The website conversion checklist we run before every build
Before we quote a redesign, we run the existing site through the same checklist. Roughly half the time the honest recommendation is a set of targeted changes rather than a rebuild, and saying so early is cheaper for everyone.
Does the page make an argument?
A page converts when it wins a specific argument: that you are the credible choice for a particular problem, at a price the visitor can live with, with a next step that costs them little. Most underperforming pages describe a company instead of arguing a case.
Write the argument in one sentence before touching the layout. If you cannot, the page will not either — and no amount of visual polish compensates for a missing thesis.
Are objections answered in the order they arise?
Buyers raise doubts in a predictable sequence: is this for me, does it work, what does it cost, what happens if it goes wrong, who am I dealing with. Pages that answer these out of order feel evasive even when every answer is present.
The quickest test is to read the section headings alone, in order. If that sequence would not satisfy a sceptical buyer, the sections are in the wrong order.
How much does the enquiry form cost to complete?
Every field is a small tax. Ask only for what you genuinely need to reply well, mark optional fields honestly, and never validate a field before the person has finished typing in it.
Explain what happens after submission — who replies, how quickly, and whether they will be added to a mailing list. Uncertainty at the final step costs more enquiries than any headline.
Is the page fast where your buyers actually are?
Test on a throttled mobile connection on a mid-range device, not on office fibre. A page that takes four seconds to become interactive has lost a meaningful share of visitors before the argument begins.
Set a page-weight budget and treat it as a release requirement. Performance that is not enforced quietly regresses within two months of launch.
Can you tell which pages produce enquiries?
Track enquiries as events tied to the landing page, not just total form submissions. Without attribution you cannot tell whether a change worked, so every future decision is argued from opinion.
Agree the two or three numbers that define success before launch. Reporting on everything is the same as reporting on nothing.
Want this applied to your site?
Send the goal, the deadline and a budget range. You get a considered reply within one business day, including an honest answer if we are the wrong studio for it.