Will your New Year's resolution last till 2018?

11/01/2017

This year, if you're worried about whether your New Year's resolution will last till 2018, why not invest your energy in putting your website on a health drive? Use our quick checklist below to get a feel for the overall health of your website and whether it would benefit from some TLC in 2017.

• Does your website use ‘responsive web design’ to optimise its content for mobile devices?
  • Responsive web design is an approach that allows the content of your website to adapt appropriately to different screen sizes. This ensures your website is easy and enjoyable to use regardless of the screen size it’s being accessed on.
• Is the website design modern and aesthetically appealing?
  • Not updating your website design periodically can give users the impression your business and services are out-of-date and tired. In competitive markets, this can mean the difference between winning new and repeat business or losing it.
• Is the design audience-appropriate?
  • The design of your website should appeal first and foremost to your target audience and should re-inforce what your brand stands for. For example, if your target market is retired professionals, you may wish to present them with an elegant and traditional design, ensuring that the standard text size is easy to read.
• Is the website properly optimised for search engines?
  • Your website should be given the best possible chance of appearing in search engine results. Achieving this involves bringing together many small individual aspects to give the search engines an overall impression that your website is both relevant to your subject and well presented. If you would like to know more about what’s involved in optimising a website or how we can help, please get in touch.
• Are you connecting with your target market on social media?
  • 95% of adults aged 18-34 are likely to follow their favourite brands online via social media (MarketingSherpa). The power of social media to connect with your target market where they’re at and to foster a relationship with them is unique. Websites that don’t show a business has a presence on social media can be viewed as less trustworthy by your customer base, since a social media presence indicates a much higher level of visibility and accountability. If you’re not using social media to your advantage, add it to your to-do list for 2017!
• Is there a clear statement of purpose on the home page?
  • If your website doesn’t present the user with a clear statement of purpose or explanation of what services you provide, you may be missing out on potential business.
• How many clicks does it take from the home page to access your key content pages?
  • Reducing the number of clicks it takes the user to access your most important content can often increase the amount of time a user spends on your website and reduce the ‘bounce rate’ (the percentage of visitors leaving after only viewing a single page). This can be done by advertising your most important pages on your home page along with a call-to-action.
• Is your website generally easy and intuitive to navigate around?
  • If your navigation menu is confusing or hard to use, users are more likely to be frustrated when using your website, which could lead to a reduction in the time spent on site and importantly, repeat visits. Simplifying your navigational structure to ensure it's logical and intuitive will make your website much more enjoyable to use.
• Do you publish testimonials?
  • Trust is one of the most important hallmarks of a healthy relationship with your customer. Featured testimonials on your website can really help to promote a sense of trust with new and existing customers and can demonstrate what you're best at.
• Are your terms of business up-to-date?
  • This is an easy one to miss, but if your terms of business aren’t available on your website or are out of date, it could cause problems further down the road if a customer has an issue with the service you provided.

These are just a small selection of useful checks you can perform on your website, but if you would like to discuss any of them in more detail, or speak to a member of staff about how your website could be improved this year, we would love to hear from you. Why not get in touch with a member of the team today?