Don’t tell anyone, but we’re in the middle of reworking our own website right now.
Which means we’ve been doing something most business owners don’t do often enough:
Stepping back and looking at it like it’s not ours.
Not as the people who wrote every word.
Not as the ones who know exactly what we meant.
But as someone landing on it for the first time, trying to answer:
“Is this for me?”
“Do I understand what they do?”
“What am I supposed to do next?”
And we kept coming back to the fact that parts of it are confusing. (Don’t go look at it; we already know it needs changes.)
We use this same lens when we audit client websites. It helps that we’re often not familiar with their business on first glance, but the strategies we use to audit websites are ones you can use too!
Here’s the problem:
When you’re deep in your business, you naturally default to insider language. You know your process, your offers, your terminology.
But your audience doesn’t.
They’re skimming.
They’re distracted.
They’re deciding quickly if this is relevant.
So the real question becomes:
Is your website clear to someone who doesn’t already understand your world?
Strategy 1: Put on “client glasses”
This sounds simple, but it’s one of the hardest strategies I’m going to propose to you today.
Set aside an hour and go through your website as if you’re a potential client with zero context.
As you read, ask:
- If I knew nothing about this business, would this make sense?
- Could I explain what this company does after reading this?
- Is this for me? How do I know that?
- Am I clear on what to do next?
What we’re looking for here isn’t small tweaks.
It’s where the words disconnect from what you’re trying to say. As you ask this question, remind yourself that your brain is going to try to fill in the gaps, but your audience doesn’t have that luxury.
If someone has to work to understand what you do, they’ll skip you and find a website that’s easier to understand.
Strategy 2: Use AI to find the disconnects
AI is one of the fastest ways to get an outside perspective, but it only works if you ask the right questions. And it won’t be helpful if you don’t have your own audience and messaging figured out.
Drop your website in and ask:
- Based on this website alone, who is the target audience?
- What is their biggest pain point?
- How does this business solve that problem?
- Is it clear how I’m supposed to make a purchase or inquiry?
- Can you find any insider terminology being used?
Its answers don’t need to be perfect, but they do need to align with your messaging.
If AI describes your business differently than you would, that’s a signal that something is off.
Your messaging and audience might not be as clear as you think. Fix that and you’ll fix your website.
Strategy 3: Look at what people are actually doing on your website
This is where we move from opinion to behavior.
Your analytics will tell you things your perspective can’t.
Head to Google Analytics to see:
- Which pages people spend the most time on
- Where they drop off
- Your bounce rate
But here’s the nuance:
- High traffic with low conversion usually points to a messaging gap
- Drop-off points often highlight friction on your website
When we audit sites, this is where patterns start to emerge. The numbers allow us to take “guessing” out of the picture so we can observe what your audience is doing.
A quick reality check
If your goal is to serve people and bring in clients, your website should be an asset. Not a placeholder.
But more than anything, it should not be something you’re so attached to that you’re unwilling to change it.
Before you audit your site and flip it on its head, I’ll give you a word of caution:
A lot of the time, this process is not about starting over.
It’s about refining what’s already there by clarifying your messaging, simplifying insider language, and strengthening your calls to action.
All this will create a more obvious path forward for your future customers.
Sometimes, all you need is a refresh. It can make a bigger impact than a complete redesign.
So back to the beginning… as I mentioned, we’re asking ourselves all of these same questions right now. Our website is working, but we kept finding more and more disconnects and felt like a redesign would serve us better than a refresh.
But this isn’t a one-time task.
We’ll keep coming back to audit our website as Stratos evolves, our offers change, and our audience gets clearer. We hope you will too!
Quick sidenote:
As Donald Miller always says, “clarity beats cleverness.” Every time.
And while you can audit your own website, the reality is: You’re often too close to it to see where it’s not working.
If you need an outside perspective to catch gaps, friction, and assumptions, we’d love to help you decide whether you need a website refresh. Schedule an appointment today!
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