Brand Audit Template: Fix the 7 Most Common Issues

If your website “feels off,” you’re not alone. Most small businesses evolve faster than their brand does. Offers change, audiences refine, and pages get patched. The result is a tired, inconsistent experience: the logo looks fuzzy at small sizes, colors don’t quite match, the voice swings between formal and friendly, and the primary call to action (CTA) changes label from page to page. Before you redesign anything, run a focused brand audit. In 60 minutes, you can find and fix the handful of issues that drive most confusion and conversion loss.

This guide gives you a complete, copy‑and‑paste template you can run today. It’s intentionally practical: what to check, how to decide, and what to change. It assumes you want results, not a semester of theory. If you’d like hands‑on help applying the outcomes, visit our Services page; if you want the thinking behind our approach, learn more About Glow Haven. When you’re ready to tune the details with us directly, head to Contact and book a free 30‑minute consultation.

What “good” looks like (and why it converts)

Good branding isn’t ornamental. It reduces cognitive load so the customer can focus on the offer. On a well‑branded site, visitors can answer three questions in under five seconds: 1) Is this for me? 2) What will I get? 3) What do I do next? Everything you audit below is in service of those answers. When the identity is clear and consistent, the same traffic produces more qualified leads—often with zero ad spend changes.

How to run this audit (tools and timing)

Set aside 60 minutes. Open your homepage and top two revenue pages in new tabs. If you have them, open your latest proposal and one social profile. Use this article as your checklist. For color contrast, use any free contrast checker. For speed, keep a notes doc with three columns: Issue → Impact → Fix. When you finish, move fixes into your backlog and schedule the first two within a week.

1) Logo clarity (5 minutes)

Your logo’s job is recognition at a glance—not storytelling. On many small business sites, the logo is either too detailed, exported at the wrong size, or used inconsistently.

Audit

• Favicon and mobile header: is the mark crisp at ~24px height?
• Dark/light backgrounds: do you have variants that preserve legibility?
• Clearspace: does the logo have breathing room (at least cap‑height around it)?

Fixes

• Export a simplified mark for tiny contexts (social avatar, favicon).
• Provide SVG for web and PNG fallback for legacy tools.
• Write a one‑liner in your brand guide: minimum size, spacing, and background rules.

2) Palette contrast and accessibility (10 minutes)

A color set is a system, not a mood board. Limit to one Primary, one Secondary, and two Neutrals. Ensure text‑on‑color passes contrast guidelines so no one has to squint.

Audit

• Is body text high‑contrast on all sections?
• Are links and buttons clearly distinct (color + weight + hover state)?
• Do cards/sections use consistent background roles (e.g., “primary/5” for accents)?

Fixes

• Define tokens (e.g., --color-primary) and set them once; update buttons/links accordingly.
• Create a contrast pair chart for common combinations and stick to it.
• Remove “in‑between” colors that don’t have a job.

3) Type scale and rhythm (10 minutes)

Typography does the heavy lifting for readability and hierarchy. If your body copy feels cramped or headings shout without guiding, conversion suffers.

Audit

• Body size: 16–18px with line-height 1.6–1.8?
• Headings: predictable scale (e.g., H1 40–48, H2 28–36, H3 20–24)?
• Buttons/links: consistent weights and sizes across pages?

Fixes

• Choose one headline family and one body family.
• Define a simple scale and update components.
• Keep paragraph width to ~60–80 characters for comfortable reading.

4) Voice and tone (10 minutes)

Brand voice is the personality expressed in your copy. Small businesses often oscillate between formal website voice and conversational emails. That mismatch erodes trust.

Audit

• Does your headline say the outcome in plain language?
• Do your subheads “translate” features into benefits?
• Is your CTA phrased consistently (same verb, same promise) across pages?

Fixes

• Define three voice traits (e.g., expert, approachable, plain).
• Write “do/don’t” examples for headlines, buttons, and emails.
• Standardize your primary CTA label (we use “Book Your Free 30‑Minute Consultation”).

