Everyone has an opinion. Whose do you want when it comes time to evaluate your website? Mom? Friend? Co-worker? Partner? Accountant? Maybe you need all of those to get a usable, helpful web evaluation. Let’s take a closer look.
Close-to-Home Website Evaluations
First, you ask Mom. “What do you think of my website? Does it make sense to you? Would you use my [widget]?” Depending on what stage of life Mom is in, she might say, “It looks good. Yes, it’s very nice. What’s the problem?” Or, maybe Mom is a professional or a blogger or a fencing coach. She may look at your website in another way, maybe with the perspective of your potential customers. That’s what you’re after.
Does your friend, co-worker, partner, or accountant have your potential customer’s point of view? Said another way, are any of these people a prospective customer? Or, at least, like a prospective customer?
If they are, you’re on to a very good source of answers and helpful assessment. If they are not, you probably won’t get usable answers. The best idea is to not ask. I’m not saying they won’t have something to say, usually good, but unless you’re after praise or chat, ask someone who can actually help you find the answers you need to improve your website.
Another website evaluation expert close by…
In my opinion a good person to evaluate your website is you. Yes, I know, you are not a prospective customer, but you know that person (and her attitudes) because you designed your product, service, marketing around her.
If your website is not doing its job, you may not be reaching her with either the information, the delivery, or the style of your website. Can you judge these parts of your website rationally, effectively? Why don’t you give it a try?
First, download my free Website Eval form. Here it is: Website Eval Form (.pdf)
This is not a quick 1-2-3 evaluation. It takes some time and thought and as much of an impartial judgement as you can manage. You’re going to find your answers here!
There’s a chance you’ll get stuck on a part that you just can’t be impartial about. I have that problem and found a friend that has my potential customer’s point of view. That is what is essential here – the right point of view.
The Usable Answers Found and Implemented = Successful Website
With a usable web evaluation, you can get the list of all the vital parts of your website with ratings of how well those parts have been put together in your website. You really don’t have to go any further. You don’t have to do a poll or take your eval to the streets.
It will be clear when you get this evaluation completed just what you need to fix. You’ll be relieved to know what to do next. It might be a big job, or just an addition of something you didn’t consider before.
Your new, revised edition of your website will actually do what you want it to do. Yay!
About Sally EricksonErickson Creative's Sally Erickson is a WordPress website builder, specializing in evaluating and improving business websites for more leads and better profits. Making better websites everyday…. connect with me on Twitter and FaceBook.
