Top 10 Things to Look For When Doing a Website Quarterly Review.
If you have been following me for a while then you have heard me say, “Your website is your front door to the online world”. It is the first impression your potential customers may have with you and your business. Which is why it is so important to make sure your website is always up-to-date by doing a website quarterly review. If you have misinformation, broken links, and other issues, the first impression isn’t going to be a good one. And you may be setting expectations that you are no longer willing to honor.
I want your website visitors to love you as much as I do. I want them to see all the amazing things you are doing to make your corner of the world a better place, and I want them to know how and why they should work with you. So today, I thought I would share my top 10 things to look for when doing a website quarterly review. If you follow this list four times a year, I guarantee your website is going to be working for you and your business!
Top 10 things to look for…
10. Spelling and grammar errors
No matter how awesome you were in high school English class, you are going to have some typos. When you were first writing your content you knew exactly what you wanted it to say. So it wasn’t always easy to identify those errors. Now that you’ve been disconnected from the information for a little while you are much more likely to catch them. Read through everything, page by page. Correct the errors as you see them so you know they won’t get forgotten.
9. Test out all of your hyperlinks
Web pages come and go all of the time. What was a great resource six months ago, may no longer be available. Or may have changed to a different URL. Having broken links not only gives your visitors a dead end, it also can have a negative impact on your SEO (Google visibility). To simplify the search for broken links you can also use an online scan like Free Broken Link Checker to find the links that aren’t working on your site.
I also recommend that you take a little time to ensure that all external links are opening a new page or tab. If you don’t have this setting in place, you will in fact be directing your visitors off of your website. If this happens they might not come back. I know you don’t want to kick people off of your website, so open those up in a new page or tab.
8. Verify page/blog post formatting for SEO
There are a lot of tiny details that many people over look that support your SEO visibility. What most people don’t realize is the these tiny details can add up. They may be what makes you a little more visible than your competitors. Plus, they are super easy to do. For starters, scan your pages and blog posts and make sure that your title is set to Heading 1 (H1) formatting. Next make sure that you have a main subheading in place and that it is formatted as a Heading 2 (H2). Finally, if you have quite a bit of text ensure that you add in a subtitle formatted to Heading 3 (H3) or lower about every 300 words.
And if you want a little extra free SEO help check out my SEO Cheat Sheet!
7. Make sure images are clear and represent you and your brand
When you first built your website, you most likely went with some generic stock images or images you took off of your smart phone. This is a great place to start and there is definitely nothing wrong with doing that. Today you are wiser and more confident in your business. Those images that worked in the beginning may not represent you and your brand today. Scan through the images and replace any that no longer represent the amazing confident professional business owner you have become.
6. Verify your contact information is setting clear expectations
Your contact page is the PERFECT place to set clear expectations as to when you are available and what the best way to reach you is. Take a few minutes looking over your own contact page and make sure that these things have been addressed. And if you need a little help and inspiration check out this recent blog post 5 Steps for Setting Clear Expectations on Your Website.
5. Ensure product and service details lists are correct and easy to understand
Our products and services will shift and change over time. Getting these changes made on the website may not always happen. Now is the time to make sure those changes have been made, and that you are sharing the most up-to-date information about your product and services. Double check shipping rates and time frame, deliverables that are listed with each product and any bonus features that may have been added or removed.
4. Verify that any pricing listed is up-to-date with your current prices
If your products and service delivery has changed, it is quite possible your prices have as well. Now is the perfect time to make sure that prices are up-to-date and reflecting the changes you have made in your business. After all, nothing will hurt the trust factor in your business more than unexpected higher prices.
3. Looks great on all devices
Just because your website was built with a “responsive design” doesn’t mean it actually looks fabulous on all devices. Images and words can easily blend together when resized for different devices and that isn’t something technology can address. Take the time to look through the pages of your website on your tablet or smartphone to make sure they are as easy to read and follow as they are on your computer. And if you need a little help, check out my Website Responsive Review Checklist.
2. What you do and how you can help your visitors is clear within 5 seconds
If your website visitors don’t know what you do and how you can help them make their life better in 5 seconds or less the likelihood of them hitting the back button is pretty high. We live in an instant information world, and don’t have a lot of patience with digging for information. And while that is a fact that may drive you crazy, knowing it allows you to use it to your advantage. Get clear and to the point at the very top of your home page, so there is no doubt about what you do to make your corner of the world a better place.
1. Ensure the obvious “first step” to working with you is actually obvious right away
If your website visitors cannot see how to get started in working with you, and if they have dig to find out, they may not bother. So make it easy for them by giving them an immediate Call to Action (CTA) right after you tell them what you do, so they know exactly where to get started in working with you.
One last piece of advice…
The first time you go through a Website Quarterly Review can be a daunting task. Especially if you haven’t visited your website in a long time. I promise it does get easier, especially if you do this quarterly as suggested. Just remember that the time spent doing this is a huge investment in the success of your business. Having up to date information is never going to hurt you, but having out dated information will. So take the time and invest in your success, and if you’d like a little help getting it done, I invite you to schedule a Live Website Consultation and Review with me. Together we will have your website up-to-date and working for you in no time!