Tweet

15 Easy Ways to Improve Your Web Site

Guest post by: Gihan Perera

Article Overview: If you're a business owner offering any sort of service, there are 15 basic things you must have on your Web site. These are not the only things you could have, but it's the bare minimum. If you already have a Web site, there's a good chance you're doing some - maybe even all - these things. But a Web site is like an untended garden; it tends to get untidy and unkempt after a while. So I'll give you 15 things you can do to improve your Web site. None of these take much time (half an hour at most, and often just 5 or 15 minutes), but they can make a big difference.

15 Easy Ways to Improve Your Web Site

If you're a business owner offering any sort of service, there are 15 basic things you must have on your Web site. These are not the only things you could have, but it's the bare minimum.

If you already have a Web site, there's a good chance you're doing some - maybe even all - these things. But a Web site is like an untended garden; it tends to get untidy and unkempt after a while. So I'll give you 15 things you can do to improve your Web site. None of these take much time (half an hour at most, and often just 5 or 15 minutes), but they can make a big difference. Of course, not all of them will apply to you, so you can skip them (and wonder uneasily whether they should apply!). And some of them are things you might be doing already, so you can skip them as well (and reward yourself with an extra 5 minutes goofing off on Facebook).

1. Home page: Get them off it! The purpose of your home page is simple: To get them to click to another page!

Pretend you're your ideal site visitor, go to your site's home page, and ask yourself whether it clearly tells you exactly what link to click next. If not, fix it so it does!

2. Your services: End with a clear call to action Make sure each and every service you promote (each keynote topic, workshop, coaching program, etc.) has a page that ends with a clear call to action for the site visitor. Don't expect them to hunt around for your contact details - tell them to pick up the phone, send you an e-mail, make a booking, add it to their shopping cart, whatever.

3. Client list: Cull the list Check that every client in your clients list is somebody you want future clients to know about. It's not that you should be ashamed of any past clients; it's simply that some of them are no longer relevant for the kind of work you're seeking now.

4. Testimonials: Scatter them throughout the site It's good to have a page of client testimonials; but it's even better if you also copy some of these testimonials to other pages where they are relevant. For instance, if you have a testimonial for a particular workshop, include it on the page where you promote that workshop (not only on the main Testimonials page).

5. Biography: Remove anything that's not relevant Examine every paragraph, sentence, phrase and word on your Biography page, and make sure it's relevant: In other words, it tells them why they should choose you. If it doesn't, remove it.

6. Demonstration: Tell them what to do next If your Web site has a demonstration of you in action (a YouTube video for speakers, an audio recording or webinar recording for trainers, a self-assessment quiz for coaches, etc.), make sure it ends with a specific call to action. This doesn't mean you need to re-record it (because that might be difficult and costly); but at least add the instructions and link next to it (e.g. "Watch this video, and then find out more about how Jane can help you").

7. E-mail newsletter: Improve your subscription page Do you really make a big effort to convince people to join your mailing list? Or do you just have a plain subscription form and hope they will sign up? There are so many things you could do: Add a link to your privacy policy; reassure them you will keep their e-mail address safe; include a sample newsletter; add testimonials from happy subscribers ... or all of the above!

8. Blog: Link it to Twitter Even if you're not a big Twitter user, one simple way to start building your presence is to connect your blog to Twitter, so every blog post automatically becomes a tweet as well. Use the free TwitterFeed service to set this up in just 10 minutes.

9. Special report: Tell people to pass it on If you have a special report that you give away (e.g. to newsletter subscribers), make sure it explicitly gives permission for readers to pass it on to others. This might seem obvious, but it's amazing how often I see reports and mini-ebooks that don't say this explicitly.

10. Articles: Submit them to article directories If you post articles on your Web site, get extra leverage from them by also copying them to an article directory like Ezine Articles. This is a site where other people can find your articles and re-use them in their publications, as long as they include a link back to your Web site. It takes just a few minutes to do this, and you've already done the hard work by writing the article - so you've got nothing to lose.

11. Podcast: List it in iTunes If you publish a podcast (that is, an audio newsletter, where subscribers get new episodes automatically on their computer or phone), make sure it's listed in the iTunes Store. This is not the only podcast directory, but it's one of the biggest and best-known. If your podcast is already listed there, ask your listeners to go there and write a review for it.

