Evaluate Your Website in 5 Steps

Updated April 2, 2023

What does your website say about you?

If this question is difficult to answer or you’re not sure you like the answer, here’s a quick guide on how to evaluate your website.

If the only impression a person had of you or your business was your website, would they like you? Your website is an online representation of who you are, what you do, and why you do it. If a customer, client, potential employer, patient…you get the gist – the target of your website – can’t figure out those three things, you’ve most likely lost them before you even knew they existed. On top of those three things, you want to show that you are professional, helpful, and respectful.

1. Does your website tell YOUR story?
2. Is your website design professional and competitive in your industry?
3. Is your website content helpful, authoritative, and trustworthy?
4. Does your website show your customers you care?
5. Does your website match your brand’s personality?

1. Does your website tell YOUR story?

Your audience needs to know your story – not just what you do, but how you do it, your experience, and your journey. They need to understand why you do what you do so well. If your website doesn’t have an “About” page, adding one to tell your story is a great place to start. Be honest. Be genuine. Most importantly, just tell it like it is.

Telling your brand story on your website is an important aspect of creating a strong online presence and connecting with your target audience. Here are some tips on how to tell your brand story on your website:

1. Start with a clear and concise message: Your website’s homepage should immediately communicate your brand’s message and what makes your business unique. Use clear and simple language to convey your message.
2. Use visuals: Visual elements such as images, videos, and graphics can help convey your brand’s story more effectively. Use visuals that reflect your brand’s values, tone, and personality.
3. Incorporate personal experiences: Share personal experiences and stories that highlight your brand’s values and mission. This can help connect with your audience on an emotional level.
4. Include testimonials and reviews: Customer testimonials and reviews can help build trust and credibility with your audience. Showcase positive reviews and testimonials prominently on your website.
5. Show your brand’s evolution: Share your brand’s journey, milestones, and achievements. This can help create a sense of authenticity and showcase your brand’s growth.
6. Be consistent: Ensure that your brand’s story is consistent across all your website’s pages and marketing channels. Consistency helps build brand recognition and reinforces your brand’s message.

Telling your brand’s story on your website is about creating a connection with your audience and showcasing what makes your business unique. It’s also a great way to catch the attention of search engines, especially when you share your expertise as part of your story. We hope you’ll use these tips to create a compelling brand story that resonates with your target audience and helps you stand out in a crowded online marketplace.

Need help telling your story? It’s ok, not everyone is great with words. Take a look at our content and copywriting services and let’s chat about how Trebletree can help.

2. Is your website design professional and competitive in your industry?

You know your industry. Is your website something that you feel like your colleagues would respect? A professional website doesn’t have to mean boring and corporate. If you are a graphic designer, you want your website to represent your design style. If you run a preschool, bright colors and children’s drawings are appropriate. If you think your site might need a little work in this area. Start by looking at sites that you love. Determine which elements you like and think about how that can translate to what you do. Copying a competitor’s site will just confuse your audience so the key is to find inspiration and make it your own.

A professional website design should reflect your brand’s personality and message, while also being user-friendly and visually appealing. Here are some factors to consider when assessing the professionalism of your website design:

1. Consistency: A professional website design should have a consistent color scheme, typography, and layout across all pages. This helps create a sense of coherence and makes the website easier to navigate.
2. User-Friendly Navigation: Navigation should be easy to understand and intuitive, making it easy for visitors to find what they are looking for. A clear and organized menu structure, as well as internal linking to related content, can help visitors navigate through the website easily.
3. Responsive Design: A professional website should be designed to be mobile-friendly, with the ability to adjust to different screen sizes and resolutions. A responsive design ensures that your website looks good on all devices, including desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones.
4. Quality Imagery: High-quality images and graphics can add to the overall professional look of a website. Poor-quality or pixelated images can negatively impact the user experience and make the website appear unprofessional.
5. Speed and Performance: A professional website should load quickly and function without errors. Slow-loading pages, broken links, or other technical issues can make the website appear unprofessional and frustrate visitors.
6. Clear Calls-to-Action: Professional websites often have clear calls-to-action that guide visitors to take desired actions, such as signing up for a newsletter, making a purchase, or filling out a contact form.

A professional website design should be visually appealing, easy to navigate, and reflect the brand’s message and values. Consider these factors when assessing the professionalism of your website design and make necessary adjustments to ensure that your website is optimized for a positive user experience. If your site isn’t quite up to snuff, our WordPress Website Design service is for you. Let’s chat to find out how we can create a web design that better represents your business and also helps you with search engine optimization (SEO).

3. Is your website content helpful, authoritative, and trustworthy?

If you’ve checked off numbers one and two, you’re doing pretty well. Now it’s time to dig a little deeper. You are an expert in your field meaning you have valuable information for your target audience. So, here’s the tough part – you need to share some of that valuable information on your site…for free. Yup, we said it. We’re not recommending you give away all your trade secrets, but you do need to show your audience you know your stuff and help them get started.

