Homepage Audit Checklist: 30 Questions to Find Where Visitors Drop Off

Before you redesign a homepage, find out what's actually wrong with it. Often the answer is three paragraphs of copy and one missing screenshot, not a new site. This checklist gives you 30 questions in the order we ask them as a team that writes, designs and builds: message first, then structure, then build. Each group ends with a note on what a 'no' usually means.

How do you audit a homepage for conversion problems?

You audit a homepage for conversion problems by walking through it as a first-time visitor, asking specific questions about each section, and then checking your answers against real behavior data. The checklist finds candidate problems; analytics and recordings tell you which ones actually cost you visitors.

The section order behind these questions comes from our SaaS homepage guide. Set aside two hours, open the homepage on desktop and on a phone, and answer each question with a plain yes or no. Write down why for every 'no'.

1. 1

   Check the data foundation

   Confirm events fire on the main buttons and forms. Without this you can't measure anything you change.

2. 2

   Run a five-second test

   Show the first screen to three to five people outside the company for five seconds, then ask what the product does and who it's for.

3. 3

   Walk the checklist

   Answer the 30 questions below, section by section, on desktop and mobile.

4. 4

   Watch real sessions

   Review ten to twenty recordings of homepage visits and note where people stop scrolling, rage-click or leave.

5. 5

   Sort the findings

   Label each problem as rewrite, redesign or rebuild, then estimate effort.

Is the homepage hero clear? (Questions 1 to 6)

The hero is clear when a stranger can say what the product does, who it's for and what to do next after one look. This is where most homepages fail, and it's the cheapest part to fix.

1. Does the headline say what the product does or the outcome it delivers, in plain words?
2. Does the hero name or clearly imply who the product is for?
3. Would the headline still be true, and still distinctive, if a competitor used it? (It shouldn't be.)
4. Does the subheadline add a specific how, not just a second slogan?
5. Is there one primary button with a label that says what happens next?
6. Do five-second testers describe the product roughly the way you would?

A 'no' here is almost always a copy problem. Rewrite the hero before touching anything else, because every later section depends on the visitor understanding this one.

Does the homepage show the product and its uses? (Questions 7 to 12)

The homepage shows the product well when the real interface appears early, is cropped to prove the headline, and is followed by use cases written in the buyer's terms.

1. Is there a real product view within the first one or two screens?
2. Does the product visual prove the headline, rather than showing a generic dashboard?
3. Is the visual legible on a phone?
4. Are use cases or outcomes described as jobs the buyer does, not as feature names?
5. Are there five or fewer main use cases, so each gets real space?
6. If you use an interactive demo or video, does it support the primary action instead of competing with it? See interactive demos on the homepage.

Does the homepage prove its claims? (Questions 13 to 18)

The homepage proves its claims when every important statement has evidence nearby: customer logos, specific quotes, approved numbers or case studies.

1. Is there a logo band or similar signal near the top?
2. Are the logos from companies your target buyer recognizes as peers?
3. Do quotes name a real person, role and company?
4. Is each quote specific about what changed, rather than generic praise?
5. Is every number on the page approved by the customer and dated or scoped?
6. Is there a link to at least one case study for buyers who want depth?

Does the homepage explain why you over the alternatives? (Questions 19 to 23)

The homepage explains why you when it names the alternative a buyer uses today and says specifically what's better about switching. Most homepages skip this, leaving the buyer to work out the difference alone.

1. Does any section name the alternative, whether a competitor category, spreadsheets or doing nothing?
2. Is the difference specific enough that a competitor couldn't claim it?
3. Does the page answer the practical objections: security, integrations, setup effort?
4. Can a buyer find pricing, or at least a pricing link, within one click?
5. Is there a different path for visitors who aren't ready to buy, such as a demo video or a guide? For mixed audiences, see homepage for multiple audiences.

Is the homepage built to convert and to be measured? (Questions 24 to 30)

The homepage is built to convert when it loads quickly, works on mobile, keeps the primary action visible and records what visitors do. These are build problems, and they can undo good copy and design.

1. Does the first screen load quickly on a mid-range phone on mobile data?
2. Do hero videos, animations or third-party scripts delay the headline from appearing?
3. Is the primary action repeated in the navigation and at the end of the page?
4. Is the navigation short, labelled by buyer need, with a visible login link?
5. Do analytics events fire on every primary and secondary button and form?
6. Can you see homepage-to-signup or homepage-to-demo conversion as its own number? See how to calculate conversion rate.
7. Is there a way to hear from visitors who leave, such as a one-question poll? See on-site surveys and polls.

If tracking fails, fix it first and wait a few weeks before making other changes. Our guide to conversion tracking for landing pages covers the events to set up.

What should you do with homepage audit findings?

Sort homepage audit findings into three buckets: rewrite, redesign and rebuild. This tells you whether you need a copywriter for a few days, a design project or a new build, and it stops a copy problem from turning into an expensive redesign.

If the audit turns up mostly redesign and rebuild issues, a broader review using the website redesign checklist is the next step. For individual campaign pages, the landing page audit checklist applies the same thinking with different questions.