Today, we’re talking about your website and just simply whether or not your website is working for you or if it’s hurting your business… because yes, sometimes “just having a website” isn’t the answer and it is possible that if it’s hurting your business, then it would be better to bypass the website altogether (I’m not saying I recommend that, but if it’s really not working for you, that might be your best option until you get one that does!). This quick website audit should help you decide!
Basically, if you’ve ever wondered, “Is my website actually working?” — as in, is it doing the job it’s supposed to — then this is your episode.
Alright friends, we have five questions — basically five elements or components of your website — that we’re looking at today to figure out: is my website helping me or hurting me? And if it’s hurting you, what do you need to do to get things working the right way?
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Real quick, though, if you’re new here, new to this podcast, or new to me… or maybe you’ve listened to a few episodes but you’re thinking, “I don’t actually know what this girl’s background is — who even is she and why is she talking about this?,” let me give you a 30-second spiel.
I’m Elizabeth. I’ve been a professional website designer for 10 years and a business owner for about 9.5. I’ve designed sites on Squarespace, WordPress, Showit, Weebly, Wix, and even custom-coded sites — you name it.
For the last five-ish years (really more like six or seven — time is a blur), I’ve focused exclusively on Showit. I’ve built custom websites for clients, and I've also sold website templates (which are pre-made sites you buy and customize, or hire someone to customize).
Now, I primarily design and sell website templates at elizabethmccray.com. And I’ve helped thousands of small business owners with their websites — from people launching their very first site (which is one of my favorite things to celebrate!) to people working on their tenth version, or coming over to my add-on templates after working with another designer.
Okay, little background done. Now let’s get into it. These are the things I look at, based on my experience as a website designer, to figure out whether what you currently have is working for you or if it’s time to change things up. And just a note: changing things up does not always mean starting from scratch. It can be a full overhaul, or it can mean adjusting and adding in a few strategic things.
Read more: 3 Tiny Website Updates to Maximize SEO and User Trust in 2025
Step 1: The 30-Second Test
If someone landed on your homepage right now, and we are focusing specifically on your homepage for this, would someone who doesn’t know you immediately understand:
- who you are (or what your business is),
- what you do, and
- who it’s for
within 10–30 seconds?
If the answer is “maybe” or “probably not without clicking around” — that’s your first clue that your site might be confusing people.
You want to make it super obvious what your company does and who it’s for. Your headline, the big text someone sees first, should clearly say what you do. This is not the place to be super cute or overly clever.
Clarity always beats cuteness. Clarity also beats industry jargon your ideal client might not understand. And clarity definitely beats fluffy “word-salad” phrases.
For example, instead of something vague like:
“Making magic happen online”
(which could mean anything), you’d want something clear like:
“Strategic Showit website templates for creative entrepreneurs.”
Same for photographers. Instead of:
“Capturing your beautiful moments from behind the lens”
(which only implies photography), try something like:
“Seaside Florida luxury wedding photographer.”
You're telling the location, the style, and the type of photography and actually using the word photographer.
Getting really specific helps your visitor immediately know, “Okay, this is for me.” That’s when they’ll keep scrolling, or click to another page, or head over to your Instagram or TikTok — whatever they want to do next.
Here’s what I want you to do.
Either do this yourself or ask a friend, your spouse, your roommate — someone who already kind of knows what you do — and say, “Hey, can you scroll my homepage real quick? Do you get what I do?” Send them the link on their phone and just ask: Do you get it or not? If you landed here as a stranger, what question would you have?
Attention spans… they’re wild. Like I said, I’ve been doing websites for 10 years now, and so much has changed. Attention spans are getting shorter and shorter — which honestly bums me out (different conversation for another day!), but it’s true. The rise of short-form video has really changed expectations for how fast people should understand something.
Years ago, when I first started, people had more patience. They might land on a site, not immediately understand it, and think, “Hmm… what’s happening here?” and keep scrolling. They’d give the website a chance.
Now? They don’t. They leave. They close the tab, go back to their Google search, go back to the list ChatGPT gave them, hop back to Instagram — whatever. They move on fast.
That’s why this first step is so important: you need to grab attention through clarity of words and a design that is both functional and beautiful.
So again, that first test: give someone 10-30 seconds on your homepage to understand who you are, what you do, and who it’s for. Pause this episode if you want and send your site link to someone right now. Ask them, “Do you get what I do?”
Step 2: Does the design feel like your brand?
This one is simple — and you probably already have a gut reaction. Does the design of your website still feel like your brand?
Your business evolves over time. Sometimes you need a new look to match where you are now. That’s not a dig at what you had before — it just means you’ve grown. I’ve had many versions of my own site in the last 10 years because my business, my offers, and even how I want to show up have all changed.
