Welcome the New WITHOUT the old
It’s never a good idea to get too caught up in New Year’s resolutions and to start rejecting the things we’ve created the year before. However, for websites the New Year is a great opportunity to check everything is up to date and that we are presenting the best version of ourselves online.
If we click on a website and see out of date information we start to assume that a business might not be offering services currently or that communication with clients online isn’t a priority. This can stop customers browsing what we have to offer and potentially buying our products or services. It also filters down to search engines and affects our websites Search Engine Optimisation which dictates if our sites are shown to people browsing the internet or not. If a search engine such as Google notices that people are clicking on a website and leaving again quickly it will assume the website is no longer relevant and stop showing it in search results.
To help you avoid these pitfalls here’s a checklist of things to review on your website.
COVID Related Information
Whilst COVID isn’t completely behind us the way our businesses are living with it has changed. Make sure your website is clear on how you are offering services and how people should interact with your or your business in person now.
Social Media Links
If you update your social media handle make sure you change the links on your website too. A lot of people think this happens automatically, it doesn’t and broken links are one of the clear signs search engines look for to measure the quality and relevance of a website.
Business Timeline Dates
If you have dates on your site that demonstrate the current year on policies or how long you have been in business make sure these are current.
Pricing
A lot of us review our pricing each New Year, make sure this is updated on your website. One of the most common reason people visit websites – aside from getting contact details – is to review pricing.
Team Member Information
If you have the kind of business that relies on in person networking people will often look for a team member’s name on a website after they have met them. If their name isn’t there or they have an out of date role or job title this can be an instant turn off for potential clients.
Seasonal Imagery
Christmas definitely leaves us quicker than it arrives and, whether consciously or not, for the last few months of the year we tend to be drawn toward using imagery that reflects the season on our websites. Whether it’s straight up pictures of Santa Claus and Christmas trees or a more subtle sprinkling of red and green colours it’s really important to clear this away in the New Year to stay looking current.
Things To Keep
If you run a business that focuses on promoting events it’s obvious how important it is to keep information such as dates, times and booking information current. However, we are rarely ready to plan our next event the moment a current one finishes. By simply adding a line to your website stating “new information will be coming soon” people can get a really useful sense of what you will be offering whilst you figure out the details.
Of course, its always good idea to give everything on your website a freshen up regularly, making sure the tone of voice in your text matches your business and that your images reflect your personality but, these things are big projects that don’t need constant attention. If you keep an eye on the small things your clients (and the all important search engines) will be grateful!
Jo Hamlyn, Disco Mountain Web Design. discomountain.com