6 Steps To A Website Decluttering
Let me guess — since you’ve been spending so much time at home, you've been forced to address the overflowing closet or the disorganized pantry. Why not take it one step further to address the overlooked corners of your website?
Follow these 6 steps for a website decluttering that will leave your digital space relevant, fresh and more SEO-friendly.
1. Update your keywords.
Of course the reason for doing any updating (or creating for that matter) is to be found by your target audience. One key element to search engine optimization (SEO) is keywords.
Unlike days past where keywords alone could make a site relevant and therefore ranked, keywords must now be used naturally and strategically for the search engine bots to index the page properly. In fact, there is a tipping point: randomly and naturally spreading out keyword phrases does seem to result in relevancy and therefore rankings, but spreading out that same phrase even more times on the page does not result in more relevancy.
Learn more about optimization with 5 SEO Tools To Improve Traffic and Rankings.
2. Shop your own e-commerce.
Do you offer products on your site? Check the prices listed and make sure they’re still up-to-date. And while you’re there, throw some items in the checkout and make sure that process is running smoothly, too. It’s probably been a while since you purchased one of your own products.
Product images should also be clear and appealing. Use a photo program to remove backgrounds or apply filters to make your images pop.
3. Add multimedia elements.
Try the suggestions found at Wix, which include adding new media features like videos, sounds, animations and more. They also recommend:
“If you want to add a dynamic feel to your website, transform your videos or still images into professional promotional videos with the Wix Video Maker. Add text, music and special effects to create engaging content that will draw in your audience.”
First impressions are critical on a website, and well-done media elements work in your favor.
4. Pay attention to your footer.
When you visit a website and notice an outdated footer, the brand instantly loses credibility points. When scouring your footer, take note of the copyright date and also the branding, including links to social media channels. Are all of your channels represented and linked properly? What about your newsletter opt-in?
Pro tip: Changing the copyright manually is simple, but if you have a web manager who’s willing, ask them to add a few lines of code so it updates automatically every year.
5. Get out the red pen.
This is your moment to comb through your site and fix cringe-worthy spelling errors and even smooth out the awkward grammar mistakes. If you’ve written the pages, it often helps to have another set of eyes critiquing them. Recruit a team member to get out their red pen and suggest edits. Make it easier on your team by using a sitemap to trace your steps.
Rank higher on the SERPS (Search Engine Results Pages) with these 4 steps.
6. Look closely at the framework pages.
The framework of your site are the pages users visit to learn about your brand and the people involved. Those revolving pages are easy to overlook, so we’re giving you three questions to ask yourself as you scout your website:
- Is your elevator pitch and tagline current on the About Us page? Ask a staff member in the marketing cohort to ensure the language is relevant and still reflects the brand.
- Do they still work here? Compare your Team Bio page to the current staff, and get updated pics where necessary. Nobody wants to be reminded of that outdated haircut.
- Add links to your social channels on the Contact Us page. Depending on when that page was built, you might have only had a Facebook page or nothing at all!
What web update tasks do you schedule annually? Leave a comment and share your experience.