So it’s normal for the fonts and colors you once used to not be the right ones anymore.
Here are a few signs it might be time to part with your current design:
- You’re using a totally different aesthetic on social media or email than on your site. You updated everywhere else but left the old look on your website. Time to bring your site up to speed.
- There's no cohesion on your site. Each page has a different color palette or vibe. Maybe one page looks like one template, another looks like a different template, and another looks custom… nothing feels unified.
- Your fonts feel busy or hard to read and it’s confusing for users to figure out where to go next. If you’re unsure, ask a designer or trusted friend, “Does this feel too busy? Is this readable?”
- Your site feels like “old you.” You look at it and think, “This was my business five years ago… but it’s not anymore.” Your headlines, offers, tone — they align with an older version of your brand and not who you are now or what you sell today.
Step 3: When is the last time you looked at your website on your phone?
This is a big one: your mobile experience.
Because oh my gosh — this can be a disaster you don't even know is happening. You had the best time designing your site on your desktop, dragging things around in Showit, getting everything just right… and then you completely ignored the mobile layout. And now your mobile site is chaos.
This happens all the time.
I love Showit. I chose it as the platform I design on and for my templates — it’s the only thing I use and recommend. But one of its biggest perks is also a challenge: desktop and mobile are connected, but you still have to manually adjust mobile.
Meaning, you can’t design only on desktop and assume it will magically look perfect on a phone. It won’t. And honestly — that’s actually a good thing. The fact that Showit lets you customize mobile separately is a huge advantage. There are a lot of design decisions you should make differently on mobile versus desktop.
When I design my templates, I almost always simplify and rearrange things for mobile to make the experience smoother. And remember: over 60% of website traffic is mobile.
So why are we ignoring mobile design?! Truly, you could argue we should start with mobile first.
If your text is tiny, buttons overlap, images are cropped weirdly, or the whole thing just feels clunky — that’s a problem.
So, scroll your site on your phone. If you have a giant site, pick key pages to evaluate. Ask yourself:
- Is this easy to use?
- Does scrolling feel natural?
- Can I read the text?
- Do buttons work and are they tappable?
- Are photos cropped correctly (especially faces)?
- Can users clearly see where to go next?
You might not need to check every page on your website on mobile, but you should check these for sure:
- Homepage
- About page
- Blog (blogs often break on mobile!)
- One services page or product page
This will tell you whether things need tweaking… or a full mobile overhaul. But bottom line — don’t ignore mobile.
Read more: Get a New Website By New Years: How to Customize Your Showit Website Template Really Fast
Step 4: Personality & Connection
This one’s huge. And once you have it, your whole website just clicks. It’s like this secret sauce that makes everything feel right.
Ask yourself:
Does your website sound and feel like you?
Or…
- does it sound like your copywriter wrote it?
- does it sound like ChatGPT wrote it?
- does it sound like a mash-up of everyone else in your industry?
If your copy and design feel stiff, generic, or bland, people won't connect. They won’t feel anything.
You want your website to sound like you talk:
- on your podcast
- in your YouTube videos
- in your Instagram Stories
- in your DMs
- and even in your Instagram carousel captions
It should feel like a real human speaking — you, not a template of “professional website voice.” So, a great website doesn’t just show what you do — it shows who you are as a business or as a person (especially if you’re more of a personal brand).
Look at things like your copy and your photos. Stock photography is totally fine in places — I love high-quality stock photos and videos — but you also want to highlight your own work. So if you're a photographer, yes, most of the images on your site should be yours. And you should also have your face on your website. That personal connection really matters.
People shouldn't have to dig all the way to your About page to see what you look like. Your face should be on your homepage and sprinkled throughout other pages too. That connection goes a long way.
Another piece of this: don’t be afraid to share real details about yourself — things that help someone connect with you beyond your resume. I’ve emphasized this from day one when designing sites, especially for personal brands and service providers. If you are the person they’ll be working with, they want to know you — not just your credentials.
So in my templates, you’ll see an emphasis on creating space to share about yourself — who you are, not just what you do.
And if you’re thinking, “I have no idea what I’d even share” — here are some simple examples:
- Do you have pets?
- Are you a parent?
- Do you practice a specific faith?
- What hobbies do you love (even if you think they’re boring)?
- What did you do before this career?
- How long have you been doing what you do?
- Are you married or in a relationship?
- What's your Enneagram (if you're into that)?
- Favorite books?
- Fun quirks or interests?
Those kinds of details build connection.
