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Free checklist
The UX/UI Self-Audit Checklist
12 yes/partial/no checks across visual hierarchy, copy clarity, CTA strength, mobile usability, and page speed. Score your homepage in 15 minutes.
Built for SMB founders who keep redesigning the homepage and can't tell if the new version is actually better. Bias blind spot makes you a bad judge of your own site. This checklist hands you the same rubric we run on every paid Activation Audit. Score yes (2 pts) / partial (1 pt) / no (0 pts) across 12 dimensions. The total at the bottom maps to one of three actions: keep, tweak, or rewrite.
What’s inside
- The 12-point audit: 3 visual-hierarchy checks, 3 copy-clarity checks, 2 CTA-strength checks, 2 mobile-usability checks, 2 page-speed checks.
- The 5-second clarity test protocol, runnable with 5 strangers on a Saturday morning.
- The page-speed gut-check, the only Lighthouse number that actually moves conversion.
- The mobile tap-target rule: 44pt minimum or your visitors mis-tap.
- A score-to-action chart on the last page so you know whether to keep, tweak, or rewrite.
Frequently asked
Why a checklist instead of paying for a UX audit?
An external UX audit costs $2K to $10K and takes 2 to 3 weeks. This checklist takes 15 minutes and uses the same rubric we apply on paid Audits. If you score above 18 out of 24, you do not need the audit. If you score below, the audit is justified because you have specific structural problems to fix.
Does this replace the Activation Audit?
No. This checklist covers homepage UX only. The Activation Audit walks all four Activation Stack layers (site, marketing, lead gen, loyalty) and lands a prioritized fix list across the whole stack in 72 hours. If this checklist flags more than 3 dimensions as broken, the Audit is the right next step.
Can I use this on other pages too?
Yes. The 12 checks apply unchanged to landing pages, pricing pages, contact pages, and about pages. The only caveat is the single-CTA check, which routinely fails on pricing pages and that is fine there. Pricing pages are designed to present multiple offers side by side.
What if I score below 12 out of 24?
Rewrite the homepage. Below 12, the problem is structural, not cosmetic. Word-level tweaks will not fix it. Page 6 of the PDF includes the 3-line rewrite framework we use on every paid Audit.
Why 3-state scoring instead of 5- or 10-point?
Three states are faster and less subjective. Yes / no questions are too binary; 5- or 10-point scales require calibration across raters. Three states are scoreable in under 5 seconds, repeatable two weeks later, and comparable across sites with different visual styles.
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Stop reading. Ship something.
The Audit beats the checklist.
This template covers the hero layer. The Activation Audit walks all four Activation Stack layers and lands a prioritized fix list in your inbox within 72 hours.
