I have been busily building my website over the last month.  Every decision matters.  I get that. So this normally impatient girl has been taking her time, slowly building a site that will attract customers to my services.  But what happens when it is completely up and running?  What happens when business starts getting so busy that I go weeks or even months between visits to my own website.  I would love to believe that I will be the conscientious webmaster but like the proverbial gardner with the worst garden in the neighborhood, I know that maintaining my own website will take work.  However, it doesn’t have to be all consuming.  With a quick website checkup scheduled once a month, you can be sure to catch any glaring errors and update the site with your latest photos to keep it looking fresh.

5-point Website Checkup

1. Links – Although it is time consuming check all of the links on your page. Make sure each link goes where you planned for it to go and that those sites are still up and running. Start with your menu.  Do each of the links take you to the correct page within your own site?  Don’t get distracted here.  You can make corrections on each page later.  For right now, simply check those menu buttons. Next and just as important, check your social media buttons. Do they connect with your social media sites? If not, correct them. Now go through your site page by page and check your links to other sites.  Broken links look sloppy and are such an easy problem to fix.

2. Directions – More than 70% of consumers search for local businesses on their phone.  Step by step directions are great but even better, is a link to google maps.  Your customers will click on it and it will lead them right to your door.  If this is missing from your website, don’t wait for a monthly check up.  Fix it right now.

3. Photos – Photos are wonderful at attracting attention.  A big beautiful photo can make all the difference on your website.  Unfortunately, they become dated quickly.  As you go through each page consider changing out the spring photos for fall, getting rid of specific holiday photos and making sure the people in the photos still work for you and not your competitor. Add new photos of employees and while you are at it, update their bio as well. . Draw your customer’s eye with something new and keep your website looking fresh year round.

4. Blog – A blog seemed like a good idea when you created your site.  Create content to draw customers to your site and help them see exactly what you have to offer.  But if you are like most small business owners the blog posts were the first thing to go.  You have real business to attend to and sitting down to a blog each and every week just became too time consuming.  It’s decision time.

This is where analytics can come in handy.  Have customers stopped visiting your site since you last posted?  Are your page clicks down? How about time spent on your site?  These numbers can help you decide whether reviving your blog is a good idea.  If not, delete it.  Old content, is just that, old.  It dates your site.  If you would like to revive it but just don’t have the time, consider having an employee or employees take turns updating the site on a regular schedule or hiring a blogger within your industry to contribute.

5. Security – Your monthly website checkup is a great time to make sure no one who doesn’t belong has access to your site, this includes old employees, old partners or people who may have hacked in.  This is also the perfect time to change your password.  Changing your password at least once a month is a great way to safeguard your website.

Your website is one of your most powerful tools.  Treating it as such will help you bring in new customers and keep old ones happy.

What is the fastest, easiest tip you have for keeping your site up to date?

As always, if you find this list to be too daunting or if you simply do not have the time to sit down and analyze your site on a monthly basis, contact me at Ann@AnnMarkets.com or 443-852-5274 and I can help you.