Does Your Website Need an Update?

It’s easy to assume your website is doing its job without constantly checking on it. But, sometimes your website has gone a bit stale and no longer works in your favor. If you update your content regularly, we recommend taking a critical look at your site every six months to see if it is meeting your expectations and goals. If you have a static site, we recommend doing an analysis every nine months. Ask yourself the following questions to determine the effectiveness of your site. You might need an outside opinion and fresh eyes to answer some of these questions.

Does your website communicate clearly?

Can someone visit your website and quickly know what you do and easily know how to take the action you want them to? The content on your site should be updated and relevant to everything you do. The copy on your site should be action-oriented. It should tell the user exactly what to do with the information they are reading.

Is it visually pleasing?

Viewers should enjoy looking at your website. You want your written content to be enhanced with practical layouts and graphics that represent your brand. The visuals you use, even white space, are part of how you tell the story of your brand. They should be updated, on brand and be telling your visitor more about you.

Is it easy to use?

Users should be able to find the information they need with the fewest amount of clicks possible. Make sure your navigation bar makes sense and highlights the most important information. Because you know the content so well, it may all seem very clear where everything is located. Ask a handful of outsiders to review your site organization or to find certain items. Their feedback can tell you if you’re on target or need a clean up.  

Does it load quickly?

A fast load time will lead to a better user experience and keep your audience on your site longer. Make sure all pages are loading quickly (in less than three seconds) to avoid high bounce rates. You can check the speed of your site on Google PageSpeed Insights. If you pages are loading slowly, there are some things you can do to speed it up. You might need to remove videos you’ve uploaded to your site and replace them with links from external sites like YouTube. Also, make sure your images are optimized for web, keeping the size below 200KB. Learn more about the impact of website speed here.

Is it SEO friendly?

Your website should include keywords in headings and copy to boost your ranking on search engines. Find out what keywords to use and include them throughout. Not sure where to even start with SEO? Check these helpful articles here and here.

Does it generate leads?

You should gather information from people who enter your site. You can include opt-ins on different pages throughout your site. An opt-in is a way users on your website can express their interest in the content you offer and provide you with their information. For example, you can include a helpful worksheet on your website, and in order to download it, users will have to enter their name and email address. You can use that information to provide more content to these users via email and build relationships.

 

If you answered “no” to any of these questions, it’s time for a website refresh or update. If you need help optimizing your website, we’re happy to help! Just drop us an email to [email protected].