1. Start with the buyer and the decision
Choose one service you want to grow and one type of buyer. Open the relevant page as though you have never heard of the business. Can you identify what is offered, who it is for, the problem it solves and the next step? Write down the exact sentence or section that creates confusion. A finding such as ‘the engineering page never names the industries served’ is more useful than ‘the website feels dated’.
2. Check whether the evidence answers the claim
List the claims on that service page and the evidence beside them. Relevant project details, clearly explained methods and genuine testimonials can help a buyer evaluate the offer. Verify permission to publish client material. Label concepts and illustrative scenarios clearly. A stock photograph or an unsupported claim of market leadership cannot establish delivery experience.
3. Test the enquiry journey on a phone
Follow every important contact link from the homepage and service pages. Check labels, required fields, readability and what happens after the action. Does the form submit to a working destination, or merely open an email draft? With the business owner's permission, send a clearly labelled test enquiry and confirm receipt. A success message is not evidence that somebody received the enquiry.
4. Separate search access from search demand
Use Google Search Console to inspect important URLs, review indexing and see which queries and pages receive impressions and clicks. Review the sitemap, canonical addresses and any pages excluded from indexing. Missing search results alone do not identify the cause. A technically accessible page can still have little visibility if it does not answer a relevant question or has not yet been indexed.
5. Examine performance in the real journey
Check more than the homepage. Test a service page, a useful article and the contact page on mobile. Watch for images moving content after load, sluggish menus and controls that are difficult to use. PageSpeed Insights can help diagnose performance; record whether the result is a simulated test or real-user field data. A perfect test score does not measure lead quality or commercial results.
6. Protect useful pages before changing addresses
Create an inventory of existing URLs and identify pages with search traffic, external links or a role in the sales process. Decide what to retain, improve, combine or remove. When a valuable URL changes, map it to the closest relevant replacement. Do not assume every old page belongs on the new homepage. Keep the mapping with the launch plan and test it before handover.
7. Turn findings into a short action list
For each finding, record the affected page, the observable problem, the proposed fix and the evidence needed to judge success. Prioritise broken contact journeys and access problems, then unclear service information and missing evidence. Separate confirmed defects from hypotheses. Without a baseline, you can say a journey is clearer; you cannot honestly say it increased enquiries by a particular percentage.
8. Define the baseline for a useful comparison
Record relevant search clicks, received enquiries, qualified opportunities and won projects for a stated period. Keep a note of seasonality, campaigns and changes to the offer. For each received enquiry, ask how the buyer found the business and record whether it fits your target. Review the same measures after launch. Small samples need time and context before they support a confident conclusion.
What to bring to a website conversation
Bring the current URL, your most valuable service, the buyer you want to reach and three specific observations from this checklist. Add access to search or analytics reports if you have them. The aim is to agree what needs fixing and how to evaluate it before buying a redesign. Sometimes a focused improvement is the right first step; a full rebuild needs a clear reason.
Plan your next step
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