When was the last time you opened your own website and clicked through it like a visitor?
Not edited it or logged in to add a blog.
Not checked whether the homepage still looks nice.
Actually clicked every menu item, button, social icon and booking link to see where it takes you.
I’ve recently reviewed more than 100 applications for The Limelight Collective, which has meant looking through a lot of websites.
One of the most common things I’ve found is surprisingly simple.
Social media icons in headers and footers that look completely fine, but don’t actually take you to the business owner’s social media profile.
Instead, they link to the default social pages left behind in the original website template.
The icon looks right.
The link isn’t.
And unless you actually click it, you may never know.
This isn’t really a website problem
At first glance, this looks like a small technical thing. A broken link here, an outdated page there.
But you’ve probably spent real time and thought on the parts of your website people notice first. How it reads. How it looks. Whether it sounds like you.
The links are the part nobody thinks about because they’re supposed to just work.
And that’s exactly why they matter.
If someone wants to follow you, contact you, book with you or buy from you, you want to make that next step as easy as possible.
They shouldn’t have to hunt for your LinkedIn profile because the icon took them to the wrong place.
They shouldn’t have to find another way to contact you because your form didn’t submit.
And they definitely shouldn’t have to work out how to book with you because your calendar link has stopped working.
The journey from “I’m interested” to “here’s what I want to do next” should feel straightforward and easy.
No unnecessary hurdles. No frustrating dead ends.
So this isn’t really about fixing a few links.
It’s about making sure your website helps people move towards you, rather than accidentally getting in their way.
Why these small website issues matter
Your website is often one of the first places someone goes when they’re deciding whether to trust you, follow you, contact you or book with you.
A small bit of friction can get in the way of something you’ve worked quite hard to create.
Take social media links.
If someone has enjoyed what they’ve read on your website and wants to follow you on socials, that’s useful. It gives them another way to stay connected with you and see your regular content.
If they click the LinkedIn icon on your website and land on your website builder’s default LinkedIn page instead, like Wix or Squarespace’s own company page, you’ve made that much harder than it needed to be.
They might search for you.
Or they might not.
It also leaves the website feeling a little unfinished, even if everything else looks great.
This matters even more if you’re actively trying to become more visible.
If you’re writing LinkedIn posts, appearing on podcasts, speaking at events or being featured somewhere, you’re deliberately giving more people reasons to look you up.
If they arrive at your website and can’t easily find what they’re looking for, book with you or follow you elsewhere, most people probably won’t tell you.
They will just leave.
All that effort to get someone there, undone by a link that isn’t working.
It’s one of the reasons this stood out to me while reviewing applications for The Limelight Collective.
If someone discovers you through one of those opportunities and then clicks through to your website, the next step needs to work too.
Visibility gets someone to the door.
Your website still has to welcome them in and offer them a conversation.
Links can stop working even if they worked before
Not every broken link is something that was set up incorrectly.
Websites change. Businesses change. Other systems change.
Something that worked perfectly six months ago may not work today.
Booking systems are a good example.
I’ve seen websites where the connection between the website and the calendar booking system has broken.
That creates an extra hurdle at quite an important moment.
Someone has already decided they want to speak to you.
They click to book.
And then it doesn’t work.
Ideally, you don’t want them having to work out another way to reach you.
Look out for old events too
Dated content is another one worth checking.
If you run workshops, webinars, retreats, talks or other events, make sure the website reflects what is actually happening now.
An old event page that hasn’t been updated can make it look as though you haven’t got anything new happening.
Or someone may find information about an event that has already taken place and not realise immediately that it’s out of date.
If you’re planning an event, I’d include the website update in the event project plan itself.
That way, removing or updating the page afterwards becomes part of the job rather than something you have to remember later.
What should you actually check?
If you haven’t done this before, give yourself a little time for the first run-through.
Open your website as a visitor and click through it.
Check:
- your main menu navigation
- social media icons
- footer links
- buttons and calls to action
- booking links
- contact links and email addresses
- contact forms – send yourself a test enquiry and make sure it actually arrives
- event pages
- links to downloads or resources
- links to other pages on your website
Don’t assume something works because it looks right.
Click it. Test it.
Check how your links open too
While you’re doing this, have a look at what happens when you click each link.
My general rule of thumb is simple:
- Links that take people to another page on your own website should stay in the same tab.
- Links that take people away from your website should open in a new tab.
That way, if someone clicks through to your LinkedIn profile, an article you’ve referenced or another external website, they haven’t lost your website in the process.
Your site is still there in the original tab if they want to come back for more information.
It’s another small thing, but it makes the journey around your website feel much more considered.
Make it a five-minute monthly job
The first time you do this, you may find quite a few things to tidy up.
That’s fine.
Once you’ve done the initial sweep and fixed the main problems, this should become a very small maintenance task.
I’d suggest adding a recurring monthly task for either you or your VA.
Open the website.
Click through the important links.
Check anything time-sensitive.
Make sure your booking process still works.
Send yourself a test through your contact form and check that it lands where it should.
Done.
It should take around five minutes once everything is in good shape.
And if you’re running an event, promotion or launch, add an extra website check into that project plan too.
Your website is not a one-and-done job
I think this is the bigger point.
Your website is a living, breathing part of your business. It isn’t something you build, launch and then ignore for the next three years.
It’s working for you all the time.
People use it to understand what you do, decide whether you’re right for them, find your content, follow you and take the next step.
So it’s worth checking that it still represents your business properly, and that it isn’t putting unnecessary hurdles in someone’s way.
You don’t need to constantly redesign it.
You don’t need another big website project.
You just need to look after the one you already have.
Because some of the parts of your website nobody notices when they’re working properly become very noticeable when they aren’t.
And while you’re checking those small website details, have a look at your favicon too.
If you’re not sure what that is, I’ve written a quick guide to what a favicon is and how to update yours.
One last check
Once you’ve done your first sweep, open your website again and click through it as if you were a visitor.
Pick the most important action you’d like the visitor to take and move through their journey on your website step by step.
Can you get where you need to go easily?
Can you follow your social links?
Can you book?
Can you contact yourself through your contact form?
Can you find the information that matters?
That’s really the point.
Your website is a living part of your business, and it’s often doing a lot of the work before someone ever speaks to you.
A five-minute monthly check can help make sure it’s still doing that job properly.
And if you go through yours and find something you’re not sure how to fix, get in touch.
If it’s something simple, we’ll happily point you in the right direction.
And if it needs a little more help, we have website and marketing specialists within team LIME who can help with that too.
P.S. If you’re a psychologist, therapist or wellbeing professional looking to be found for podcasts, speaking, media or collaboration opportunities, The Limelight Collective is designed to help the right people find you.
