Your website shouldn't make people work so hard.
If someone has to hunt around for a simple answer, a schedule, a service or a way to get in touch, something needs fixing. And it might not require rebuilding the whole website.
Your website isn't for you to figure out. It's for your visitors.
You know your business inside out. Your visitors don't. They shouldn't need to learn your terminology, understand your organization chart or click through six pages just to get somewhere useful.
I've been on websites where I know the information is there, but finding it feels like a scavenger hunt. It's frustrating. And if I'm frustrated, chances are someone else is too.
Three ways a website makes people work too hard.
These things seem small until you're the person trying to use the site.
“Where on earth is it?”
Important information is tucked into unexpected menus or hidden under labels that only make sense internally.
“Why is this so complicated?”
Someone wants to book, pay, register or get in touch. Instead, they're sent through a maze of pages.
“Am I even in the right place?”
Lots of nice words, but no clear explanation of the service, who it's for or what to do next.
You might not need a brand-new website.
Sometimes a clearer menu, better wording or one less click makes a bigger difference than an expensive redesign.
Start with the visitor.
Who is coming to the site, and what are they trying to get done? Build around those answers, not your internal departments.
Use normal words.
Call it “Schedule,” “Pricing” or “Contact” when that's what it is. Clever menu names aren't worth making someone guess.
Make the next step easy.
If booking, paying, requesting information or registering matters to your business, make that action easy to find and complete.
Check the phone version.
Small screens have a way of exposing the things that don't quite work. Test the actual experience, not just how the page looks.
My favourite test: Ask someone who doesn't know your website to find one specific thing. Don't help. Watch where they get stuck. You'll learn a lot.
Where is your website making people work too hard?
Think of someone visiting for the first time. Could they find the information they need and do what they came to do, without help?
This isn't a technical audit. It's a quick reality check. Answer honestly and you'll leave with a short list of things worth fixing.
There are no trick questions. You can skip any you're not sure about. Your answers stay in your browser and aren't sent to OneRecruits.
Where I'd start
Nothing is emailed or submitted. This is your own working copy. If you'd like another perspective, you can reach me through Let's Talk.
Fix the frustrating bits first.
You don't have to solve everything at once. Start with the problems making it hardest for someone to find information, trust what they're seeing or take the next step.
Broken links, confusing navigation, forms that don't work and important details that are hard to find.
Simplify the wording, improve mobile layouts and make the most useful actions easier to see.
Sometimes the underlying structure really does need work. But you'll make that decision with a much better understanding of why.
A website should make things easier. For everyone.
You know your business. Sometimes you just need a fresh set of eyes to see where the website isn't helping people understand it.
If you've spotted a few things that aren't working, I'm happy to take a look and talk through what might make them better. No complicated pitch required.