Lesson 3: How to Audit Your Site to See If You’re Doing Expectation Marketing Right (2026 Update)

Adapted from Squirrly’s Expectation Marketing course. Updated November 10, 2026.

This lesson walks you through an Expectation Marketing audit: can a new visitor understand your business, find reliable answers, contact you, and stay in touch? Use the six-part checklist below to identify specific gaps and assign fixes. The score is a planning aid, not a prediction of sales or search rankings.

Look at your website as a first-time visitor would. Record evidence of what works and what is missing rather than giving credit for features that exist but are difficult to find or use.

The Resource for Your Expectation Marketing Audit

You can complete this audit directly from the checklist in this article. For each area, record what a first-time visitor can actually find and use. Save the page URL, the gap, the person responsible, and a target date for the fix.

Start with the six-part checklist and use the sections below to investigate each area.

You’ll also need access to the internet throughout the process, but nothing more complicated than a browser. You can do the whole process from a mobile device (smartphone or tablet). Keep your smartphone at hand, for one step of the audit.

The last thing you’ll need for this audit is the right mindset. You’ll need to be objective in all your answers. That’s the only way this will help you evaluate your marketing strategy. More than that, actually navigate the site and answer as you would be a new visitor that has found your brand online for the first time.

Each time you struggle to answer honestly to a question consider this. “If you’d be on this page for the first time, would you see that element? ”

Now let’s start using this audit. I’ll go through each part and explain why it’s an important aspect of Expectation Marketing. 

Available Information on Each Page

The first category of questions in our audit is focused on what information you can find on each page and of course the Home Page.  We focus on 4 elements for any page in your site:

• Brand Name
• Brand Logo
• Brand Motto/Tagline
• Contact Information.

The main reason why this information needs to be found on each page (if you want to execute an expectation marketing strategy) is: Most people will land on other pages from your site; not your homepage. They will find a link, either on social media, search engines, or email. That link will take them to a page or article on your site.

Most visitors won’t see your Home Page or Navigation Menu first.

Now let’s consider two cases.

In the first case think of a visitor that finds a link and comes to your site for the first time. Brand name, logo, and tagline (or a combination of these) are important to be found on that page. This way the visitor can easily associate the content with your brand (and also get a clear feeling that they are not on some shady website).

The contact information is also relevant. It gives the reader the opportunity to subscribe and come back to your site and content. In this case, we consider contact information to be more than just emails and phone numbers. We add: social media follow buttons and email subscriptions sign-up forms.

In the second case consider a visitor that has been to your site before. They will need the brand information to associate it with the past content they’ve seen. The contact information on the page gives you the opportunity to have more ways to communicate with them in the future.

Now on the Home Page, all these Expectation Marketing principles apply. There is one more piece of information that is crucial. A short description of your brand will help clear things up for the reader. It will also give them context on how to interpret the content on your site.

Depending on your brand the Short Description can include:

• What your company does
• The topics you discuss on this site as a Personal Brand
• The brand’s vision, especially when it comes to magazines or blogs
• How the product helps the users
• Or the advantage of your services

But the most important aspect is for the short description to be clear. It should be obvious what it refers to and what the brand is.

So we’ve covered the first 3 questions of the audit. Again make sure you’ve answered them like a simple visitor on the site.

Second Chapter: The Contact Information

Now in this part of the audit, we focus particularly on Contact information that buyers will definitely search for. We’ve also considered it because it gives them a clear way to communicate directly with your brand.

We’ve already covered the research for what kind of information visitors search on your site in the second lesson. If you’d like to check that information you can do so here.

The elements we’re considering are:

• Contact or Office Email
• Contact or Office Phone Number
• Support Email
• Support Phone Number
• Sales Email
• Sales Phone Number

Now to clarify one aspect. You don’t need all of these! Of course, if you’re a Personal Brand you most likely will never have more than the contact email and phone number. Even as a company you might not need both support and sales contact information.

That’s why in the audit we are interested in which of these channels you have set up.

The real important aspect of Expectation Marketing is for the ones that you already have to be available on site. They should also be readily available for visitors and buyers.

After all, this is the information which people need to find in order to buy.

If people need to search for this information on several pages to reach it, they will probably just believe the information is not there. They won’t keep on searching.

Rezdy’s site is a great example here. They have their contact information on each page; you just have to scroll to find it.

The Core of Expectation Marketing: Written Content

When it comes to written content the first advantage your site can have is a Blog. This is one of the core elements that show you are active.

It’s a way to share ideas, opinions, and valuable information with your audience. It’s the part that offers the opportunity for an open discussion.

Check whether your publishing and review schedule matches customer needs and your team’s capacity. One or two articles per week is an option, not a universal requirement. Accuracy and usefulness matter more than output alone.

Visitors will take into account if you’ve posted in the last period when they check your site. So that’s one of the main reasons why it’s important to post consistently on the blog.

The icing on the cake is the way topics are chosen and presented. It’s paramount that the articles you publish on your site are focused on your audience’s needs and questions.

That means you don’t have to focus on products, services, and features but rather on solutions. Focus on how you can help and the advantages your visitors or customers will have.

Make sure to answer this question in the audit objectively. This aspect can influence your success just as much as the frequency.

Bonus TIP: 

Don’t try to just write what people would like to hear. Stay true to your brand’s voice but present topics that are interesting for your audience from your own perspective.

Besides the blog, there are also some essential pages to have on your site. These are :

• About us/Team Page
• Product/Service Page
• FAQ
• Pricing Page

With the content of these pages, it’s important to make sure you continuously update it. You need to show that you have an up to date presentation.

