How to use this checklist.
- Open your current site on desktop and on your phone.
The mobile view is where most first visits happen.
- Ask a colleague who does not work in your business to complete the five-second test.
On the homepage: "What do we do, and who is it for?" If the answer is vague, the site is vague.
- Score each section below from 1 (critical gap) to 5 (working well).
Be honest. A flattering score does not shorten the project.
- Add your scores and interpret the total using the guide at the end.
Maximum possible: 40.
- Turn your lowest two scores into brief priorities.
Not seven things — two things. The brief protects focus.
Can a first-time visitor state what you sell, who it is for, and what outcome they should expect — without scrolling, guessing, or reading three pages?
If the hero headline could belong to any business in your category, the offer is not clear. Rewrite it as one sentence: [Audience] + [service] + [outcome or timeframe].
- The homepage names the audience and the primary service within the first screen.
- Supporting copy explains what happens after someone enquires.
- Navigation reflects how clients think about their problem — not how your firm is organised.
- Services are listed as outcomes, not features.
- Pricing, process, or eligibility is visible (or deliberately withheld with a reason).
- You do not use jargon your clients never use.
Does the site feel like your business, or like a competent template in your industry?
Generic polish is not a strategy. In crowded categories — clinics, interiors, coaching, hospitality — visitors compare you to alternatives within seconds. Distinction is what makes that comparison memorable.
- A deliberate point of view runs through copy, imagery, and layout.
- The brand feels ownable without sacrificing readability.
- Someone could describe your site in one sentence that would not fit a competitor.
- There is a recurring visual idea that carries from page to page.
Does the site earn belief, or merely assert quality?
Proof is not a logo wall by default. For service businesses, proof might be case narratives, process transparency, credentials, press, before-and-after work, team expertise, or clear explanations of how you work. What matters is that proof supports a specific claim a visitor is already wondering about.
- Each major claim on the homepage has a supporting proof element within the same section.
- Testimonials are specific — about the work, not generic praise.
- Portfolio work is shown with context, scope, or outcome — not just thumbnails.
- Credentials are connected to the services they support.
- Claims are made with evidence nearby.
- Proof is current and relevant to the offer you are promoting now.
Is there one obvious primary action, and is it visible before the visitor has to hunt for it?
Service websites often die from politeness: five equal buttons, three contact paths, and no hierarchy. A redesign should decide what you most want a ready visitor to do — book, enquire, call, apply, download, or view work — and design the page around that decision.
- One primary action is repeated consistently in header, hero, and close.
- Secondary actions exist but do not dilute the main path.
- Form labels and button copy describe the outcome ("Book a consultation," not "Submit").
- The primary CTA stays visible or reachable on mobile while scrolling.
- Campaign pages send people to a page that continues the intent.
Does the mobile experience feel designed, or resized?
For most service businesses, most first visits happen on a phone. Mobile quality is not a technical checkbox. It is whether someone can read the offer, view proof, and complete the next action without pinch-zooming, mis-tapping, or losing context.
- Hierarchy is reordered for mobile, not just stacked.
- Phone numbers and booking links are tappable.
- The primary CTA remains visible or easily reachable while scrolling.
- Text is readable without zooming.
- Forms are usable: input types suit mobile, fields fit one-handed typing.
- Images crop intentionally, not awkwardly.
Does the site reduce anxiety for a high-consideration purchase?
Trust is the sum of coherence: who you are, how you operate, what happens next, and whether the experience feels legitimate. For regulated, premium, or personal services, trust gaps are expensive.
- Identity and credentials are visible without feeling defensive.
- Policies, privacy information, or terms are present and current.
- The site feels maintained: current copyright dates, working links, consistent details.
- Contact information is easy to find.
- Real people are signalled — not a faceless template.
How much unnecessary effort stands between interest and contact?
Friction is not always form length. It is mismatch — asking for information you do not need yet, offering no indication of response time, requiring account creation, or sending people to email without context.
- Fields match the qualification you actually need.
- Expectations are set: response time, next step, what to prepare.
- Low-commitment options exist where appropriate (FAQ, guide, booking link).
- No account creation or password to reach you.
- A confirmation or thank-you appears immediately after submit.
Does the site communicate why someone should choose you over a plausible alternative?
Positioning is not a slogan. It is the combination of audience focus, offer boundaries, tone, and proof that makes you the right fit for some people — and clearly not the right fit for others.
- The site qualifies the visitor: right client, right service, right stage.
- Language and visuals align with the price and experience you deliver.
- A visitor can tell whether they are in the right place within seconds.
- Pricing signals, tone, and portfolio level send a consistent message.
- Competitors and you would not swap homepages without consequence.
How to read the total.
Add up the eight scores. The total reveals what the redesign actually needs to fix.
| Total score | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| 34 – 40 | Strong foundation. A redesign may be about refinement, campaign pages, or performance — not starting from zero. |
| 26 – 33 | Mixed performance. Likely 2 – 3 structural issues are suppressing enquiries. Prioritise the lowest scores before adding pages. |
| 18 – 25 | Significant gaps. A cosmetic refresh will not fix this. You need clarity on offer, proof, and conversion path. |
| 8 – 17 | Critical. Pause traffic spend. Fix positioning and the primary action before investing in a large build. |
Turn the audit into a redesign brief.
Your lowest scores are the brief. Not mood boards. Not "make it modern."
Bring a redesign partner:
- Your top two problem areas from this checklist.
- The primary action you want the site to drive.
- Examples of sites that feel clear and distinctive to you — and why.
- What proof you can legitimately use.
- What must stay — booking system, CRM, content you cannot rewrite yet.
At ClixFeed, we treat redesigns as decision-path projects: clarify the offer, earn trust, make the next step obvious, and build a visual system that feels ownable. If this checklist surfaced a gap you already suspected, that is useful data — not a failure.