You have a website for your business,
you’ve added content to it regularly to keep it active and in the search
results. You’ve updated all the backend stuff to keep it secure but have
you stepped back recently, and taken a
good look from the viewpoint of your visitor?
Let’s take a look at what you really need to be looking at when you need to update your website.
1 – Visual Appeal
How your website looks is a reflection of
your company. If it looks professional, is easy to navigate, and has all the
relevant information your customers are looking for, it will give a great first
impression. Finding great
themes that look the part isn’t hard, but finding
one that will do what you want can take time.
Dates on your blog posts or events? You might want to remove those so that they still look relevant and not outdated or time-limited. Also, depending on how long you have been running your website, check for outdated parts that no longer work properly.
2 – Stock Images
Not only should the written content look
professional on your website, but your visuals also need to look in-keeping
with the feel of the site. Using custom photography and art work is a priority.
Although stock images are easy to use, there are many pitfalls when it comes to using them on a business website. Overuse of images
may make your site look like another your visitor has already been to.
3 – Call to action
How effective is your call to action? Many
websites have these to drive their prospective customers to become leads after
completing an action on a landing page.
- Is
yours working?
- Is your
USP and call to action highlighted on the landing page?
- Is it
interesting enough to make a visitor complete the desired action?
You can find out the answers to these
questions by looking at your conversion rates. There are many tools available
to help see how your
call to action is converting, and lots of plugins and software to help you create engaging landing
pages.
You may also be looking at booking
appointments on your site. Scheduling software like https://www.inspectionsupport.net/home-inspection-scheduling-software/ is just one of many software packages that can be used to book
appointments direct from your site.
4 – Content
Your website may look amazing, but unless
your content is exceptionally strong, you will lose visitors quickly. Updating
your site is one way that you can address any communication problems that your
current design may have.
There are many different options when it
comes to content. From the written word, to more visual means such as video.
Whatever option you use, make sure it is concise, to the point, and easy to
interact with.
Once you have your content in place, make
sure that it is easy to find. Navigation is one of the major pitfalls many
websites stumble into. Having too many options to choose from can be confusing
if you don’t really know what it is you are looking for. Like your content, be
concise and direct. Have a ‘start here’ page for new visitors and an easy
accessible menu with only a few tabs to choose from.
5 – Security
Security
on your website should be a top
priority. Keeping it safe is easy when you know how.
By keeping everything up-to-date and backed
up, you limit the opportunities of being hacked. Do you have a secure internet
connection? HTTPS are just one way to make sure your website is safe and secure
for both yourself and your customers.
Using up-to-date security plugins and
software is another great way to protect your site. You need to be going into
the backend of your website at the very least monthly to ensure all your
plugins and software are updated to the newest version.
Out of all the above reasons to update your
website, security is the main aspect. You will have a duty to your customers to
keep them safe when you are interacting with them online. Keeping their
personal details private and confidential is a legal requirement and one you
need to be taking seriously.
Conclusion
There are many more areas in which you
might want to update on your site, but if you need to give your website a quick
refresh, then these five should be your priority. Creating a system of periodic
checks to ensure all the information is current and correct will help limit the
amount of time a refresh will take, and allow you to continue to work in your
business rather than on it.