Social Media Active Profiles

As in the case of Contact Information, it is not important to have profiles on all the Social Media platforms, but rather to be active on the ones you do have.

Check the profiles your website promotes. Outdated descriptions, broken links, old offers, and unanswered customer questions can create uncertainty. An older posting date alone does not prove that a business has closed.

Prioritize the platforms your customers use and your team can maintain. Link prominently to those channels; on other profiles, keep essential details accurate and direct readers to the best place for current updates.

Evaluate whether your publishing cadence is realistic, useful, and consistent with what you promise. Daily posting on every platform is not required for a strong audit result.

You can share the same piece of content with your audience several times. This way you give each piece more power. It will be seen by a larger part of your audience several times. This tactic increases the chances of people clicking on it.

But it is also important to not just self-promote.

Evaluate the value of your content mix. Original content can be enough when it helps your audience; relevant outside sources can add evidence and perspective.

Give people a clear reason to follow you, whether that comes from original expertise, practical answers, or carefully explained outside resources.

The good part is that we can help you research your industry and find great materials to share. Just let us know you need it.

Bonus Tip:

Try to become a thought leader in your niche. This involves creating great content, but it also involves being seen as a super informed person. Share content from other important sources in your industry.

Another aspect that shows you’re an active brand in Expectation Marketing is interacting with your audience. You can encourage visitors to start a conversation. However, if you don’t answer to the ones who do, you’ll lose their trust and interest. If people see that you’re actively replying to others, they will also be inclined to drop you a comment.

That’s why it is important to look over your social media profiles. Answer comments, offer likes, and retweet as much as it makes sense. Make sure your profiles don’t look like automated profiles!

Another important aspect regarding your social media profiles is making sure you have follow buttons on your site. You should have one for each Social Media profile. These elements give your first-time visitor the ability to come back again.

They’ll follow you on their favorite platform. Then the visitors will see a new post in their feeds; click it and get back on your site.

And where do they use their favorite social media platforms from? That’s right! Their phone.

What Device Is Your Audience Using?

Nowadays, it is impossible not to take smartphones into account. People will check your site from smartphones and other mobile devices. That’s why the Audit takes into account if your site is easily accessible via mobile.

It’s easy to check. Just take your phone and go to your URL. Now if you can access the site that’s great. But the most important question is:

How does it look?

Does the resolution adapt to your device? Is the text properly resized? Is it easy to read? If not make sure to take note of it.

A responsive theme is a starting point. Test real pages on a phone, including menus, forms, search, checkout, and contact buttons. Check that mobile visitors receive the same essential information as desktop visitors.

If you offer a useful app, explain its purpose with a discreet link or banner. Keep the main website usable and avoid blocking visitors with an app-install pop-up.

If you have an app make sure each user that comes from a mobile device on your site knows about it. You can do that with a pop-up where you state the benefit of using the app.

Now check the blog template and all your main pages from your phone. Make sure they are all optimized for mobile devices.

Some landing page software will need for you to mobile-optimize each page. There might be elements that overlap or text that can not be read correctly. Be sure to write that down.

Email List: A Sure Way to Keep in Contact with Your Audience

The last element of the Expectation Marketing Strategy is not something you can check on your site or Social Media profile. It refers to an Email List.

The first step is to have an email list system set up. With at least one Sign-up form and software to keep all these contact details from your audience. When answering the Audit, search for the sign-up form on the site and make sure you find it.

Now the second part here is all about sending them content. You should tailor a particular sequence of emails and articles for any new visitor that subscribes to your list. Depending on your brand’s specific these can focus on :

• The process of using your services
• How to set up their product for the best experience
• The most popular articles on your site if you are a Personal Brand

Make sure to answer in the Audit if you already have this sequence or not.

Send useful content at the frequency subscribers expect. A weekly newsletter is one option. Review replies, clicks, unsubscribes, and qualified inquiries rather than assuming delivery alone creates engagement.

If you are sending any type of regular emails, check Yes in the Audit.

The Audit of Your Marketing Strategy

In this article, I’ve focused on each element of the audit, why it is important and how you should evaluate it. Be sure to Audit for your marketing strategy.

Use the checklist score to prioritize work and compare your own progress after changes. The original lesson’s “above 55” threshold belonged to a separate tool and is not a benchmark for this updated checklist.

You’ll have to take a close look at all the elements in your marketing strategy for this Audit:

• What Information can you find on each page of your site
• Are the contact details easily accessible?
• How often do you blog?
• If your Social Media Profiles are Active
• Does your site look good on mobile?
• And is your mailing list receiving constant content?

In the next lesson, we’ll focus on how you can improve the points which were presented here and start implementing your Expectation Marketing Strategy.

Your six-part Expectation Marketing checklist

Score each area 0 if missing or unusable, 1 if partly complete, or 2 if clear, current, and tested. The maximum is 12. This is an editorial self-assessment, not a validated benchmark. Prioritize any issue that prevents a purchase or inquiry, regardless of total score.

For every gap, record the page or channel, the fix, its owner, and a target date. Repeat the same checks after implementation.

Continue the Expectation Marketing course

1. Lesson 1: How Your Marketing Strategy Can Really Work
2. Lesson 2: Why Is Expectation Marketing Important For Your Business
3. Lesson 3: How to Audit Your Site to See If You’re Doing Expectation Marketing Right
4. Lesson 4: Getting Better at Expectation Marketing, an Actionable Plan
5. Lesson 5: The Benefits and Mistakes of Applying Expectation Marketing
6. Bonus Lesson: How to Meet Customer Expectations with Amazing Content

Original lesson: Lesson 3: How to Audit Your Site to See If You’re Doing Expectation Marketing Right.