What I Look For in a Website Audit (aka: My Professional NitPick List)
When someone hands me their website and says, “Can you just take a look?”—you better believe I’m rolling up my sleeves, coffee in hand, ready to zoom in on every pixel, because a great site isn’t just pretty. It’s your first impression, your silent salesperson, and your 24/7 brand rep. It works hard. It persuades. It connects. It builds trust with humans and keeps Google’s bots happy.
So what exactly am I nitpicking? Here’s what I look for during every Squarespace site audit and what turns a ‘meh’ site into a magnetic one.
1. Homepage First Impressions
You’ve got 3–5 seconds. That’s all. If a visitor doesn’t instantly “get” who you are, what you do, and what you want them to do next—you’ve already lost them.
My Audit Questions:
Is it immediately clear what this business does?
Can I find the primary call-to-action (CTA) without squinting?
Does the design feel like the brand it represents?
Common Fixes:
Rewriting the hero section so it screams clarity instead of corporate buzzwords
Moving the CTA above the fold, where actual humans can see it
Swapping vague headlines (“We help people grow”) for something concrete (“We help small businesses double their online sales”)
Your homepage is the handshake. Make it firm, confident, and memorable.
2. Navigation and Menu Structure
If someone needs a treasure map to find your contact page, we’ve got a problem.
My Audit Questions:
Is the menu simple and intuitive?
Are important pages buried in dropdown purgatory?
Are there outdated, redundant, or confusing links?
Common Fixes:
Renaming pages with actual clarity—“About” instead of “Our Story of Discovery”
Reordering menus to match the user’s journey, not your brainstorming session
Merging thin pages or deleting the dead weight
Your navigation should be invisible—because good structure never makes people think. It just works.
3. Layout Consistency and Flow
Visual chaos is the fastest way to kill a visitor’s attention span. I scan for structure, rhythm, and breathing room.
My Audit Questions:
Is spacing consistent across sections?
Do colors and fonts feel intentional, not accidental?
Does the layout naturally lead the eye through the content?
Common Fixes:
Tweaking padding so sections don’t feel like a cramped elevator
Realigning headers, buttons, and images so the grid actually behaves
Removing clutter that tries too hard—white space is not your enemy
A well-composed page should feel like a conversation, not a shouting match.
4. Fonts and Typography
Fancy fonts might impress your designer friend, but they won’t convert a single customer if they’re illegible.
My Audit Questions:
Are there more than two fonts fighting for dominance?
Can I read the text comfortably on mobile?
Do the headings create a clear hierarchy?
Common Fixes:
Simplifying font choices to one hero and one supporting player
Adjusting size and line height so text breathes
Testing mobile readability—because squinting isn’t a design choice
Typography is tone in visual form. Understated, confident, consistent—that’s the goal.
5. CTA Placement and Language
If your call-to-action is hiding, your conversions are too.
My Audit Questions:
Adding CTA blocks throughout long pages (because not everyone scrolls to the end)
Rewriting buttons—“Submit” is a snooze; try “Let’s Talk” or “Book Your Spot”
Making sure every page leads somewhere, because dead ends are digital deal breakers
Common Fixes:
Adding more CTA blocks in strategic places
Rewriting buttons ("Submit" is boring—try "Let’s Talk" or "Book Your Spot")
Making sure every page leads somewhere
Your CTAs should sound like invitations, not chores.
6. Image Quality and Consistency
Nothing screams amateur hour like pixelated stock photos from 2009.
My Audit Questions:
Are all images high-resolution?
Do they actually reflect the brand’s vibe?
Is there a consistent editing or filter style?
Common Fixes:
Swapping out anything blurry or off-brand
Creating a curated mini image library for consistency
Using visuals strategically—to break up text, tell stories, and guide emotion
A picture can replace a thousand words, but only if it feels like your thousand words.
7. SEO Basics
A beautiful website that no one can find is just digital décor.
My Audit Questions:
Are titles and meta descriptions optimized for keywords and humans?
Do images have proper filenames and alt text?
Are headers (H1, H2, etc.) structured logically?
Common Fixes:
Filling in missing SEO fields in Squarespace page settings
Renaming images (“wedding-photographer-chicago.jpg” beats “IMG_4820.jpg”)
Cleaning up URLs to be human-friendly and keyword-rich
SEO is quiet power—it’s what keeps your site working while you sleep.
8. Mobile Optimization
If it doesn’t work on mobile, it doesn’t work—period.
My Audit Questions:
Does the layout break or stack weirdly on smaller screens?
Are buttons big enough to tap without rage-clicking?
Are text blocks readable without endless scrolling?
Common Fixes:
Adjusting padding and font sizes specifically for mobile
Reordering sections so the story still flows vertically
Testing manually—never trust the preview alone
Mobile isn’t a “nice to have.” It’s the main stage.
9. Tone and Language
Words build trust faster than design. The wrong tone breaks it just as fast.
My Audit Questions:
Rewriting robotic phrases into real, human language
Simplifying service descriptions so readers don’t need a dictionary
Injecting personality—because bland brands don’t sell
Common Fixes:
Rewriting robotic language into something more conversational
Adding clarity to vague service descriptions
Injecting more personality where appropriate
Good copy feels like conversation. Not a lecture.
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.
