Hey hey, friend! Can we talk about something that is probably sitting on your to-do list right now, quietly judging you?
Your website.
I know. You’ve been meaning to update it. You’ve told yourself you’ll get to it when things slow down. And somehow it’s almost Q2 and your homepage still has that photo from three years ago, your testimonials are from clients you worked with before you even really knew what you were doing, and your CTA button still says “Learn More” which, let’s be honest, is doing absolutely nothing for anyone.
Here’s the thing about spring: it gives us all permission to reset. To look around at what’s cluttered, what’s outdated, and what’s just not working anymore, and actually do something about it. And your website? It desperately wants to be on that list.
I’ve talked before about why your website is your number one sales tool and how strong branding actually brings business through the door. Today we’re getting practical. Here are seven things you can audit and refresh on your website right now before Q2 hits, each one with a quick DIY tip and a note on what we handle for you inside our Signature Package.
Let’s spring clean your website, friend.
1. Your Homepage Headline
Let’s start at the very top because this is where most websites lose people before they even have a chance.
Your homepage headline is the first thing a visitor reads. And it needs to do one very specific job: tell them immediately what you do, who you do it for, and why they should care. Not in a clever, cryptic, “we help you unlock your potential” kind of way. In a clear, direct, “this is exactly what I offer and here’s why it matters for you” kind of way.
Read your headline right now. Does it pass that test? If someone who has never heard of you landed on your site this second, would they know within three seconds whether you can help them?
If the answer is anything other than a confident yes, it’s time for a refresh.
Quick DIY tip: Rewrite your headline using this simple formula: I help [who you serve] do [what result you deliver] so they can [bigger outcome they want]. It doesn’t have to be fancy. It has to be clear.
In our Signature Package: We write all of your website copy from scratch, including a homepage headline that’s strategically crafted to speak directly to your ideal client and built to convert from the first scroll.
2. Your About Page Photo
I know, I know. You hate getting your photo taken. But friend, if your About page still has a photo from five years and two hair colors ago, or worse, no photo at all, we need to have a conversation.
Your About page photo is doing more than you think. It’s the moment a potential client puts a face to your name. It’s where they decide if they like you, if they trust you, and if they can picture themselves working with you. A blurry, outdated, or absent photo tells them one thing: this business owner isn’t investing in their own brand.
And before you say “I’ll update it when I get new brand photos,” let me stop you right there. A clean, well-lit photo taken on your phone in front of a neutral wall is one hundred times better than an outdated photo or no photo at all. Done is better than perfect here.
Quick DIY tip: Find a spot in your home or office with good natural light, put your phone on a timer or hand it to a friend, wear something you feel great in, and take thirty photos. You only need one good one. Use it today.
In our Signature Package: We collaborate with top brand photographers to ensure your website photography is cohesive, professional, and completely on brand from day one.
3. Your Testimonials
Testimonials are one of the most powerful trust-building tools on your entire website. And yet most business owners either don’t have enough of them, have them buried somewhere no one will ever find them, or are still showing the same three reviews from clients they worked with years ago.
Here’s what your testimonials should be doing: they should be showing up on every single page of your website, speaking directly to the fears and hesitations your ideal client has right now, and sounding specific enough to be believable. Generic testimonials like “She was great to work with!” are nice but they don’t move the needle. Specific testimonials that speak to results, experience, and transformation? Those are the ones that close deals.
Quick DIY tip: Reach out to three recent clients this week and ask them one specific question: “What was your biggest hesitation before working with me and how did that change?” The answers will give you testimonials that actually convert.
In our Signature Package: We strategically place testimonials throughout your website at exactly the moments your visitors need a confidence boost, turning social proof into a conversion tool rather than an afterthought.
4. Your CTA Buttons
If your website has a button that says “Learn More,” “Click Here,” or “Submit,” I need you to go change it right now. I am not kidding. Those phrases are the beige walls of website copy. They say nothing, they inspire nothing, and they convert nobody.
Your CTA buttons are one of the easiest and highest-impact changes you can make to your website today. Every button on your site should tell your visitor exactly what is going to happen when they click it and make them feel excited about doing so.
Think about the difference between “Submit” and “Yes, I’m Ready!” Or “Learn More” and “Show Me What’s Possible.” One is a chore. The other is an invitation. Which one would you click?
Quick DIY tip: Go through every page of your website right now and find every CTA button. Rewrite each one to be specific, action-oriented, and aligned with what your visitor actually gets when they click. It takes twenty minutes and the difference is immediate.
In our Signature Package: Every CTA on your website is written with intention, placed strategically, and designed to guide your visitor naturally toward the next step without ever feeling pushy or salesy.
5. Mobile Optimization
Here’s a stat that should make you put down your coffee and grab your phone: more than half of all web traffic comes from mobile devices. More than half. Which means right now, the majority of people visiting your website are seeing it on a screen the size of their hand.
Pull up your website on your phone right now. Actually do it. Is the text readable? Are the buttons easy to tap? Does the layout look intentional or does it look like everything just got squished together and hoped for the best? Is your navigation easy to find and use?
If you’re wincing at any of those answers, your mobile experience is costing you clients. And this is not a small problem. Google also uses mobile-first indexing, which means your mobile site directly impacts your search rankings. A site that looks bad on mobile doesn’t just frustrate visitors. It hurts your SEO.
Quick DIY tip: Go through every page of your website on your phone and make note of anything that looks broken, squished, or hard to read. If you’re on Showit, most of these fixes are drag-and-drop simple. If you’re on another platform, look for mobile-specific layout settings in your editor.
In our Signature Package: Every website we build is fully optimized for mobile from the ground up. We design and review the mobile version of every single page before we ever hit publish.
