Your website isn’t a dishwasher. You can’t just “set it and forget it”!
Too many brands invest in beautiful web design, craft compelling copy, hit publish, and then… nothing. For years.
I get it! Your website feels “done,” and there are a million other things demanding your attention. Plus, if it’s not obviously broken – why fix it, right?
But even if you refreshed your website a year ago, your business isn’t exactly the same. Your audience has evolved. Your competitors have upped their game. And that website copy might no longer be doing its job.
I’ve worked with business owners who haven’t touched their website copy in five years and others who obsess over every word and make constant changes. Publishing thought leadership content (blogs, podcasts, videos) on a monthly basis – at a minimum – is a must for SEO purposes, but you really don’t need to do a full overhaul every month.
That’s why I recommend an annual audit!
Think of it like getting an annual check-up for your business. You might feel fine, but a check-up can catch issues before they become expensive problems.
So grab a coffee and let’s walk through your website together with these 10 questions.
Question 1: Have Your Products or Services Changed?
The most obvious reason to rewrite portions of your website is when you add, eliminate, or change a product or service. Your website needs to reflect your current offerings to be a reliable and credible resource for your business.
For each product/service, ensure website visitors get a clear picture of what it includes and how to purchase from you. The copy should be descriptive yet concise. Focus on benefits, not just features!
Your products and services might each have their own subpages, but I challenge you to also update your website’s homepage to reflect your best offerings. Most people will only spend time on your homepage. Make sure you grab their attention!
Question 2: Have Your Primary Revenue Sources Shifted?
Even if your offers haven’t changed, their popularity might be shifting. Your website homepage should emphasize what people are actually buying from you.
For example, I used to prioritize social media management as one of my primary services. But for most brands, social media marketing alone doesn’t cut it anymore. Many of my clients expanded into more comprehensive packages that included email marketing and blog writing, resulting in better ROI for them. That’s when I rewrote my website’s homepage to emphasize these all-encompassing content-writing services.
So run the numbers and analyze what is actually taking off (or not taking off) in your business. Adjust or streamline your website homepage copy to reflect your biggest revenue drivers.
Question 3: Has Your Target Audience Evolved?
I’m going to assume you don’t have a generic, “trying to appeal to everybody” website. If you did, a brand-new website is a must!
Most established brands are firmly rooted in their target audiences, but when was the last time you took a good, hard look at who is actually buying (or needs to buy) from you?
I’ll volunteer myself as tribute on this one!
When this blog is published in late April 2026, my website content will still need adjustments to reflect my evolving target audience. While I’ve primarily worked directly with business owners over the years, agency relationships have also been a priority. And over the last year or so, most of my new business has come from marketing and web design agencies. So I need to write some of my website copy to reflect this shift!
So ask yourself this same question: Has your audience shifted? The demographics may not have shifted completely, but their motivations and pain points may have changed. Tweak your content to reflect this reality.
Question 4: Has Your Bounce Rate Increased?
If most visitors are leaving your website immediately after arriving, your copy is likely the culprit. A rising bounce rate (find this on your Google Analytics) often signals that your content isn’t connecting with your audience or doesn’t match what they expected to find when they clicked through.
This disconnect can happen when:
- Your site doesn’t align with what your ads and social media posts promise.
- Your value proposition isn’t immediately clear.
People are busy when they’re online, and they make snap judgments within seconds. If they can’t quickly understand what you do and how it helps them, they’ll hit the “back” button.
Approach 1
Get an outside perspective on your user experience. Ask a friend who has never been on your website to click through it in front of you. Ask them to explain what they’re seeing, how they’re feeling, and what their impressions are of your website content, design elements, etc. Note any moments of confusion (industry jargon, too-clever wordplay), questions that arise, and pauses in their navigation.
Approach 2
Work with a web design expert to audit your site! Your goal is to create instant clarity for people who land on your site. You can even test different headlines and opening statements (“one-liners,” using Storybrand nomenclature), then monitor your analytics to see which versions keep people engaged longer.
Question 5: Do Visitors Spend <30 Seconds on Your Homepage?
Similar to your bounce rate, we want to see how long people stick around on your site – especially your homepage.
When people land on your homepage and immediately leave, it’s usually because your content didn’t hook their attention or guide them to a logical next step. Your homepage should work like a skilled salesperson – engaging visitors quickly, providing a logical flow (or story) throughout the homepage, and then directing them deeper into your site.
Short visit times often indicate that your content is either too dense and overwhelming, or too vague and unhelpful. Visitors might also be confused about what action they should take next, leading them to abandon your site rather than figure out how to move forward.
To solve this, restructure your homepage with scannable content that guides the eye naturally down the page. Use compelling subheadings, bullet points, and plenty of white space.
