5 tips to ensure your website makes a great first impression
“Are you sure you want to wear THAT?!”
I can still hear my Mother saying to me on my way out the door.
Even on her worst day, she was never without a flawless manicure and a swipe of coral lipstick. Always on the hunt for the perfect shade, I vividly remember the drawer in our kitchen full of all her rejects.
She was a firm believer that with a good haircut and a nice pair of shoes you could go anywhere.
Although she’s been gone since 2014, I think about her every day. All of my creativity and design sense, not to mention any personal style I might have, I owe to her.
And now I’m immediately reminded not to ever dye my hair black (almost blue!?) again and to maybe think about putting on a little bit of lipgloss before my next client meeting.
She understood — and taught me — the value of a great first impression.
Now think for a minute about what that means for you and your business.
For many people, your website is the first place where they will form a first impression. Be sure to take steps now to ensure it’s a good one!
Here are some things to watch for on your own site:
1. Check your links.
You might be shocked by the number of broken links you find. But depending on when you launched your website, totally makes sense. Also, make sure that when a link takes somebody off your site (e.g., to a book or other resource you mention), that it “opens a new tab” in the browser. That way your website visitor can easily click back to your site and keep looking around. Making this happen is just a simple setting when creating the link.
2. Read every page.
Every. Single. Page. Does it represent you? Is your message clear? Could someone reading your site understand why they would want to buy your product and/or work with you? Is your phone number on your contact page (yes, really!). Sounds obvious, but I've seen the relevant contact information either missing or extremely difficult to find on more than one website. Be sure to make it easy for people to get in touch with you!
3. Get great graphics.
Take a close look at the graphics on your website. Is your logo pixelated (fuzzy)? Do you have images with a white background instead of transparent on pages that have a colored background? How old is your head shot? Are you using bland stock photography? Time to upgrade if any of this sounds like you.
4. Check your phone.
More than half of the visitors to your site will do so on a phone — make sure your site is optimized for mobile, looks good and is easily readable. Speed matters, improving your mobile site load time by just 0.1s can boost conversion rates by 8%.
5. Review your dashboard.
Take peek at the back-end of your website (or get a qualified professional to do it with you). Are there plugins you aren’t using that might be slowing things down? Is your website running on the latest version of your current platform?
Keep your website running smoothly by paying attention to these important details and ensure you're always making a solid first impression!
Want personalized, expert advice on your current digital image and the best strategies to grow online? That's what we're here for!
