Sadly, websites don’t come with a ‘next service due’ sticker to remind you that it’s been a year or two since you launched. Your website, like your car, requires a frequent and thorough examination to ensure it’s operating at peak efficiency.
You invested time and money crafting a site that you can be proud of and that will do the job it’s meant to do. But if you neglect your site – fail to periodically audit each page and section – visitors become less compelled to remain on the site, much less take action.
We recommend a three-pronged focus for your website tune-up: Functionality, Components, and Aesthetics.
Functionality – “Adjust the valves.”
Perhaps there is no more discouraging experience for a visitor than to attempt to interact with a site only to have the effort met with a ‘404’ or ‘unable to process request’ message. Test each interactive portal on your site to ensure that it is operating properly.
If it has been a year or two since your site went live, odds are that it lacks the latest functionality and does not benefit from advances like new plug-ins (software that adds customized abilities to a larger application).
Components - “Change the spark plugs.”
Do you know the most popular elements on your site? Do visitors like the homepage photo album best? Are they more likely to click on headlines in the ‘Latest News’ section? Most importantly, what elements tend to draw the least traffic? Identify those sections of your site and decide if they need to be replaced, and with what.
Aesthetics - “Check the belts. Replace if worn.”
Remember the value of perception. Your website is the only impression most people will have of your organization. If your site consists of dated design elements and old imagery, it conveys that your organization is dated, old, and stagnate.
Your website tune-up doesn’t guarantee that visitor traffic and conversion rates will triple overnight, but if done regularly, it can guarantee that the investment made in your online headquarters keeps paying off.