Regularly check your website to make sure it is up to date and working properly.
For many businesses, things get a little slow this time of year. That means it is a good time to do all of those things you never seem to get to the rest of the year. One of those tasks is making sure your website is in good shape. Here are some of the things you should check:
Dated content. Do you have items on your site about “upcoming” events that happened six months ago? How about your copyright date? Keep it current by having it automatically update. (To learn how, do a search for automatically update copyright, along with the type of site you have, e.g., HTML, WordPress, Movable Type, etc.)
Contact information. Is all of the contact information on your site still correct? Check addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, etc.
Forms. Do contact, order and other forms work correctly? Test them. If you use autoresponders or other automatic messages, make sure the information they contain is still correct.
Products and services. Are all of the products and services listed on your site still available? Have you added new ones that are not listed? Are the descriptions and prices correct?
Dead links. URLs can change, so make sure that all of your links are valid. Look for good tips for speeding up your WordPress site on forums. You do not want to send visitors (or search engine bots) off to dead ends. This free link checker can test your site.
Content. When did you last add new content to your website? Really? That long ago? Plan to do some kind of update at least monthly (and more often is better). Add a new article, list upcoming events, post some photos…something.
Images. Have you had the same photos and graphics on your site since the Clinton administration? This would be a good time to update the look of your site by adding fresh new images.
Mystery shop your site. Approach your site as a customer might. Browse through several pages, sign up for your newsletter, place an order, and make sure all of those processes work as they should.
Once you have your site updated and awesome, keep it that way with regular check-ups throughout the year. Do an abbreviated form of these checks at least quarterly, and keep adding new content at least monthly.
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