Unless you’re a start-up, chances are you already have a website. But is your website really doing enough to market your company?
Here are some things to think about:
- Is your website current? Considering how fast Internet technology is advancing, five years is like an eternity. Are the pictures small and fuzzy? Are your product descriptions still accurate? Do you have pages missing? Do you have a “coming soon” notice that has been in place since your website launched? Or, worse yet, are there typos and inaccurate information?
- Can you update your website yourself? Several years ago, content management systems required a lot more technical expertise. So simple website updates were often left to the experts – at a fee of $100 or so a pop. Those days are over. Content management systems are now much easier to use, and simple updates can be made easily.
- Is your website mobile friendly? Having a mobile website is a good idea. But, at the very least, your website should use mobile friendly technology (i.e. not Flash).
- Can search engines find you? Sure, your company pops up on Google when you enter your company name (eg: Bob’s Diner). But does your name show up for non-branded searches (eg: Jackson, Mississippi restaurants)? Do your competitors show up higher on the search results page?
- Is your website easy to navigate? It may seem easy to you. But test your website on a few people who don’t know your business as well as you do. Can they find information easily? Or is it more of a chore?
- Do you have access to your website’s analytics? It’s your website. Shouldn’t you know how many people are visiting it? How about these questions: What search keywords brought them to your website? How many pages did they check out? Where in the world did your visitors come from? Here’s the answer: You can get very comprehensive reporting with a quick, free installation of Google Analytics. It’s a must have. After all, not have access to analytics is like not being able to tell how many people walked through the front door of your brick-and-mortar business.
If you answered “no” to any of the above questions, then it’s time to make updating your website a priority.