Website Evaluation Sample
Website Evaluation Sample, Page 1 of 13
LX Print & Marketing | 3672 E Bijou Street, Ste A | Colorado Springs, CO 80909
[email protected] | (719) 791-0790 | www.LXPrintAndMarketing.com
Section 1: General Comments
Your website should quickly and easily relay to your end user the product/service offered by
your business. Most website viewers spend less than 3 seconds to evaluate a website and what it
does. If your site does not convey this meaning, you will quickly lose your clients to your
competition.
Question #1
In 3 seconds does the website provide a clear understanding of the business?
It is imperative that the website accurately relay the meaning of the business in under three
seconds. The average user takes less than 1 second to form an opinion (positive, negative or
neutral) about your website. Your website's goal is to ensure within the first three seconds the
user can clearly understand your business product or service.
Yes - This is great; your website clearly relays your business purpose in three seconds. Most
visitors to a website can tell within three seconds whether or not this site has the information
they are looking for. By providing the user a clear understanding of what to expect from your
website, you should have a higher rate of conversions.
Question #2
Can a visitor to your website who is already familiar with your product/service easily convert
into a client directly from the homepage?
Some visitors to your website already know what they need. It may be as simple as your
telephone number or address, they may be there to purchase a product or request a quote. Make
sure your website conversion goals are clearly noted on the homepage of your website.
Yes - Excellent, you have provided the end user the ability to convert directly from your
homepage. This ensures users do not get lost within your website trying to find the conversion
tool.
Question #3
Does the website use Breadcrumbs?
Breadcrumbs are from the old fairy tales you were told as a kid; how you drop a little crumb so
you can find your way back home. On a website, breadcrumbs do the same thing, they allow both
search engines and your end user an easy way to navigate back home or to higher level pages on
your website. Breadcrumbs usually appear above the primary content of the page and appear in
a format similar to this: Homepage >> Primary Page Name > Secondary Page Name
No - You should consider adding breadcrumbs to your website; this will allow users to manage
where they are in your page structure. Breadcrumbs also allow the user to easily navigate back to
the homepage of your website.
Question #4
Once I leave the homepage, can I get back to the homepage in one click?
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LX Print & Marketing | 3672 E Bijou Street, Ste A | Colorado Springs, CO 80909
[email protected] | (719) 791-0790 | www.LXPrintAndMarketing.com
Visitors to a website are often comforted by the homepage. It brings them back to a reference
point and they tend to work out from there. Make sure every page on your website has at least
one link back to the homepage of the website.
Yes - You have the tools in place to allow your user to navigate back to the comfort of your
homepage.
Question #5
Does the logo link to the website homepage?
Your logo should link back to the homepage of your website. Having your primary logo link to
the homepage has become a standard in the industry; ensure your website stacks up to the
competition.
No - Your logo should be designed to link to the homepage of your website. This has become a
standard practice in the web industry. Be sure you end users find comfort in your site by
following the standard internet practices when possible.
Question #6
Is there a link to the homepage in the primary navigation?
Including a link to the homepage in your navigation is another easy way to allow the end user of
your website to quickly navigate back to the comfort of your homepage. Many users feel far more
comfortable working out from the homepage, so be sure to give them many chances to return.
Yes - You have a link to your homepage in your standard navigation. End users expect your
navigation to link them everywhere they want to go. By adding the Home page in your
navigation they can easily find their way back to the home page.
Question #7
Is there footer navigation on the website?
Footer Navigation is designed to appear at the bottom of every page. When the user is finished
reading the content on one page, they can quickly navigate to a different page without having to
scroll back to the top of the site.
No - It has become a standard practice for websites to have footer navigation, especially if you
have long pages on your website. This keeps the user from scrolling back to the top of the
website to go to the next page. Consider adding footer navigation to your website.
Question #8
How many primary navigation buttons are on the website?
Navigation buttons allow your user to filter the details and information they want to view. If you
provide too few navigation buttons the user will be shown information they were not expecting. If
you show too many navigation buttons the user will get lost trying to find the correct
information. It is the most common to see between 5-7 buttons on a successful website.
5-7 - You have an ideal number of primary navigation buttons. As long as each page is not too
long, this should be ideal for your end users to find what they are looking for.
Question #9
Are the primary navigation buttons clearly labeled? Are they calls to action or primary keywords
for your website?
