Recently I have had a flurry of people asking me to assess the effectiveness of their websites. I am always tempted to send them to the exhaustive 149 Mortal Sins That Will Send Your Site to Web Design Hell. But let's face it - sometimes a shorter checklist can also do the trick. So for those of you who want a quick take on whether your site is web worthy, I have edited the classic 50 Critical Questions About Your Website down to 18 key questions:- Do you have an "About Me" page?
- Can visitors tell what your site is about without visiting your "About Me" page?
- Is there an easily findable link to your contact information from every page?
- Is your home page a call to action or is it merely an “Enter Site” gateway?
- Is your content up to date?
- Is anyone linking to you?
- If not, what can you do to make this happen?
- Who are you linking to?
- How long does it take your site to load at your mother’s house?
- What is the single most important thing you want a visitor to do?
- Is that clear from looking at your site?
- Does your site look professional, or does it look like a teenager’s Facebook page?
- Do you link out to your other web presences (Facebook, Twitter account, YouTube page, LinkedIn)?
- Are you commenting on blogs and building relationships with other site-owners in your industry or niche?
- How does your site look on an iPhone? a Blackberry? On Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari?
- How many clicks does it take for a visitor to give you money? Or make an appointment or schedule a speaking engagement that will earn you money?
- How easy is it for a visitor to leave a comment or send you an e-mail?
- Is the entire site backed up?
Looking for something more in depth? There is no substitute for reading my post on Very Bad Websites.
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