Let’s face it: It’s hard to get down to business when Jack Frost is nipping at your window.
This snow man stands in downtown Birmingham in front of the City Federal building.
Here in Birmingham, we’re buried under snow, and that has most of us either stuck at home or looking out our office windows into a wintery wonderland. And let’s face it: It’s hard to get down to business when Jack Frost is nipping at your window.
What’s the solution to this snow day slump? Constructive procrastination. If all you want to do today is browse websites and sip hot chocolate, why not let that work for you? Take a few minutes to look through your own website and use our checklist to be sure everything’s working as it should. This spot check is a great way to be sure your site’s running well so your customers are happy — and it’s just as easy as watching a YouTube video of people crashing their sleds.
Be sure your content is up to date
Look over your main pages, of course, but also click over to places like your staff page to be sure you have new people added and obsolete entries deleted. If you have an e-commerce site, make a note of items that are out-of-stock or have out-of-date pricing. You know your business best, so you’re a great resource for which old content needs to be removed.
Update your blog
Lots of companies start a blog and let it fall by the wayside when things get busy. Has this happened to you? If so, take a few moments to jot down ideas for new posts. You may not get to them today, but you can assign them once you’re back at the office. And blogs increase traffic to your site so it’s a win win.
Check for broken links
You don’t want customers clicking something on your site that leads to an obsolete page or that simply doesn’t work at all. Be sure customer experience is as good as it can be by checking your links.
Be sure your images are loading
You’ve chosen your images carefully, so be sure your site visitors are actually seeing them. If an image loads too slowly or doesn’t show up at all, make a note to replace it. This will also come in handy once your site is built in responsive design. Every little bit matters.
Google yourself
See what comes up when you Google your company. Is your business on the first page of Google, or is it buried so deeply that customers won’t be able to find you? A Google search will also tell you if customers have reviewed your business, and you click through to read their feedback and see if you need to make any changes to keep customers happy. If you’re not pleased with your Google ranking, Infomedia can help you boost your Search Engine Optimization — just give us a call and we’ll get you started with SEO Optimization.
Make sure your site is SEO-friendly
This goes hand-in-hand with the Google search you just did. If you’ve already optimized for SEO, look through your site and be sure the keywords you’ve chosen are used prominently on your site (in headlines, etc.). If they’re not, make a note to update them, or make it a point to incorporate some of these words into your blog.
View your site on different devices
Your site may load perfectly on your laptop, but does it look good on your phone? On your tablet? If your site doesn’t work equally well on all devices, Google may penalize you and you won’t get the search results you’re looking for. What you want is responsive design — a site that automatically responds to screen size and looks great on any device. If your site isn’t responsive, give us a call to find out how you can adapt.
Read your comments
If you have comments enabled on your blog or even on your site, be sure you’ve gone through and approved them and responded when appropriate. This allows for conversation with your readers, and that kind of availability on your part is very attractive to customers. If they’ve taken the time to connect with you, be sure you respond to them!
