Is your website falling down at the first hurdle?
Time and time again we see websites that don’t have the basics in place. These simple items can sometimes hold a website back both on Google Search and when converting website visitors into paying customers. To make things easier we’ve prepared our website essentials checklist that you can use on your own website to make sure you have a good solid foundation online.
Make sure to NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number)
NAP consistency is crucial. Maintaining accurate NAP data across websites, directories, and social media enhances local SEO, builds trust, and improves user experience. Easy access to consistent NAP information fosters credibility, helping customers find and connect with your business effortlessly. Prioritize NAP accuracy to boost online visibility and gain a competitive edge in the digital landscape.
Performance
Websites should load fast. With the mobile web now accounting for over 55% of website traffic you need to make sure your website can load quickly even over a mobile connection. This means compressing your pages, images, and ensuring that no unused scripts are being loaded up.
For WordPress sites plugins like WPRocket and JetPack are great for tackling page speed. They will both guide you through speeding up your website with one-click remedies for common problems.
Only Serve Quality Content
Why say in 1000 words what you can say in 300? In the early days of the internet, more was more, but now with more advanced search ranking algorithms, the best content is quality content. If you’re giving your visitors the answers they need without going over the top, keyword stuffing, or waffling on for paragraphs and paragraphs then you’re nailing quality content.
Give your website content a read – if you start to drift off halfway down the page then it may be time to get the scissors out and trim those sentences down.
Include Calls to Action
You’d be surprised to see how many websites don’t include a single call to action. What’s a call to action I hear you say? In a nutshell, a call to action is anything a customer can click on to take action, for example, a button for “Book Now” or “Get in Touch”.
Calls to action are one of the most basic elements of a website and without one you are unlikely to convert a single visitor. A good website should include multiple relevant calls to action on each page. The key is to make sure that they are within the eyesight of the visitor and obvious – even something simple like “Get in Touch” will work wonders.