I don't know about you, but it's spring cleaning time over here in the McCravy house... which has me thinking about ways we can spring clean our online home (aka our websites).
(See what I did there?!)
Here are 5 quick ways you can "spring clean" your website to improve SEO, sales, and everything in between:
1. Simply update your website.
Yep, just make a change. Static websites without updates of any kind are considered “dead” to search engines.
Search engines honors websites that are frequently updated for search indexing. The more frequently you update your website, the more frequently a search engine will stop by your website. Long term, this allows you to rank higher in search results. Google LOVES frequent updates - so, go make a move and give your site some changes.
2. Optimize your images.
Do you have giant images on your website that are slowing things down? Resize & re-upload. Your website images should preferably be under 2MB.
If you’re not sure if your site is slow, click here to test it for free. This website will give your site a grade and suggestions to fix any issues.
Extra image tip: Make sure you are using an ALT tag on every picture. Your alt tags should contain a description of the image along with a keyword regarding what the website page is about.
3. Give your About Page a boost.
Go check out your about page. Does any of the information need a refresh? So often we create our sites and then just leave them hanging! Update that page with fun content about yourself and your business. If you need ideas for this, click here to read about how to create commonality with your ideal client on your about page.
4. Install Google Analytics.
Do you use any system to track viewership on your website? You should! And Google Analytics is #1. It’s totally free and easy to install. Just make an account and add the tracking code to your website. You’ll be able to see live exactly who is on your website, where they are viewing from, and what pages they are seeing. Plus, big picture data to answer questions like:
- At what point are users exiting your website?
- What is your main source of traffic?
- Who is your audience? (gender, age, location, etc.)
5. Update your portfolio and/or testimonials.
Just like Google doesn’t like websites that aren’t frequently updated, your ideal clients don’t either. Take some time and get caught up on adding recent items to your portfolio and recent testimonials you’ve incurred.
6. Considering updating your pricing.
I like to take time to consider my pricing usually once per quarter. I make a list of all recent sales calls and look for trends.
Questions to ask:
- Are your current rates actually making sales?
- Do you offer any packages that no one is buying?
- Should you raise your prices to keep up with demand?
- Why are people choosing not to work with you?
7. Learn something new about maintaining your website.
So often I see people who have an amazing website that they can’t maintain. Or worse, websites that need improvements that the owner doesn’t know how to make. Take an hour or so and watch/read some free content about how to use your website. Do you know how to add more pages? Update your text? Add a new gallery? If not, learn! And if you’re a Speak Social client, then I have a library of resources to teach you in the client portal!
So, there you have it - 7 ways to clean up your website! Don’t let your website sit stagnantly. Keep it maintained, pay attention, and make it a home on the web that you can be proud of!
