Does Your Website Has Spinach in Its Teeth?

A consulting firm hired me because its pipeline had dried up. Great reputation. Strong client work. Nobody calling.

I looked at its website. Its “About Us” page still called them “a fast-growing startup.” They’d been in business for 15 years.

The home page didn't tell me what they do, how it will make the reader's life better, and what the reader needs to do to get it (Donald Miller's Grunt Test). Their services page listed three different value propositions (leftovers from three different positioning pivots). Their case studies were from 2021. And their team bios? No photos and two sentences each that didn't tell readers much. A quick LinkedIn check showed that three had left the company more than three months ago.

Spinach in their teeth. Everyone could see it but them.

Here’s What’s Happening Right Now

Prospects are researching you before they call. They’re digging through your blog posts, skimming case studies, checking team bios. Some are asking AI tools to summarize what you do.

The same thing is true for your LinkedIn profile.

If your messaging is inconsistent or outdated, you’re creating confusion you’ll never see:

The prospect who can’t figure out what you actually offer will call someone else. The AI tool that pulls the wrong information and spreads it. The internal team member who can’t explain your value proposition because you’ve got three of them.

You can’t fix what you can’t see.

The 5-Minute Website Diagnostic

I built a simple test you can run right now. Takes five minutes. Uses AI to show you what prospects actually see when they look at your website.

Copy this prompt and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, or your LLM of choice:

“You are an expert communications consultant conducting a diagnostic that reveals why opportunities disappear before they start.

Analyze this website: [insert your URL]

Find up to 10 specific issues across three types of Brand Garbage:

• Deal Killers: Content that directly blocks interest (unclear what you do, missing next steps, confusing messages)
• Trust Busters: Credibility problems (outdated info, conflicting details, weak proof)
• Invisible Problems: Generic messaging that gets ignored (could describe anyone, no differentiation)

For each issue, tell me:

• What you found (be specific)
• Why this costs me opportunities
• Quick fix or needs strategy

Before you start, ask me no more than three questions, one at a time, to clarify what I’m trying to achieve (Thank you, Joe Pulizzi).

What You’ll Probably Find

Most companies discover 5-7 problems they never noticed. For some, it's a lot more. Outdated bios. Broken contact forms. Value propositions that could describe anyone in their industry.

Here's a partial example of what one company learned:

1. Invisible Problem -- Quick Fix -- Homepage uses only generic slogans (“Upgrade your kitchen!”, “So Quiet, You wont know they're on!”) and no unique selling points—leads to instant forgettability.
2. Trust Buster -- Quick Fix -- Typos (“you wont know they’re on!”) and awkward copy (“Grill like you’ve never before”) diminish perceived quality and raise doubts about professionalism.
3. Deal Killer -- Strategic Fix -- No clear value proposition, differentiation, or incentives—no compelling reason to buy here versus a big box store or other competitors.
4. Deal Killer -- Quick Fix -- Product/brand menus and details aren’t instantly visible. Prospects searching for models, specs, or prices will bounce to clearer competitors.
5. Deal Killer: Quick Fix -- “See Price In Cart” appears with no cart/explanation—causes buyer friction and erodes trust, blocking the path to purchase.

Some are quick fixes (update that copyright date from 2022, fix that dead link). Some require strategy (your three service descriptions need to become one). And some reveal bigger positioning challenges.

If you don't have a website but want to get feedback on your LinkedIn Profile, drop me a note, and I'll send you the prompt.

What to Do Next

Run the diagnostic. If you don't use AI, let me know and I'll run it for you.

Fix the quick stuff today (those outdated dates, broken links, obvious typos).

Then look at what’s left. If you’ve got three or more items marked “needs strategy,” you’re not dealing with copy problems. You’re looking at a messaging challenge that needs professional Communications Windex.

Please hit Reply and tell me what surprised you most. The confusion hiding on page three? The fact that you describe your services three different ways? The case study that makes it sound like you’re still figuring things out?

I learn something from every company that tries this. And I suspect you will too.

​Brand Garbage out. Communications Windex in.

Peter

THREE SMART POSTS FROM THREE SMART PEOPLE

1. AI Content Audit -- Remembering What You Forgot to Remember. Robert Rose penned this post, which actually got me thinking about this week's newsletter.

2. The Em Dash is NOT an AI Tell: Justice for the Em Dash. The GOAT Ann Handley addresses the topic that is flooding our LinkedIn feeds.

3. Stop worrying about whether content is AI-generated. PR Daily Editor Allison Carter is also fed up with the tsunami of what I call the Em Dash Police, who share their red flags about AI content. Her view, which I share, is that they're whining about the wrong thing.

TWEETS THAT RULE

Nancy Duarte @nancyduarte Brilliant ideas die if your audience doesn’t engage. Your message is too important to let this happen. Planning how you’ll keep your audience engaged is so simple and so critical. There’s a ton of advice out there, but here are 3 of the most impactful tips I’ve learned over 5:19 PM • Oct 15, 2025 5 Retweets 6 Likes

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