There is no better time to freshen up your business website than the slowdown after the busy holiday season. Not only will you have a lot of insight into how your business fared over both the holidays, but you should also have a good idea how well your website served your business’s bottom line over the entire year. Plus, updating the business’s website can give you and your staff a boost of confidence and enthusiasm for that fresh start in the new year.
But what sorts of things should you be looking to update on your website? And what sorts of things are the most important to address first? Never fear! Our 10 tips below should guide you through the process and help you prioritize what needs addressing. We’ve put it into the order of importance so we suggest using it like a checklist:
Tip #1: Review Your Backup and Restore Plan
Before making any considerable changes to your website, it’s always a good idea to not only back up the website, but also make sure whatever website backup and restore strategy you have in place is working and serving your needs.
Tip #2: Review Your Analytics
There is no better way to identify problematic web pages and site structure issues than looking at your website analytics to determine how users are moving around your website. Entrance and exit page metrics are especially important in that they give insight into which pages are helping and which are hurting your website traffic.
A word of caution before you delete web pages or make major alterations to your site structure – if not done properly, this can have drastic effects on your search ranking! Hire an SEO expert rather than making a costly mistake.
Tip #3: Evaluate and Update Your Homepage
Your homepage is the most important page on your website. Make sure it reflects your current business goals, branding, and messaging. Remember that its main purpose is not to simply tell customers about your business, but rather illustrate the many ways your business can serve their needs.
Tip #4: Evaluate and Update Your Website Content
Once your Homepage is updated, it’s time to tackle the rest of the website’s content. Freshen up your service or product pages and update any testimonial, portfolio, or client pages. Lastly, make sure your Contact page is up to date. This is worth double checking!
Tip #5: Review Your Metadata
While reviewing any page content, it’s a good time to also review the metadata to make sure it is structured properly and accurately represents what is on the page.
Tip #6: Test Your Webforms
Make sure your webforms are working by testing them out. Not only will this ensure your potential customers can contact you, but it gives you good insight into their experience in doing so.
Tip #7: Optimize the Site for Page Load Speeds
To do this properly, it can get a bit technical and we suggest hiring a competent web developer, but there is one thing almost anyone can do to speed up a slow web page – make sure the images are optimized! Website images that are not properly sized and/or haven’t been compressed can make your website drag.
Tip #8: Update Header and Footer Information
Make sure your social media links are working properly and your copyright date is current. Also, check to make sure the link to your Privacy Policy page is present and working.
Tip #9: Review the Website for ADA and GDPR Compliance
Website accessibility and user privacy are growing concerns in the pursuit of making the internet an enjoyable and safe experience for all. Knowing if these are critical considerations for your website depends on your industry, target audience, geographic location, and a host of other factors. This is a complex and important topic, so we highly recommend seeking out a competent professional who understands the particular compliance needs of your website.
Tip #10: Update Your Privacy Policy Page
As mentioned above, increasing internet privacy concerns and regulations like the GDPR has made it more important than ever to keep your privacy policy page up to date. Make sure you review your advertising and analytics platforms for changes in how they handle cookies and see if they recommend changes to the privacy policies of their users.
What if You Need Help Refreshing Your Business Website?
While many of the tips above are fairly easy for anyone familiar with basic website design and management, sometimes it’s much better to seek the help of a professional. It’s important to find web developers, SEO experts, and marketers who will work closely with you and tailor their work to best fit your budget and needs.
Our team of web business experts are here to answer your questions so don’t hesitate to reach out via our Contact Page or call us at (941) 548-9950.
