What I Look For in a Website Audit (aka: my professional “wait…why is this here?” list)
Someone says, “Can you take a quick look at my website?” and suddenly I’m three tabs deep, zoomed in at 125%, mentally reorganizing their homepage while drinking iced coffee like it’s a competitive sport.
Because a good website isn’t just “pretty.”
It should:
make people trust you fast
clearly explain what you do
guide visitors toward taking action
and quietly make Google happy in the background
A lot of websites look fine at first glance… but underneath? Chaos. Confusing messaging. Buried calls-to-action. Mobile layouts held together with hopes and duct tape.
So here’s what I actually look for during a Squarespace website audit — and the stuff that usually makes the biggest difference.
1. Homepage First Impressions.
You have maybe 5 seconds before someone decides whether to stay or leave.
If your homepage makes visitors work to figure out:
who you help
what you do
or where they should click next
…they’re probably gone already.
What I’m Looking For
Is it immediately obvious what this business does?
Is the CTA easy to find?
Does the messaging sound clear and confident?
Does the design match the brand personality?
Common Fixes
Rewriting vague headlines into something people instantly understand
Moving important buttons higher on the page
Removing filler copy that says a lot without saying anything
Your homepage should feel like a strong introduction. Not a scavenger hunt.
2. Navigation That Makes Sense
If someone needs a treasure map to find your contact page, we’ve got a problem.
What I’m Looking For
Is the navigation simple?
Are the important pages easy to access?
Are there unnecessary pages cluttering things up?
Does the menu follow a logical user journey?
Common Fixes
Simplifying page names
Reorganizing menu structure
Combining thin or repetitive pages
Removing outdated content nobody’s clicking anyway
Good navigation feels effortless. People shouldn’t have to think about it.
3. Layout and Visual Flow
Visual chaos is the fastest way to kill a visitor’s attention span. I scan for structure, rhythm, and breathing room.
What I’m Looking For
Consistent spacing
Clear visual hierarchy
Balanced sections
Clean alignment
Logical flow from one section to the next
Common Fixes
Fixing awkward spacing
Aligning buttons, images, and text properly
Breaking up giant walls of text
Removing visual clutter
White space is not wasted space. It’s what keeps your website from feeling overwhelming.
4. Fonts and Typography
Listen. I love a beautiful font moment.
But if your website font looks like it belongs on an ancient wedding invitation and nobody can read it on mobile… we need to talk.
What I’m Looking For
Too many competing fonts
Tiny text
Poor mobile readability
Weak heading hierarchy
Common Fixes
Limiting font choices
Improving spacing and line height
Strengthening heading structure
Making mobile text readable without pinch-zoom rage
Typography should support your message — not distract from it.he goal.
5. CTA Placement and Language
A shocking number of websites never actually tell people what to do next.
Or worse:
the CTA says “Click Here.”
Respectfully… no one has ever been emotionally moved by the phrase “Click Here”.
What I’m Looking For
Clear calls-to-action
Strategic button placement
Consistent next steps throughout the site
Language that feels human
Common Fixes
Adding CTA sections throughout longer pages
Rewriting boring button copy
Making sure every page leads somewhere intentionally
Your website should guide people. Not leave them standing in the digital parking lot confused.
6. Image Quality and Consistency
Bad visuals can tank an otherwise solid website fast.
Blurry photos, mismatched editing styles, random stock images from 2012… immediate trust killer.
What I’m Looking For
High-quality images
Consistent brand vibe
Cohesive visual style
Proper image sizing
Common Fixes
Replacing outdated or off-brand photos
Optimizing oversized images for speed
Creating consistency in editing and tone
Using visuals strategically instead of decoratively
Images should support the story your brand is telling.
A picture can replace a thousand words, but only if it feels like your thousand words.
7. SEO Basics Most People Ignore
This is the part nobody sees — but it matters a lot.
Because a gorgeous website nobody can find is basically expensive digital wallpaper.
What I’m Looking For
SEO titles and meta descriptions
Proper heading structure
Keyword alignment
Image alt text
Clean URLs
Page indexing issues
Common Fixes
Cleaning up SEO settings in Squarespace
Renaming image files properly
Fixing missing metadata
Improving page structure for search engines and humans
SEO isn’t magic. It’s structure, clarity, and consistency.
8. Mobile Optimization
If it doesn’t work on mobile, it doesn’t work—period.
What I’m Looking For
Broken layouts on mobile
Weird spacing
Giant text blocks
Tiny buttons
Sections stacking awkwardly
Common Fixes
Adjusting mobile spacing separately
Reordering sections for better flow
Improving readability
Testing everything manually instead of blindly trusting preview mode
If your mobile site is annoying to use, people leave. Fast.
9. Brand Voice & Messaging
This is the part templates can’t fix.
A website can look beautiful and still feel cold, generic, or weirdly corporate.
What I’m Looking For
Clear messaging
Conversational language
Personality
Emotional connection
Consistency in tone
Common Fixes
Rewriting robotic copy
Clarifying vague service descriptions
Making the brand sound more human
Injecting actual personality into the content
People connect with people. Not “solutions-driven transformational excellence.”
10. That "Gut Feeling" Test
This is where logic steps aside and instinct takes over. I look at the site as a whole and ask:
Does it feel trustworthy? Easy to navigate? Worth staying on?
If the answer’s even a hesitant “maybe,” I circle back. Something’s off—maybe it’s the tone, maybe the balance, maybe a single off-brand color that’s throwing the whole vibe. The gut never lies.
Want to Audit Your Own Site Like a Pro?
You don’t need a design degree or a decade of experience. You just need a roadmap.
Grab the No-BS Website Polish Kit—a step-by-step walkthrough of every question, tweak, and trick I use when auditing Squarespace sites. Perfect for DIYers who want that “designer eye” without hiring one (yet).
Because sometimes, all it takes is a little nitpicking to make your website finally click.
Or go here to get a FREE introductory audit from yours truly.