12. Calendar: Make it current! If you have a calendar on your Web site, it's one of the things that most often goes out of date (for obvious reasons). So check that your calendar is current and accurate. Even better, use a calendar that automatically syncs with, say, your Outlook calendar, so it's always current.

13. Surveys: Do some! Before you run your next workshop, write your next keynote, or write your next book, ask people to share their biggest problem, concern, question or issue about the topic. OK, strictly speaking, you don't have to do this via your Web site (you could use something like Survey Monkey, or even just ask people to hit Reply to an e-mail); but it will help you decide what products and services you offer on your site.

14. Virtual Office: Make more stuff available Your "virtual office" is the place on your Web site where people who have booked you get logistical information about working with you (It's often labelled something like "Working With Jane" on your menu).

Check that it has all the usual things - a high-res photo for print; low-res photo for on-line use; copy of your Introduction; A/V requirements; room layout; promo blurb for newsletters and conference brochures; and so on. Then check whether you can add some unusual things as well (things that a few clients ask for, but you get asked often enough to make it worth making available) - a full-length photo for special use; black-and-white photos; promo video for your presentation; map, driving directions and parking hints (if you use a regular venue); and so on.

15. Make a few small improvements Assuming you can change your Web site yourself (and you really must be able to, if you're even half-way serious about it), go in there right now and make three simple changes. I'm sure you can find a few small things to improve. Rather than wait until you can dedicate time for a full site review, just make a few simple changes now!

OK, that's it! Are you able to do at least a few of these 15 things to improve your Web site now? Remember you don't have to do them all at once, but even a small change can make a big difference.

Related Articles
  How Can You Improve Your Alexa Traffic Rank?
  How To Easily Improve Your Google Rankings
  The Web Marketing Pipeline - And Why Yours is Leaking Money
  Website Users Hold the Secrets to Increased Sales
  Why PayPal Works Well for Online Business
  Link Building – Increasing Online Traffic
  How guest blogging can help you promote your online business?
  Create a Site Map For Better Traffic
  10 ways on how to Jump Start your Business
  Getting Inside the Head of the Web User
  The Power of Links in SEO
  The Importance Of Using Web Analytics
  It Is Time To Get Started In Generating Visitors Once You Possess Your Internet Site
  Web Sites – What Do You Need To Do And More Importantly Not Do?
  Online Business in 2010 - How to Promote Your Site Online
  Calculating Web Site Visitors to Judge Site Performance
  Automated Directory Submission. Can It Improve Search Engine Rankings?
  Why Is Google So Important
  Stop Chasing Traffic and Start Looking for Customers
  Provide a Site Map to be No 1 on Google

Article Tags: internet marketing, website



Related Forum Posts
Re: e-Commerce and e-Payment providers - When I came back to Japan in 1999 I sometimes used to ask my students if they would buy anything on the Internet and at that time most thought it was too risky. I'd encourage them to try by using well known sites such as Amazon.co.jp and also pointed out that using a credit card on a reputable site was safer than using it at a restaurant. I can't remember the last time I had that discussion or when the "tipping point" occurred in Japan. To answer your other question, I use Paypal for several reasons: 1. Brand familiarity 2. Easy to use 3. Free to withdraw 50,000yen+ to my Japanese bank account - a huge benefit (but maybe other systems also offer that...?) 4. Easy to cancel subscriptions On the down side, their transaction fees are quite costly, they are difficult to contact and when disputes arise you can sometimes lose even when you can prove via your tracking service that the disputed item was "delivered" to the customer's address!
Re: Domain name sugestion - Hi Anelly, Support-Box.com sounds very good to me. Easy and catchy.
Re: What I Enjoyed Reading This Week - Oct 14 - I really enjoyed the Improve your vision with an app article in the New Scientist. I don't wear glasses and think a lot of people cripple their vision by wearing specs from an early age instead of exercising their eyes... Nice to see someone has developed an ap that will help.
Delegating - Good info and interesting list. Easy to see how the authority or power is slowly passed to the person - the secret would be knowing WHEN to move to the next step. I like to avoid people who are stuck at the #1 level. Chris
Re: Ideas For Business - Stas and lucy, Could you guys give us a recap of your entire business idea as it stands now. Seems like it morped a bit. Let us know: 1. Start date 2. Ways you will Market 3. What you will offer 4. How much will your charge for your offer


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Sales is a Flawed Model

Link Pyramids

Having It All... With No Sleep

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.