Your website is your online home. It’s an online window to your world and it should represent you in the best light. Unfortunately, it’s so easy to abandon it when you don’t have the right tools or resources to keep it doing what it needs to do.
As a web designer by career, I’ve seen time and time again websites that have been neglected because the website owner just didn’t have the know-how or the time to keep it up to date.
If you’re in that situation, here are a few tips that can help you.
Learn about your website
Not all websites are created the same. Make it a point to learn about the ins and outs of your website and how it runs. For example, is it a WordPress website, Squarespace, Wix, is it a do it yourself website or is it a done-for-you website? This will help you determine if it’s something you need to invest time in learning or if you need to hand whatever you need to update to someone else.
Create consistency
Carve out some time on your calendar, once a month, to take a look at your website to see if any links, images, or functionality are not working properly. Take the time to fix the issues or find someone who can do it for you. Having a website that’s not functional defeats its purpose so it’s very important to know if something is not working properly, so you can fix it right away.
Speak to your ideal client
Work on your website content. It should resonate with your ideal client so you can connect with them. Take a moment to review your website content and work on that. If you’re using stock photos make sure they relate to your audience. Eg. If you’re a curl specialist or braider, stay away from stock images of women with straight hair. This takes away from the focus of what you do. Use words like “you” to indicate you are speaking to them rather than using “they” in sentences.
Invest in good images
To take your images a step further, schedule a photography session with a professional photographer to take photos of you and your business location. Professional photos give you an edge in the digital world. It allows your clients to connect with you and it sets the tone of what to expect when they go in to meet you. Take good before and after photos of your clients. Just a smartphone will do! Investing in high-quality photos can bring life to your website.
Pay attention to the website design
So, how’s your website looking these days? Do you feel proud of the way it looks? Is it outdated? If you felt a negative reaction to either one of those questions, it may be time for a website refresh. Nowadays, the attention span of website visitors is so little – around 8 seconds to be exact. This is why it is really important to have your website grab your website visitors by just the look, feel, and user experience. If you can update your website yourself, by all means, go right ahead but if not, invest in a design team to bring your website to life.
Share your knowledge
Blogging is a great way to add credibility to your website. Sharing your knowledge builds trust with your users and it also makes search engines like Google, happy with periodical updates. The more visitors that read your blog, the more your website performance score.
You’re probably feeling a little intimidated by what you can share on your blog and how you can do it. Don’t be.
Think of topics your visitors and clientele may want to read, jot them down then schedule time to elaborate on each one on a word or Google document. Think of tutorials, hair care tips, updates about your business, and anything else that comes to mind that you may enjoy writing.
The more you do it, the easier it becomes.
If getting your blog posts on your blog seems like a difficult task check with your web designer to see if they can enter them into your website and consistently schedule them out.
Remember, improving your website and keeping it up to date are all doable. I hope these tips help you with your website to bring it back to life. If you need a website and are looking for someone to create and maintain it for you, we can help! Our websites are created just for you and maintained by us as well so we take care of it all for you.
