Assessing Your Website
Originally presented to the Community Media Workshop (Chicago)
Use this checklist to spark internal discussion about the quality and effectiveness of your organization’s Web site.
I. INITIAL IMPRESSION OF HOME PAGE
Is it inviting and welcoming?
Is the purpose of the site clear? Is it obvious who owns this site?
Is the page attractive? Does the visitor want to explore the site further?
Does it contain essential information? (Mailing address, telephone numbers, home/search/contents/contact buttons, keyword-heavy text, organizational news, quicklaunch links)
II. NAVIGATION
Can you find your way around the site? Is information easy to find?
Is it easy to find your way back to the home page?
III. CONTENT
Is the content interesting and appropriate to the site’s mission?
Is information helpful and relevant to the topic?
Is the content fresh (not outdated)?
IV. DESIGN
Is the content easy to read? Are the pages attractive?
Are the pages attractive on monitors set to various resolutions, on various browsers and on both Macs and PCs?
V. USABILITY
Can various users (with various computer skills) interact with the site in the desired manner without assistance?
VI. TECHNOLOGY
Is technology (menus, scripting, animations, bells and whistles) used to aid communication (as opposed to confusing the visitor)?
Do all the links work? Do pages download quickly?
VII. RESULTS
Does the site meet its goals? Does it serve the organization’s goals?
Posted: 6/4/03
