Guide to detecting potential improvements on a website

How to know if a website is failing

Certain situations may indicate that a website requires urgent attention and detecting them in time is crucial to maintaining business continuity. Below are some common examples:

• Drop in conversions: if visits remain constant but conversions (purchases, registrations, contact requests) decrease, there might be a hidden problem. For instance, slow loading times can cause users to leave the page before interacting.

• Poor functionality on mobile devices: if the page is not adapted to mobile devices, for example, with non-responsive menus or incomplete texts, users will leave before taking any action.

• Campaigns without results: when launching promotions or campaigns, the expected visits and interactions are not generated. This may be due to broken links, outdated content, or unclear navigation that confuses the user.

• Failures in essential functions: forms that don't submit, carts that don't add products correctly, or buttons that don't work. Small technical failures prevent completing key actions.

Therefore, it's advisable to pay attention to aspects such as:

• Non-responsive design which hinders viewing on different devices.

• Slow loading speed, harming SEO and user experience.

• Outdated content affecting credibility.

• Broken links are making navigation difficult.

• Unclear or ineffective calls to action (CTAs) reducing conversions.

According to Google, 53% of users leave a website if it takes more than 3 seconds to load.

Website review checklist: Aspects to consider

Small businesses and self-employed entrepreneurs can use this list as a starting point to review their websites.

1. Design and user experience:

   • Navigation is clear and intuitive.

   • The site is displayed correctly on all devices.

   • The design reflects brand identity and conveys professionalism.

2. Content:

   • Information, such as texts, prices, or opening hours, is up to date.

   • Images are optimised and of high quality.

   • There is content that provides added value.

3. SEO and technical performance:

   • Loading speed is optimal (less than 3 seconds).

   • URLs, titles, and descriptions are optimised.

   • Internal links follow a coherent structure and facilitate navigation.

   • Forms and buttons respond correctly.

Free tools to evaluate and improve:

The following tools allow you to identify errors and optimise a website without the need for investment.

• Google PageSpeed: analyses loading speed and offers recommendations to improve performance on computers and mobile devices.

• Responsively App: allows you to test multiple screen resolutions in real time.

• Ubersuggest: provides data on keywords, SEO, and overall performance.

• Wappalyzer: identifies the technologies used on a website, such as CMS or plugins, to detect potential vulnerabilities.

• Google Search Console: monitors indexing errors, broken links, and SEO issues.

• Ahrefs Broken Link Checker: scans a website to find broken links that affect navigation.

A poorly functioning website can have a negative impact on reputation, commercial performance, and customer experience. For small businesses, conducting regular reviews and implementing small technical improvements can make a difference.

If you want to learn more about website management and online positioning, visit our content section.