Happy New Year!
Posted on 2nd January 2019
New Year Website Resolutions – How to Improve Your Small Business Website in 2019
2018 has been another fantastic year at it’seeze Web Design Ryedale, as we’ve helped dozens of small businesses in Malton, Pickering, Whitby and across the region to do more online with fantastic, easy to use websites that look great on any device.
The web doesn’t stand still, and neither should your small business website. In this post, we look at some of the improvements you can make to your site to ensure it delivers for your business over the year ahead.
1. Give it a purpose
Why do you have a website? Chances are, it’s to drive business – but is your website actually delivering the leads you want?
A good website is underpinned by a strategy – what you want to achieve with the website, what you want it to do, and how you want customers to interact with it. If you’re building a new website, that means thinking about the visitor journey. Think about the pages they are going to view, and the content they are going to see and how they are going to move through the site, before providing a strong call to action to encourage them to engage with your business.
There shouldn’t be any wasted pages – every single page needs a clear purpose.
2. Improve the imagery
The right photography and images will make or break your site, and if you’re still relying on tacky stock imagery or poor amateur smartphone shots, your web visitors will notice.
Investing in some professional photography can transform the look and feel of your site, creating a great first impression with visitors and improving performance. If you are using stock photography, invest in it – some time spent editing or tweaking images to ensure they are unique and fit your brand will make a big difference.
3. Update the design
When was your website designed?
As technology develops, web design trends move on and formats change. It doesn’t matter how well your website was designed - if it’s starting to show its age, it will be holding your business back online.
Investing in a design refresh won’t just bring things up to date and make it look more attractive – it can boost business performance too. In 2019, your site needs to be fully responsive – if it doesn’t work on mobiles properly, it will be punished in the search engine rankings.
4. Improve the copy
Quality web copy is essential – make 2019 the year you get it right.
We’re not just talking about ensuring that all your details are up to date, but about the way it’s written. A big wall of text, talking in detailed, industry jargon about what you do and how you do it isn’t going to do your site any favours.
Try to step back, and think about things from your customers’ perspective, looking at the copy through their eyes. Short, clear sections of copy, split off with headlines and complemented with relevant images will help to get your message across. Instead of ‘we do’, flip the message around and direct it to the customer by talking about how ‘you benefit’.
If you struggle with words, invest in the services of a professional copywriter to help you get it right.
5. Spring clean those broken links and pages
Missing (404) pages and broken links send the wrong impression to visitors, and impact on your search rankings.
Spend some time checking the pages and links on your website, using Google Search Console or something like this link checker extension to find crawl errors. As part of this process, check all your videos and images are displaying as they should be.
6. Use your analytics
How do you know your website is working or not?
If you aren’t doing so already, it’s vital that you keep track of your website performance. Google Analytics is the easiest way of doing this – and will provide you with essential insights into website performance, tracking visitor numbers, time spent on site, and visitor journeys through your website.
It’s powerful business intelligence you can use to inform your marketing and make tweaks to your website to boost performance as part of your ongoing marketing efforts.
If you’re not sure how to use Google Analytics – there is loads of free support, which you can find at the Google Analytics Academy.
If you found these tips useful, don’t forget to check out our post on New Year’s resolutions for your small business’s marketing strategy for more advice on how to maximise your online business in 2019!
Websites that work for your small business from it’seeze Ryedale
Looking for a small business website in Malton, Pickering, Scarborough, Whitby, Ryedale or North Yorkshire? Want a beautiful, mobile responsive and fully editable website that’s designed to perform in the modern world? Contact it’seeze Ryedale today.
Set up your free, no obligation meeting with Rob Davies from it’seeze Ryedale today by calling 01653 690 982, or by emailing rob.davies@itseeze.co.uk.
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