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Does Your Website Suck?
Short answer: Review your site the way a first-time customer would, capture the full shopping path, compare it to business goals and analytics, and score it against best practices. The six steps below turn gut reactions into a prioritized list of conversion fixes.
Try this process for (mostly) objectively reviewing a website for opportunities.
Most websites have significant upside for increasing conversion and maximizing ad dollars. Even in 2026, it’s where curiosity translates to buying intent. After leading digital growth for Dell, Williams‑Sonoma, Ethan Allen, Crutchfield, and dozens of ambitious DTC brands, I use a six-step review; here's a high-level view of the process.
1. Experience the website as a first-time visitor
I deliberately don’t dig into the website before starting an evaluation. Why? Because you can experience a site for the first time only once--much like most visitors.
What's my a visceral reaction: Are the messages clear? What’s the tone of voice? Are the company’s selling and its USP obvious? What's the overall impression of the brand?
2. Capture the journey
Next, I screen capture the shopping path—from homepage to checkout—and key content pages including "About Us" and lifestyle content. I use a free Chrome plugin called Awesome Screenshot & Screen Recorder to document this visually.
I combine screenshots into a PDF, then view the PDF next to the live site to record impressions both major and minor. I use “sticky notes” for shorter comments and text boxes for more in-depth thoughts.
3. Evaluate against business objectives
Next is a conversation with leadership: primary goals, core customers, hero products, current friction points. GA4 and other data follows—high‑traffic pages that don’t convert, abandoned funnels, under‑performing SKUs.
4. Build a structured review deck
It’s time for the central review document. I combine the screenshots, my annotations, and the performance data into a presentation, focusing on areas that matter most to the brand.
I’ll include:
An executive summary
Biggest opportunities
Key areas for improvement
Core pages with numbered callouts and explanations
Summary of potential business impact
Next steps (how to implement changes)
5. Score against best practices
The scorecard, which lives in a table, isn’t graded—it’s about assessing effectiveness across key categories.
Design: Visual appeal, brand tone, photography, mobile performance
Layout: Page hierarchy, clarity, CTA prominence/clarity
Navigation: Menu logic, search usability, intuitive paths
Content: Product copy, education, storytelling, guidance
Cart & Checkout: Simplicity, trust-building, transparency
I use a color-coded system:
Green = meets or exceeds best practices
Yellow = areas for improvement
Red = critical issues hurting performance
6. Prioritize with a punch list
Finally, I create a working “punch list” of potential changes, ranked by potential conversion lift versus effort, turning insight into an actionable roadmap.
A candid, visual audit like this routinely lifts conversion 20–50 percent—even on sites that seem “good.”
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About the author: Andy Stevenson is a fractional CMO and ecommerce executive at Nailed It Digital. He has led marketing and digital for brands including Williams-Sonoma, Dell, Dollar Shave Club, The Vitamin Shoppe, and Ethan Allen, and works with DTC and PE-backed consumer brands. Connect on LinkedIn.
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