1. Why Website Evaluation Matters
As a web designer, you evaluate websites for two reasons: to assess sites you are referencing or recommending, and to critique your own work against professional standards. A systematic evaluation framework keeps the process consistent and defensible.
The criteria below are organized into five categories. Use them together — a site can look beautiful and still fail on credibility or accessibility.
2. Credibility & Authority
Ask: Should I trust this source?
- Authorship: Is the author or organization clearly identified? Can you verify their credentials?
- Transparency: Is the purpose of the site clear? Is there an About page? Is there disclosure of any conflicts of interest or sponsorship?
- Currency: When was the content last updated? Is it still accurate? Are links working?
- Sources: Does the site cite its sources? Can claims be verified independently?
- Domain: Who owns the domain? A .gov or .edu site has accountability structures a .com does not — but these are not guarantees of quality.
3. Usability & Navigation
Ask: Can I find what I need without frustration?
- Navigation: Is there a clear, consistent navigation system on every page? Can you tell where you are in the site?
- Search: For large sites, is there a working search function?
- Mobile: Does the site work on a phone? Is text readable without zooming?
- Load time: Does the site load quickly? Slow sites drive away users. Test at tools.pingdom.com or PageSpeed Insights.
- Error handling: Are there working 404 pages? Do broken links exist?
4. Design & Visual Communication
Ask: Does the design support the content, or fight it?
- Visual hierarchy: Is the most important content easy to identify at a glance?
- Consistency: Are fonts, colors, and spacing used consistently throughout the site?
- Readability: Is body text a comfortable size? Is there sufficient line spacing? Is line length controlled?
- Images: Do images support the content or just fill space? Are they high quality and relevant?
- Whitespace: Is the layout breathable, or crowded and overwhelming?
5. Accessibility
Ask: Can everyone use this site?
- Run the WAVE tool (wave.webaim.org) and note the number of errors and alerts.
- Check that all images have alt text. Click an image-only logo — does its alt text make sense?
- Test keyboard navigation — can you Tab through all links and buttons?
- Check color contrast for body text and headings using the WebAIM contrast checker.
- Is text resizable? Try zooming to 200% in the browser — does the layout still work?
6. Content Quality
Ask: Is this information useful, accurate, and well-written?
- Accuracy: Is information correct and verifiable? Are there factual errors, broken references, or outdated statistics?
- Completeness: Does the site answer the questions a visitor would reasonably bring?
- Writing quality: Is the writing clear and free of grammatical errors? Is the tone appropriate for the audience?
- Copyright: Is content properly attributed? Are images licensed for use?
7. Quick Evaluation Rubric
| Category | Strong ✅ | Weak ❌ |
|---|---|---|
| Credibility | Author identified, sources cited, recently updated | No author, no sources, outdated content |
| Usability | Consistent nav, fast load, mobile-friendly | Confusing menus, slow, broken on mobile |
| Design | Clear hierarchy, consistent style, readable type | Cluttered, inconsistent, tiny or low-contrast text |
| Accessibility | Zero WAVE errors, keyboard navigable, good contrast | Missing alt text, fails contrast check, keyboard traps |
| Content | Accurate, complete, well-written, properly licensed media | Errors, gaps, plagiarized or unlicensed images |