Spring Clean Your Website the KonMari™ Way (Step 1)
The latest expert in the “declutter” movement, Marie Kondo is an organizing guru and author, inspiring her followers to live a simpler life. Converts rave about her decluttering technique, coined the Konmari Method™, which instructs mess-makers like you and me to:
“Keep only those things that speak to the heart, and discard items that no longer spark joy.”
Can this apply to our websites? Are there pages or sections of your site that have served their purpose, but no longer spark joy? Maybe there are items you turn a blind eye to and make a mental note to fix later.
Now is the time.
Stick around for our latest series:
Spring Clean Your Website the KonMari™ Way
In 5 steps, you’ll clean up your site, making it more fresh, relevant, and SEO-friendly. Let’s start with STEP 1, the first tenant of the Konmari Method™: TIDY UP.
STEP 1: START SIMPLE + TIDY UP
We all know this rule: start small. A fast, noticeable achievement will encourage us to stay in the race. When you add a new wreath to the door or organize the shoes and coats that guests meet upon arrival, you’ll be inspired for a deeper cleaning later.
TASK 1
Update your copyright date in the footer.
What crosses your mind when you land on a website and—eyes wandering to the footer—notice last year’s date? Make this update asap and cross off the first update from your list.
PRO HACK: Ask your web manager to add a few lines of code so the footer updates regularly.
TASK 2
Check and update the revolving pages on your website. These include:
- About Us
- Team Bios
- Contact Us
Has your marketing team tightened up the organization’s elevator pitch? Do you now use a new tagline? Run this page past someone on that team and make sure the language is relevant. Also, do a once-over on the Team Bio page, and take a few minutes to get updated pics of the staff, too.
Don’t forget! Be sure to 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!
And the ultimate TIDY UP task that fulfills the Konmari Method™ is:
TASK 3
Fix overlooked spelling and grammatical mistakes on your site.
This is the moment to 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. Employ someone on another team to get out their red pen and suggest edits.
PRO HACK: Don’t get lost in the web of pages. Use a sitemap to trace your steps.
Read more: Don’t miss opportunities for searchability and traffic. Conduct a site inventory.
HAVE 10 MORE MINUTES?
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!
DO NOT FORGET
Celebrate your efforts! Give the team a virtual high-five or buy some scones for the office; just don’t forget to celebrate your STEP 1 efforts.
Don’t stop now! Check back soon and get ready to “TEST + REPAIR” in the next step of the series Spring Clean Your Website the KonMari™ Way.
What web update tasks do you schedule annually? Leave a comment and share your experience.
Another way to TIDY UP your site is to start fresh with a new top-level domain. Keep your site structure (or not!), but update your website name with a .BIBLE site today. Find out more at get.bible/register.