Web Checklist
What’s the point in having a web site if it isn’t achieving anything for you?
But how do you know if your web site is working for you?
Below is some useful information to help you get the most out of your site.
Know what you want your web site to do for you.
Sounds silly doesn’t it, but many organisations put a web site up because “everyone else is on the web!”
It’s worth taking the time to really focus on what you want the site to achieve for you. Is it online sales? Do you want the site as a sales tool that leads inquiries to you? Are you collecting user information? Is it an education tool?
Measure results based on your site objectives
If you site is set up for online sales…it’s easy to measure results. You’ll be achieving sales. But how do you know if you are maximising your sales opportunities?
Monitoring and understanding your site statistics will provide you with a wealth of information about visitors, how they got there and what they did while they were there.
Many good hosting companies provide the ability for you to view your site statistics. As an adjunct, with far greater functionality, you can use a very good free service called Google Analytics.
You’ll be able to learn:
How many visitors you get a day a week a month.
This will tell you if your site is being found, but not if your visitors are relevant to you.
How your visitors got there.
Did they type your web address in directly? Did they use a search engine? Did they come via a link on another site. This is all useful information.
Why they have arrived.
The search terms they used give you a good idea of what they were looking for. If you are getting a lot of irrelevant arrivals consider analysing your site content or search terms and keywords.
Did they leave straight away?
If visitors to your site are leaving straight away it may be because your site wasn’t relevant to them or because your site was too confusing, too difficult to navigate or didn’t immediately show them what they needed. Make sure your site is optimised with relevant search terms. You may need the help of a web developer for this. Also analyse your content to see if it is easy to use and meets the needs of your intended audience. Don’t make the mistake of developing content from your point of view, try to anticipate the needs of your visitors.
Do you know if their geographical location was relevant to you?
If all your visitors are from other countries and you only sell within your own country then you need to make sure your site is ranked correctly for a particular country by the search engines.
Are they a returning visitor?
Returning visitors can be a good indicator. Make sure you keep your site fresh and the content is up to date. Follow their path through your site to determine if anything is ‘blocking’ their progress.
Are all your web pages being viewed?
If not why? Is the content relevant? Do you need that page? Check the links to that page work.
What path through your site do visitors take?
Track the path your visitors take through your site. If they leave before they get to the order page or don’t contact you, then investigate what might be stopping them making the decision to buy. It only takes a small issue to prompt a visitor to leave.
Talk to your customers
When people make contact with you via email, phone or in person, make sure you ask them for feedback on how they found you, if your site was easy to use and provided everything they needed. Remember all feedback is useful and should be used to strengthen your business activities.
Check out your competitors
If your competitors have a web site, have a look and test how their design makes you feel as a customer. Learn from the activities of others and use the information to improve your own web site.
Get help!
It’s good to get involved and learn to understand how your site can work for you. But don’t let this stop you from using the advice and services of professional web developers. Choose a developer you feel comfortable with and work with them as a team to create and manage a site that will work for your business. Check out their portfolio and compare prices. Make sure they can develop a site that works (strong navigation, no broken links or missing pictures), a site that looks great (that means good design) and also make sure they are interested in and understand your business.
For a FREE assessment of your web site, or to discuss your new web site requirements, call Divine Branding on 1300 781 971 or send us an email.
If you would like this checklist in PDF format just send us an email.