5 Things to Do for a Website Check-Up
Whether you're running a business, promoting a personal brand, or sharing valuable content, having a high-performing website is crucial. A well-designed and user friendly website not only attracts visitors but also keeps them engaged and encourages them to take actions that you want them to take—whether that’s making a purchase, booking an appointment, downloading a document, or something else.
To help those user actions along and eliminate potential problems or distractions, here are five tips to help you create and maintain a high-performing website.
1. Review & Prioritize User Experience (UX)
How do users navigate your website? What pages do they land on first, and which pages are the most trafficked? Which are the least trafficked? Are your calls to action clear and easy to find? These are all questions you can be asking.
User experience is at the heart of a high-performing website. When visitors land on your site, they should find it easy to navigate, visually appealing, and responsive. A positive user experience not only keeps visitors on your site longer but also contributes to higher conversion rates.
Tips for Improving UX:
Intuitive Navigation: Create a clear and organized menu structure. Users should be able to find the information they're looking for within a few clicks.
Mobile Responsiveness: Ensure your website is optimized for various devices, especially mobile phones. A responsive design adapts to different screen sizes, providing a seamless experience for users on the go.
Page Load Speed: Optimize images, use browser caching, and leverage Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) to ensure fast page load times. Slow-loading websites can lead to high bounce rates.
Clear Call to Action: This is where a lot of folks get tripped up. What do you want users to do once they’ve arrived to your site? Make sure that whatever it is, there is a visible and clear call to action button—for example, “Buy now” or “Book Appointment” or whatever it may be for your business. More on that below.
2. Invest in Quality Content, and Keep Your Content Up to Date
In order to keep potential customers interested in your business, many times, you need to create useful content and post it to your website. It not only attracts visitors but also keeps them engaged and encourages them to return. Quality content establishes your expertise, builds trust with your audience, and contributes to a positive brand experience for users. Quality and regularly updated content on your website is also important for SEO.
Tips for Content Creation:
Regular Updates: Keep your content fresh by regularly updating blog posts, product descriptions, or any other information on your site.
Multimedia Integration: Incorporate a mix of text, images, videos, and infographics to cater to different preferences and learning styles.
SEO Optimization: Use relevant keywords naturally in your content to improve search engine visibility. Focus on creating content that answers the questions and needs of your target audience.
3. Optimize for Search Engines (SEO)
Search engine optimization (SEO) is crucial for ensuring your website ranks well on search engine results pages. A high search ranking increases visibility, drives organic traffic, and enhances the overall performance of your website.
Tips for SEO Optimization:
Keyword Research: Identify relevant keywords (you can use Google Keyword Planner for this) for your industry and integrate them naturally into your content. Even consider linking from one page to another with keywords you’ve identified, if possible.
Meta Tags and Descriptions: Craft compelling meta titles and descriptions for each page. These elements influence click-through rates from search engine results.
Image Optimization: Use descriptive file names and alt tags for images to enhance both user experience and search engine crawlers.
4. Implement Clear Calls-to-Action (CTAs)
A high-performing website effectively guides visitors toward taking specific actions. Whether it's making a purchase, subscribing to a newsletter, booking an appointment, or filling out a contact form, clear calls-to-action (CTAs) are essential for converting visitors into customers or followers.
Tips for Effective CTAs:
Clarity and Simplicity: Make your CTAs concise, clear, and easy to understand. Use action verbs that prompt immediate responses.
Strategic Placement: Position CTAs strategically on your website, especially on high-traffic pages like the homepage, product pages, and blog posts.
A/B Testing: Experiment with different CTA designs, colors, and copy to identify which variations resonate best with your audience.
5. Optimize Site Speed and Mobile Responsiveness
According to a Google report, 53% of site visits are abandoned if a mobile site takes later than 3 seconds to load. Site pages that are slow to load and ones that aren’t mobile responsive have much higher bounce rates. Bounce rate is the rate at which users come to a page on your website and leave the website without going to any other page on the site—which is the opposite of what we want.
Tips for Site Speed:
Run speed tests using tools like Pingdom or Page Speed Insights. If you need, get help from a professional who can improve your site’s performance. These sites will also give you insights about your mobile responsiveness.
Google’s Lighthouse tool is also helpful for running reports on performance, accessibility, SEO, and best practices for websites. While it’s a little more on the technical side to use, the upside is that it’s free and it can give you some insights on how to improve your site.
Use tools like Hotjar to get recordings of how users are navigating your site. Hotjar will send you recordings of user experiences on your site, which could give you some insights about where your site may need improvement.
Final Thoughts
Creating and maintaining a high-performing website requires a strategic and holistic approach. By prioritizing user experience, investing in quality content, optimizing for search engines, implementing clear calls-to-action, and optimizing site speed and mobile responsiveness, you lay the foundation for a healthy, well functioning website. Regularly reviewing and updating your website based on these tips will not only enhance its performance but also contribute to long-term success online.
