Website checklist
If you’ve just finished building your new website (or revamping your old one), how can you be sure it’s “prime time ready”? Or maybe your site has been around for a while and you think it might need a makeover. Because web technologies, techniques, and standards change so rapidly, even a website that appears “state of the art” when built can appear out of date a year later. Or maybe you started with a basic website and finally have the time and / or money to take it to the next level. If you want to take a look at your website, here are ten things to consider:
Compatibility: Will your website display correctly to most people regardless of your computer hardware, operating system, browser, and monitor resolution? Make sure your site displays correctly for as many users as possible. If any feature on your website requires certain browser plug-ins, please provide a download link. Remember that not everyone will have Javascript enabled and that the user can disable graphics; make sure your site will continue to function without them.
Integrity: none of your websites should be “under construction”. Websites tend to evolve over time and are never really “finished”, but that’s not a reason for your website to look like a construction zone. If you must include pages that are not completed, at least put some informational content on the page to motivate people to check back later. Otherwise, skip the section entirely until you’re ready for prime time.
Content: Do you need to update the text on your site? Did you add services, expand your product line, target new markets, or change your business strategy? Is your business website description current and accurate, including your contact information? Could the content be written more clearly, convincingly or succinctly? Could your website be more informative, useful, interesting, or relevant? Would customer testimonials or an FAQ section strengthen your sales message? Check all the content on your site for incorrect grammar, spelling and typographical errors.
Graphics: Do your graphics contribute to or detract from your website? A website without graphics would not be interesting, but a site with too many different graphics, animations and fonts is overwhelming and distracts your sales message. The trick is to find the right balance. Use animations sparingly, especially those that “repeat” (they play over and over again). They can easily become annoying and distract from your sales message. Remember that banner ads count as graphics too, and one or two per page is sufficient.
Interactivity: You can consider making your site interactive by adding a mailing list, message board, survey, ezine, or guestbook. A quiz or trivia quiz can attract visitors and bring them back more often. Rotating content like a joke, quote, or tip of the day keeps your website interesting. Don’t feel obligated to add all the latest bells and whistles just because you can, but ask yourself if some advanced features could give your website an edge. If you don’t want to provide the content yourself, check the content available from the distributors (just keep it relevant to your target market and the rest of the content on your site).
Links: Do all the links on your website work? First, make sure the links between the pages on your site direct site visitors to the correct page. Also check all your links to other websites; The webmaster may have renamed the page or removed it entirely, and those inactive links will make your site look unprofessional and frustrate site visitors. If you’ve removed some of the pages from your own site, set up a custom 404 page that redirects your visitors to your home page (or a search page) when they try to access a page that no longer exists.
Speed: Does your site load fast enough in the viewer’s browser? The “Eight Second Rule” is a good rule of thumb, meaning that no site visitor should have to wait longer than eight seconds to see your website’s home page. After eight seconds have elapsed, the viewer will most likely give up and go elsewhere. If you have graphics or animations that take a while to download, provide some engaging content to keep their interest while they wait. Adding graphic elements always comes at a cost in terms of slower load times, so only include graphics if they really contribute to the visual impact of your website and strengthen your sales message.
Navigation: Is it easy to find information on your site? Your home page should tell visitors, at a glance, who you are, what you do, and how to find what they’re looking for. From there, your visitors should be able to follow a logical path to learn more about various aspects of your business. If you list products or services on your site, organize them in a logical way. If you decide to use graphic icons instead of text, make sure their meaning is obvious. Make it easy for your site visitors to find what they came for.
Search Engine Optimization: Is your website optimized to rank for important keywords in the most popular search engines? Check your page titles and meta tag keywords and descriptions to make sure they are accurate and descriptive. Did your keywords work on the actual content on the page as well (including variations)? Is your website focused on a specific topic and has a lot of informational content related to that topic? Is your website spider-friendly (meaning that search engine spiders can access every page and read the most important content from the source code)?
Style: Is the style of your website consistent with your business goals? Ask yourself what you want your business image to be, and make sure your website enhances that image. Is your business style polished? Friendly? Fashion? High technology? The appearance of your site should reflect that style. Does your website still compare favorably with those of your competitors? Your website should reflect favorably on your business and help you build your corporate image. If yours doesn’t, a makeover may be necessary.
Usability – Usability refers to the ease with which site visitors can use your site. The best usability measure is feedback from users, the people who visit and try to navigate the site. If you have received complaints, comments, questions or suggestions from site visitors, please change your site accordingly. Of course, dissatisfied customers won’t always let you know. This is why you should also analyze your web logs to see if visitors are quickly leaving certain pages or not visiting some of your pages at all. Consider building paths through your site that visitors can follow. A well-designed website brings visitors deeper into the site without frustrating or confusing them, and you don’t lose them along the way.