How fresh is your website?
I was talking to a friend the other day about websites and she mentioned the last time she updated hers was about three years ago when small businesses and solos were just turning toward having “responsive” websites. She decided to hold off at the time and now needs to update to meet the needs of her current and potential clients.
If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, a responsive website responds: It adjusts depending on the device it’s being displayed on, whether that is a desktop, phone, or tablet. That makes it easily viewed whatever the situation.
Although the text and images on my site mostly stay the same. I too am in the process of reviewing every single page – including all my past blog posts. I love reviewing websites, so you can imagine how happy I am to give myself the gift of doing it on my own!
It was a good reminder too of things that can go wrong and/or need updating on a website over time.
Here are some things to watch for on your own site:
1. Check Your Links. You might be shocked at the number of links that are broken. I found a few that needed to be updated on my own site.
By the way, make sure that when a link takes somebody off your site (e.g., to a book you mention), it “opens a new tab” in the browser. That way your website visitor can easily click back to your site and keep looking around. Making this happen is just a simple setting when creating the link.
2. Read Every Page. Yes, read every single page on your site. Does it represent you? Is your message clear? Could someone reading your site understand why they would want to work with you? Is your phone number on your contact page (really, I saw this missing on a website just today)?
Read every blog post too. Some may have font discrepancies, spacing issues, and links that are different colors than your website palate. Some may just need to be taken down because they no longer make sense. It takes some time, but it is worth it to be confident that every page looks consistent.
3. Get Great Graphics. Take a close look (with your reading glasses on if necessary) at the graphics on your website. Is your logo pixelated (fuzzy)? Do you have images with a white background instead of transparent on pages that have a colored background? How old is your headshot? Are you using bland stock photography? Time to upgrade if any of this is you.
4. Check Your Phone. More than half of the visitors to your site will do so on a phone – make sure your site looks good and is easily readable.
5. Review Your Dashboard. Take a peek at the back end of your website (or get a qualified professional to do it with you). Are there plugins that you aren’t using that might be slowing things down? Is your website running on the latest version of WordPress (or whatever you run your website on)? Keep your website running smoothly by paying attention to these important details.
Remember that for many people, your website is the first place where they will form an impression of you and your business. Take steps now to make sure the impression is a good one!