A Guide On How To Do a DIY Web Audit
I LOVE A GOOD WEB AUDIT.
There is something so satisfying about strategically working through a website to find what is and isn’t working. From the homepage to mobile testing, there are so many important features of a web audit that can help you spot where your website is missing the mark.
After all, your website is often the first impression your audience has of you. It establishes credibility, showcases your vision and values, and even gives you leverage to charge more ;)
So if you’re looking to spruce up your site or you’re prepping for a new website, here’s some key ways you can perform a DIY audit on your own website:
1. Identify Your Target Audience
Yes, this is advice you get for any website or marketing work. Yes, you still need to identify your target audience. Different demographics have different needs and preferences. When you skip who you’re designing for, you’re not factoring in key factors of your target audience.
Identify your target audience by asking yourself:
What’s the age?
What’s their gender?
Where are they located?
Are they married? Single? Divorced?
What’s the annual income?
What’s their educational path look like?
Are they working? What’s their employment status?
What are their hobbies and interests?
Once you get crystal clear with your target audience, you can assess whether your website is meeting their needs and interests. If it’s not catered to your target audience, you just might be losing out on the growth that your website can provide.
2. Homepage Makeover
Your homepage = your first impression.
In fact, UsabilityHub.com found that users make a decision about your website in as little as 3.42 seconds. They’re scanning through your website, not reading each and every word. So evaluate how much text you’ve got on your homepage.
Check through your website and see if your brand bio is clear and concise. Your brand bio should be prominent on your website, customer-focused, and give a sense of what you’re all about.
3. Call-To-Actions
So they’re at your site, now what? What action do you want your audience to take?
You’ve got to be clear on what you want your audience to do. No call-to-actions and your website is just a nice window for them to close. Too many call-to-actions and you end up confusing your audience on what action to take.
Decide on a clear call-to-action that your audience can take right on your homepage!
4. Quality > Quantity for Copywriting
“GET RID OF HALF THE WORDS ON EACH PAGE, THEN GET RID OF WHAT’S LEFT.” - STEVE KRUG’S BOOK, ‘DON’T MAKE ME THINK’
I know, it can be seriously scary to part with your beloved website copy. Remember, users are making judgments about your website in under 4 seconds. Too much text can be overwhelming. We want just enough text where they can skim through a website and still get the gist of who you are and what you can offer them.
There will be other parts of your marketing collateral where you can add in more copy or you can entice them to hop on a call with you for more details on your offering. Either way, it’s important to focus on copy that converts and not copy that fills up a page.
5. Final Touches
These final touches might be simple but they pack a powerful punch.
Always, always, always test on mobile! A mobile-friendly website is key. So many people will visit you from their phones so making sure your website works with ease on mobile is a must.
Scope out your website’s accessibility score here and make sure that you’re considering how many will use site readers and other accessibility tools to navigate your site.
Make sure your favicon is set up! The Squarespace box favicon might be iconic but it has no place on your website.
Finally, create a thank you page for email sign ups! Not only is it a nice touch but it lets your audience know that everything went through and they’ll be receiving your lovely newsletter shortly.
WRAPPING IT UP
Web audits can be so helpful in figuring out what is and isn’t working. We’ve covered a lot of ground but the key is to craft content and visuals that serve a purpose. We want each part of your website to be made with your target audience in mind.
Take the time to test your site functionality and review your content so you can create a website that makes an incredible first impression.
If you want a professional to review your site, you’re in the right place! We offer web audits that provide in-depth information on your overall website and site functionality.
You can learn more about us here and our web audit service here.
Happy auditing!
