Your Website’s Speed, Safety & SEO: Test It Yourself in 10 Minutes.
By Milleniance 11 August 2025
Key Takeaways
Right now, your competitors’ websites might be running faster, ranking higher, and converting more visitors simply because they’ve kept up with changes you haven’t checked in years. If you are not updating your website on a regular basis, your website becomes obsolete with every passing day and you risk losing potential customers you’ll never even know existed.
The truth is, most business owners treat their website like a “set and forget” business card. But a website is more like a shop window on a busy street. It needs dusting, cleaning, rearranging — and locking up every night.
The fix? A 10-minute, do-it-yourself website check that tells you exactly where you stand before it’s too late.
Speed: First Impressions Count
Imagine walking into a shop and standing at the counter while no one comes to greet you. A slow-loading website feels exactly like that. Visitors won’t wait.
Test with: Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix
What to look for: Load time under 3 seconds, compressed images, minimal unused scripts.
Old rule still true: Fast sites feel trustworthy. Slow sites feel neglected.
Security: Trust is Non-Negotiable
SSL (that little padlock in the browser) is important, but it’s like locking your front door while leaving all your windows open.
Here’s a quick 7-point DIY security check:
- SSL Validity – Use WhyNoPadlock.com to confirm it’s working.
- Outdated CMS & Plugins – Update everything regularly.
- Security Headers – Test with SecurityHeaders.com.
- Google Safe Browsing – Check your site at Google Transparency Report.
- Admin Username – Never use “admin” as your login name.
- CAPTCHA on Forms – Stops spam before it starts.
- Backups – Keep at least one recent backup stored off-site.
It’s the online version of checking the locks, closing the shutters, and knowing where your spare keys are. A hacked site doesn’t just cost money to fix — it can permanently damage your brand reputation.
Content – The Voice of Your Business
Sometimes the biggest problem with a website isn’t technical at all — it’s what’s written on it.
We still see sites with “Welcome to our website designing agency” on the homepage. That’s not content — it’s wallpaper.
- Read your homepage as if you were a first-time visitor.
- Is the information still current? Is it clear what you offer? Does it sound like you?
- Run a page through the Hemingway App to spot overly complex sentences or jargon.
- While you’re at it, run your site through Broken Link Checker. A single dead link can make you look sloppy.
Fresh, clear, and trustworthy content keeps people engaged. Outdated or clumsy writing does the opposite. People trust people, not faceless pages. Show them there’s a real, reachable human behind the site.
SEO Basics: Can Google Even Find You?
You’d be surprised how many businesses spend a fortune on design but forget to make their site visible to search engines.
Test with: Ahrefs Webmaster Tools or Ubersuggest (free versions work for basics).
Check for:
- Relevant title tags & meta descriptions
- Proper headings (H1, H2, etc.)
- Mobile-friendliness (Google Mobile Test)
- Scan for broken links with Screaming Frog SEO Spider (free up to 500 URLs)
If your site has obsolete content, missing titles, or broken pages, search engines will quietly pass you by.
Mobile Friendliness — Because That’s Where Everyone Is
More than 70% of web traffic is mobile. If your site isn’t easy to read, scroll, and click on a small screen then you’re losing visitors.
Test with: Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test
Look for:
- Test your site on different devices and not just your own phone.
- Buttons too close together.
- Text should be readable without zooming.
- Pop-ups that block the main content.
- Nothing should feel “broken” when you scroll.
Don’t guess and check it on your own phone. Pretend you’re in a rush, because your visitors are.
Trust Signals — Do You Look Like a Real Business?
A surprising number of websites fail here. Ask yourself:
- Is your About page up-to-date?
- Is your phone number updated and clickable on mobile?
- Do you have visible testimonials or reviews?
- Does your blog/news section look alive (updated in the last 6 months)?
People trust people, not faceless pages. Show them there’s a real, reachable human behind the site.
The Silent Cost of Ignoring This
Here’s the thing: most of the issues above don’t cause dramatic, overnight losses. They quietly chip away at your reach, credibility, and conversions — until one day, you realize the phone hasn’t rung in weeks and your competitors are eating your lunch.
I’ve seen small fixes double a client’s inquiries in a month. I’ve also seen sites left unchecked for years become so outdated it was cheaper to start from scratch.
What to Do if This Feels Overwhelming
If you run through this checklist and find more problems than you expected or if you simply don’t have the time to do it right that’s where we can step in.
We offer full website audits that don’t just spit out a technical report but explain in plain language what’s wrong, why it matters, and exactly how to fix it. And if a revamp is needed, we can handle that too, turning your site from a sleeping asset into your most hard-working salesperson.
Your website is the one employee who works 24/7. Let’s make sure it’s not just showing up… but performing.