If your website were a team member, would you keep it on the payroll?
That might sound dramatic, but it’s a helpful mindset shift. Your website should be working hard—generating leads, supporting sales, and building your brand 24/7. But many business websites fall short because they’re outdated, poorly structured, or simply not built with performance in mind.
At Harper Digital, we believe your website should be a measurable business asset. Here’s how to tell if yours is pulling its weight—and some practical ways you can improve it today.
Quick Health Check: Is Your Website User-Friendly and Fast?
Before diving into the details, start with the basics:
- Mobile Optimisation: Over half of all traffic comes from mobile devices. Visit your site on your own phone—does it load quickly? Is it easy to navigate with one hand? If not, speak to your web developer about mobile responsiveness.
- Page Speed: Slow-loading pages lead to high bounce rates. Use Google PageSpeed Insights to check performance and get specific recommendations. Aim for a score above 80 on mobile.
- Navigation: Can users find what they need within 2–3 clicks? Try giving a friend a simple task (e.g. find your contact form) and time how long it takes them.
- Visual Hierarchy: Are CTAs prominent? Use heatmaps (like Hotjar) to see where users are clicking—or not.
Free Tip: Compress images using tools like TinyPNG or Squoosh to speed up your site.
Conversion-Focused Elements to Review
Your website might look pretty, but is it designed to convert?
- Clear CTAs (Calls to Action): Make sure each page has one clear, visible action. Avoid clutter. Use action verbs (e.g. “Book a Free Consult” instead of just “Submit”).
- Contact Options: Make sure your phone number is clickable and placed in your header/footer. Include testimonials near contact forms to build trust.
- Landing Page Effectiveness: Use a tool like Unbounce Grader to assess whether your landing pages are too busy or lack direction.
- Lead Tracking: Ensure all contact forms and phone calls are tracked in GA4 or Google Tag Manager. Test your forms regularly to make sure they actually send.
Free Tip: Add a thank you page after form submissions—and track it as a conversion goal in GA4.
SEO and Content Visibility
Performance also means visibility. A high-performing website should rank well for relevant search queries.
- Title Tags & Meta Descriptions: Use tools like Rank Math (WordPress) or Ahrefs Webmaster Tools to audit your on-page content.
- Content Depth & Structure: Your service pages should answer key questions, be skimmable with headings, and link to related content.
- Image Optimisation: Make sure every image has a relevant filename and alt text. Example: instead of “IMG_1234.jpg”, use “auckland-digital-marketing-services.jpg”
- Indexing: Visit Google Search Console > Indexing > Pages to see which pages are indexed and whether any important ones are missing.
Free Tip: Search “site:yourdomain.com” in Google to see how many pages are indexed and how they appear in search results.
Make Your Copy Work Harder
It’s not just about how your website looks or how fast it loads—your page copy plays a crucial role in performance too.
- Clear Messaging: When someone lands on your homepage, they should immediately understand who you are, what you offer, and why it matters. Avoid jargon or clever-but-confusing headlines.
- Scannable Layout: Use short paragraphs, bullet points, and subheadings so users can quickly find what they need without reading every word.
- Logical Hierarchy: Structure your content with clear H1, H2, and H3 headings. This not only improves readability, but helps with SEO and accessibility too.
Free Tip: Ask someone who doesn’t know your business to look at your homepage for 10 seconds. Can they tell you what you do and who you help?
DIY Website Audit Tools
Not ready to book an expert? Here are a few free tools you can use to get a solid baseline:
- Google PageSpeed Insights: Check site speed and mobile-friendliness.
- Google Mobile-Friendly Test: See how Google views your site on mobile.
- Screaming Frog SEO Spider: Find broken links, missing tags, and crawl issues (free up to 500 URLs).
- GA4 and Google Search Console: Monitor real-time data, user behaviour, and keyword visibility.
Pro Tip: Set a recurring calendar reminder to run a mini audit every quarter.
Want an Expert Website Performance Review?
Book a free 30-minute performance audit with Harper Digital. We’ll help you identify quick wins and long-term fixes. Get in touch.
