It happens so easily. And it happens to businesses of all sizes. Maybe you launched the site in a bit of a hurry (and who doesn’t?). Maybe it’s been a while since anyone in the business has had time to look at what’s there. If they did, they might find that new content has introduced overlaps and inconsistencies. Perhaps when new information has been posted, old, out-of-date stuff hasn’t been taken down. If you have different people posting at different times, the chances are that they’ll write their pages in different styles.
We’ve worked with a number of companies who have realised that they need to stop and take stock. Sometimes working with branding and web designers, we’ve helped companies bring order back to their sites.
If you think your site might be due a bit of a clean up, take some time to look through it thoroughly and ask a few questions:
Does your front page explain exactly what you do?
How often does the content of your front page change? Is it totally static, or will visitors see something new each time they visit your site?
Are your pages published in the same style? Insisting on the same approach to length of copy, use of bullets, typefaces and so on across all pages make your site more cohesive and attractive
Are products and services described so that customers can easily compare their features and benefits? Or do different product/services groups do their own thing?
Is your full current range of products and services online? Is there anything on your site that’s no longer available and should be taken down?
How often do you describe your business across the site, and how much duplication and inconsistency does that introduce? For example, how many employees do you have, and how many countries do you operate in?
Do your downloads – such as brochures, white papers etc - add real value for your readers or do they just repeat what you say on your site?
Are your press releases all online and up to date?
Does your site map still work? Do you have broken links – especially if you’re linking to external site?
How long do your pages take to load?
De-clutter your web site
Are you hoarding content on your web site that you don’t really need any more? Information that’s out of date, or that customers will never want to read again? Maybe content that’s duplicated in several different places, making your site overfull and confusing?
If so, it’s time to de-clutter your web site. Do it yourself, or you can ask us to cast an eye over your site from the point of view of your customer, and we’ll highlight where there are inconsistencies, gaps, confusion – and even spelling mistakes! We can slim down your content for you, making it more accessible, accurate and complete. And if you like, we’ll bring in brand and/or web designers to talk to you about refreshing the look of your site as well.
