A website health check checklist for business owners

Start with a customer journey

A website can look finished while making an important task difficult. A contact form may reject a valid phone number. A product page may hide a delivery charge until the final step. A booking link may point to a page that no longer exists.

Choose one journey that matters to your business: buying a product, requesting a quote, booking an appointment, or reading an article. Start where a new visitor would start, rather than on a page you already know well. Follow the journey through to its confirmation.

• Can visitors understand the offer and the next step?
• Do the main links and buttons lead to the expected destination?
• Can the task be completed on a phone as well as a desktop?
• Does the confirmation explain what happens next?

Check forms beyond the submit button

Test an empty submission, an invalid value, and a valid submission. Error messages should identify the field that needs attention and explain how to correct it. Visitors should not have to re-enter unrelated information after one mistake.

For a contact form, a success message is not the whole test. Use an approved test enquiry and verify that it reaches the expected inbox or customer system. For a purchase or booking, use a test environment or an agreed test procedure to avoid real charges and unwanted reservations.

Look for friction on smaller screens

Open the site on an actual phone when possible. Check whether navigation, consent banners, and sticky elements leave enough space for the main content. Try a longer product name or a page with more text than usual.

Also navigate with the keyboard. Check that focus is visible, controls have useful labels, and a menu or dialog can be closed without a mouse. An automated check can identify some issues, but it does not replace trying the complete journey.

Turn observations into an actionable list

Write down the affected URL, device, browser, steps, expected result, and actual result. Add a screenshot when it makes the problem easier to understand. Separate a confirmed defect from a question that needs more investigation.

Prioritize problems that prevent an essential task before cosmetic inconsistencies. After a fix, repeat the original steps and check nearby parts of the journey. Keep the evidence with the task so another person can verify the result.

• Blocked purchase, booking, or enquiry: investigate first.
• Confusing instructions or difficult navigation: assess the affected journey.
• Visual inconsistencies: schedule alongside their practical impact.