also an answer. And even with access, you should keep a limit in mind: GA4 shows a trend, not an accounting truth — blockers, consent mode, and browser restrictions on cookies cut part of the data, so you need to consciously compare the site's numbers with the cash register.
Why view domain history?
Because she tells what the seller does not tell. In our own analysis of the domain of the store, which we once conducted ourselves, the archive gave a chronology by months: 2,378 captures of the main website in March 2022, in April only 7 and the first redirects 301, the last snapshot of that store was on May 18, and since July another management system has been fixed on the domain. Today, another owner's site on another platform is operating at this address. There is also a limit to the method: the archive sees only what it managed to capture, and a gap in the images in itself does not prove anything.
Do you check your claimed search positions?
We check what they are confirmed by. The phrase "brought to the top for such and such requests" without downloading from the webmaster is not confirmed by anything, and we write it directly in the report. An example from our own sample: in the description of one of our projects, such a statement was made, no evidence was found under it - and we removed it from our own portfolio. Moreover, there is no reason to take someone else's description in the ad at their word.
And if the seller does not give access?
Then we make the outer part and honestly write where the data ends. The catalog, platform, service files, domain history are visible even without access. And the declared traffic, the history of items and the number of orders without them are not confirmed by anything - this is not our caution, these data are simply not available from the outside. Our recommendation here is simple: the lack of access should not be considered a technical trifle, but part of the price.
How long does the inspection take?
External - 2-3 working days, and it is quite possible to stop there: that is why the lower limit of the term is three days. Full with accesses - 7-15 business days, depending on the size of the catalog and how quickly the seller opens accesses. We advise you to include this term in the agreement as a separate clause. A seller who pushes for deadlines is usually not pushing because of a queue of buyers.
What to do with the result of the check?
Either bargain or leave. We divide the findings into two groups: things that can be fixed for money - and then the estimate in days of work is negotiable - and things that cannot be fixed in principle: someone else's platform, lost domain history, a catalog that belongs to the supplier. The decision is yours. Our task is to make it based on numbers, and not on the impression of a conversation with a seller.
Send the address of the site you are considering - we will do the external verification ourselves.
The answer is independent directory numbers, the actual platform, the history of the domain from the archive, and a list of discrepancies with what is written in the ad. If this indicates that it is not worth buying, you will hear exactly that.
From measured casesThe site is alive: 1,656 addresses in the site map
There is no price list on the site on purpose: the same work differs several times over between two clients, and a “from” figure explains nothing in that case. First a free audit — we count your pages, duplicates and speed — then we name the sum and the deadline and fix both in the contract.