Once you’ve got your website where you want it – SEO, zingy copy, clear calls to action, inspiring confidence in your customer- it’s easy to tick “website” off your list and forget about it.

This could be a big mistake.

Your website is your shop front.

Imagine walking down a high street and seeing bright, colourful shops on either side of the road. You’d want to go in, yes? Your attention has been grabbed.

Now imagine you’re on that same high street, and the window displays haven’t been changed for ages, and the paintwork on the shops is looking tired and flaky. And, now you’re noticing the windows could do with a wash too… It’s not so enticing, is it?

Just like a bricks-and-mortar shop, your website needs maintenance. Your business is constantly evolving, so your marketing must too.

Don’t worry, this doesn’t mean starting from scratch.

It’s easy to check your website, give it a freshen up and make sure it’s working for you. Here’s what to look for:

Quick fix 1 – are the words correct?

This is perhaps the easiest one! Grab your favourite hot drink and something to write on/ with. Get comfy, and slowly read through your website. As you’re reading, ask yourself these questions:

• is the spelling correct?
• is the grammar correct?
• am I consistently using capital letters?
• have I used short, simple sentences?
• are the headlines attention-grabbing?
• am I accurately describing my service or product?
• is it clear what each page is about?
• would my customer have any questions after reading this page?
• have I got enough white space, or is everything crammed together?

Review your whole website and write notes as you go about what you want to change. Perhaps even ask a friend or mentor to cast their eyes over it as well, and see what they can spot.

Then, you can get started on updating your website copy, knowing you’re targeting problem areas one by one.

Quick fix 2 – do all the links work?

This is another easy one.

Once you’re happy with the copy, take a few minutes to click on every button, hyperlink and social media logo on your website. Do they take your customer where you want them to go?

This is an important one! If you’ve inspired curiosity in your customer and they want to know more, having a broken link on your website just puts an obstacle in their way

Get any broken links fixed asap.

Quick fix 3 – does your website showcase what you’re focusing on right now?

If you created your website when you were launching your business, and now it’s a year later, it’s going to be out of date.

You might have been trying to sell two or three products at the start, and now you’ve got bundles and deals and a whole new range. Does your website reflect that?

Maybe you only provided one service and now you can offer even more? Or, you’ve niched your service to be even more specific? Get that front and centre on your website.

You could use pop-ups to draw attention to new products or services, or redraft your copy. It’s important that your customers know what you’re offering, so they can buy from you or work with you!

Quick fix 4 – do you have relevant calls to action?

Speaking of buying from you, calls to action are really important.

Think carefully about what you want your customer to do, and craft your calls to action to make it happen. The calls to action you used previously might be a bit stale after a while.

Sure, “follow me here” or “book here” can work fine, but there’s no harm in keeping things fresh, or experimenting with different CTAs. Try these:

• Let’s get started

• Questions? Ask me here

• Fancy a freebie?

• Snoop on my Instagram

• Want 10% off?

• Want updates? Of course you do!

• Quick! Book now

• Go on, you know you want to…

• Shall we chat?

Quick fix 5 – are you using relevant SEO keywords?

As you change your copy, you might accidentally edit out important keywords.

This will affect your Google ranking and how easy it is for your customers to find you.

Take a few minutes to use a keyword finder such as semrush.com so you can make sure you’re using the keywords people are searching for.

Make sure your keywords are mentioned throughout your copy while still keeping it natural-sounding. You can also use SEO keywords in captions, image names and file names. While you’re updating those, why not check that meta description too?

There you go! 5 things to look out for if your website needs refresh

If any of this sounds like too much hassle, luckily for you, it can be delegated. I can audit your website for you and write the copy too.

Get in touch here, and let’s book a free discovery call.

First published on wordsbybonnie.com