Here is some news for you: a website is NOT a set and forget business tool.
Now.. tell me, when was the last time you updated or audited your website? You can’t tell me? That is okay because I am here and we are going to run through a website audit together.
You can pay someone hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars to do this, or you can set up the building blocks yourself. The choice is yours.
If you have chosen to complete this website audit yourself- Yay! Hi! Let's get started. Once you have read through this information there will also be a printout checklist for you to have set next to you as you audit your site.
THE AUDIT
Design & Branding
Does the look and feel of your current website still align with your current brand values and presentation?
It is SO important to have branding consistency throughout your business, you want people to look at one aspect of your business and tie it to another immediately. For example, someone who has come from your social media should know the connection between your site and your social media by the presentation and branding. Consistency!Does your home page encourage people to further explore your website pages?
Time to grab your Google Analytics and check your bounce rate. You do not want people to get to your home page and not travel any further. Your home page should be a landing pad that launches your leads further into your site.Is there consistency through your website?
Does each page flow on from the other? Do they all look like they are part of the same website? You do not want pages that look out of place and look in-no-way related to the one the user was on beforehand. You want to be consistent with your fonts, logos, background patterns, etc.Does your website include strong, high-quality images and video that portray your brand and business accurately?
Low quality or blurry images and video will make people click away from your website very fast. If they want to see something they do not want to be squinting their eyes to try and figure out what you are using this image to say. High-quality images do not have to be professional, but they do have to be appealing. Do these images and videos represent your brand, business, and product/ service accurately?
Functionality
Is the business easily contactable?
This can be done through having a pop-up chatbox on the side of your screen or having an easy to navigate ‘Contact’ tab with a contact form. You can have an email address to send inquiries too, but are people going to want to go through the effort of emailing you from a different app? You are more likely to be contacted straight from your contact form.Is detailed information for your products and services readily available?
You need to have all the information someone is going to want to know right there for them to look at before making a purchase. If you don’t have the necessary information they are going to look elsewhere for a business that does have this information readily available.Is the website easy to navigate?
Here's a hint: you want to set up the navigation of your website so even the most technology-challenged person could navigate through with ease. Do not make it complicated and frustrating. People will move on to other websites with a design that is easier to understand and navigate through.Is your copy clear and concise?
Avoid lingo that only someone ‘in-the-know’ would understand, avoid waffling on about things that simply are not that important. People have a short attention span and if you spend too much time ‘talking’ with your text they are going to get bored and click away. Say what you want to say and move on.Is your website designed to be used on different interfaces?
BIG ONE! Your website must be accessible and usable on more than just a desktop computer. We aren’t looking at sites on computers anymore, we’re using smartphones and tablets and our damn TV’s. Make sure your website can be reached in these modes.
PERFORMANCE
Is your website taking under three seconds to load?
That is how long you have before someone gives up and goes to find another website to look at. Use this link to find out how fast your pages are loading: https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/Do you have your meta tags set up?
These tags are what search engines read in order to compare your keywords and description to the visible content. You should have meta tags set up for all images and text.Are there any major issues with the website you can find?
You should have no 404 Errors or ‘page not found and no broken links. Check your links- if they are broken remove them. If you find any issues, rectify them. These issues are frustrating and so easy to have been repaired.Do your pages have relevant search terms and keywords?
Your pages are not going to rank in search engine results without the use of common search terms and keywords. This are basic SEO practices.Are you adding in content regularly through a blog or similar?
A blog is going to bring in extra traffic to your website by using different keywords and search phrases. Who doesn’t want extra traffic?
Okay… now what?
Download THIS checklist, print a copy, and have it right next to you while you go through your website. Mark it off and at the end feel accomplished that you have completed a website audit! Better yet, snap a quick photo and post it to your Instagram stories and tag me @ejgcreative so I can be proud of you too!