Grab the Website Gut Check Before You Keep Reading
Okay, friend. We’re halfway through the list and I want to make sure you’re actually taking action on these, not just nodding along and closing the tab.
Our free Website Gut Check is a 10-point checklist that walks you through exactly what a high-converting website needs. It’s the perfect companion to this post and it takes about ten minutes to complete. Grab it now and audit your site as we go through the rest of this list.
6. Page Speed
This one is less glamorous than a new homepage headline or a fresh photo but it matters just as much. Page speed is exactly what it sounds like: how fast your website loads. And if your site is slow, people are leaving before they ever see a single word of your carefully crafted copy.
Research shows that 53% of mobile users will abandon a site that takes longer than three seconds to load. Three seconds. That’s nothing. And yet so many small business websites are loading in six, eight, ten seconds because of oversized images, too many plugins, or bloated code that nobody has cleaned up in years.
Quick DIY tip: Go to Google PageSpeed Insights (it’s free, just Google it) and run your website URL through the tool. It will show you your current speed score and give you a list of specific things to fix. The most common culprit is image file size. Compress your images using a free tool like TinyPNG and reupload them. That one change alone can make a significant difference.
In our Signature Package: We optimize every image, review every page for speed, and build your site on Showit which is already optimized for fast load times. We also handle all the technical setup including hosting, SSL, and DNS so your site launches fast and stays that way.
7. Brand Consistency
Last but absolutely not least: does your website actually look like your brand? And I mean your whole brand, not just the version of it you happened to use when you built the site two years ago.
This one is sneaky because brand inconsistency tends to creep up on you slowly. You update your Instagram aesthetic. You start using a new color in your Canva graphics. You swap out your headshot for a new one with a completely different vibe. And suddenly your website, your social media, your email signature, and your business cards all look like they belong to four different businesses.
Consistency is one of the most underrated trust builders in branding. When everything looks cohesive, polished, and intentional, people trust you more. When things look mismatched, even if they can’t put their finger on why, something feels off. And that feeling? It makes people hesitate.
Quick DIY tip: Pull up your website, your Instagram, and your most recent marketing materials side by side. Are you using the same fonts, the same colors, and the same overall vibe across all of them? If not, pick one as your north star and start bringing everything else into alignment.
In our Signature Package: Brand consistency is built into everything we do. We design your website using your complete brand identity system so every color, font, and design element is intentional and cohesive from day one.
If This List Feels Overwhelming, That’s What We’re Here For
Here’s the honest truth: some of these fixes you can absolutely do yourself this week. Change your CTA buttons. Update your photo. Reach out for new testimonials. Those are quick wins that will make a real difference.
But some of this, the copywriting, the mobile optimization, the brand consistency, the technical stuff, is exactly what we do inside our Signature Brand and Website Package. We take the overwhelm completely off your plate and build you something you’re proud to send every single client to.
And here’s the thing about Q2: it’s almost here. The businesses that show up to it with a polished, strategic, professional online presence are the ones that hit the ground running. The ones that keep saying “I’ll get to it later” are the ones still saying the same thing in Q3.
You’ve been meaning to do this for a while now. This is your sign.
Ready to Spring Clean Your Website for Real?
Here’s how to take the next step:
Start with the free audit: Download the Website Gut Check and score your site in ten minutes. You’ll know exactly what needs attention and where to focus first.
Want an affordable DIY option? Check out our Showit website templates, strategically designed and ready to customize so your site looks professional without the custom price tag.
Ready for us to do the spring cleaning for you? We have a limited number of spots open for spring brand and website design projects and they are filling up. Book a connection call and let’s talk about building something you’re proud to send people to.
You’re really good at what you do, friend. Let’s make sure your website shows it.
xo, Makena
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How often should I update my website? At minimum, you should do a full website audit every quarter. That means checking your copy, photos, testimonials, CTAs, and mobile experience to make sure everything is still accurate, on brand, and performing well. Beyond that, update your site any time something significant changes in your business, like new services, new pricing, new branding, or new results to share.
What is the most important thing to fix on my website first? Start with your homepage headline. It’s the first thing every visitor sees and it sets the tone for the entire experience. If your headline doesn’t immediately communicate what you do, who you help, and why they should care, everything else on the page is working twice as hard to compensate. Fix that first and you’ll see an immediate improvement in how long people stay on your site.
How do I know if my website is hurting my business? A few clear signs: your bounce rate is high (people are leaving after viewing only one page), you’re getting traffic but few inquiries, potential clients frequently ask questions that are already answered on your site, or you feel embarrassed sending people to your website. If any of those sound familiar, your website needs attention.
Do I need a completely new website or can I just refresh what I have? It depends on how far off your current site is from where you need to be. Sometimes a refresh, updating copy, photos, and CTAs, is enough to make a significant difference. Other times, especially if your brand has evolved significantly or your site is built on a platform that limits your design flexibility, a full redesign is the smarter investment. Not sure which one you need? Grab the Website Gut Check and it will help you figure it out.
What is Showit and why do you recommend it? Showit is a drag-and-drop website platform that gives you full design freedom without any coding. We recommend it for service-based businesses because it looks incredibly professional, performs beautifully on mobile, and integrates with WordPress for blogging and SEO. It’s also easy to update yourself once your site is built, which means you’re never stuck waiting on a developer to make a simple change.
What does your Signature Brand and Website Package include? Our Signature Package includes a complete brand identity system, a fully custom five-page Showit website, done-for-you SEO-friendly copywriting, full launch support including hosting, DNS, and SSL setup, and a suite of bonuses including a Brand Voice GPT tool, launch graphics kit, legal page templates, and a video walkthrough library. It’s everything you need to show up online like the professional you already are.
