The CRISP method.
CRISP is how FlowConverts reviews a business website. It checks five things a potential client notices: is it clear, is it fast, does it guide people, is it easy to enquire, and does it feel credible. Each counts for 20%, so no single strength can hide a weakness, and the weakest one tells you where to start.
(Method)
What is CRISP?
CRISP stands for Contextual, Responsive, Intelligent, Seamless and Powerful. We built it because most website advice is somebody's taste. We wanted a method that checks the same things, the same way, on every site.
In a website audit, each dimension is scored out of 10 and weighted equally at 20%. The findings are ranked by how likely they are to cost you enquiries, so you get a short list of what to fix first rather than a 90-page PDF.
CRISP is our own method, not an industry standard. If you've seen the letters used elsewhere, that's something else.
(C)
Contextual: can people tell what you do?
Can a first-time visitor tell, in a few seconds, what you do, who it's for and what to do next? This is where most service websites lose people first.
(01)
What we check
Whether the first screen names the service, the audience and a sensible next step, and whether headings and buttons say anything specific.
(02)
Typical failure
A homepage that opens with 'transforming digital experiences' before saying what the business actually sells.
(03)
What a fix looks like
A headline that names the service and who it's for, one supporting line, and a button that says where it goes: 'Book a consultation', not 'Learn more'.
(R)
Responsive: is it fast and stable?
Speed and stability on a phone as much as a laptop: how quickly a page becomes usable, how much it jumps around and how fast it reacts to a tap. It's the closest thing to a Core Web Vitals check.
(01)
What we check
Loading speed, layout stability and response to input, with mobile treated as seriously as desktop.
(02)
Typical failure
Giant images, heavy scripts and sliders that crawl on an ordinary phone connection, or content that shifts as it loads.
(03)
What a fix looks like
Properly sized images, fewer third-party scripts and reserved space for anything that loads late. Sometimes a lighter rebuild beats patching.
(I)
Intelligent: does the structure guide people?
Does the site route each visitor to the right service or sector, or leave them to work it out from a flat list of pages? It matters most for businesses with several services or client types.
(01)
What we check
Whether each main service or audience has its own page, whether it's easy to reach, and whether navigation matches how clients think rather than your org chart.
(02)
Typical failure
One generic services page trying to cover five different offers, so nobody finds the page that answers their actual question.
(03)
What a fix looks like
A dedicated page per main service or sector, one click away, with clear routes between related pages.
(S)
Seamless: how easy is it to enquire?
How much friction sits between interest and an enquiry, booking or quote? Automated scanners miss this one, because a form can load perfectly and still ask far too much.
(01)
What we check
Whether there's one clear way to get in touch, how many steps and fields it takes, and whether it works on a phone.
(02)
Typical failure
A contact form three clicks deep, a phone-only 'get in touch', or ten fields before anyone's even had a chat.
(03)
What a fix looks like
A short form or booking link on every key page, only the fields a first conversation needs, and a note on what happens next.
(P)
Powerful: does it earn trust?
Does the site feel credible and current enough for a careful buyer? It's not 'does it look nice'. It's whether the site matches the quality and price of what you sell.
(01)
What we check
Visual quality, how current it feels, and the proof a buyer needs: credentials, case studies, testimonials and signs you're real and active.
(02)
Typical failure
A business with a strong track record and a dated, generic website. The mismatch is exactly what a potential client notices.
(03)
What a fix looks like
A redesign of the pages carrying the most trust, with real proof placed where people decide, not parked on a page nobody visits.
(Scoring)
How the scoring works.
Deliberately simple, so two sites can be compared fairly and a site can be compared with itself after a change.
- Five scores out of 10, against the same criteria every time.
- Equal weighting. Speed is one fifth of the picture, not all of it.
- Findings ranked by likely impact on enquiries, top three first.
- Comparable over time, because the result doesn't depend on how many pages you have.
(Limits)
What CRISP doesn't do.
A method is only useful if you know where it stops.
- It's not a deep technical SEO crawl. Indexation and site-wide diagnostics need a dedicated SEO audit.
- It doesn't see your analytics unless you share them. Without data, we see the site the way a visitor does.
- It's built for sites that generate enquiries, not online shops. Checkout behaviour needs a different lens.
- It's not a promise of results. Fewer barriers isn't the same as guaranteed leads, which also depend on your offer and market.
(Fixes)
Weakest dimension, likely fix.
A slow site and a confusing site are different problems. The lowest score usually tells you where to start.
| Weak dimension | What it usually means | Where we usually fix it |
|---|---|---|
| Contextual | The offer, audience or next step is unclear | Website design or a focused landing page |
| Responsive | The site is slow or unstable, especially on mobile | Website rebuild |
| Intelligent | The structure doesn't guide people to the right service | SEO and information architecture in a design project |
| Seamless | Too much friction between interest and enquiry | Conversion work on the enquiry journey |
| Powerful | The site undersells the business behind it | Redesign of the pages carrying the most trust |
(Questions)
CRISP questions.
What does CRISP stand for?
Contextual, Responsive, Intelligent, Seamless and Powerful. In plain terms: is the site clear, is it fast and stable, does its structure guide visitors, is it easy to enquire through, and does it feel credible enough to trust. Each one is weighted equally at 20%, so a strong design can't hide a clunky contact form, and a fast site can't hide a vague headline.
Is a CRISP review the same as a speed test?
No. Tools like PageSpeed Insights or Lighthouse measure loading performance, which maps to the Responsive dimension. CRISP adds four more covering clarity, structure, friction and trust, which a performance tool doesn't look at. Speed is one fifth of the picture. A site can score perfectly on speed and still lose every visitor who can't work out what you sell.
Is the CRISP self-check the same as an audit?
No. The self-check is five questions you answer about your own site, one per dimension, and it's free. It's only as accurate as your answers, and most people are a little kind to their own site. A website audit is a paid service where we review your actual site against the full method, with your goals and analytics in mind, and rank the fixes.
What counts as a good CRISP result?
Because every dimension is weighted equally, a good result means nothing is badly weak, not that one thing shines. A site can look fantastic and still lose enquiries if the Seamless score is poor. The most useful reading is usually your lowest dimension, because that's where the first fix belongs and where a change is most likely to show up in your enquiries.
How often should I review my site with CRISP?
There's no fixed schedule. Review it after any meaningful change, like a new homepage or enquiry form, and roughly once a year otherwise, because what looks credible and current shifts over time. Keep your earlier results as a baseline so you can see whether a change actually moved anything, rather than relying on a feeling that the new version is better.
See where your site stands.
Five questions, one per dimension. Free, and you'll have a rough read in a couple of minutes.
Want us to do it properly?
A website audit is us reviewing your actual site against the full CRISP method, with ranked fixes you can act on.