TEN TIPS FOR REFRESHING YOUR WEBSITE
1. Make the right first impression
Visit your home page as if you are seeing it for the first time. Try and imagine that you know nothing about your business and it's all new to you. What does it say about the business? Is it accurate? Does it say (concisely) what you do? Does it sell your benefits in words that matter to your customers? First impressions are very important on a website. Time is precious and the instantaneous response of the web makes us even more fickle as browsers. Your web pages need to be sharper and swifter than your elevator pitch.
2. New news
Visitors like to see an updated site and so does Google. Remove or archive your old news stories, write some new ones and then publish them.
3. Engage with your audience
The web is a two way interface. Does your website allow your prospective customers to talk to you? Consider including forms for feedback. Ask for comments on your blog and news articles. You could go the whole hog and include a live support facility. On an e-commerce site the addition of a live chat system can increase sales by 10%.
4. Check it all works
Okay this might be obvious, but its surprising how long a web page can be down for before someone notices. A broken page could be potential customer lost. Check all the links, check the navigation, re-read and refresh. While you are at it take a good look through your navigation. When a website first goes live the navigation will have been designed to fit the business objectives at that time. Is it still relevant? Is it still logical? Does it leave you room for the growth you have planned this year?
5. Use the cloud
Web development moves at a lightning pace. What may not have been possible a few years ago is potentially now a reality. In just a few years we have seen a meteoric rise in broadband speeds, a massive increase in screen sizes, a reduction in technology costs, higher levels of security, alongside a general social move towards the acceptance of online communication. How much of your business could you move online to exploit these benefits? This could be anything from data storage and manipulation, to information sharing and customer management. Think video, think animation, think sound, think data, think sharing.
6. Legal honest and truthful
You must ensure your website complies with part of the Companies Act 2006. It states that from 1st January 2007 all companies in the UK must clearly state the company registration number, place of registration, registered office address and, if the company is being wound up, that fact, on all of their websites. A common place to put this information is on the Contact us' or 'Legal info' page of the site - it does not have to appear on every page. This rule also applies to any electronic communications sent out by your company, such as emails.
7. Browser bugs
It sometimes seems like there is a new internet browser released every month. When a website is first launched it will have been tested on all the latest browser versions. Technology moves swiftly forwards and our demands for a better web experience mean that browser developments are inevitable. The golden rule is that a website, (if not updated), should degrade gracefully in line with technology developments. In other words the content is still available even if it doesn't display as originally intended. This rule is fine for archive material, but if you are actively marketing a business website it needs to look fit and healthy. Download some of the latest browsers and see if your site is still looking right: Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, Safari.
While you are at it consider whether it is important than your website can be viewed on a phone or a mobile device, then go and check it out to see if it works.
8. Watching the enemy
When was the last time you checked out your competitors's websites? Take a look around and maybe pick up a trick or two. Check out how you rank online against your competitors. How do your products and services rate against theirs through a Google search. Maybe it's time to take a look at your keywords and phrases and apply a search engine strategy to your site? If your competitors are doing something online that's working then maybe it would work for you too? Just remember that "Bad artists copy. Good artists steal." Pablo Picasso.
9. Statistics, and graphs, and charts, and numbers
Are you aware of your website's statistics? Who is visiting your site? Where are they coming from? How long do they stay? Which parts of your site are popular? Why do people leave? If you have a web stats system, get viewing the figures now. If you don't have one, get one plugged in to your site (we like Google Analytics) and start reviewing the data. All of this is really useful stuff for planning and strategising your website into becoming a valuable sales tool.
10. Branding consistency
A company website is essentially hub around which all other marketing materials orbit. As such it is important to check that it is aligned with your offline activity and your brand values. Is your website reflecting your current marketing push? Are your products up to date? Is your services offering the same? When people arrive at your website, after receiving any other piece of communication from you, are they going that they are in the right place? Is the content targeted at converting them into a customer?