Website Evaluation Sample, Page 3 of 13
LX Print & Marketing | 3672 E Bijou Street, Ste A | Colorado Springs, CO 80909
[email protected] | (719) 791-0790 | www.LXPrintAndMarketing.com
Clearly labeling your navigation buttons allows your end user to quickly navigate to where they
want to go from your homepage. Even better is when you can make a primary navigation button
also a call to action or popular keyword. For example: "Rates" is a below average navigation
button, "Fishing Rates" is better, "Alaska Fishing Rates" is the best.
Yes - The navigation is clearly labeled, but it needs some work here; redoing the labels could
help reinforce your message and assist with Search Engines.
Question #10
Is your website navigation in the same location on every page of your website?
Being consistent from page to page allows your end user to become comfortable with the
website. Keeping the basic framework the same from page to page gives a consistent feeling to
the website.
Yes - Your navigation size, font and location are the same on every page of the website. This
makes it easy for the end user to navigate the site without getting lost.
Website Evaluation Sample, Page 4 of 13
LX Print & Marketing | 3672 E Bijou Street, Ste A | Colorado Springs, CO 80909
[email protected] | (719) 791-0790 | www.LXPrintAndMarketing.com
Section 2: Graphic Design
Internet users have become far more sophisticated over the last few years. They can recognize
cookie cutter approaches to websites and often do not give them the respect of an established
business. Your website must be a direct reflection of your business, and the first step is a custom
or unique design.
Question #11
Does the website have a custom design?
Adding a custom design to your website enhances the appearance of the business. Depending on
the market you are appealing to, a graphic artist can design a website tailored to your specific
clientele.
Base Template - The website appears to have a standard template design. This is less
distinguishable for your company's focus and is occasionally over looked by users looking for a
more personal feel.
Question #12
Does the design fit with the primary purpose of the website?
It is imperative that your website design fundamentally represent your business model. For
example, just because you are a pizza delivery company and you show a delivery car on your
homepage does not mean the correct message is being sent to the end user. Your message could
be interpreted to mean the website is about cars rather than pizza.
Yes - Your design fits the framework of the business. Your design allows the end user a clear
understanding of your business and helps them establish a positive impression in less than three
seconds.
Question #13
Is the color palette consistent with the website theme and goals?
Colors are a subconscious factor in your end users experience with your website. Red for
example has been shown to make people hungry. It is important that your website colors reflect
your goals and objectives for an end user. Just because your favorite color is lime green, does
not mean your website should be lime green.
Yes - The color selections are consistent with the look and feel of your website. You have
provided your end user a subconscious clue as to the intention of your website.
Question #14
Are the website images crisp, clear and in focus?
Blurry and out of date images can give the wrong impression for you website.
Yes - Your images and photos are crisp and clear, this provides a professional image for your
website.
Question #15
Is there flash on the website?
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LX Print & Marketing | 3672 E Bijou Street, Ste A | Colorado Springs, CO 80909
[email protected] | (719) 791-0790 | www.LXPrintAndMarketing.com
As defined by Wikipedia , Flash is "a popular method for adding animation and interactivity to
web pages; Flash is commonly used to create animation, advertisements, and various web page
components, to integrate video into web pages, and more recently, to develop rich Internet
applications." Flash when used properly can provide a clear image to the end user as to the
primary purpose of your website. The downside to flash is it can be distracting to the end user
and their purpose for being on the site.
Yes there is flash, but it is subtle and relevant to the website - Your website contains flash but
it is relevant to your business and not overbearing. Flash tends to be intrusive on a user’s
experience when not done correctly.
Question #16
If the website has flash does the flash include a call to action?
Flash when done properly can add to the experience of the website. It your flash encourages
people to convert then it is headed in the right direction.
No - Your flash does not have a clear call to action
Question #17
If the site has flash does it play once and stop?
Some flash can be very relevant to a website, but often it repeats over and over becomes a
distraction to the user from your products and services.
Yes - Your flash stops after the first time it is played, this is good for the user
Question #18
If the site has flash is it identical on every page?
Flash on a per page basis can be relevant to your cause; very little flash is relevant for every
single page on your website.
Yes - Your site has flash on only one page, or it is unique flash on every page
Question #19
If yes, does it play once then stop on each page?
