Have You Checked Your Website Lately?

Have you looked at your website lately? I mean, really looked at it? Over time, it is easy to look at your website without actually seeing it.

I belong to a WordPress networking group. During a recent conversation about website updates and simple fixes, we discussed how many people don’t check their own websites. Until there is a problem.

As a small business owner or solo professional, your website is often the first impression with potential clients, and an outdated website can negatively impact your business. You don’t want to wait until there is a problem.

In addition to paying attention to mobile optimization, SEO, page speed, and backing up your site (or hiring someone to do that for you), essential checks will help ensure your site accurately represents you and your business.

It is important to regularly review your website with fresh eyes to ensure it’s functioning optimally and accurately represents you and your business.

I recommend you regularly check your website, starting with these five areas:

1. The copyright in the footer of your website. Is it showing last year, the year before, or an earlier year? Time to update. If you are not comfortable making changes to your site’s source code, contact your website developer or hosting provider for assistance.

2. The Secure Sockets Layer (SSL certificate). To easily check your site’s SSL certificate, click the padlock icon in your website’s address bar. A pop-up box will tell you if your site is secure. If you find your SSL certificate has expired, I recommend contacting your site’s hosting provider, as most will handle the update for you.

3. Broken Links. While broken links do happen, they don’t look good for your business and are frustrating for clients. It is important to periodically check your links and fix them immediately.

4. Content accuracy and relevance. Read through your website as if you were a prospective client. Does your site provide a detailed description of services or a course that you are no longer offering? Do you have a form to fill out for a lead magnet that you are no longer sharing? Remove what you are no longer offering and update accordingly.

5. Contact information. Make contacting you easy for your clients and potential clients. Your site should provide your business phone number, email address, mailing address, and social media links.

Your website is often the first impression a potential client has of your business. It’s worth taking thirty minutes to make sure it’s working for you.

If reviewing and refreshing your online presence is on your to-do list, I’d love to help.