Why Now is the Perfect Time to Assess Your Website
Is there an ideal time to assess your website design to determine how effective it is? The answer is any time is the ideal time. It’s an old trap. Running a business requires a lot of multitasking. When you’re trying to do so many things at once, it’s inevitable that something will fall through the cracks. Your website is often the biggest offender.
What once was the shining jewel in your marketing crown may have become a tired, out-of-date misrepresentation of your business and services. Maybe its page speed is slow. Perhaps it’s not SEO optimized. Or, maybe it’s just poorly designed. While no website is “perfect” there are many things to consider when evaluating your website to see if it’s still working with you to help you achieve your business goals.
Is Your Site Optimized for Search?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a crucial part of a website’s success. Having a well-conceived website means that you’re using H1 and H2 tags correctly, you’re incorporating relevant keywords into titles, text and headlines and you’re including alt tags with all of your images.
Page speed, whether or not your site utilizes a responsive design and the efficiency of your HTML/code are all factors that Google considers when evaluating your site. When you assess your website, a little planning can go a long way towards making it easier for users to find you.
Are You Speaking to What Your Customer Needs?
Why are users on your site to begin with? Have you made it easy for them to find what they’re looking for? People browse a website with intention. A site should be designed to make it as easy as possible for users to find the information they’re looking for.
Communicate directly to your customers in language they use and understand. Don’t get caught up in industry jargon or overly descriptive metaphors. Speak plainly. Are you inundating users with “buy now” language? Instead, clearly define your services and offerings to allow visitors to make an informed decision on whether you’re the perfect fit for their needs.
Are There Multiple Ways for the User to Engage?
The key to building real, long-lasting relationships with your customers is communication. You need to make it easy for them to begin a dialogue. Your website should provide multiple channels for people to interact with you.
What do you want people to do once they land on your site? Tell them. Do you want people to contact you? Then place a contact form where people will see it without having to seek it out. Do you want people to become aware of your newest product? Then feature it prominently on the homepage with a link to a detail page. Do you want people to follow you on social media? Then provide the links. They can’t “do” what they can’t see. Take their hand and show them the way.
Are You Giving Them Options?
A compelling About Us page is one thing, but you should consider giving users more than one way to digest your message. Videos, podcasts, downloadable whitepapers and blog posts are all ways for you to tell your story.
Social platforms are evolving in front of our eyes and turning into business tools. Instagram started as a peer-to-peer photo sharing app. Nowadays businesses are using the “stories” function to communicate their brand voice, call-to-action buttons to engage with their audience and analytics to track the success of their campaigns. The bottom line is, if your company isn’t finding innovative ways to speak to your customers, you may find conversations are happening without you.
Is Your Website Dated?
Technology changes quickly. It’s important to keep up so you don’t find yourself left behind. Additionally, Google’s algorithms are apt to change—so what was SEO-friendly a few short years ago may now be a dinosaur.
Does your site still do everything you need it to? Evaluate your site’s functionality. Is it time for you to add a shopping cart? Do you need a cost estimate tool? Do you need a calendar? A redesign affords you the opportunity to identify ways you can improve your website’s basic function.
What Can You Take with You?
Are there aspects of your existing site that still work really well? There’s no need to start completely from scratch if there are elements that deliver.
Listen to your customers. Have you gotten positive feedback on a piece of content or a particular image? Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. The point is to make your website work as effectively as possible in order to grow your business, gain awareness and engage with your audience. Supplement what’s working and ditch what isn’t.
Are You Using Analytics on Your Website?
Google Analytics is an incredibly robust tool that allows you to discover who your audience is, where they are coming from and what they’re looking for. Analytics provides data and that data can help you determine what pages, features and content your users find valuable. Ultimately this empowers you to be able to create more content that you know will scratch their itch. By providing value to your visitors, you build trust. Trust turns customers into ambassadors.
Best of all, Google Analytics is free! You should be checking your analytics regularly as part of your ongoing marketing and content strategy.
In Conclusion
Assessing your website can seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. Take your time. View this change as the opportunity it is. If you have any questions, Trueline is here. Contact us today to find out more.
