Tips from Teresa Schlup of Web Designs by Teresa & Robyn White of RDW Design Studio
4 Things to Do on Your Website Prepare for the New Year
Today I am teaming up with my good friend and fellow Web Designer, Robyn White with the RDW Design Studio, to share with you 4 things you can do EASILY to prepare your website for the new year ahead! Let's dive in!
1. Update Dates & Numbers
One task you can do to prepare your website for the new year is to go through your website content and check all the places where you refer to either dates or numbers as they may need to be updated.
Some common places where this may apply are:
- Did you add on new team members? If you had two team members in 2022 and now you have four, you will want to update this.
- Do you reference how many years you have been in business? If you do, you will want to add another year to that.
- Has your pricing changed? If you list pricing on your website (and that is a whole other discussion!), you will want to make sure the prices you list are correct because you may have changed them during the year.
- Do you list out the number of clients you have worked with? If you do, that number most likely went up and you will want to change that.
- Are there any stats you reference anywhere else in your website content? If so, you will want to read through and make updates where needed.
One important number not to forget is the copyright date in the footer of your website. This is something you will want to update. This is important to do because it sends a message that you are an active business. If a potential client visits your website and the year is two or three years off, chances are they may question if you are still in business.
The best practice is to share a range of dates, starting with your initial year in business. By sharing a range of dates from your first year in business to the present year you are protecting all content on your website.
2. Review & Update Your Services
Over the past year you and your business have gone through a lot. If you are anything like most entrepreneurs, you have tried new things that are now a part of your every day, and stopped doing other things that are no longer a good fit.
This business growth and the changes you've made directly impact what you deliver and how it is done, and old descriptions can set the inaccurate expectations, as well as attract the wrong clients.
The 3 Questions to Ask Yourself...
Read through your service descriptions and ask yourself these 3 key questions...
- Does this accurately represent what I do?
- Does it reflect the business I want to attract?
- What needs to change so I am in alignment with where I am today and what I am creating?
3. Test Your Forms
Chances are you have a contact form on your website. And, you may also have a form to sign up for your newsletter or your lead magnet. If you do, you should head on over to your forms and give them a test run!
Fill each of them out and check that they work properly.
- For your contact form you will want to ensure that the form submission is delivered to you so you can respond to it. If it automatically brings people to your calendar, or another page after submission, you will want to make sure you are redirected there correctly.
- For your newsletter and lead magnet sign up forms, you want to check that you are added to your email list in your email marketing program and tagged/segmented properly. And, you want to ensure that you receive the lead magnet and eventually the newsletter, and any welcome or nurture sequence you have set up.
Testing the forms on your website will ensure that your potential clients have a great user experience because you know everything is still working properly.
4. Testimonials
Nothing builds business better than word of mouth recommendations! So it's time to share all the amazing things your clients are saying about you!
Testimonials are powerful, especially when they are shared in a savvy strategic way. Take a look through your testimonials from all sources, and look for the ones that contain the best juicy little tidbits about working with you. Content to look for specifically are ones that mention...
- The services you offer
- Things you do that set you apart
- How effectively you communicate
Be sure to highlight the testimonials that reflect where you are in business today and what you want to attract moving forward.
These tidbits can be then shared throughout your website in eye-catching and appealing ways from your home page to the contact page and every page in between.