WordPress design checks in Shadow
The pages and navigation a business site is expected to have: an about page, a contact page with a form, a homepage, menus, a logo, featured images and a copyright year that is still current.
There are 17 checks in this family. Shadow reports what it finds, and nothing is changed until you approve a fix.
In this family
- About Page Published
- Child Theme In Use
- Contact Page Has a Form
- Contact Page Published
- Copyright Year Current
- Custom Logo Set
- Default Image Size
- Draft Pages Not Accumulating
- Footer Menu
- Homepage Displays
- Homepage Page Published
- Mobile Menu
- Posts Page Published
- Primary Navigation Assigned
- Recent Posts Have Featured Images
- Search Enabled
- Terms of Service Page Published
What each check looks at
About Page Published
Checks that a published About page exists so visitors can learn who is behind the site and make an informed decision to engage.
Why it matters. An About page builds visitor trust by explaining who is behind the site, their mission, and their credentials. Without one, first-time visitors have no way to evaluate credibility before deciding to engage.
Child Theme In Use
Checks whether the active theme is a child theme. Customising a parent theme directly means all changes are lost when the theme is updated.
Contact Page Has a Form
Checks that the site's contact page contains an actual web form. A contact page with no form is a missed conversion opportunity.
Contact Page Published
Checks that a published Contact page exists so visitors have a clear path to reach the business, improving trust and conversion rates.
Why it matters. A Contact page gives visitors a clear path to reach the business or author. Without one, potential customers, media, and partners have no obvious way to get in touch, which directly impacts conversions and opportunities.
Copyright Year Current
Checks that the copyright year in the site footer matches the current year. A stale year makes the site appear neglected and out of date.
Custom Logo Set
Checks that the active theme's custom logo slot has been filled with a brand image to reinforce professional identity.
Why it matters. A custom logo reinforces brand identity and professionalism. WordPress provides a standardised custom-logo theme feature since 4.5. When a theme supports it but no logo has been uploaded, the site typically falls back to a generic text header, which weakens brand credibility.
Default Image Size
Checks that the editor default image insertion size is not set to "full" to prevent oversized images being placed in content by default.
Why it matters. WordPress stores an image_default_size option that controls the size inserted when a user adds an image in the classic editor. When this is set to "full", every image insertion defaults to the original uploaded resolution, harming page performance and creating oversized layouts.
Draft Pages Not Accumulating
Checks for pages sitting in draft status for more than 90 days. A build-up of old drafts often signals incomplete or abandoned site work.
Footer Menu
Checks that a footer navigation menu location is registered by the theme and has a menu assigned to it with links to utility pages.
Homepage Displays
Checks that the Reading Settings homepage configuration is set deliberately, either a static front page or a page-for-posts setup, rather than left at the WordPress default.
Why it matters. WordPress defaults to showing the latest blog posts on the homepage (show_on_front = posts). For most non-blog sites this is unintentional: visitors land on a raw list of posts instead of a crafted landing page that communicates the site's purpose and drives conversions.
Homepage Page Published
Verifies that when a static front page is configured in Reading Settings, the assigned page actually exists and has a published status.
Mobile Menu
Checks the active theme for responsive navigation patterns (mobile menu toggle buttons or media-query-driven nav styles) so mobile visitors can browse the site.
Why it matters. Over 60% of web traffic is from mobile devices. A site without a usable mobile navigation makes it difficult or impossible for mobile visitors to discover content. This diagnostic looks for the common patterns that indicate responsive/hamburger menu support in the theme.
Posts Page Published
Verifies that when a Posts Page is assigned in Reading Settings, the page exists and is published so the blog archive is accessible to visitors.
Why it matters. When a static front page is configured and a Posts Page is also assigned, that page must exist and be published. A draft or missing posts page causes the blog index to silently fall back to the front page or produce a 404, breaking the content discovery path.
Primary Navigation Assigned
Checks whether the primary or main navigation menu location registered by the active theme has a menu assigned, ensuring visitors can navigate the site.
Recent Posts Have Featured Images
Checks that recently published posts have a featured image set. Missing featured images look broken in blog listings and social sharing previews.
Search Enabled
Checks whether site search is available via a theme search form or widget for sites that have sufficient content to benefit from it.
Why it matters. WordPress site search helps visitors find specific content quickly. For sites with many published posts this is a key UX feature. However some themes and plugins disable the search form without a deliberate decision being made, leaving large content libraries undiscoverable. This diagnostic flags sites whose content volume suggests search would be valuable but where no search form is visible in the theme.
Terms of Service Page Published
Checks that a published Terms of Service or Terms and Conditions page exists. A missing terms page leaves the site without a legally enforceable user agreement and may violate payment processor and privacy regulation requirements.
Why it matters. A Terms of Service (or Terms and Conditions) page is a legal requirement for nearly any site that accepts user registrations, purchases, or form submissions. GDPR Article 13 requires disclosure of how data is processed, most payment processors (Stripe, PayPal) mandate a terms link in checkout flows, and app store policies require one for any software distribution. Without a published terms page the site has no enforceable user agreement.
The other check families
- Accessibility (12)
- Code quality (7)
- Database (12)
- Monitoring (10)
- Performance (63)
- Security (46)
- SEO (28)
- Settings (29)
- Health and workflows (7)
Shadow is free and runs on your own server, with no account. The source is on GitHub, and these descriptions come from it.