Your website should be a good representation of who you are. Whether you’re just three months into a new launch or your website’s been around for several years, there are tweaks you can make to help your website look more professional. Simple changes can make a big difference to user experience, your business reputation and increased website traffic.Your website should be a good representation of who you are. Whether you’re just three months into a new launch or your website’s been around for several years, there are tweaks you can make to help your website look more professional. Simple changes can make a big difference to user experience, your business reputation and increased website traffic.Your website should be a good representation of who you are. Whether you’re just three months into a new launch or your website’s been around for several years, there are tweaks you can make to help your website look more professional. Simple changes can make a big difference to user experience, your business reputation and increased website traffic.
Things to Check For
Your website should be appealing to visitors. If it’s difficult to navigate, looks “neglected” or isn’t mobile friendly, you could be losing potential clients or customers before they have a chance to see what you can offer. To make your website more professional looking, check for the following.
Functionality: How quickly do pages load? Do website pages print properly? Do images display correctly?
Broken links: Social media icons that lead to another website or external links that don’t work can be a source of frustration to the user.
Too crowded: For a client visiting your home page for the first time, too much copy can be information overload.
Things to Remove
Even if you hired a professional, parts of your website may no longer be current, appeal to you or have relevance. It doesn’t take much to streamline existing web pages by removing elements that hinder instead of help.
Background images: They draw a reader’s attention away from content in the foreground.
Fonts: Restrict the number of different fonts to three; choose ones that are universal.
Loud colors/Busy patterns: Bold, yes; eye-jarring, no!
Old copyright dates: If you have a copyright date on your website, ensure it’s the current year.
Unclear branding: A video, section of text or an image might be cute, playful or informative, but if it doesn’t promote you, your brand, or mission statement, delete it.
Things to Add
When someone visits your website, you want them to do something – sign up for the weekly newsletter; buy a product; or ask for a free quotation. Most businesses depend on repeat customers, so you want to give them a reason to come back. Here are some suggestions to help you do that.
Compelling content: Nothing beats well-written and engaging copy. Tell a story; use action verbs and “colour” words; and stay current.
Search button: While it adds functionality, it also encourages of visitor to interact with your website.
Site map: The same can be said for a site map.
About us: This is the perfect opportunity to “introduce” yourself and your company.
Live chat: It provides the visitor with direct access to you and your business.
Blog: A blog helps a potential customer see the “human” side of a corporate entity.