Based on over 15 years of experience it has become clear that most websites can be assessed using 8 simple criteria which allows the efficacy of the site to be easily assessed. This is a fairly rudimentary tool and makes a number of assumptions about the purpose of the site; who the customer is etc.

For each of these criteria score your website out of 10:

Findable –

• Does your site have Search Engine profile?
• Are there 3rd party links in to it? Is your domain guessable?
• What’s your Social Media profile like?
• Do you have content syndicated (Video to YouTube, Vimeo etc; Images to FlckR, Articles? Presentations? etc)
• Do people know about your business?

Credible –

• What initial impact does the site make?
• Does it meet the visitor’s expectations?
• Does it match what the property is actually like?

Purposeful –

• Have you made it clear what you want the visitor to do?
• Contact?
• Enquire? Book?
• Does it achieve the Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) set for the site?

Accessible –

• Have you used technologies that make it difficult for screen readers (and search engines!) to access?
• Do the images have alternative text associated with them?
• Does the site comply with legal requirements?

Usable –

• Is the navigation clear?
• Can the visitor easily get around the site or do you leave them hanging?
• Have you used mechanisms that make navigating easy?

Useful –

• Have you used the right words to attract your type of customers?
• Does the site help them make a decision? Is it generating business?

Valuable –

• Will site visitors think that the visit has answered their questions?
• Do you have statistics and do you use them? Was it worth the cost?

Desirable –

• Do the graphics and words add value?
• Does the site match all other marketing materials and more importantly the actual business?
• Thinking as a customer would – do you impress?

Scores

• 0 – 15:
  Take your site off-line as it’s doing your business more harm than good – “Call us now!”
• 16 – 30:
  Under performing and serious action needs to be taken – “Call us sometime really soon!”
• 31 – 45:
  You are losing business but the site is performing to minimum desired levels – “Call us sometime soon!”
• 46 – 60:
  The site is performing well but there are still opportunities to improve – “Call us sometime!”
• 61 – 80:
  Excellent! You should be teaching other people how to generate business on-line! – “You must have called us already!”