A website is never a 'set and forget' investment. Technology is always and improving. Google frequently changes its search algorithms. Operating systems and browsers software keep updating. New devices and phones are introduced. With these changes, it doesn't take long for a once 'state of the art' website to become out of date.

For this reason, we recommend conducting regular health checks on your website to make sure it's not being left behind.

 

What would a website health check involve?

Contact your website provider and ask them to review your website and make some recommendations on how to improve its performance.

Some ideas they may be able to suggest include:

• Helping you install Google Analytics so that you can track the results of your website.
• Browser testing – making sure that your website is viewing correctly in the newest browser versions of Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox and Safari.
• Checking if your website is responsive and that any extra functionality built is also working well on tablets and smart phones.
• Making sure your page titles and descriptions are optimised for search.
• Making sure you have a 404 error page.
• Perhaps it’s time to refresh the text and images on your pages? Update any out of date information and perhaps your website provider can also recommend a copywriter to refresh your content and make sure it is well written and search friendly.
• If your website is old and tired looking it might be time to consider a new page template – this could give you a new colour scheme, a new header design with new images or even a new page layout.
• Does your website have an SSL certificate to protect both your business and your website viewers? For more information on SSL certificates and why they are important, visit this article.

Your website is available 24/7 for potential clients to visit, which means it can play a huge part in how your brand is perceived. So make sure your website is functional, easy to find and importantly always evolving to keep up to date with technology and the latest industry trends.