From large companies, to small online bloggers, websites have one uniform goal: to generate traffic. Similar to meeting someone for the first time, websites leave a lasting first impression. Your target audience can either feel immediately connected and engaged, or underwhelmed. Poorly designed websites can not only lose your organization hundreds of dollars, but even worse, cost you your credibility and the opportunity to make a customer for life.
To avoid this pitfall it is crucial that you perform a website audit, and continue to do so regularly. No matter the size of your business or what industry you are in, annual website audits are an excellent way to ensure your website stays in tip-top shape. Edits can range from simply updating copy, to full website redesigns. By collecting and following a website audit checklist, you can ensure that your website stays relevant, optimized, and leaves each prospective customer with the best impression possible. Check out our checklist below, a well as some additional information about how you can audit your way to success!
Why complete a website audit?
The internet is competitive, and as any competitor will tell you, if your performance isn’t improving, you’re going to fall behind. Your points for improvement can be easily revealed to you via an audit. If you would like to see a bump in traffic and an increase in converted leads, an audit just might do the trick for you. It is important to make sure your website is properly reflecting your company, the products you offer, and the values that represent you. In addition, you can also keep tabs on your competition and identify any existing gaps in your content. If a competitor has the information that your target audience needs, and it is omitted from your site, you may be losing out on several opportunities! Versa Creative can find this valuable information for you, and help you improve your website.
How do I audit my website?
We’re glad you asked! Of course, you can feel free to audit your website on your own. This would include setting aside time to investigate the performance of your website and analyze top competitors. However, partnering with an agency such as Versa Creative guarantees you a team of experts conducting an extremely thorough audit, complete with robust analytics. At Versa, a team of auditors including SEO, web design, copywriters, and designers will be assigned to analyze your company’s online experience. In addition, Versa specializes in seeking and incorporating customer feedback from target personas.
What suggestions can I expect from my audit?
1- Branding Suggestions
Several factors go into your brand. One of the most common corrections is color. You want to make sure that your website’s color scheme matches your company’s color palette and logo. If you currently have a stock template, it may be time to switch to a custom color scheme. Typography, or font, is also extremely important. You want to distinguish yourself from your competition while staying within the lines of your brand standards. Encompassed in this is also establishing a unique tone of voice for your company. In addition, the images and videos on your site are crucial to pulling in potential clientele. You must use high resolution images that best represent your brand, and the products or service you are promoting. For example, we would suggest a company of homebuilders have excellent, high quality pictures of the homes they build and sell. Finally, there is great importance in your About Us page. This page is the doorway for your potential clients to know who you are, what you do, and your overall style. It should be more than just a simple blurb and utilize testimonials, employee bios, and more.
2- Content Suggestions
When it comes to content suggestions, our team will answer a plethora of questions: What pages on your website get the most traffic and convert the most users? Which pages have large bounce rates? What pages are ranking well? What pages are falling behind? Is there potential for search optimization? Although it may seem overwhelming, we can easily analyze and transform your content. This is done in several ways. We analyze the quality of your content to make sure you are established as an expert in the eyes of consumers. The content must also be consistent and relevant, covering topics that are applicable to your website, industry, and target market. Versa Creative will also ensure that your web page has a high “freshness” score, needed for boosting rankings on certain search queries, such as Google.
3- SEO and Keyword Suggestions
During an audit you can make sure that you have not missed any SEO opportunities in your website. Your page titles will need to accurately represent your content, and keywords will need to be inserted into the proper URLs to help your pages rank higher. We may also advise that meta titles and meta descriptions be added. There is also a heavy focus on keywords. The days of simply keyword stuffing are long gone. You will need to use appropriately targeted keywords that a user may potentially search to find you. A mix of regular and long-tail keywords support the best results for traffic and results. We will also spend time mapping keywords to each individual page and post.
4- Usability Suggestions
To put it simply, we want to find out if your website is effective. This begins with making sure your website is meeting the appropriate standards including a dedicated header, footer, sidebars, and of course content. Navigation must be used appropriately, with the header listing all important pages. We will also ensure that the content is free of spelling and grammar errors and easy to read and digest. It is important that the reading level is appropriate and there are a mix of bullet points and paragraphs. It is also important to ensure that your browser renders correctly on all operating systems, and that your website is responsive on mobile. Smaller websites can share a mobile URL with original web design, while larger more complex websites may need a segregated website specifically designed for mobile devices.
5- Social Media Suggestions
If you didn’t know already, social media is king. Your social media should be seamlessly integrated into your website so people can easily access your social profiles and share content. One of the first things we will do is make sure you have easily identifiable social icons that link to your accounts. We’ll also make sure you are utilizing the social media best suited to your target audience. Platforms are endless (YouTube, Google, LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram), and we want to make sure each one is employed correctly. In addition, your online reputation is invaluable, and it is crucial that all negative interactions and comments are promptly addressed.
Notice anything missing from your website audit checklist? At Versa Creative, we have all the tools to make sure that your website stands out among the crowd. Our team of experts can guide you through the process of making your website the best it can be. See your company and products come to life on a captivating website that will make people stop and listen! Visit us online and learn more about our services or talk to a Versa Creative representative today.
