Old school may be more valuable in the new school, according to some new research on websites. Let’s discuss what that means for you.

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🟩 ATTRACT → 🟧 convert → ⬜ retain → ⬛ amplify

I built my website three years ago and haven't touched it since. Does it actually matter for getting clients?

Your question arrives at a good time. I just saw this from Orbit Media’s Andy Crestodina, my go-to resource for all things online and marketing.

Orbit Media recently analyzed Cloudflare data to see which bots crawl which pages and where AI sends visitors. Its review of 74 accounts found AI crawls homepages 15 times more than other types of pages.

Andy writes, “Wow.”

I agree. I’ve always compared a website to your brand’s office lobby or reception area. It gives people the first impression of who you are and what you care about. And hopefully, it also lets them know what you do.

Now that AI is walking through your digital lobby, it’s even more important.

So, it’s definitely worth a revisit. Here’s a fairly easy three-step process:

You could repeat this exercise with a handful of people if you want more data. Whoever answers will give you a better understanding of what the site does well or doesn’t do well. My guess is that most cold readers won’t know what they’re supposed to do next. Calls to action on home pages are often the missing component or at least not obvious.

2. Audit the home page against your 2026 business. Websites grow notoriously outdated over the years. Perhaps you’ve shifted your messaging, increased your pricing, expanded your services, or narrowed your target audience. Does your home page reflect that? 

3. Get AI to assess it. Share the link or paste the home page into a chatbot with this prompt: “Summarize this business in three sentences.” Did it get your business? Did it accurately capture what you offer clients? Did it identify your audience? What do you wish it had said instead?

So yes — your website still matters. Your digital lobby still makes a first impression on humans and now on AI systems. Follow these three steps, and you’ll know within an hour how big of an update you should do. Fortunately, you likely won’t have to go into an extensive redesign. It likely just needs a stronger headline, a clearer call to action, and more precise messaging about who you serve.

Got a question you’d like me to answer in a future edition of The Hotline? Call or text Marketing By One Hotline: +1.440.661.3984.

This week: If you have time for only one activity: Paste your home page into a chatbot and ask it to summarize your business in three sentences. Does it get you right? If not, that's your sign to revisit.

I had AI help me assess an annual subscription. I’ve been reviewing my subscription services to see if there are free or similar services already available in another tool I pay for. Last month, I got rid of Norton in favor of Microsoft Defender. This week, it was Dropbox. I pay $119 a year, and it renews in August. Since I already pay for Microsoft 365, I wondered if I should save the money and shift everything to OneDrive.

ChatGPT asked me questions about how I use Dropbox, and as I gave it more information, it reassessed its conclusion. Ultimately, I decided to start using OneDrive before my Dropbox subscription expires — and if it works out, I won’t renew.

Have any AI tricks of your own? Hit reply, call, or text the Marketing By One Hotline: +1.440.661.3984.

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✅ Make checkmarks: LinkedIn shared a to-do list based on what it knows works. Among the tips — post two to three times per week, engage with comments in first hour, and mix up content types.

🤖 Knowledge is power: Followers don’t matter as much as what your followers actually do. More than half of posts shown in Instagram feeds are funneled there by Meta’s AI recommendations. So, don’t count on follower counts as a marketing success metric.

🌱 Don’t do obvious: A vegan restaurant doesn’t market to vegans. The founder explains why this seemingly contradictory marketing works.

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Got a question you’d like me to answer in The Hotline? Email me or DM me on LinkedIn. Even better: Text or leave a message on the Marketing By One Hotline: +1.440.661.3984.