The 10-Step Event Website Health Check
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No matter what stage of the event lifecycle you’re in - early planning, mid-campaign, or already gearing up for registrations - January is the perfect time for a reset.
New targets. New campaigns. New ideas.
Is your event website actually ready to support everything you’re about to throw at it?
Your website is the one constant throughout the entire event lifecycle. Every campaign, channel and conversation eventually points back to it - whether you’re driving early awareness, pushing registrations, or supporting exhibitors and sponsors.
That’s why this 10-minute website health check works no matter where you are in your marketing campaign. It’s made up of quick, practical improvements your team can tackle themselves, without a redesign, a new platform, or developer support.
Let’s get into it.
1. Read your homepage like a first-time visitor
You know your event inside out. Your audience doesn’t.
When someone lands on your homepage for the first time, they’re subconsciously asking three questions:
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What is this event?
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Who is it for?
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Why should I care?
If the answers aren’t immediately clear, users won’t stick around long enough to figure it out.
Quick win:
Review your hero headline and subheading. Strip away internal language and focus on clarity. Spell out the audience and the value of attending, not just the name or theme of the event. This one change can significantly reduce bounce rate.
2. Check your primary call to action
One of the most common conversion killers on event websites is choice overload.
When every button is shouting “Register”, “Exhibit”, “Sponsor” and “Attend”, users hesitate - and hesitation leads to drop-off.
Quick win:
Decide what action matters most right now. That might change as the event lifecycle progresses, and that’s fine. Make that primary CTA visually dominant and consistently placed across key pages. Secondary actions should support it, not compete with it.
3. Sense-check your key dates and deadlines
Urgency drives action, but only if people can see it.
Too many event websites hide important dates in long pages of copy or leave them vague until it’s too late.
Quick win:
Identify the most relevant deadline for your current phase - early bird pricing, call for papers, stand booking deadlines - and bring it forward visually. Even simple messaging like “Prices increase soon” can prompt action when paired with a clear date.
4. Refresh at least one homepage image
Imagery does a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to credibility and perception.
Outdated photos, empty venues, or overly generic stock imagery can subtly signal that an event lacks energy or momentum - even if that’s not true.
Quick win:
Replace one key image with something that shows real engagement: people networking, speakers on stage, busy exhibition floors. You don’t need a full image overhaul - one strong, current visual can immediately modernise the site.
5. Tighten the first scroll
The content users see before they scroll is your most valuable real estate.
If that space is cluttered or unclear, users won’t explore further - no matter how good the rest of the site is.
Quick win:
Audit everything in the first scroll. Remove anything that doesn’t help explain the event or move users towards action. Prioritise clarity, hierarchy, and simplicity. This is one of the fastest ways to improve engagement without touching deeper site structure.
6. Fix your page titles and meta descriptions
This is one of the easiest January wins - and one of the most overlooked.
Page titles and meta descriptions shape how your site appears in search results and shared links. They influence whether people click before they even reach your site.
Quick win:
Rewrite them in plain English. Focus on what the page offers and who it’s for, rather than just repeating the event name. Clear, descriptive titles can improve click-through rates without any technical SEO work.
7. Do a mobile thumb test
Most event websites now receive the majority of traffic from mobile - especially from social and email campaigns.
Yet many sites are still designed desktop-first.
Quick win:
Open your site on your phone and try to complete the main action using just your thumb. Pay attention to button sizes, spacing, form fields and load times. If something feels awkward or slow, it’s likely costing you conversions.
8. Remove one friction point
Every extra step, field, or moment of confusion creates friction - and friction quietly erodes conversion rates.
The problem is that teams become blind to it over time.
Quick win:
Identify just one friction point and remove it. That could mean shortening a form, simplifying a label, or removing an unnecessary click. You don’t need to fix everything at once - even small reductions in effort can have a noticeable impact.
9. Rewrite one “Why Attend” or “Why Exhibit” section
January is the perfect time to revisit your value proposition.
Many event websites focus heavily on features - number of exhibitors, sessions, or speakers - but audiences are motivated by outcomes.
Quick win:
Choose one key section and rewrite it to focus on what attendees or exhibitors will walk away with. Frame benefits around solving problems, achieving goals, or making better decisions, rather than listing what’s included.
10. Add one confidence booster
Decision-making is emotional as much as logical.
First-time visitors, in particular, need reassurance that your event is credible, valuable, and worth their time or budget.
Quick win:
Add one trust signal where it will be seen: a testimonial, a headline stat from last year, or recognisable logos. These small signals reduce uncertainty and make it easier for users to say yes.
Small changes add up
January doesn’t need to be about big, disruptive website projects.
A handful of focused improvements - clarity, urgency, confidence, and reduced friction - can dramatically improve performance before your busiest campaign period begins.
If you can spare ten minutes, your event website can almost certainly do more work for you this year.
And that’s one of the smartest places to start.
If you’re looking to build on these quick wins - or want to tackle a specific challenge in more depth - the articles below are a good place to start.