When I was prepping this episode, I was looking through the Showcase page on my site — I have probably 200+ real examples from customers who’ve used my templates. You can see their sites, testimonials, and which template they chose.
And I want to share one testimonial that really fits what we're talking about — this one is from Marisa Glaser Creative. Shout out to Marisa — her website is amazing.
Here’s what she said about her Elizabeth McCray template:
“This purchase was worth every penny and Elizabeth is definitely going to be my recommended designer for friends looking for Showit templates in the future! Before Elizabeth McCravy Shop, my website was fine but felt like it was missing something. It didn’t feel like a full representation of the quality and quantity of my work as a photographer. I was a little overdue for a portfolio refresh but I wanted to go a step above and add a blog, a resources guide page, more client testimonials, and have better spaces to lay out sales copy for my services. “ - Marisa Glaser Creative
Marisa is such a good example of this — her old website was “fine,” but it wasn’t her. And now? She has a site that actually showcases the quality and quantity of her work and who she is.
Read more: How to Write Personality-Packed Copy That Entertains AND Sells with Brittany McBean
Step 5: Is Your Website Doing Its Job?
This one is simple, and again, a bit of a gut check. Is your website doing what it's supposed to do?
Ask yourself: what is the main goal of my website?
Some examples:
- Book clients
- Sell digital products
- Grow your email list
- Send people to your podcast or YouTube channel
- Get people to buy your book
- Capture inquiries / forms
Whatever the goal is: is that happening?
Is your website actually driving that result?
If the answer is no, it's time to adjust. Sometimes the design looks amazing, but the strategy isn't working. Other times the strategy is great but the design isn't supporting it.
And that’s the difference between a site that's just pretty and a site that's actually profitable — strategy + great design.
It may mean a full overhaul, or it may just mean tweaking and updating pieces.
I have one more quick testimonial because it really fits here — this one is from Design Our Travel, a travel agency who used the Alice template. Here’s what she said:
“Before using the Alice template, I was piecemealing each page together, which made my website clunky and unorganized. The Alice template allows my website to still have so many working and moving parts, yet it flows and it's interactive as if I spent thousands of dollars on it. My traffic has increased – people are filling out forms and requesting more information.” - Design Our Travel
Such a great example — her old site wasn't working, it felt pieced together and messy. Now, people are filling out forms, requesting information, and traffic has increased… all huge wins. That’s exactly what we want. Your website shouldn’t just exist because someone told you you “should have a website.” It should actively support your business.
Recap: Your 5-Minute Website Audit
- Clarity: Can someone land on your homepage and know who you are, what you do, and who it’s for in 10–30 seconds?
- Brand Alignment: Does the design still feel like your brand today? Or like a past version of your business?
- Mobile Experience: Have you checked your site on your phone? Is it clean and easy to navigate?
- Personality: Does your website sound and feel like you — not AI, not your competitors, not a generic template voice?
- Results: Is your website actually doing its job? Is it bringing in leads, clients, sales, traffic, whatever your main goal is?
So if you do this simple test and you're realizing, okay… my website needs some updates, that’s what I’m here for. Truly. If you've enjoyed this podcast and you’ve never checked out my Showit website templates, I really want to encourage you to do that.
I have so many options — because sometimes you really do just need a fresh start and a brand new site, and sometimes you just need a few strategic upgrades. If you already know you need to start fresh, amazing. Let’s do it. If you're not sure, email us with your website link, and we can help you figure it out. We’ll give you honest feedback on whether you need a full new site or if a few add-on templates would give you a big upgrade at a lower cost.
We have add-ons like:
- an About-page timeline
- service-process steps
- a Link-in-Bio page
- a quiz template (this is such a great way to grow your email list fast)
- podcast pages
- landing pages for your opt-ins
- sales pages you can customize
- a speaker page if you're leaning into speaking or podcast interviews
And then, of course, we have full site templates — a complete website + blog, ready to customize. Think of it like a “website in a box.” They come with pre-selected fonts and colors (which you can absolutely change), and every purchase includes the Showit Blueprint Course that walks you through customizing everything. So if you hear “change fonts and colors” and panic, don’t worry — I walk you through it.
If you're listening to this live, my big Black Friday sale is coming up really soon. If you're looking at 2026 and thinking, This is the year I do the big website upgrade or I need that add-on to really uplevel my business, this is the time to shop. This is my biggest sale of the year.
Head to elizabethmccravy.com/bf (short for Black Friday) to get on the waitlist. Once you sign up, you can forget about it until the sale starts — we’ll email you all the details when it goes live. If you're listening and the sale is already happening, all the info will be on that page.
Links Mentioned:
Get on the waitlist for my Black Friday sale
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