The first thing I take a look when evaluating a client is whether the website is effective.

A bad website is an immediate red flag for me for a few reasons:

First, a website is a reflection of a company’s professionalism and how much it cares about its brand and messaging.

How you do one thing is how you do everything.

A poorly designed website with slow loading times can indicate a lack of attention to detail, and a disregard the target audience.

Second, a bad website can also harm a company’s online presence.

A website with outdated design or irrelevant information can hurt a company’s credibility, and negatively impact their engagement and reach on social media.

Related: ‘Post Once, Share Everywhere’ Content Framework

Lastly, a good website is essential for effective communication with clients.

A clear, well-designed, customer-facing website with easy navigation and concise information can help build trust with clients and improve their overall experience.

A website is a crucial part of a company’s image. No amount of genius growth hacks, clever copy writing and viral posts can mask a website that is slow, outdated and confusing for the user.

Whatever you do, do it well.

Walt Disney

I’ve managed clients with sub-par websites, achieving some success, yet these campaigns typically have a limit to their growth potential and will always be an uphill climb.

The usual fixes, from hardest to easiest, are:

1. Overhaul the site (not always practical).

2. Update a few strategic pages.

3. Create a landing page specific to the social media campaign.

4. Design banners and pop-ups in line with the call-to-action (CTA).

From past campaigns, 2 and 3 works best if an entire overhaul is not in the cards.