So, you’ve got your website. You’ve got your content. You’ve even got a fancy schmancy design to lure in your customers. You think you’re good to go, right?
Wrong.
How long has it been since you edited your site? Have you looked at your rankings in the last month? What about your content? Is it fresh and up to date? Probably not, right? Well, no fear. I have these quick five tips to help you give your site the revamping it needs for a fresh start in 2015.
Let’s get technical
First things first, you’re going to want to make sure your site is still all there with all the right links in all the right places. As you’ve updated things, you’ve probably moved some things around, added a blurb here, a link to some new content here, or maybe switched a picture for a happier, more informative page. It looks great…but when was the last time you really looked? Do that, now. Click through like you were one of your own, loyal customers and make sure everything is working and everything is in its place.
Want some help? Screaming Frog is a great tool to help you find the mess-ups on your page. It’ll alert you to any errors you’ve got, including redirects and URL errors. Still not sure? Use your Webmaster Tools. Server issues, sitemap errors, and those annoying Error 404 messages will all be cleared right up with your handy-dandy Webmaster kit.
Don’t beat a dead horse, but don’t sell a good one
Sit on down and look at the content you’ve written over the past year, six months, or however long it’s been since you’ve changed up your site. Use your brain. Read it over. Pick out the content that isn’t doing anything for you, and toss it. Your readers and consumers don’t want it, so don’t bother wasting their time by keeping it up there. Now, find the good stuff, the meaty stuff. The content you have that is working for you, reaching consumers, offering relevant and useful information and, if possible, reused.
What’s that saying – it’s ain’t broke….
Editorials aren’t just for newspapers anymore
It’s a new year, and that means there are new stories, new strategies, and opportunity is going to be knocking. Don’t sit around and wait for everything to update and for all your competitors to get their teeth into the new stuff first. Now that the bugs on your site are fixed and your content is shiny and new (or as good as), find some editorial calendars and get your research going. If you get ahead of the game now, chances are you’ll stay there in the months to come.
Be legit
No, we don’t mean ‘no fakers.’ Keep all of your business’ information legitimate. Do it yourself, or use a tool like Moz Local to help you, and find all the contact information, personnel information, and other business information on your site to make sure it’s correct. Phone numbers, addresses, employee names, etc. should all be right; otherwise, you’re just going to look extremely unprofessional, or worse, no one will be able to get in touch with you!
Look, but don’t steal
No one likes a peeping tom, but in the case of validating your business ideas, I’m hoping you’re looking at your competitors and seeing what they’re up to, how they’re doing, and what might be working for them that you haven’t tried yet. Don’t simply steal their words or ideas. That’s lazy, and could result in a serious case of plagiarism. However, it is okay to visit their sites, check their links, and if you need to, rework your own content strategy to better your own site. Know thy enemy, yeah?
Above all, be creative. No one wants to see the same thing all the time, but with these tips, and your own ingenuity, your site will be up and running smoothly for 2015 in no time.
What have you been doing so far this year?
