5 Ways to Improve Your Website’s Performance in the New Year!
Your website is your first impression, your digital business card, and your brand on display to the world. Because of this, it is important to routinely assess and update your website, and the new year is the perfect time to do so.
In the traditional sense, updating your website might mean updating your imagery and graphics for a fresh, new look. Time should also be set aside to make sure your existing content is up-to-date and relevant. For example, you may decide that a new calendar year is the right time to sunset your oldest blog posts from years back as they may no longer be relevant. High-level planning time should also be set aside to create your marketing strategy for all-new content you will develop and post in the upcoming year.
Taking the time to review the aesthetics and content of your website is a valuable initiative to do on an annual basis, but there are other areas for improvement beyond just design which will benefit from your attention.
Below are four areas to consider which will improve the overall user experience and effectiveness of your website.
1. Mobile-Friendly and Responsive
Upgrade your online presence to be mobile-friendly, responsive, and easy to use on both Apple and Android based phones. Making formatting modifications to enable your website to be easier to view on smartphones or tablets not only serves your users by allowing them to access your site from numerous gadgets, but Google would also voluntarily rank your website as superior to non-mobile-friendly websites!
You can use Google's Mobile-Friendly Assessment to determine if your website is currently smartphone friendly or not. Google's Mobile-Friendly Assessment tool will show you a preview of your website on smartphones and devices so that you can evaluate if your website is mobile-friendly or otherwise. This tool will also provide recommendations and instructions on how to make it smartphone and tablet friendly!
The mobile version of your website can be a separate design from your full site. Your mobile version can be set up as a more concise and limited version of your website. Not every visitor arriving at your website on mobile needs to be able to view every nook and cranny of your full website. It is smart to tailor the menu options and navigation of your mobile-friendly site to include the most valuable and most requested information that your target audience will need on mobile. Details such as your location, hours, and the products and services you offer are usually the most important to a prospect or customer. Equally important are simple ways for visitors to contact you quickly and easily such as live-chat features, contact forms, and click-to-call phone dialing.
2. Enhance the Navigation
The customer experience revolves around how simple it is to navigate your website. Whenever readers are brought to a webpage where they can quickly navigate and easily find the content they are looking for, they will appreciate the convenience and ingest the information. Ensure that your menu navigation and visual design are not overcrowded, as this will turn visitors away from your website. Consider the hierarchy of the menus overall, the order of the information on drop downs. Put yourself in the shoes of your ideal prospect or client site visitor. Ask yourself who you are designing for – and make sure the navigation allows your visitors to get where they need to go on your site as speedily as possible.
3. Increase Website Speed
The load speed of your website should be as quick as possible. The time it takes for your website to load impacts whether visitors remain or leave and never come back. If your website takes too long to open, your visitors may assume they have reached the wrong page, that your site was hacked, or is simply out of date. Google Page Speed Insights is an excellent tool for determining the amount of time required for your website to open. If your score is below par, you should reconsider the aspects of your website that are slowing it down; photos and videos are frequently the culprits, but your hosting platform and allocated resources may be insufficient for your site. These are areas to explore with your design team and hosting provider.
4. Secure Your Site
Business reputation and security should be at the forefront of everything we do in business which includes maintaining the integrity of our website through secure site design and website hosting.
Over the last few years, the frequency of websites being attacked and defaced are growing areas for cyberattacks. As malicious attacks are ever-increasing, demands of the website hosting service industry have also grown. Your designers, developers and hosting plan providers can help you to keep current in your site design, review and update your website code, check for defacement, and provide a secure platform for your website. It is more important than ever to have the controls in place to protect your company’s websites against malicious attacks. Enhancements to look for from your hosting provider include a combination of high-level technical monitoring as well as human security controls. Regular review and design updates on the latest platform and technologies also help you to protect against vulnerabilities. A website hosting package with a focus on security is worth any extra money you might spend.
Overall, it is important to assess the current state of your website. We recommend doing this minimally on an annual basis. Sometimes a series of improvements is all that is needed, with a full redesign necessary every few years. Other times, based on your business, services, products, people, or changes in your industry, a redesign might be needed sooner. Regardless, it is important to take stock of your website, the age, the feel, performance, and relevancy. Ask questions as if you are a visitor to the site for the first time. Ask your team if your site is performing well for your business and whether it is doing the heavy lifting it should be to promote your brand in the marketplace.
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