Is your website working for you? Against you?
Or is it working at all?
Your website should be a boon to your business, driving sales 24/7. But outdated, unclear, or poorly structured content may drive your visitors away.
The good news? You may not need a complete website overhaul to make impactful improvements.
Use this content audit checklist to address common issues. It can help you create a more effective, engaging website.
1. Clarify Your Homepage Headline
Your headline should immediately tell visitors what you offer and why it matters. Visitors should be able to understand your business within seconds.
Quick Fix: Rewrite your headline to focus on the benefit you provide. Instead of:
· “Innovative Solutions for Modern Businesses,” try
· “Helping Warehouses Boost Efficiency with Reliable Forklifts.”
2. Refine Your Calls to Action (CTAs)
Your website should clearly outline what to do next for those wanting your product or service. If you don’t, they will usually go away. Remember, you know how your business works. They don’t. Tell them.
Quick Fix: Add clear, action-oriented CTAs throughout your site. Use strong verbs like “Get Started,” “Book Your Free Consultation,” or “Download the Guide. Ensure that Call-to-Action (CTA) buttons are positioned prominently above the fold. Also, repeated strategically on essential pages.
3. Improve Readability
Walls of text can overwhelm visitors, prompting them to stop reading.
Quick Fix: Break up text with headings, bullet points, and short paragraphs. Use clear, conversational language. Only revert to industry jargon in situations that demand it. When in doubt, revert to language your mother would understand.
4. Optimize for Mobile
Recent studies show that over 60% of web traffic comes from mobile devices. If your site is not mobile-friendly, you miss over half of your potential market.
Quick Fix: Test your site on different devices. Ensure buttons are:
· Easy to tap
· Text is readable without zooming
· Navigation menus are simple
5. Refresh Outdated Content
Any content that is out of date potentially:
· Creates confusion
· Creates frustration
· Cuts your credibility
· Tempts the search engines to penalize your website
This includes:
1. Old blog posts
2. Product descriptions
3. Company information
Quick Fix: Review your content for outdated references, broken links, or irrelevant details. Update facts, rephrase stale language, and add current statistics where relevant.
6. Strengthen Your About Page
Visitors often check your About page to understand who you are and why they should trust you.
Quick Fix: Visitors often check your About page to understand:
- How you can solve their problems through
- Who you are and
- What you value and
- Why they should trust you
Rewrite your About page so it is focused on how who you are provides what your visitors need.
Include photos of you or your team to build connection. Share your values and explain how they shape your work.
7. Add Social Proof
Have you won any awards? Been endorsed or certified by a group or governing body? Have you had satisfied clients? Get permission where needed, but post these endorsements. It will make a difference.
Quick Fix: Showcase customer testimonials, client logos, case studies, or media mentions. Include these prominently on your homepage and service pages.
Need more on the Power of proof in Internet Marketing?
8. Improve Page Speed
Slow-loading pages frustrate visitors and hurt your search engine rankings.
Quick Fix: Compress large images, minimize heavy scripts, and use a reliable hosting provider. Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights can help you identify performance issues.
9. Audit Your Links
Broken or outdated links create a frustrating user experience and can hurt your SEO.
Quick Fix: Use a link-checking tool to identify broken links. Update or remove them. Ensure your internal links guide visitors to valuable content.
10. Ensure Accessibility
In America, upwards of 25% of your market are people with disabilities. It is worth taking the time and effort to make your website accessible just for that statistic.
But making your website accessible has the added benefit of making it more ready for AI search. It won’t be long before AI-driven voice searches dominate. So it makes sense to ensure that your website is accessible for people with disabilities.
Quick Fix: Use descriptive alt text for images, ensure strong color contrast for text, and provide clear labels for forms. Accessibility tools like WAVE or AXE can help you spot issues.
Putting It All Together
Will these simple fixes solve everything? No, but they are the easy things to check yourself before you call a professional.
Like ensuring your car has gas, these simple tasks can make a big difference.
If you’d like expert guidance on uncovering hidden issues? Consider scheduling a professional website audit. It’s the shortest path to a clear plan to enhance your website’s performance.
Ready to make your website work harder for your business? Let’s get started.