Does Your Website Need a Check-Up?
94% of people make their first impression of a business based on the quality and design of its website.
Is your website making a fantastic, profit-scaling first impression?
The good news is that you don’t need to have the world’s most gorgeous website, built with the latest and greatest that web design has to offer. For the vast majority of users, a simple, functional website chock-full of the content they’re looking for is enough to turn a user into a buyer.
Of course, all websites need regular check-ups, or audits, to maintain functionality and efficiency.
There’s no need to go running to your computer-savvy friend or a web agency right away. Why not try conducting your site’s audit yourself?
What is a Website Audit?
Auditing your website means assessing your website’s components and ensuring that everything is working as it should.
Performing regular website audits is key to making sure users aren’t leaving your site too quickly, maintaining your SEO rankings, and ensuring a completely functional website.
You might find that you need to correct issues, such as updating WordPress, changing your imagery, or targeting new keywords. Sometimes, you might find that your website doesn’t have anything wrong with it, and that’s great! Either way, website audits are a surefire way to ensure your business is making a great impression on users and to catch any issues before they worsen.
How Do I Audit My Website?
Your website has key health indicators. You should review these first because chances are they’ll be the first components of your website to show that something’s wrong.
Let’s go over them:
Test Website Speed
It’s 2024 – users don’t want to wait around for slow-loading pages. Use Google’s Page Speed Insights to check your website’s speed and to find any weak points that are dragging down your website’s speed.
View Mobile Website Display
More than half of web traffic comes from mobile devices, and specialists predict that number will grow throughout the decade. Poor mobile websites exclude a significant amount of users from your site.
You can use Google’s Page Speed Insights to check that your website is mobile-ready.
Update Your Keywords
Sure, your content was optimized to perfection back when you first wrote it, but your keywords might not be as competitive as they used to be. Use Google’s Keyword Planner to verify that you’re still using the right keywords.
You also want to double-check that your keywords and phrases appear on URLs, title tags, headers, and throughout your website’s body content.
Make Sure Your Server is Still Reliable
Your website’s performance is partly dependent on your hosting company. To make sure your hosting company is still providing you with adequate server response time, use Google’s Page Speed Insights.
Check for Broken Links and Errors.
Coding errors and broken links can interfere with important updates and can make it harder for users to navigate your site. Don’t let errors and broken links make your business look unprofessional.
Use Page Speed Insights to find any errors or broken links.
Other Key Considerations for Your Audit
While usually the technical stuff is to blame when your site isn’t performing as it should, you should also use your web audit to review other factors that might be making an impression on potential clients.
How’s Your Web Design Looking?
Like all things digital, website design trends are ever-changing. If you want your business to the most from your website, you need to make sure your design is still looking fresh (or at least, not 20 years old).
Verify that the look of your site isn’t obviously outdated and that your pictures are relatively recent.
If you find that your web design does need a refresh, call Iceberg Web Design, and we’ll get your website on the way to looking young again!
Is Your Content Still Relevant?
Harking back to our recommendation that you should update your site’s keywords, you should also review your site’s overall content to make sure everything is up-to-date.
You might find that you’re still advertising promotions and sales you had 5 years ago, or that you have old staff members still listed on your website, or that you’re promoting services you don’t really want to do anymore. You might also find that while there’s nothing necessarily wrong with your content, you just want to update it or add some new content.
Whatever it may be, content is the dangling carrot that keeps users fixated on your website. Make sure that it speaks for your business the way you want it to (or save time and energy by hiring a web content specialist!).
Use Competitor Websites as a Guideline
The only way to stay ahead of your competitors is to know what they’re doing and how you can do it better.
Whether your website needs minor tweaks or a major overhaul, seeing what your competitors’ websites offer provides a roadmap to making your website stand out in your industry.
I Audited My Website. Where Do I Go From Here?
If you analyze your website’s health indicators on Google’s Page Speed Insights, Google will list what it believes are your most critical issues and what you should do to fix them.
Once you’ve addressed all major issues and updated all your software, keep an eye out for how your website is performing compared to before. Upticks in reliable traffic mean you’ve done something right and a lack of change indicates that your site still needs tweaking
Get Professional Recommendations and Website Solutions with Iceberg Web Design
At Iceberg Web Design, we’ve seen all sorts of websites come through our doors.
We know a good, lead-generating website when we see one, and we’re committed to helping all business owners scale with beautiful, functional web design.
If you want to update your website or need extra support with web hosting and maintenance, call us at 763-350-8762 to discuss your website and business goals and how we can help you reach them.