Yes - Your flash stops after the first time it is played, this is good for the user
Website Evaluation Sample, Page 6 of 13
LX Print & Marketing | 3672 E Bijou Street, Ste A | Colorado Springs, CO 80909
[email protected] | (719) 791-0790 | www.LXPrintAndMarketing.com
Section 3: Website Content
The text and images on your website reflect your company's attention to detail. If you have a
promotion listed for 2008, what does that tell your clients? It may lead them to think, “Is this
company still in business, and do they care?”
Question #20
At random, select five primary pages of your website. What is the average number of words on
each page? Here is a tool to measure the number of words on each page, use the average of all
the pages for the scoring below http://www.wordcounttool.com
Measure the number of words on the first 5 primary pages of your website. What is the average
number of words on each page? Here is a tool to measure the number of words, use the average
for scoring below: http://www.wordcounttool.com/
251-500 - Your website averages between 250 & 500 words per page. You need more content on
your primary website pages. The ideal page is 750-1000 words of relevant content.
Question #21
Is the text based content clearly readable? Is the font choice web safe across all browsers?
If you use a font that an average person cannot read, then your chances of getting them to use
your service or product will be lower. It is important to use fonts that are widely accepted by
most computers and internet browsers.
The list of Microsoft web safe fonts are: Arial, Courier New, Georgia, Times New Roman,
Verdana, Trebuchet MS and Lucida Sans.
Yes - Your content is clearly readable on your website
Question #22
Is the text on your page separated into easily defined sections? Can it be easily scanned for the
important points?
It is important to have clearly defined section headers that distinguish the primary thoughts on
the page. Think of newspapers and how people quickly scan the headlines until they find
something they want to read.
Yes - Your content is clearly sectioned, and the user can see the transition from one area to the
next.
Website Evaluation Sample, Page 7 of 13
LX Print & Marketing | 3672 E Bijou Street, Ste A | Colorado Springs, CO 80909
[email protected] | (719) 791-0790 | www.LXPrintAndMarketing.com
Section 4: Business Contact
Allowing your end user to find your contact information is vital. Ideally your contact information
would be on every page, in the same location above the “fold.”
Question #23
Are your company's contact details located on every page?
It is vital for the end user to be able to find your contact details on any page.
Yes - Your contact details are clearly readable on each page of the website.
Question #24
Do your contact details display above the fold?
Many people have started using websites as a phone book. With a quick search for your website
they expect to easily be able to find your telephone number and contact details. It is
recommended that you provide your contact details on every page above the fold.
No - Your company contact details are either not available or below the fold.
Question #25
Is there a way for your clients/customers to provide written feedback?
Often a user will want to contact you by email or a written format rather than calling. Have you
provided an outlet for the end user to provide written feedback?
No - It is difficult with the current site layout for a user to contact you with written feedback.
Question #26
Can your clients/customers request a quote and/or are prices available on the site?
Not all users want to talk on the phone; they are looking to comparison shop. Why not provide
them the information they are looking for rather than wasting your resources responding to
them? Price is a major factor in their buying decision, you may as well provide them the
information they are looking for.
Yes - Your website clearly provides the user a method to request an Estimate.
Website Evaluation Sample, Page 8 of 13
LX Print & Marketing | 3672 E Bijou Street, Ste A | Colorado Springs, CO 80909
[email protected] | (719) 791-0790 | www.LXPrintAndMarketing.com
Section 5: Website Code
Even if your website looks good, that does not mean the underlying engine is up to date. Many
websites operate on outdated software. It is important that your website loads quickly and easily
across all the popular internet browsers like Google, Yahoo and BING.
Question #27
What is the total size of your homepage? Find out at http://www.linkvendor.com/seo-tools/siteanalysis/website-speed-test,46.html
The larger your page, the longer it will take to load. This does not mean the more text, text is
actually easy to load, it is the graphics and site template that take longer to load. Test your site
to see how large it is and how fast it loads the homepage at: http://www.linkvendor.com/seotools/site-analysis/website-speed-test,46.html
100+ Kilobytes - Your website homepage is heavy, consider removing images, template
graphics for files. Ideally your website should be under 100K
Question #28
How long does it take your website to load? Find out how long your website takes to load on a
T1 Internet connection at http://www.websiteoptimization.com/services/analyze/
The larger your page, the longer it will take to load. This does not mean the more text, text is
actually easy to load, it is the graphics and site template that take longer to load. Test your site
to see how large it is and how fast it loads the homepage at
http://www.websiteoptimization.com/services/analyze/
10+ Seconds - Your website takes longer than 10 seconds to load, this could be due to your
hosting provider or the volume of content on your homepage.
