We all know the importance of a good company website, but is yours up to scratch?  Maybe you’re a new business and this is your first time dipping your toe into the world of entrepreneurship.  Perhaps you’re still in the planning stages and you’re yet to open your doors – physical or digital.  When it comes to your business website, there are three important things to consider to prevent falling at the first hurdle.

Is your Company Website up to Scratch?

Have it Professionally Designed

First things first, your website should be designed by a professional. This won’t be cheap, which is what tempts new entrepreneurs to ‘give it a go’ themselves.   As a business owner myself, I know how many hats you are required to wear on any given day.  But you just can’t do it all.  For example, numbers ain’t my strength, so I have an accountant.  Not everyone is technically minded, and if you hire a professional you don’t have to attempt to be.  Plus, I’m sure your precious time could be better spent in other areas?

Tough truth time… Of course there are sites that make it easy to get started with a basic website.  But that’s all it will ever be – a basic website.   Customers will be able to spot this from a mile away.  Especially if it’s not up to the usual standard of the companies they use.  Competition out there is fierce and you don’t want to run the risk of putting off prospective customers!

In most cases, your website is the first thing people will see of your business.  Think of it as your virtual shop front.  It needs to be smart, make a good impression and look clean and professional.  But most importantly, your website needs to be able to compete with every other business in your niche.  Unless you’re a trained and experienced web designer, it can be near enough impossible to achieve competitive results.  Invest in a web designer who knows their stuff.  Allow them to create something bespoke just for you that fits your company perfectly.

Regularly Update the Content and Links

One thing that will negatively impact the domain authority of your site is broken links. They also look extremely unprofessional to boot.  By adding reference links to your posts you provide your readers and customers with additional value.  This makes your site more memorable and a useful point of reference to revisit.  But over time this content could be deleted or moved, leaving you with a link pointing to nowhere.

Use a broken link checker online to pinpoint where all of these are on your site, then change or remove them on a semi regular basis.  If you are a WordPress user you can use a Plugin specifically for finding broken links.  I use one called ‘Broken Link Checker.’

You could also go back through older posts, checking that the information in them is up to date.  If for example you have an older post which picks up steam or even starts going viral later on, you’ll want to ensure that everything still makes sense and is up to date.

If you would like to know more about how link building can positively impact your website, check out my previous post.  Just click the image below.

Invest in Good IT Support

Your website going down (even for a few minutes) could be disastrous for business. 

Picture this, a new customer tries to view your site, but it isn’t loading no matter what they try.   The customer begins to assume that you’re unreliable and that things are always this way.  It could put them off making their first order and prevent them from returning.  For anyone currently using the site and getting kicked off, they could end up leaving without making the transaction they were planning. Hire a good IT support company who knows what they’re doing, and can quickly and efficiently get you back online if something goes wrong.  This can minimise the damage caused from a broken website and free up your time to spend in more productive areas.

FIN

Had you considered these things in regards to your company website?  Did I miss anything?  I’d love to hear from you in the comment section.

P.s. If you liked this post why not check out my previous post by clicking the image below:

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