Spring is in the air! And if you’re looking for some motivation, you’ve come to the right place. A new season brings new beginnings and an opportunity to press the restart button. But spring cleaning goes beyond tidying up your home or workspace. The seasonal transition and launch of a new quarter is the perfect time for businesses to review performance, get organized and refresh their online presence, including their website.
Sometimes a little goes a long way. Cleaning off the cobwebs of your website might seem like a tedious task, but it can make all the difference. That’s why we’re sharing four simple tips to spring clean your website.
Your branding should be consistent across your site and other online platforms. Is your logo reflective of your brand, or is it outdated? Do the colors and graphic design elements blend together? Is the branding on your site reflective of your company’s image?
Ask yourself these questions, and act as though you’re visiting your website for the first time. You could even have another department of your business or an outside party review your site from a different perspective. Having a fresh pair of eyes on your site is a great way to get input on ways to improve the consistency of your digital branding.
Visual language is an important part of the user-experience. Outdated or blurry photos on your website can give your visitors a negative first impression and do more harm than good. So, snap some new photos of your products, team, and anything else that your business needs to visually communicate.
Also, if your site has a space for sharing upcoming news and events, it’s crucial that the dates of these events are being updated. The last thing a viewer wants to see is a networking event from three years ago. Keeping event and news postings up-to-date shows that you are actively monitoring and updating your site, giving your viewers the most accurate information.
An essential part of conducting a website audit is reviewing your existing links, call-to-action buttons and downloadable resources. Many websites have several links to social profiles, blog articles, video uploads, and countless other digital assets. Conduct a regular assessment of these links to ensure they are still working and leading viewers to the correct place. Neglecting these links and trusting that they’re still working the same as they did when you first implemented them is a mistake that could eventually lead to a sharp decline in website traffic and SEO rankings.
Another important element on your website is the active forms. It is recommended to test forms at least once a month to ensure they are functioning properly. Every so often, forms integrated with external software can stop alerting and notifying you of submissions. Test your forms often to make sure your business is receiving the contacts and leads for your business.
Could your website benefit from adding another page, tab or menu item? Maybe you could create a new page for a blog, or even an online storefront to begin selling products. Your website is the hub of information about your business to anyone who is looking for it, so it’s important that your site is hosting everything you’d want a viewer or customer to know right away.
Just be careful not to go overboard with the content on your site. Although it’s the central point of business information, it shouldn’t be cluttered or overwhelming for viewers. Keep the most important information and ditch the rest.
Spring cleaning doesn’t have to be a hassle. Now is the perfect time to make sure your website is performing to the best of its ability. It’s a chore you certainly won’t regret.