Recently I worked on a website for one of my favorite clients.
The last time she updated it was when small businesses and solos were just turning toward having “responsive” websites. These days it’s a necessity to make sure your website is responsive.
If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, a responsive website responds: It adjusts depending on the device it’s being displayed on, whether that is a desktop, phone, or tablet. That makes it easily viewed whatever the situation.
When making sure that your website can be viewed properly on these various device sizes this is also a wonderful opportunity to review every single page on your website.
This website refresh can be a good reminder that over time things can go wrong and/or websites just need updates.
Here are some things to watch for on your own site:
1. Check Your Links. It can be quite a shock when a link is broken that wasn't before.
By the way, make sure that when a link takes somebody off your site (e.g., to a book you mention), that it “opens a new tab” in the browser. That way your website visitor can easily click back to your site and keep looking around. Making this happen is just a simple setting when creating the link.
2. Read Every Page. Yes, read every single page on your site. Does it represent you? Is your message clear? Could someone reading your site understand why they would want to work with you?
If you post blogs or articles then try to take the time during this refresh to read every blog post too. Look for font discrepancies, spacing issues and ensuring that your links still work. Are the articles still relevant or do they need to be taken down because they no longer make sense? It might take some time, but it is worth it to be confident that every page looks consistent.
3. Get Great Graphics. Take a close look (with your reading glasses on if necessary!) at the graphics on your website. Is your logo pixelated (fuzzy)? Do you have images with a white background instead of transparent on pages that have a colored background? How old is your headshot? Are you using bland stock photography? Time to upgrade if any of this is you.
4. Check Your Phone. More than half of the visitors to your site will do so on a phone – make sure your site looks good and is easily readable.
5. Review Your Dashboard. Take a peek at the back end of your website (or get a qualified professional to do it with you). Are there plugins that you aren’t using that might be slowing things down? Is your website running on the latest version of WordPress (or whatever you run your website on)? Keep your website running smoothly by paying attention to these important details.
Remember that for many people, your website is the first place where they will form an impression of you and your business. Take steps now to make sure the impression is a good one!
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