Your website is often your first impression and will set the tone for what potential customers think of your brand. Beyond that, it is an essential part of your business. But is your site getting the job done? Give your website a check-up with our simple Website Check-Up Checklist to find out.

Simple Website Check-Up Checklist

Download your copy of the checklist here.

TECH TALK FIRST
Begin at the beginning, and make sure that your site’s basic functionality is operable.

• Are there any 404 errors or pages that are not appearing as they should?
• Are all the navigation menu links working correctly and directing where they should?
• Are there missing images?
• Are there other visible issues like font errors or formatting errors?
• Are there broken links within the site content?

ALL ABOUT EXPERIENCE
Once you’ve confirmed that your site is working at a basic level, it’s time to check in on how well it’s working for your users. You only have a few seconds to make a first impression, so make sure the user experience is a good one.

• How long does it take your site to load? Are pages loading slowly or incompletely?
• Is your site easy to use and understand with clear navigation?
• Is your site responsive to work well on multiple devices? Is it mobile-friendly?
• Does your site work well in different web browsers? Chrome? Safari? Firefox? Edge?
• Does your site meet basic web accessibility measures? Strong contrast? Alt text for images? Form field labels? Headings for screen readers? (Read up on where to start with web accessibility here.)

FEELING CREATIVE?
From your favicon to your footer, every element of your site’s design speaks – either positively or negatively – about your brand and your business. A creative and compelling website design can drive that critical strong first impression. But relying too heavily on templates, stock imagery and the like can rob your brand of its unique voice. (Read more about the pros and cons of custom website design vs template-based websites here.)

• Does your site look and feel current, clean and professional?
• Does your site reflect your brand’s distinctive visual identity and brand voice?
• Is your site unique and compelling to stand out to your audience?
• Does your site’s design drive your goals and guide users where you want them?
• Does your site use creative design elements to increase user engagement with content?

CONTENT THAT MAKES THE GRADE
Even the fastest, best-looking website around needs strong content to succeed. Routinely checking and refreshing your site’s content to keep it at its dynamic, compelling, action-oriented best is a critical element in your website’s performance.

• Is your site’s content correct and up to date?
• Are there spelling or grammatical mistakes in your content?
• Does your content read clearly and is it easy to understand (even for someone who doesn’t already know what you do)?
• Do you have effective calls to action in your site content?
• Is your contact information correct and are forms working properly?

THE GREAT & POWERFUL SEO
So your site is working great and looking great, but can anyone find it? In a lot of ways search engine algorithms may seem like the mysterious wizard behind the curtain shaping digital destinies, but there are some simple things you can do to lay the foundation for strong search engine optimization.

• Have you searched your brand name or critical keywords to see what you find?
• Do you know your critical keywords, and have you incorporated them into your site’s content? (No stuffing, please. Search engines hate that.)
• Have you addressed fundamental SEO elements like page titles and descriptions?
• Do you regularly update and refresh your content? Sites that frequently update content may earn favor with search engines.
• Do you have the right SSL security certificate installed? Not only does this provide your users with added security, but it provides a search engine boost as well.

MAINTAINING MOMENTUM
A website that really works is not a one-and-done project. It requires ongoing commitment and maintenance to keep a site performing well and to navigate the ever-changing waters of search, devices, browsers and accessibility issues. And to do any of that, you first have to regularly track and analyze your site’s performance.

• Have you installed Google Analytics and are you regularly tracking your website results?
• Have you reviewed your site’s bounce rate and average session time metrics to see how well you are engaging your audience?
• Have you reviewed the devices that most of your visitors are on and tuned accordingly?
• Are you keeping up with regular technical and security updates including things like WordPress version updates, plug-in updates?
• Have you considered ways to keep content fresh and engaging like adding a blog?

NEED A HAND?
Your website is essential to your business and your brand – but you still have a lot of other things on your plate too. That’s where our team can help! Want to chat about your site? Connect with the Clementine team!