You don’t need consultants or expensive tools to identify critical homepage problems. Most issues are obvious once you know what to look for. Here’s a 20-minute audit you can run right now.

Minute 1-3: The 10-Second Clarity Test

Open your homepage in an incognito window. Set a timer for 10 seconds.

Can you immediately answer:

• What does this company do?
• Who is it for?
• What problem does it solve?

If any answer is unclear, you fail the most basic test. Nothing else matters if visitors can’t understand what you do in 10 seconds.

Quick fix: Rewrite your headline to answer all three questions directly.

Minute 4-6: Above the Fold Inventory

Without scrolling, what’s visible?

You need:

• Clear value proposition
• Who it’s for (ICP indicator)
• Primary CTA
• One trust signal (logo, metric, certification)

Red flags:

• Generic stock photos taking prime real estate
• Multiple competing CTAs
• No clear value proposition
• Company mission statement instead of customer value
• Important information hidden below fold

Quick fix: Prioritize ruthlessly. Move customer value above the fold. Push everything else down.

Minute 7-9: Value Proposition Analysis

Read your headline and subheadline aloud to someone unfamiliar with your company.

Ask them:

• Can you explain what we do?
• Would you know if this is relevant to you?
• What outcome would you get?

If they struggle, your messaging needs work.

Red flags:

• Clever wordplay that obscures meaning
• Industry jargon without context
• Features instead of outcomes
• Vague benefits (“improve efficiency”)
• Could apply to any company in any industry

Quick fix: Replace your headline with this formula: “[Specific outcome] for [specific ICP]”

Minute 10-11: CTA Effectiveness Check

Count your above-the-fold CTAs.

Ideal: 1 primary CTA (visually prominent) + 1 optional secondary CTA (visually subordinate)

Evaluate your primary CTA:

• Is it obvious where to look?
• Is the action clear? (“Schedule Demo” vs. vague “Learn More”)
• Is friction appropriate? (low for early stage, higher for qualified leads)
• Does clicking deliver on the promise?

Red flags:

• 3+ CTAs competing for attention
• Vague CTAs (“Get Started,” “Learn More”)
• High-friction first step (long forms, required sales calls)
• CTA leads somewhere unexpected

Quick fix: Pick ONE primary CTA. Make it visually prominent. Make the action specific and low-friction.

Minute 12-13: Trust Signal Audit

Scan your homepage for trust signals:

• Customer logos
• Testimonials
• Case studies
• Metrics (“trusted by 500+ enterprises”)
• Security certifications
• Awards or recognition

Questions:

• Do you have at least one above the fold?
• Are they specific or generic?
• Are they current or outdated?
• Are they relevant to your ICP?

Red flags:

• No trust signals above the fold
• Generic claims without proof
• Outdated testimonials or old dates
• Unknown companies as social proof
• Fake-looking testimonials without attribution

Quick fix: Feature your single best trust signal prominently above the fold.

Minute 14-15: Mobile Experience Check

Pull up your homepage on mobile (or use Chrome DevTools mobile emulation).

Check:

• Does key information fit without excessive scrolling?
• Is text readable without zooming?
• Are CTAs tappable (not too small)?
• Does the page load quickly?
• Is navigation usable?

Red flags:

• Tiny text requiring zoom
• CTAs too small to tap easily
• Horizontal scrolling required
• Important content pushed way down
• Slow load times

Quick fix: Test on actual mobile device. Mobile traffic is often 40%+ of B2B traffic.

Minute 16-17: Speed Test

Run a quick Lighthouse audit in Chrome DevTools (right-click → Inspect → Lighthouse tab).

Key metrics:

• First Contentful Paint (should be <1.8s)
• Time to Interactive (should be <3.8s)
• Overall Performance score (aim for 90+)

Common culprits:

• Unoptimized images (huge file sizes)
• Too many scripts loading
• No caching
• Slow server response
• Render-blocking resources

Quick fix: Compress and resize images. That alone often solves 80% of performance issues.

Minute 18-19: Conversion Path Analysis

Click through your primary CTA.

Ask:

• Is the next step clear?
• Is friction appropriate?
• Does the experience match the promise?
• Can visitors actually convert?

Example: If your CTA says “Start Free Trial” but leads to “Schedule a call with sales,” you’ve broken trust.

Red flags:

• CTA leads somewhere unexpected
• Required information is excessive
• Form has obvious errors
• No confirmation of submission
• Unclear what happens next

Quick fix: Match the post-click experience to the CTA promise. Reduce form fields to bare minimum.

Minute 20: Bounce Rate Reality Check

Open Google Analytics and check:

• Homepage bounce rate
• Average time on page
• Exit rate

Benchmarks for B2B:

• Bounce rate: 40-60% is normal, 70%+ is concerning
• Time on page: 60-120 seconds is healthy
• Exit rate: Compare to other pages

If bounce rate is high:

• Clarity problem (they don’t understand)
• Relevance problem (wrong audience)
• Trust problem (don’t believe you)
• Speed problem (page loads too slowly)

Go back through this audit and address the biggest gaps.

The Prioritized Fix List

You probably found multiple issues. Don’t try to fix everything at once.

Priority 1 (fix this week):

• Unclear value proposition
• Missing or weak CTA
• Page speed issues
• Mobile usability problems

Priority 2 (fix this month):

• Weak trust signals
• Poor information hierarchy
• High-friction conversion path
• Missing objection handling

Priority 3 (fix this quarter):

• Content depth
• Segmentation
• Personalization
• Advanced optimization

Start with Priority 1. Fixing critical issues produces the biggest return.

The Ongoing Audit Process

Homepage optimization isn’t one-and-done. Run this audit:

• Monthly for active optimization periods
• Quarterly for maintenance
• Immediately after major changes
• When metrics deteriorate

Your homepage should continuously improve based on real user behavior and business results.

What This Audit Doesn’t Cover

This 20-minute audit catches obvious problems. It doesn’t cover:

• Detailed user behavior analysis (heatmaps, session recordings)
• A/B testing and statistical validation
• Deep competitive analysis
• Content strategy and SEO
• Advanced conversion optimization

For those, you need more time and expertise.

Common Patterns in Problem Homepages

Most struggling homepages share these issues:

• Unclear value proposition (by far the most common)
• Weak or missing trust signals
• High-friction CTAs
• Poor mobile experience
• Slow load times
• Generic, vague messaging

Fix these fundamentals before worrying about advanced optimization.

Your Action Items

After completing this audit:

1. Document the 3 biggest issues you found
2. Estimate impact vs. effort for each
3. Pick one to fix this week
4. Measure the results
5. Iterate

Small improvements compound. You don’t need a complete redesign—just systematic identification and fixing of issues.

Want an expert audit that goes deeper than this 20-minute checklist? Get a comprehensive homepage analysis that identifies every conversion killer and provides specific fixes. Learn more at hmpgr.com.