I often get asked if I can review someones website and give a bit of feedback. I'm usually more than happy to do this and tend to spend 10 or 15 minutes doing a Loom video with my comments.

I see the same issues over and over, particularly if it's a DIY site. Here's the hit-list...maybe it will prompt you to look at your own site through fresh eyes:

1. logos, colours and typography that totally undersell your expertise. A lot of business owners can't see this, but a poorly crafted visual identity can completely undermine our impression of how good they are at what they do. If you don’t have a good eye for design, ask people what they think about your branding, what messages does it convey? Does it look premium, low-cost, hippy, cool, retro, diy?

2. copy that is all about the business and not about the target audience, that actually ignores the target audience in some instances. It’s so easy to think your website is about you. It’s really more about your target audience than you, how you can help them.

3. poor layout and design; big long paragraphs of centred text that we can't read, inconsistent typography - sometimes bold, sometimes italics, different variations of the colour palette...

4. low quality photography. Even if you are using stock photos they should be consistent with the rest of your branding. Colours and tones can be tweaked, filters and overlays can be added to create a consistent edit/style.

5. inconsistent Calls to Action: inconsistent naming and inconsistent destinations - sometimes it's Call Us, sometimes it's Email Us, sometimes it's Book a Call, sometimes all three. Decide how you want to be contacted and be consistent, reduce the number of choices the reader has to make.

6. under-utilised page headlines: your page headlines should communicate just how much you understand your audience's 'problem' so they feel 'heard' and that you get them.

7. boring newsletter sign-up forms. Add a lead-magnet to entice people to sign up. Don't apologise or 'promise not send newsletters that often' (what a weird thing to say!) Give your audience something so valuable to them in return for their email address that it hurts you not to charge for it. They will love you for it and keep coming back for more.

8. messy footers. Your footer navigation is as important as your main navigation, keep it organised and useful.

9. having 'home' in your navigation bar. Put it in your footer instead. The user generally knows to click on your logo to go home.

10. an About page that's all about you. Use your about page to share how your story is relevant to your audience. Start with them and join the dots between their experience and yours.

11. links that go to no man's land.

12. thumbnail images for blogs, for example, where text or people's heads are chopped off! Decide in advance what aspect ratio you want for your thumbnails and then design/plan your images accordingly.

13. client or press logos with white boxes behind them on a coloured background. Use pngs instead and recolour them to white if your background is dark.

14. email & phone number links that are not clickable.

How does your website fare?

If your site needs a review or if you are planning a new brand or website for 2024, I'd love to have a chat. Book a call with me here and we’ll hop on Zoom at a time that suits you.