This is one of those “Everything I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten” kind of things. But going through your website regularly and checking it for errors and malfunctions is fundamental to doing business online. In fact, I encourage you to schedule a website checkup on your calendar a minimum of every two weeks. When you go through it look for these simple things:
- Are all the links in good working order, and do they take you where they are supposed to take you? As a visitor to other websites you know there is nothing worse than clicking a link and having it go nowhere. Broken links are one of the quickest ways to lose a sale or have a prospective client go elsewhere. It might even pay to purchase a link checking tool designed to alert you as soon as there is trouble of any kind. Even with a link checker, make certain you check all your links regularly.
- Is the spelling and grammar correct? In subtle ways your website tells people who you are, how you do business and what you value. Spelling and grammar send messages about your pride, intelligence and attention to detail. Proofreading is painstaking work that needs to be done. Most spellcheckers cannot distinction between “two, to and too.” If spelling and grammar are not your strong suit, ask someone else to do it. If you do business outside your region, remember to take into account regional spelling usage for different audiences worldwide.
- Is your basic content correct? If you have added new products and services, are they properly listed. Maybe you have recently gained a new certification or accreditation and failed to add it to your content. Perhaps you have changed business hours – is the update correct?
- Check your website using different browsers. This makes certain your HTML code is designed to display correctly in different browser versions.
Don’t just assume your website is always in good order and functioning properly. Schedule regular checkups and spend some time on your investment. It will never do any harm, and might avoid a catastrophe. In fact, it will ensure your website looks proper in new editions of web browsers!