Question #29
Is the website optimized for the most current versions of Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox?
Your website should display without error in the most current version of Internet Explorer and
Firefox. To test this look at your website on http://browsershots.org
No - Your website does not display ideally in Internet Explorer and or Firefox
Additional Comment - Design of drop-down menus of main navigation is not accurate in
Firefox.
Question #30
Is the website W3C compliant? Find out at http://validator.w3.org
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is the main international standards organization for
the World Wide Web (abbreviated WWW or W3). It is arranged as a consortium where member
organizations maintain full-time staff for the purpose of working together in the development of
standards for the World Wide Web. Currently these standards are not required by websites in the
USA but shortly it is expected that they will become required. If your website is 100% W3C
Website Evaluation Sample, Page 9 of 13
LX Print & Marketing | 3672 E Bijou Street, Ste A | Colorado Springs, CO 80909
[email protected] | (719) 791-0790 | www.LXPrintAndMarketing.com
compliant then you know the search engines should have no problem indexing your website and
the end user who views your website should not have any issues either.
76+ Errors - You have a large number of validation issues; it is highly recommended that you
have a web developer resolve the issues on your website.
Additional Comment - There were 85 errors and 72 warnings found during validation.
Question #31
Does the website have broken/missing images or red x's?
One of the most obvious issues on a website is broken images. This immediately takes the
credibility away from the website and immediately makes your users questions the validity of
your website. Would you feel comfortable buying a product from a website with broken images?
This site does not have any broken images – Congratulations, your site has no broken images!
Question #32
Does the website have broken links? Find out at http://linkchecker.submitexpress.com/
One of the less obvious issues on a website is broken links. While the end user may not be able to
see one, when they click on one they are immediately taken to an error page. Often once a client
has seen a single error, they leave the site in search of your competition that has a site which
does work. Test how many broken links you have at http://www.dead-links.com
Yes, it has less than 5 broken links - Your site has fewer than 5 dead links, be sure to check
and resolve these issues ASAP
Question #33
Does the website have a custom 404 error page?
In the event the user goes to a page that does not exist or you do have a broken link the best
solution is a custom 404 error page. These can be created by your webmaster, and they give the
user confidence that they are still on the website even though that page may have moved.
No - Your website does not have a valid 404 error page. So if the user finds a dead link or a
deleted page they will not find your website.
Website Evaluation Sample, Page 10 of 13
LX Print & Marketing | 3672 E Bijou Street, Ste A | Colorado Springs, CO 80909
[email protected] | (719) 791-0790 | www.LXPrintAndMarketing.com
Section 6: Search Engine Optimization
"Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the active practice of optimizing a web site by improving
internal and external aspects in order to increase the traffic the site receives from search
engines." -- Definition provided by www.seomoz.org. SEO is a vital step after putting up a
website; it is not enough to simply create a website. In today's highly competitive market, it is
vital to ensure your website outperforms your competition. The items below help to evaluate
how your site ranks compared to the competition.
Question #34
Does the website have unique Meta Tag Titles on each page?
Meta Tag titles appear in the blue bar at the top of your website. They also display on search
engine result pages. By making each page a unique title it is easier for the search engines and
your users to understand the content of that page.
Yes - It appears that all pages of your website have a unique Meta Tag Title
Question #35
Does the website use header tags?
There are numerous hints you can provide search engines so that they know what content is
important on your page. One of those methods is to modify the code of your website content to
include Header Tags. It is important that you learn how to add these settings to your website to
ensure the most important text on the page is highlighted.
No - You should consider using the Heading tags in order to format the content of your web
pages.
Question #36
How many pages on your website currently rank in the Top 20 Search Engine Results? Find out
at http://www.semrush.com
It is fairly safe to assume, the more words you rank for in the top 20 positions in Google, the
more traffic your website will have. Try using the free search on http://www.semrush.com to see
how many keywords your website currently ranks for in Google. SEM Rush has a database of
over 25 million keywords that have been typed into Google to generate search results, by typing
in your website you can see a list of the keywords used to find your website in the top 20 results!
