5 Questions to Ask at Your Next Check-up
If you’ve had a website for a while or haven’t thought about your website recently, it’s definitely time for a check-up. The best websites, like the healthiest people, are constantly taking steps to maintain and improve their overall well-being. Plus, being obsessively health conscious about your website doesn’t involve nearly as much bran and fiber. Here are five questions to ask yourself:
1. Is your content fresh and effective?
The message and information contained on your website is just as important if not more so than the graphics and design. If your website has lots of bells and whistles, it may entice visitors once, but if your content is informational, concise and relevant users will be back time and again. By keeping your content fresh and up-to-date, giving users something new to learn about you each time they visit your site, you will encourage this “repeat business”.
2. Does your website fulfill your goals?
Just like any other means of promoting your business, your website should be part of your overall marketing strategy. You wouldn’t run an add just to run one and you shouldn’t have a website just because either. Whether your goals is to improve awareness of your product, to increase foot traffic to your store or to create more calls about your service, your website needs to have a purpose.
3. Can the average user navigate and interact with the site?
Not everyone is tech savy, that’s just a fact of life. Your navigation may be cutting edge, the Flash graphics and effects may look fantastic but if your grandmother can’t find the phone number or the hours then your website isn’t working. Overall, you need to be aware of who is going to be using your site and be sure they can.
4. Is your site technically correct?
Your site needs to work. It may seem simplistic to say that but users will evaluate your overall credibility based on the quality and usability of your website. If links don’t work, if there are error messages or if there are variations and inconsistencies between website browsers, the user can easily become frustrated and can associate that frustration with your business.
5. Is your site search engine friendly?
Direct traffic (when someone types your url into their browser) is great, but your site should show up in search engines. Know what keywords are relevant to your business and check to see where your site ranks, especially within local search parameters. Make sure your site has plenty of keyword-rich text, incoming and outgoing links, relevant page titles and is listed in various internet directories.
While no one looks forward to going to the doctor, maintaining your website can be an enjoyable and engaging experience. Whether you are doing the work yourself or have enlisted the services of a web professional to help you wade through the more technical aspects, you can and should take responsibility for the health of your website. As more and more marketing moves to online arenas, your website will play an increasingly important part in your overall marketing strategy. And as social marketing becomes more relevant and commonplace, your website will serve as the anchor of your online presence.