5) Homepage above‑the‑fold (10 minutes)

This is where most buying journeys are won or lost. Your hero must answer: who it’s for, what they get, how to begin.

Audit

• Headline: outcome + audience?
• Visual: relevant, authentic, not generic stock?
• Primary CTA: visible, specific, non‑threatening?

Fixes

• Write three headline variations and test which one is clearest.
• Use a real product/service context visual; audit file size for speed.
• Add a reassurance line (“Free, no pressure—choose a time that works”).

6) Proof and risk reversal (5 minutes)

People want evidence you can deliver. Provide exact, believable proof near your key claims.

Audit

• Are testimonials specific to outcomes (“booked 22% more consults”), not generic praise?
• Do you state how engagement works (Discover → Plan → Execute) for certainty?
• Is there a guarantee or scope clarity that reduces fear?

Fixes

• Replace “great service!” with proof snippets or mini‑case blurbs.
• Add a one‑line process graphic with three steps.
• If you use guarantees, be specific and fair.

7) Pricing and offer framing (5 minutes)

Pricing is communication. If your pricing makes sense on the page, prospects self‑qualify and reach out with fewer objections.

Audit

• Are packages named for outcomes (Audit, Optimize, Partner) rather than inputs (Bronze/Silver/Gold)?
• Is the middle tier the obvious default (copy, visual highlight, proof)?
• Is the primary CTA identical across tiers?

Fixes

• Rename tiers to match what the buyer wants to achieve.
• Tighten scope notes; add an FAQ right below price cards.
• Link to Services for fuller descriptions, then invite readers to Contact.

8) Contact/next step clarity (5 minutes)

Don’t make prospects guess. Every page needs one obvious next step.

Audit

• Is there exactly one primary CTA per page?
• Does the label match your site‑wide standard?
• Are alternate routes (email/LinkedIn) easy to find on the Contact page?

Fixes

• Remove competing button styles and stray CTAs.
• Standardize the label and keep it visible after scrolldepths.
• Update your footer contact block to match the briefing (email + LinkedIn only).

9) Speed and responsiveness (5 minutes)

Performance is part of brand. Slow sites feel sloppy.

Audit

• Hero and card images sized responsively?
• Headings and buttons readable on phones?
• Menu usable on small screens?

Fixes

• Export responsive images; compress aggressively.
• Test breakpoints and tighten long headings.
• Audit interaction hit‑areas (buttons/links 44px+).

10) Consistency across touchpoints (5 minutes)

Your website is the hub, but your brand shows up everywhere: social, proposals, email signatures. Inconsistency here breaks the spell you build on the site.

Audit

• Is your LinkedIn header image aligned to your site hero?
• Does your proposal deck use the same colors, type, and voice?
• Are email signatures clean and consistent?

Fixes

• Update social covers and avatars with the simplified mark.
• Refresh your proposal template with the same type scale and tokens.
• Publish an email signature snippet your team can paste.

Copy/paste template (run your audit in 60 minutes)

Issue → Impact → Fix Log

7‑day implementation plan (ship momentum fast)

• Day 1: Approve identity tokens (colors, type).
• Day 2: Update hero headline + subhead; standardize primary CTA site‑wide.
• Day 3: Replace 2 generic testimonials with specific outcomes.
• Day 4: Rename pricing tiers; add a 5‑question FAQ.
• Day 5: Replace 4 heavy images with responsive exports.
• Day 6: Refresh social/proposal templates.
• Day 7: Review analytics; note CTA click lifts and scroll depth.

Where Glow Haven can help

If you’re resource‑constrained, we can complete this audit and the first set of fixes quickly:

• Identity refresh (logo/palette/type/voice).
• Website optimization (hero, navigation, CTAs, proof).
• Pricing strategy (framing, packaging, presentation).

See options on our Services page, get a feel for our philosophy on About, and grab a slot on Contact if you want to move faster. A clear, consistent identity pays for itself—first in confidence, then in conversions.