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rubric v1.0, pre-calibration

How scores work

How every homepage on the board is scored.

What is scored

The capture: every night, a phone-size screenshot of each brand homepage, exactly as a first-time visitor sees it, with no scoring or commentary in the capture itself.

Scoring is a separate layer applied to the screenshot plus its extracted text and link data afterward.

Only the first screen is scored, as it shows on a phone before any scrolling. Dimensions run in the order a first-time visitor meets them, from the top of the phone screen down.

The scored screenshot is the first screen of the homepage on a phone, as a first-time visitor sees it. Where a full-screen popup covers that screen and the capture dismissed it, the content (headline, value, copy, call to action, focal point, and logo) is judged on the screen after dismissal, and the popup is charged once, in Hierarchy, at a ceiling of 2. A popup is full-screen when it and its dimmed backdrop cover 80% or more of the first screen. A popup the capture could not dismiss is scored as seen.

Until the rubric has been checked against hand scores, every score is labelled "rubric v1.0, pre-calibration".

The eight dimensions

5 is a reference example other teams should copy. 3 is competent, with nothing notable either way. 1 actively hurts the page. 2 and 4 sit between them and get no separate anchors. The anchors describe what each level means; a score is not picked from them directly, it comes from the checks.

  1. 01

    Headline

    1 to 5

    Does the first screen say what this is and for whom, within 3 seconds?

    5
    One specific headline: what it is, for whom, and why it matters, in the first screen
    3
    Clear but generic ("Welcome to X", "Shop the collection")
    1
    No discernible headline, or the headline contradicts what the page below actually sells
  2. 02

    Value & differentiation

    1 to 5

    Is the benefit specific and recognizably this brand, not any competitor?

    5
    A concrete benefit or difference a visitor could repeat back, supported on the page
    3
    Plausible benefit, but interchangeable with a competitor
    1
    Vague superlatives only ("best", "premium", "amazing"), or a benefit the page itself does not support
  3. 03

    Design & hierarchy

    1 to 5

    Does the layout lead the eye to the one thing that matters, on a phone?

    5
    Clear hierarchy at 375px; one dominant element; key copy is live text; holds up without horizontal scrolling
    3
    Works on mobile; stacked sections of equal weight, but nothing broken
    1
    Broken on mobile, image-only hero with key text baked into the image and unreadable, or competing elements of equal dominance
  4. 04

    Copy & voice

    1 to 5

    Is the writing specific and recognizably this brand?

    5
    Distinct voice, concrete claims, no filler
    3
    Correct and on-brand, but interchangeable with a competitor
    1
    Boilerplate, confirmed typos, or tone at odds with the brand
  5. 05

    Call to action

    1 to 5

    Is there one obvious next step?

    5
    One verb-led, specific primary CTA in the first screen, landing on the matching page
    3
    Present but generic ("Shop now", "Learn more") or one of several equals
    1
    No clear CTA, or it lands on a page unrelated to the headline offer
  6. 06

    Relevance

    1 to 5

    Does the page fit a first-time visitor who knows nothing about the brand?

    5
    Speaks to a newcomer: context, entry point, and next step are all present without assuming prior purchase or login
    3
    Suitable for a newcomer, but assumes some familiarity or buries the entry point
    1
    Assumes login, membership, or prior purchase ("Welcome back", members-only framing with no newcomer path), or shows a locale/currency mismatch for the visitor
  7. 07

    Trust

    1 to 5 · a 1 caps the page

    Is the page honest about who it is and what is on offer?

    5
    Consistent brand, real terms, contact or help path visible, no manufactured urgency, claims match the page below
    3
    Compliant, with mild pressure (a generic sale banner)
    1
    Deceptive headline prefix or claim, or a claim the page itself contradicts. A missing contact or help path caps Trust at 2 rather than scoring 1 (see checks)
  8. 08

    Technical hygiene

    1 to 5 · a 1 caps the page

    Does the page load intact, work, and stay readable?

    5
    Loads fully at phone size, every checked link resolves, text is readable, no broken layout or overlapping elements
    3
    Minor issues: a secondary link unverified, a non-critical image slow or missing
    1
    Page fails to load, primary CTA link broken (404, 410, 5xx), or layout broken so key content is unreadable

Bands

Computed at build time, never stored: Strong 33 to 40, Solid 24 to 32, Weak 8 to 23. A page that scores 3 on every dimension totals 24, the floor of Solid.

The hard-fail rule

A 1 on Trust or Technical Hygiene keeps the total visible and replaces the band with Capped. Only the three checks marked "Forces 1" in the checks table can do this. Every other check only lowers a ceiling.

  • Page fails to load or returns 5xx at capture/scoring time (Hygiene)
  • Primary CTA link returns 404, 410, or 5xx (Hygiene)
  • Headline or primary CTA text contradicts the destination page's own headline or offer (Trust)

Unverified checks

A check that could not reach a verdict shows as Not verified on the scorecard. For links: Two attempts, real browser user agent; 403, 429, and timeouts are "unverified" with no penalty.

Corrections

Think we got this wrong? Email support@pageteardown.com. We reply within 2 business days and fix confirmed errors within 7. A corrected score is logged, never changed silently.