Spring is well and truly here – the sun is on the way and it looks like it is finally here to stay.
Whilst a lot of us are using this chance to brush off the cobwebs and refresh the home after a particularly harsh winter, don’t forget to spring clean your website – after all it deserves it.
To help you out we have created the following step by step guide on the areas that need your attention.
Spring Cleaning the Nachos Way
1. Take a fresh look
Use this time to open your website and take a long hard look at your home page, inner pages and contact us page.
Don’t forget to check across multiple devices - desktop, laptop, tablets and mobiles. Grabbing a family members or friends phone (assuming its different to your own) will help you get a further look at your website on a different screen size.
With the site fresh in your mind, note down elements that you feel could be improved.
- Are there any buttons that are particularly small?
- Any calls to actions that are hidden?
Or perhaps there is no clear indication what a visitor should do to contact you or purchase your product. - Are the graphics on site fitting for your brand and voice?
- Do you have clear privacy notices, delivery information and contact information?
The list is endless, but remember to be thorough.
It would also be worth reaching out to your customers, perhaps when you next communicate with them you could do some quick market research questions. Asking them if they found the website easy to use, if they didn’t then what hindered them?
2. Delve deeper
A glance and a look at the aesthetics of your website is not going to be enough for Nachos.
Delve deeper at the technical side of your website.
Factors to check are:
- Meta information – check your website’s stats on Google Search Console to see whether your meta information is too short, too long, or if there are duplications.
- Sitemap – check your website’s sitemap and ensure that it is correct, being indexed and free of errors/warnings.
- Website errors – check your website’s stats on Google Search Console and Google Analytics for any website errors. Find them and set a plan in place to correct them with your website developer.
The last factor to check is the most important for SEO nowadays.
Site speed.
Take a close look at how long it takes your website to load. There are many tools out there which will give you your page loading speed.
Ideally all websites should load within 3 seconds, however it is acceptable for some of the larger ecommerce stores to load within 5 seconds.
The longer it takes for your website to load, especially on mobile devices, the more likely visitors will click away from your website and go elsewhere. Taking the time to focus on your website’s loading time will help you retain visitors to your website and ultimately give you a better chance of converting customers.
3. Feeling Social
Many businesses feel the benefits of using social channels every day. However, there are some businesses who state that they don’t ‘do’ social media.
Whilst the use of social media is a business decision, take this spring time to look at it with a fresh pair of eyes.
- If you already have social media accounts for your business, then take the time this spring to refresh your profile images and ensure that the information listed for your business is correct.
- If you are one of the businesses that don’t ‘do’ social media then take the time this spring to have a look around at your competitors, your customers and most importantly – your branding.
You may find that some/all of your competitors are active on social media and have customers (and potential customers) engaging with their posts. If they are making the most out of social media, then shouldn’t you?
If you don't currently use social media, a key thing to consider is claiming all of your business’s social pages. This means that no one else can use these social channels under your brand name – ideal at stopping copy cats, and stopping people posting as you.
These kinds of actions are especially harmful for your brand and reputation. For the five minutes it takes to set up these pages, they can save you hours in brand salvaging and money from lost sales.
Whether you ‘do’ social media or not, take a look at it this spring so that it showcases your business correctly and cannot be used to damage your hard built brand.
4. Keep up the Good Work
Now you have spring cleaned your online presence, don’t let it slip. Keep up the good work with regular website updates, maintenance and SEO strategy.
Published: 3rd May 2018