Search "website audit checklist" and you'll find 200-point spreadsheets covering everything from meta tag length to structured data markup. They're written for SEO professionals and web developers. If you're a business owner trying to figure out why your website isn't generating leads, they're useless.

Here's a different kind of checklist. These are the 10 things we check in every professional website audit we deliver — the factors that actually determine whether a visitor becomes a customer or bounces back to Google. No technical jargon. No tools required. Just open your website on your phone and work through each point.

The 10-Point Conversion Audit Checklist

1. Headline: does it say something useful?

Open your homepage. Read the first headline a visitor sees. Does it tell a stranger what you do, who you do it for, and why they should care?

• Pass: "Same-Day Emergency Plumbing — Fixed Price, No Call-Out Fee"
• Fail: "Welcome to Smith Plumbing" or "Your Trusted Local Experts"

Your headline is the most-read piece of text on your entire site. If it says nothing specific, you're losing visitors before they read another word.

2. Value proposition: can they tell why you're different?

Within five seconds of landing on your page, can a visitor tell what you offer that your competitors don't?

• Pass: A clear statement of specific benefits — guarantees, response times, pricing transparency, unique method
• Fail: Generic phrases like "quality service," "customer satisfaction," "years of experience"

If three competitors could put the same text on their site without changing a word, it's not a value proposition.

3. Call to action: is there a clear next step?

Is there a prominent, specific button above the fold telling the visitor what to do next?

• Pass: "Get a Free Quote" button in a contrasting colour, visible without scrolling
• Fail: A "Contact Us" link in the navigation bar and nothing else

Every page on your site should have a call-to-action (CTA). Not just your homepage — your service pages, your about page, even your blog posts.

4. Trust signals: are reviews visible where decisions happen?

Can a visitor see your Google rating, review count, or customer testimonials without scrolling or navigating to another page?

• Pass: Star rating + review count + one or two short quotes on the homepage, above the fold
• Fail: Reviews on a separate "Testimonials" page, or no reviews displayed at all

Trust signals need to be where the visitor is making their decision — not hidden away where only the already-convinced will find them.

5. Urgency: is there a reason to act now?

Does your site give visitors any reason to contact you today rather than bookmarking and forgetting?

• Pass: Current availability, seasonal offers, limited booking slots — something genuine and time-sensitive
• Fail: No time-sensitive element whatsoever (this is the most commonly failed factor in our data)

6. Visual hook: does the page grab attention above the fold?

Before reading a single word, does the page look professional and engaging? Or does it look like every other template site in your industry?

• Pass: Clean layout, strong imagery, clear visual hierarchy that draws the eye to the headline and CTA
• Fail: Cluttered layout, stock images that could be any business, no clear focal point

7. Imagery: real photos or stock?

Are you showing real photos of your team, your work, and your premises? Or generic stock photos of smiling people in hard hats?

• Pass: Real job photos, team photos, before-and-after shots of your actual work
• Fail: Stock images, no photos at all, or photos that are clearly from a different country

Visitors can spot stock photos instantly, and they erode trust. A slightly imperfect real photo beats a polished stock image every time.

8. Offer clarity: do they know what they'll get?

If a visitor clicks your CTA, do they know exactly what happens next? What will they receive? How long will it take? What will it cost?

• Pass: "Fill in this form and we'll call you within 2 hours with a free, no-obligation quote"
• Fail: A generic contact form with no explanation of what happens after they submit it

9. Mobile experience: does it work on a phone?

Visit your site on your phone. Can you tap to call? Is the CTA button easy to tap? Can you fill out the contact form with your thumb?

• Pass: Everything is tappable, readable, and functional on a 5-inch screen
• Fail: Tiny text, buttons too small to tap, horizontal scrolling, forms that don't fit the screen

Over half your visitors are on mobile. If the mobile experience is poor, you're losing the majority of your potential enquiries.

10. Industry fit: does your site match what visitors expect?

Different industries have different visitor expectations. A pest control customer wants to see emergency availability and pricing. An accountant's client wants to see qualifications and a professional office. Does your site match what your specific industry's visitors are looking for?

• Pass: Content, imagery, and CTAs that match what someone in your industry would expect to see
• Fail: A generic template that could be any business in any industry

How to Score Yourself

Go through each of the 10 points and give yourself a pass or fail. Be honest — pretend you've never seen your website before and you're comparing it to three competitors.

• 8-10 passes: Your site is in good shape. Fine-tune the areas you failed on.
• 5-7 passes: There's significant room for improvement. Focus on the fails — each one fixed will measurably increase enquiries.
• Under 5 passes: Your website is actively costing you business. The good news is that fixing even two or three of these will make a noticeable difference.

Want a professional eye on it?

Self-audits are useful, but they have a blind spot (we explain this further in our guide to why websites don't get enough enquiries): you already know what your site is supposed to communicate. A first-time visitor doesn't. Our professional website audit service runs all 10 factors through expert analysis — with zoomed-in screenshots of every problem area and a prioritised list of actionable recommendations in plain English.

But if you want a quick starting point, our free scanner checks the same 10 factors in 30 seconds. No email required. Just enter your URL and see where you stand.