Homepage messaging audit
A homepage messaging audit checks the page against your positioning, not against taste. Read only the first screen and ask what you sell, who it is for, and why a buyer would switch. If a stranger cannot answer, the gap is a decision, not a sentence. Fix that decision, then rewrite the lines that depend on it.
What you need before you start
You need the positioning written down: alternatives, unique attributes, value, best-fit customer and category. Dunford treats that document as the input to messaging. Without it, the audit becomes a debate about wording.
Steps
Read only the first screen
Ignore the rest until this part stands alone.
Ask three questions
What is it, who is it for, and why switch from the real alternative.
Mark each claim
Category, customer, value, proof, or decoration. Decoration goes.
Compare with sales
Note every line a rep has to unsay on a call.
Rewrite from the gaps
One missing decision at a time, then the lines that depend on it.
Audit checks
| Check | Pass | Fail |
|---|---|---|
| Category | A buyer can name the market | They need the next paragraph |
| Customer | The right reader sees themselves | It could be for anyone |
| Alternative | The line beats a real option | Faster, with no than what |
| Proof | A claim has evidence beside it | Adjectives stand alone |
| Next step | One action is obvious | Several competing buttons |
FAQs
How long should an audit take?
A first pass is one sitting if the positioning is written down. If it is not, stop and make those decisions first.
Should I score the page with a number?
A number hides which decision is missing. Keep the checklist and fix the failed rows.
Who should do the reading?
Someone who did not write the page, plus one person who matches the best-fit customer if you can get them.