Potent / Website field guide
A better website starts with fewer obstacles.
Give your business website a 15-minute usability check. No redesign required to find the first fix. This guide combines six practical tasks with recently updated 2026 UX research.
Reviewed November 2, 2026 · For local services and small-business websites
The hands-on check
Six checks worth doing today
Start with an actual visitor task. Fix what prevents completion before polishing decorative details.
01 / 06
Can someone tell what you do in ten seconds?
Open your homepage without scrolling. Look for a specific service promise, location or audience, and one obvious next step. Replace competing buttons and vague headlines with a clear primary action.
Try it: Ask someone unfamiliar with the business what you offer and where they would tap next.
02 / 06
Can visitors find their way on a small phone?
Check navigation at 320px and 390px wide. Use plain-language categories, readable text, visible tap targets, and a clear indication of the current section. Avoid links that can only be reached by hover.
Try it: Try reaching a service, pricing, and contact from the homepage using only your thumb.
03 / 06
Does every request have a dependable finish?
Test your contact form with a missing field, an invalid email, and a valid request. Labels should remain visible, errors should explain what to correct, and a success message should appear only after the request is accepted.
Try it: Submit one real test request and verify the business actually receives it.
04 / 06
Does the site show evidence rather than promises?
Check that customer reviews and work examples are genuine, current, and accurately described. Use real product or project imagery where factual appearance matters. Keep an easy route to a human.
Try it: Find the business phone or email and one verifiable example of its work.
05 / 06
Can everyone use the important controls?
Navigate by keyboard, zoom browser text, and enable reduced motion. Check readable contrast, focus visibility, descriptive links, meaningful image text, and no horizontal overflow. Automated accessibility checks help, but cannot replace human testing.
Try it: Complete the contact path with Tab, Enter, and Shift+Tab without a mouse.
06 / 06
Does it feel fast on an ordinary connection?
Check a mid-range phone, not just a powerful desktop. Avoid oversized hero media, heavy animation, layout shifts, and widgets that block core content. Measure real loading and interaction before and after changes.
Try it: Run PageSpeed Insights on the homepage and the primary contact or service page.
Original sources / May–November 2026 review window
Research behind the checklist
These studies focus on ecommerce shoppers, not Potent customers or local service businesses. Their findings are useful signals for what to test, not proof of how any particular website performs. Two articles were updated during the review period; the AI study was newly published.
Updated July 14, 2026
Baymard: Mobile UX Trends 2026
In Baymard's ecommerce benchmark, 75% of mobile sites were rated mediocre for usability. The lesson for a service website is to test real mobile tasks rather than rely on a responsive layout alone.
Read the original researchUpdated October 13, 2026
Baymard: Homepage and Category Navigation UX
Baymard rated 65% of mobile and 61% of desktop ecommerce sites mediocre-to-poor for homepage and category navigation. Favor direct categories and visible location cues.
Read the original researchPublished October 27, 2026
Baymard: AI Engagement Quantitative UX Insights
A survey of 2,273 US online shoppers found that 60% reported reduced confidence in AI-generated product imagery, while human help was preferred for resolving order problems. Use AI selectively and keep real support accessible.
Read the original researchFound a friction point? Fix the path before the paint.
Potent can help with an existing site, a focused fix, or a scoped rebuild. Describe what is hard for your visitors to do, and we can discuss a practical next step before paid work is approved.