theathletic.com
62/100
Ranked #19,241 of 46,880 sites
theathletic.com
62/100 · #19,241 of 46,880
homepagerankings.com
Media / Content / Publishing Benchmarks
How you compare to 6,908 Media / Content / Publishing sites
Gray line = Media / Content / Publishing median
Analysis
Theathletic scores 62 out of 100 on homepage messaging, earning a C grade — average — basic messaging is present but generic. Across all 30,134 sites analyzed, that's close to the median of 59.
No hero text found. Visitors see nothing above the fold that tells them what you do. With a clarity score of 7, Theathletic is below the overall median of 36.
The page has 7 CTAs, 3 of them above the fold. The primary CTA "Rangers goalie Jonathan Quick to make final NHL s…" is a value-oriented CTA — it promises a benefit, not just an action. CTA effectiveness score: 75 (above the median of 57).
Audience targeting is decent — there are audience signals, but room to be more specific. Detected audience: Media / Content / Publishing, team. Role words found: "team".
Theathletic fits the "Premium / Quality Leader" archetype with moderate confidence. This means the homepage is leading with craft and quality signals — the positioning says 'you get what you pay for'.
The biggest opportunities for Theathletic: Clarity is 29 points below median — the hero text needs to say what the product does in plain language.
Fix These First
up to +41 ptsRanked by estimated impact on your overall score
Add a clear hero headline
No hero headline detected — the most important real estate on your page is empty
Add a pricing page
Hiding pricing creates friction — most buyers want to self-qualify before talking to sales
Rewrite your meta description
Generic meta description — this is what shows up in Google results
First Impression
D (40/100)“A visitor would think this is a media / content / publishing for someone that offers something that schedules.”
Media / Content / Publishing
Unknown
Something that schedules
Visibility / Insights
Neutral
Gaps:
- -No clear target audience defined. Could be for anyone, which means it resonates with no one.
- -Product description is vague. Visitors get a rough idea but no clear picture.
- -Value proposition is weakly communicated. Benefits are implied, not stated.
Suggested Rewrites
Better copy based on your product signals — click to copy
Current
Unrivaled sports coverage across every team you care about and every league you follow. Get breaking news, powerful sto…
This is what shows in Google results — specificity drives higher click-through rates
A/B Test Ideas
Specific experiments to run, ranked by expected impact
Test adding social proof above the fold (customer count, logos, or testimonial)
No social proof detected. Even one trust signal ("Join 500+ teams") can lift conversions significantly.
Messaging Clarity
CTA Analysis
A- (75/100)Total CTAs
7
Above Fold
3
Best CTA
Tier 2
What Do You Sell?
F (7/100)In 5 words:
The Athletic
Hero
absentMeta Description
genericUnrivaled sports coverage across every team you care about and every league you follow. Get breaking news, powerful stories and smart analysis from the best writers in sports.
ICP Clarity
D (35/100)Detected audience
decentMedia / Content / Publishing, team
Positioning Archetype
60% confidencePremium / Quality Leader
Unrivaled sports coverage across every team you care about and every league y...
Confidence: 60%
Pricing Page
F (0/100)No pricing page detected.
How You Compare
vs. other Media / Content / Publishing sites in the index
| Dimension | theathletic.com | keap.com | zight.com | infusionsoft.… | managewp.com |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 62 | 87-25 | 87-25 | 87-25 | 86-24 |
| Clarity | 7 | 59-52 | 100-93 | 59-52 | 100-93 |
| CTA | 75 | 75 | 60+15 | 75 | 75 |
| ICP | 35 | 46-11 | 91-56 | 46-11 | 15+20 |
| 1st Impr. | 40 | 60-20 | 60-20 | 60-20 | 52-12 |
| Pricing | 0 | 95-95 | 80-80 | 95-95 | 100-100 |
What We Analyzed
Title
The Athletic - Sports news, stories, scores, schedules, podcasts, and more
Word count
1,302
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Last scanned 49 days ago. Time to check if your homepage has improved.
theathletic.com scored 62/100.
We fix exactly this. Messaging, CTAs, positioning. Ready-to-ship, not a slide deck.
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