Just like spring cleaning, refreshing your website takes a little bit of planning and a dedicated chunk of time. You might want to set aside a half hour every day to chip away at each task, or block off an entire day. It’s up to you!
To help make the project a little more fun, find an energizing playlist to work to! Lately, I’m loving the “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” soundtrack by Daniel Pemberton.
Cue up your music and let’s get started!
1. Clear the clutter
Begin by combing through every page of your website, and make a list of outdated information, past events or expired promotions. Click every link to make sure it works and opens in a new window. By the end of this exercise, you’ll have an actionable To Do list of items to update, archive or delete.
2. Revitalize your content
Like a garden, your website needs regular care and maintenance. Review and refresh outdated content to keep your audience informed and engaged. This is when you’ll update product details, pricing, contact information, team bios, and recent milestones and wins.
3. Add eye-catching visuals
Improve your website’s curb appeal with fresh images. High quality photos engage web visitors and also enhance your site’s Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Be sure to keep accessibility in mind and add alternative text (or “alt text”) to describe images for visitors who use assistive technology.
4. Cultivate social proof
Gather testimonials to strengthen credibility with your potential clients and customers. Testimonials provide important social proof that highlights your expertise and the benefits of working with you. Ask past clients to write a short review, and remember to link to their website when you post the testimonial—this’ll boost your client’s SEO!
5. Dig into consistent content marketing
Keep your website dynamic and engaging by regularly producing new content, like blog posts, articles, case studies or multimedia content like videos or infographics. Publishing practical, insightful and interesting content helps potential clients connect with you and— like many tips on this list—it’s great for SEO!
6. Ask for help
A fresh perspective can help you find hidden opportunities for improvement. Ask a friend, colleague or consultant to visit your website and identify problems like dense industry jargon, confusing acronyms or clunky website navigation.
A little digital spring cleaning goes a long way in creating a vibrant online presence.
And you can bloom even brighter with Michael’s advice on getting your internet house in order. His proactive approach will save you the frustration of scrambling to find wily usernames and passwords whenever you want to update your website.
If you need a hand sprucing up your web content this spring—or any season, really—please feel free to reach out to me!
Erika Cuccaro
Writer / Editor, James Street Writing Company
