WEBSITE CLARITY CHECK
Made by Cyrus Alcala · https://cyrusalcala.com/useful-stuff/website-clarity-check/

Open your homepage on a phone. Ask a relevant person to look without explaining it first. This is a clarity exercise, not a conversion score or full accessibility audit.

1. Can a new visitor name what you sell?
Show someone your first screen for five seconds, then hide it. Ask: “What do you think you can get here?” Let them answer without hints.
Write their actual answer beside the phrase on your page. If they can only say “solutions” or “something digital,” the offer needs a more concrete noun.
Example: “Helping you thrive” → “Bookkeeping for independent cafés.” The second tells the right person what they can buy.
If it needs work: Name the service or product before describing how good it is. Keep a broad headline if the nearby explanation makes the offer clear.
Finding: Clear enough / Not sure yet / Needs attention
Evidence:
One edit to try:

2. Can the right customer recognize themselves?
Ask that same person: “Who would this be useful for?” Check whether the answer matches the customers you want to serve.
Look for a recognizable need, location or situation. You do not need to squeeze every possible customer into your headline.
Example: “Repairs you can rely on” becomes more useful with “Same-day appliance repairs in Quezon City,” if that is a promise you can keep.
If it needs work: Add the one detail that most helps a customer decide whether you serve them. Leave out restrictions your business does not actually have.
Finding: Clear enough / Not sure yet / Needs attention
Evidence:
One edit to try:

3. Is the benefit connected to something real?
Pick your strongest claim and ask: “What would be easier, different or possible for the customer?” Then find the page detail that explains how.
A benefit needs a mechanism or a specific deliverable. “Save time” is more useful when people can see which task disappears.
Example: “Seamless booking” → “Choose an available appointment online, without waiting for a callback.” Only use this if your booking flow does it.
If it needs work: Connect one feature to one customer task. Remove promises you cannot support; clarity does not require a bigger claim.
Finding: Clear enough / Not sure yet / Needs attention
Evidence:
One edit to try:

4. Can someone take the next step without guessing?
On your phone, start at the homepage and follow the main action. Stop before sending a real inquiry or payment. Is it clear what will happen next?
Note confusing labels, broken links, unexpected accounts, tiny controls or questions you cannot answer yet. A visible button is not enough if the next screen is a dead end.
Example: If a button opens an estimate form, “Request an estimate” sets a clearer expectation than “Get started.” A shop may need “Shop the collection” instead.
If it needs work: Match the label to the destination. Explain any important next step, such as a personal reply or booking confirmation. Keep legitimate secondary actions when visitors need them.
Finding: Clear enough / Not sure yet / Needs attention
Evidence:
One edit to try:

5. Is there a reason to believe the promise?
Choose one important claim and look for evidence near it. Ask: “What can I inspect to decide whether this is credible?”
Useful evidence might be a real example, an explained process, a relevant qualification, clear terms or a customer quote used with permission. A logo strip is not automatically proof.
Example: For a new service, an honestly labeled sample with a clear explanation is more useful than an invented testimonial. For repair work, a real before-and-after can explain the craft.
If it needs work: Show the strongest relevant evidence you actually have. Describe its limits. If you have no evidence for a claim, narrow the claim rather than inventing support.
Finding: Clear enough / Not sure yet / Needs attention
Evidence:
One edit to try:

NEXT STEP
Start with a broken next step, then an unclear offer. Change one thing and ask another relevant person the same question. Keep what is already clear. One reaction is a clue, not a verdict.