I was on a call a few weeks ago with a person who had mentioned that he hadn’t updated his website in several years. That was mindblowing to me because I’m looking through my website almost every day.
When it comes to creating a website, you shouldn’t have to worry about an overhaul every year, but you should audit your website on a regular basis. Auditing your website can help make massive improvements to your customer journey, identify if you’re connecting with the right people, and that it aligns with your goals.
There could be typos, grammar issues, broken links, or broken automations that have gone unnoticed because let’s face it, there are so many details that go into creating and developing a website—especially one that’s strategically developed to grow your business.
And if your website is part of your marketing plan (which it should be because your website is a powerful tool that impacts your business), you should be adding or editing every month at the very least based on your monthly, quarterly, and yearly goals.
Auditing a website can get overwhelming because there are so many things to check and do.
But to make it simple, here are a few things I look through when auditing a website:
Purpose
- Is the website clear on what the business does?
- Are the services and offers easy to find?
- Does the website help guide the customer to take action?
- Is the customer journey clear so that the audience knows what next steps to take?
The previous Sung & Co website had wayyyy too much copy so we decided to strip it down and simplify, make our services more clear with easier access, and even broke up our packages to make it more convenient for our potential clients.
Content
- Is the copy on the website overly complicated? Can it be simplified in any way?
- Does the copy speak to a specific target audience?
- Does the copy establish a certain tone or personality to attract that audience?
- Are there any spelling or grammar mistakes?
- Does the website build trust and credibility?
Because we refined our target audience a little bit, we had to change our messaging. This meant that a lot of the content on our website was no longer relevant. We also decided to incorporate a few more testimonials and introduce them sooner in the scroll to help build trust!
Design
- Are there supporting visuals to help consume and better understand the content?
- Are there elements or animations that distract more than help?
- Do the images reflect the brand’s personality and message?
- Does the brand look and feel consistent with its visuals and messaging?
- Are the fonts legible?
- Is there good contrast in visuals and text?
We felt great about the personality of our brand, and it was pretty consistent through the website, but we felt like it was a little too distracting. With all the copy we previously had on the website, it was all competing with each other so we decided to simplify everything so it was easier to look at and read.
Functionality
- Are all navigation and links working?
- Does the website make it easy to contact someone at the business?
- Is the website mobile friendly?
- Are there ways to increase the website speed?
- Are there calls to action in all the appropriate places?
We went through all the pages to make sure all the links were working, but guess what? We still found a broken link. 
We also added a Contact Us section at the bottom of the home page to make it easier for people to send us a message.
Our next goal for the website is to go through and find ways to improve the load time and SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Here are a few website audit tools to help you get started as you start to audit a website.
It’s easier to audit a website with a checklist in hand, but when it comes to branding, be sure that you’re not losing sight of the heart and message of the business. The purpose, content, design, and functionality should all work together to align with the vision of a brand which then turns the website into a powerful tool that connects with the right people and helps generate more leads for your business.
If you need a website that connects with your dream clients, truly represents the heart of your business, and helps you stand out from all the other websites out there, check out our services pages, and don’t hesitate to book a call to see how we can collaborate.
Until next time,
Happy Branding!