Creating authoritative and trustworthy content is essential for establishing your brand as a credible and reliable source of information in your industry. And, it’s important for search optimization. You want to use relevant keywords in your content to help search engines find your website. Showing up in search results helps you get more website visitors clicking on your site. Here are some tips on how to create authoritative and trustworthy content for your website:

1. Conduct thorough research: Before creating content, conduct in-depth research on the topic to ensure that your information is accurate and up-to-date. Use reputable sources, such as academic publications, industry journals, and recognized experts, to gather information and statistics.
2. Use data and statistics: Incorporate data and statistics into your content to support your claims and make your content more authoritative. Use reputable sources for data and statistics and provide references or citations where necessary.
3. Use expert opinions: Incorporate expert opinions and insights into your content to add credibility and authority. Include quotes or interviews from recognized experts in your industry.
4. Be transparent: Be transparent about your sources and provide citations and references where appropriate. This helps build trust with your audience and shows that you are committed to providing accurate and reliable information.
5. Avoid exaggerations or false claims: Avoid exaggerating or making false claims in your content. Stick to the facts and be honest about any limitations or uncertainties in the information you are providing.
6. Proofread and edit: Thoroughly proofread and edit your content to ensure that it is free of errors and grammatical mistakes. Professional and error-free content can help establish your brand as authoritative and trustworthy.

Creating authoritative and trustworthy content involves careful research, using reputable sources, being transparent, and avoiding false claims. By following these tips, you can create content that establishes your brand as a credible and reliable source of information in your industry.

Bonus 2023 Content Tip! Use ChatGPT or other AI content services. What?!?! Did we really tell you that? AI can be a useful tool but it’s just that…a tool. AI content can help you push through writer’s block, create an outline to get started, and help you put your ideas into complete sentences. But, just make sure that you are using your own expertise, experience, and research to ensure the content generated by AI is good.

4. Does your website show your customers you care?

How can a website be respectful? Make it easy for customers to find information, get what they need, and get on with their day. Whether it’s a clear way to sign up or contact your business or search tools to find just the right information, think about how easily and quickly your audience can navigate your site. For example, cute and clever navigation titles may seem like a fun way to make your site stand out, but if a reader has to click through every page of your site just to find out that “Rainbows & Unicorns” = “Helpful Articles” they’re bound to be a bit frustrated.

Showing your customers that you care through your website can help build trust and loyalty, and increase customer retention. Here are some more ways to show your customers you care with your website:

1. Use Personalized Messaging: Use personalized messaging on your website to connect with your customers on a personal level. Address your customers by their name and use messaging that shows you understand their needs and challenges.
2. Provide Excellent Customer Support: Make it easy for customers to reach out to you for help or support. Include contact information such as a phone number, email address, or live chat support, and ensure that you respond promptly to customer inquiries or issues.
3. Offer Value-Added Content: Provide value-added content such as blog posts, how-to guides, or video tutorials that can help customers solve problems or learn new skills. This shows that you are committed to providing value beyond just selling products or services.
4. Be Transparent: Be transparent about your policies, procedures, and pricing. This helps build trust and confidence with customers and shows that you are committed to being open and honest in your business dealings.
5. Offer Special Promotions and Discounts: Offer special promotions and discounts to show your customers that you value their business. This can help incentivize repeat purchases and build customer loyalty.
6. Collect and Act on Feedback: Collect feedback from your customers through surveys or reviews, and act on that feedback to improve your products, services, or website. This shows that you care about your customers’ opinions and are committed to continuously improving their experience.

Ready to show your customers you care by implementing these strategies? you can build trust and loyalty with your customers and establish your brand as one that cares about its customers. Need help implementing some of these strategies on your website? We’re here to help. Drop us a line and let’s find some time to chat about your project.

5. Does your website match your brand’s personality?

If you’ve checked off #1 through #4, the final step to making sure your website is a true representation of you or your business is to take a look and ask yourself if you love it. The colors, the images, the layout – it should all feel like you. After all, your site is supposed to be a digital extension of your brand. Creating a site that is disconnected from your brand doesn’t help anyone. As a final check, ask a close friend, family member, or colleague to visit your site and tell you if the website’s style aligns with your brand.

Hopefully, you’re feeling pretty good about how you represent yourself online, but if this evaluation opened your eyes to some areas where you could use some work, that’s ok. Depending on which areas you need to work on, you may be able to tackle it yourself, but if you don’t know where to start, Trebletree can help. Whether you have a site that looks good but needs some more helpful content or you need to rebuild from scratch, we can take care of all the details to help you tell your story.

Act on Your Findings

Now that you’ve evaluated your site, what have you found? Do you have a clear strategy in mind? Are you looking to take your web presence to the next level?

Trebletree has been selected among the Top Web Designers In New Hampshire by Designrush. Learn more About Us or Contact Us to chat about your project.