When did you last check your website? I bet you haven’t done that in a long time. Don’t look now, you need to read this first.
You probably looked at it a lot when it was new and still on your mind. But a few months later you probably stopped checking. It’s normal.
Perhaps you stopped adding new blog posts, news updates, new starters, or even never revisited your product or service pages to check if they were up to date and relevant still.
I bet the last time you visited your website, you did so on a large screen with a fast broadband connection.
And you skipped around the issues you already know about. Subconsciously or otherwise.
There’s a reason you should frequently review and update your website.
Most of your customers have never visited your website.
They could be trying to view it on an old mobile with a poor signal or a slow laptop with a bad internet connection.
It’s likely that most of them don’t have an iMac with a lovely large sharp screen.
They don’t know the workarounds and shortcuts to avoid your site’s shortcomings.
They don’t have time to delve through your site to find a contact email or number.
They don’t care that the glitch on your site is in the pipeline to be fixed.
They wish there was more clear information on the site, but don’t care that your designer said that too much text would make the site ugly, and “no one reads all that copy anyway”. This isn’t true by the way. In case you wondered.
They’ll be a bit surprised that the website hasn’t been updated for a while – that the copyright notice is a few years out of date.
Perhaps, because your website isn’t search engine optimised, they really struggled to find your website in the first place.
They don’t care that your web designer left in lots of hi-res images because the unoptimised ones looked better on his Mac.
They just need it to work, and work fast, or they’ll visit your competitor’s website that does.
So now you’ve read this, go outside and visit your website on your phone in the middle of a shopping centre.
Ask someone who’s never been on your website to find out how to buy/contact you on the website. Family members, especially your kids or your mum, are really good for this.
Ask the same people if by reading the website copy they understand what you do.
If there was enough information.
If the site made sense.
If the site was interesting enough to bother reading.
Keeping websites up to date isn’t easy
We understand that you’re a busy person running your business, and that your website isn’t always your top priority. But by checking it as if you are one of your own customers, you’ll begin to see where it can be improved.
Here are a few tips to help you along:
- Make sure your website is fast. You can use Google PageSpeed Insights or GTMetrix to check the speed of your site. Faster the better, especially on mobile.
- Check how your site looks and works on mobile. For some industries up to 90% of visitors are on mobile devices.
- Make sure your site is secure – easy fix but missed by so many businesses
- Ensure your website is Search Engine Optimised. Optimising your site for search is a long-term job you need to keep on top of.
- Never write any pages, or blogs, without doing some keyword research first. Never assume you know what people are searching for. Keyword research will give you the insights to ensure you keep your website optimised for search.
- Keep reviewing your webpage copy, images and videos, including blog posts. Keep them up-to-date and relevant.
Interested in speaking to The Optimists?
We’re experienced in fixing websites and creating content that works well in search engine optimisation. If we can help you contact us today and let’s start a conversation.