Most importantly, make sure your website includes plenty of calls-to-action that tell visitors exactly what to do next. More on that in the next section!
Question 6: When is the Last Time You Rewrote Your CTAs?
Make a quick list of all your call-to-action (CTA) buttons throughout your website. Then, I challenge you to rewrite at least half of them – especially any place you’re using generic “Learn More” verbiage!
Even good CTAs can be adjusted: “Buy Now” could become “Make This Yours” and “Book an Appointment” could become “Begin Your Transformation.” This refreshed CTA copy could be just what you need to improve conversions on your site.
Of course, if your list of CTAs generated just 2-3 across your entire site, your problem isn’t rewriting – it’s adding more! Go through each page and make sure you’re telling your visitors a very clear next step at reasonable points throughout the content.
Need help with CTA writing? Download my free list of 99 Website CTAs to get your creative juices flowing.
Question 7: Have Your Conversion Rates Declined?
If fewer visitors are taking action on your website – email list signups, contact form submissions, shopping cart completions, freebie downloads, phone calls, or nonprofit donations – your copy might not be compelling enough. Declining conversion rates often indicate that your messaging isn’t motivating people to take action.
Every single “next step” conversion point needs to clearly communicate the value of taking that next step. People need to understand what they’ll get!
Make a list of all your conversion points and look critically at the copy – headlines, body text, bullet points, forms, and buttons – related to each. Then, you can work with a skilled writer to rewrite the copy around these elements.
Here are some examples:
- Email signups: Specify what subscribers will receive and how often. A financial services company might promise, “Our monthly email newsletter includes market updates and valuable insights from our Chief Investment Officer.”
- Contact forms: Explain what happens after someone submits their information – “We will get back to your message within 2 business days.”
- Shopping carts: Address common objections (such as linking your return policy) and emphasize urgency or scarcity when appropriate. Phrases like “limited quantity available” and “sale ends in __ hours” work well.
- Freebie downloads: Succinctly explain the specific value and outcome they’ll achieve from your resource (“You’ll save hours every week), not just what it contains.
- Phone calls: State what type of conversation they can expect, or spell out what you’ll do if they are leaving a voicemail. You can even mention who will be answering the phone; e.g. “Our friendly receptionist, Ellie, looks forward to scheduling your appointment.”
- Donations: Connect the gift directly to a tangible impact that donors can visualize. A church might say, for example, “Your gift directly supports our local outreach ministries.”
Are you getting the picture? Even just small copy tweaks can dramatically improve your conversion rates across your website!
Question 8: Do Prospects Frequently Ask Basic Questions?
The vast majority of prospective clients/customers will not read every word on your website. But are you making it very easy for the most basic questions to be answered?
If you’re frequently answering the same questions, over and over, this might be a sign that your website isn’t doing a good enough job of helping people find those answers for themselves. An easy way to fix this is with a dedicated FAQ page plus shorter FAQ sections sprinkled throughout your website on the pages that make sense.
Of course, your customer service protocols shouldn’t change, and you’re not telling callers to “just read the website”! You’re simply making it easier for people to empower themselves to find the information they need, at the moment they’re already exploring your brand online.
Question 9: Does Your About Page Make You Cringe?
If you haven’t touched your About page in a while, now’s the time. Audit the content for outdated information, awkward phrasing, and a tone that no longer matches your current brand voice.
The average About page focuses too much on the brand and not enough on why it matters. When people click on your About page, they’re not just looking for your background – they want to understand why your credentials matter to them and their specific challenges.
Here are the most common About page problems that signal it’s time for a rewrite:
- Your story feels frozen in time. Do you use phrases like “founded five years ago”? Change this to “founded in (year)” so the copy is timeless.
- It reads like a resume. Walls of text about your education and work history are boring. Write a story; show your personality; make people care.
- Your mission has evolved. A brand’s goals and target audience often shift over time, so make sure you’re only including current info.
For detailed guidance on crafting an About page that authentically showcases your brand, check out my complete guide.
Question 10: Does Your Website Showcase Fresh Testimonials?
Social proof is one of the most powerful conversion tools on your website. But if your testimonials mention services you no longer offer or are from clients you haven’t spoken to in years, it’s time for a refresh.
Fresh customer/client stories show exactly what people can expect from your brand. The easiest thing to do is visit your Google profile and copy some of those testimonials onto your website. Then, send emails to your best customers/clients and ask them to share their experiences with you.
Read this article for detailed scripts and strategies for collecting powerful testimonials and case studies.
Time for a Website Content Intervention!
Don’t let outdated website copy be the silent killer of your conversion rates. If this audit revealed areas for improvement, consider it an investment opportunity!
Every piece of copy you update is a chance to better connect with your ideal customers and drive more business results. Make sure you reach out to me if you want a writer who can achieve this for you efficiently!