Over the past couple of months I’ve been reflecting and analysing on the number of web developers and designers offering free website audits. I am simply staggered by the number. Why were so many designers and developers flaunting themselves on every street corner of the Internet offering free website audits?

I widened out my research and found this website that reflects much of my views. Have a look at it: http://www.ragepank.com/articles/the-value-of-free/

There is a very cynical motivation why these designers and developers are offering free audits. It’s just a marketing gimmick to try and lure witless website owners into getting them to do the work in “remedying” those things that are holding them back from earning bucket loads of money on the internet.

I recently became privy to a “Free website audit report” prepared by one of these, good natured web companies. It was only after page two, of this somewhat heavy tome that it had me lurching for the nearest deep receptacle so I could heave up from the core of my being.

You are right, it was a cheap cookie cutter job that was ambiguous, misleading and erroneous. And while its essence could be distilled down to what could be written on the top of a medium sized microchip, it was heavily padded and weighted with the type of fluff that would have even prevented the Titanic from sinking. I am sure most of this had also been plagiarised from multiple sources. I looked to find the author of this document, only to find that it was a “sales consultant” from this company.

Admittedly it’s not too hard to find something on a webpage that could be an issue, but if the depth of the audit is just a series of superficial “Yes”/”No” answers, or one-liners, then the value and efficacy of the audit is somewhat pallid. It is hardly going to be of the calibre that will help an owner really understand what not only is or may be an issue, but what should be the next step(s) to remedy that situation.

Some time ago I had thought it necessary to compete head on with these “free website audit”, but that is now but a distant nightmare. To do a website audit takes time, thought and analysis. It often involves many hours of work, and is unique.

I am now thinking of adding a short highlighted paragraph to the top of my website audit page:

“You have probably noticed that many companies do not charge for website audits. We are different, we charge. We put a lot of effort into an audit in order to give you the best assessment of your site and how it can be improved. For us a website audit is not a cheap marketing tool to get you to become a customer, but is a means by which we can assess ways in which we can improve the performance of your site in a serious and quantifiable manner.”

We all know that whenever anyone comes to your website for the first time you start with zero credibility and zero trust. You’ve got a hell of a job ahead of you to build that trust and credibility if you are to establish a relationship in which you can “sell”. What surprises me is the extent some website owners go to tell big fat porkies (lies) about the size of their business.

In other words, they try to make themselves appear as though they are a huge multi-national corporation with offices in every county known to mankind, when in actual fact they probably work out of their garage or in the spare bedroom.

I understand the dilemma small businesses have on the internet. People believe that if you don’t look big no one is going to contact you. But at the end of the day, giving the pretense of something that you’re not is just a big fat lie, and won’t do you any favours when it comes to building up trust and credibility.

I’m writing this from a New Zealand perspective. We’re a small country, in fact, a very small country somewhere close to the bottom of the world. Most of our businesses (probably 95%) are classed as small to medium, and when I say small to medium, I mean very small and very medium. That’s our reality.

The difficulty that small businesses believe they face (and it’s just mind block) is that if they don’t pretend to be big they won’t get the work or sales they so desperately want. However, the reality I see on the ground is small independent contractor are happily applying their skills and knowledge in large companies and government departments.

Ok, I know we’re in a bit of a recession here, but even the real large contracting companies are feeling the pinch right now as well. The large companies and government departments employing these independent contractors do so on the basis they bring value to the table.

I think the same thing applies to small business websites. It’s about showing the value you can offer your market, rather than the big lie about how big you are. Be happy with being what you are and the big value you offer. At the end of the day it’s all about your integrity.