0-24 - You have less than 24 keywords ranking in the top 20 of Google. You need to work on
keyword placement to achieve higher rankings.
Additional Comment - There is only 1 page found that currently ranks in Top 20.
Question #37
Is the website listed in Google Maps? Find out by typing in the business name, city, and state
here http://maps.google.com
Is your business listed with Google Maps? Has it been updated with all your current contact
details? Google maps are quickly becoming the online resource for finding business information
Website Evaluation Sample, Page 11 of 13
LX Print & Marketing | 3672 E Bijou Street, Ste A | Colorado Springs, CO 80909
[email protected] | (719) 791-0790 | www.LXPrintAndMarketing.com
just like the yellow pages used to be. Google maps offers free listing services, you simply need to
sign up for an account, verify you are the owner, and update your details.
Listed with details - You have an active account with Google Maps; this is very helpful to users
interested in finding your business.
Question #38
Does the website have an XML sitemap?
XML sitemaps are one of the few things on a website designed specifically for search engines.
This is a file that shows the search engines exactly where the pages are on your website.
No - Your website does not have an XML Sitemap. XML Sitemaps assist the major search
engines in finding/indexing all the pages of your website.
Question #39
Does the website have an HTML (user friendly) sitemap linked from every page of the website?
Standard HTML sitemaps are also valuable to search engines, but more so to your end user.
Standard sitemaps simply list all of the pages on your website with a link to each one.
No - Your website does not have a sitemap; you should consider adding one immediately.
HTML Sitemaps are very helpful for your end user to navigate the website; it also helps the
search engines find the relevant details on your site.
Question #40
Does the website have a robots.txt file?
Robots.txt files allow you to block search engines from indexing pages on your website. If you
have information that should not be available to the general public you may want to consider
adding a robots.txt file blocking the page. You can tell if your website has this file by going to
www.domainname.com/robots.txt
No - Your website is missing the robots.txt file consider adding one immediately.
Question #41
Does the website use alt tags for each image? Find out at http://whois.domaintools.com
When you move your mouse over an image on a website, if a small tan box appears with text in it
that is an alt tag. On a perfect website, this text is a short description indicating what is
happening in the picture. Search engines cannot see images, so when they come across a photo
they only have a few ways to know what is captured on the image. Often the most reliable is the
alt tag and the text the user provides. Be sure all the images on your website have alt tags. To
find out how many of the images on your page have alt tags go to http://whois.domaintools.com
type in the URL of the page you want checked and scroll down to the results.
25%-50% - You should ensure that all of your images have alt tags
Question #42
Does the website have canonical URLs?
Canonical URLs have to do with duplicate content and a search engine's ability to discern one
page from another. Most websites have two ways to access the homepage; you can type in
www.domainname.com or just domainname.com, both take the end user to the same place, but
search engines see this as duplicate content and each page stands alone. Be sure to have your
Website Evaluation Sample, Page 12 of 13
LX Print & Marketing | 3672 E Bijou Street, Ste A | Colorado Springs, CO 80909
[email protected] | (719) 791-0790 | www.LXPrintAndMarketing.com
webmaster make the appropriate change to ensure only one of the above is active. This will
resolve your canonical URL issues.
No - Contact your webmaster to have the non www version of your domain name pointed to the
www version of your domain name
Question #43
Does the website use Link Titles for each hyperlink?
Link titles are the same as Alt Tags except they are designed to be used for hyperlinks on your
website. When you have text that links to another page or section of your website, it is best to
add a link title to ensure the search engines know what the link text means.
No - You should consider creating hyperlinks with targeted text.
Question #44
Is the website domain name keyword specific?
Your domain name can be the name of your business or it can be keyword specific. For example
if the name of your company was XYZ and you sold blue widgets, your domain name could be
www.companyxyz.com or www.bluewidgets.com. The latter of the two is a keyword specific URL.
Sort of, business name - Your URL is a keyword but does not reflect the meaning of your
company as accurately as it could with other names.
Website Evaluation Sample, Page 13 of 13
LX Print & Marketing | 3672 E Bijou Street, Ste A | Colorado Springs, CO 80909
[email protected] | (719) 791-0790 | www.LXPrintAndMarketing.com