Website Checklist

“A woman with a voice is, by definition, a strong women” - Melinda Gates

Introduction:

I'm going to go deeper on what each of the items are in the checklist, why you need them and how to find out if your website has them!

With that said, here are 10 things every website needs! 👊

1. 🔒 SSL Certificate

An SSL certificate is a digital certificate that authenticates a website's identity and protects the user. What this means is if I go to your website and I enter my information (name, email, cc#, etc), it's protected against hackers. It helps build trust to your visitors. Also, Google will punish you if you don't have one! Here's a link on how to check if your site has one. You want to make sure you are with a good website host. The hosting companies I provide, don't charge anything for it!

2. 📈 Google Analytics

Think of Google Analytics like your virtual magnifying glass for your website. It's a free tool—yes, absolutely free!—that acts like your website's report card, offering you a peek into who’s visiting your site, what they're looking at, and how they found you in the first place. Imagine knowing what your customers love the most about your site, so you can give them more of it, or discovering the parts they skip, so you can make those areas better. And here's a fun fact: Google really appreciates when you use its tools, like Google Analytics. It’s like giving them a virtual high-five, and in return, it can help your site become more visible in Google searches. So, in a nutshell, Google Analytics helps you understand your customers better, guides you in making your website stronger, and it doesn't cost a dime! 🎉 Check to see if analytics is installed on your site by clicking here.

3. 📱 Mobile Friendly

According to Exploding Topics, over 55% of website traffic comes from mobile devices, 92.3% of internet users access the internet using a mobile phone. A mobile-friendly site ensures that your website looks and functions well on these smaller screens, offering a positive user experience. Importantly, Google has made mobile-friendliness a ranking factor in its algorithm. This means that having a mobile-friendly site can improve your website’s visibility in search results, potentially drawing more visitors to your site. In addition, a mobile-optimized site can help to keep visitors engaged longer, which may lead to higher conversion rates, more sales, and increased customer loyalty. Simply put, a mobile-friendly website is essential for reaching a wider audience and staying competitive in today’s market. Check to see if your site is mobile friendly by clicking here.

4. 📰 Call To Action Above The Fold

A "Call to Action" (CTA) is a prompt that tells the user to take some specified action, such as signing up for a newsletter, contacting the business, or purchasing a product. It is a critical element in steering your visitors toward converting into customers. Having the CTA "above the fold" means that it is positioned on the webpage in a way that visitors can see it without having to scroll down. This is a throwback term to the fold in a physical newspaper; everything above the fold is what a person can see when the paper is folded. For business owners, placing a CTA above the fold is important because it ensures that this critical action prompt is one of the first things a visitor sees when they land on the website. It capitalizes on the visitor's initial engagement, encouraging them to interact with the site immediately, which can lead to higher conversion rates. In an online world where attention spans are short, having a clear and compelling CTA above the fold is a strategic move to guide visitors quickly and effectively toward taking a desired action.

5. ☝️ Phone Number Clickable

Contacting you is one of the biggest calls to action you can ask, make it easy for the user! If it's a contact form or a phone number, make sure when you click it from your website from a phone, it opens the corresponding app (the mail app if it's an email or the phone app if it's a phone number). This is a super simple step in design that is often overlooked! Pro tip, make sure this is in your email signature as well! I can't tell you how many times I've had to flip back and forth between an email and my phone app because they didn't make their number in their email clickable!

6. 🌐 Custom Favicon

A favicon, short for "favorite icon," is a small image that represents a website, appearing next to the site's name in browser tabs, bookmarks, and on mobile home screens. Think of it like a mini-logo for your website. For business owners, having a custom favicon is essential for several reasons. First, it enhances your brand’s identity, giving your website a polished, professional appearance. When people have multiple tabs open (eh, hem, umm, I have at least 50...), your favicon helps your site stand out and be quickly identified. Second, it creates a cohesive and memorable experience for your website’s visitors, reinforcing your brand at every turn. In essence, a custom favicon is a small but mighty tool that helps users easily recognize and reconnect with your business online. It's like having a little flag that says, "This is us!" amidst the bustling world of the internet.

7. 👉 Social Media Is Connected And Open In A New Tab

Having social media connected to your website is like rolling out a welcome mat for potential customers. It shows a vibrant, interactive side of the business and invites customers to engage beyond the website. Connecting these profiles also helps to establish the business as a credible, up-to-date source of information or products, creating a cohesive brand image across various platforms. Opening these social media links in a new tab is a thoughtful touch—it keeps your website open while allowing visitors to explore the social media content. This way, the customer can easily return to the website after checking out the social channels, which encourages them to continue their journey with the business rather than drifting away after a single click (see my tab hoarding example above! 😃). It’s a simple yet effective technique to keep the customers engaged with you without losing the original point of contact.

8. 🔗‍💥 Broken Links

Ensuring that there are no broken links on your website is like keeping the front door of a physical store clean and welcoming. Broken links can create a frustrating experience for visitors, like reaching for a product on a shelf and finding it isn't there (we're all familiar with this feeling during the pandemic). This can lead to a loss of trust and credibility, as it might appear that you are not attentive to its own operations. Moreover, it may lead visitors to leave your site prematurely, reducing the chances of a sale or further engagement. In addition, search engines, like Google, take the user experience into account when ranking websites. A site with many broken links may be seen as lower quality, which can result in a lower search engine ranking, making it harder for potential customers to find you online. In simple terms, broken links are bad for both customer experience and the visibility of your business on the internet. You can click here to find out if you have any broken links.

9. 🤩 Website Load Speed Under 5 Seconds

Keeping the page load speed of your website low is like making sure the entrance to your store is wide open and inviting. When a website loads quickly, visitors are more likely to stay, explore, and ultimately become customers. People today expect quick results, and a slow website can feel like a locked store door (or remember dial up??), causing potential customers to turn away and find a quicker, more accessible option. Also, Google considers page load speed when deciding which websites to show at the top of its search results. A fast-loading website is seen as a sign of good service, so Google is more likely to put quick sites front and center. In short, a speedy website helps a you both keep visitors happy and catch the eye of new customers through higher Google rankings. To check your page load speed, you can click here.

10. ✋ Listed On Google My Business

Being listed on Google My Business helps people find and learn about your business quickly and easily. When customers search for a service or product, Google often shows local options first, and having a Google My Business profile ensures that your business is in the mix. It’s a free tool that lets you manage how your business information appears across Google, including Google Maps and Google Search. The profile can include the company's name, phone number, address, website, hours of operation, and customer reviews, acting as a virtual front door to your business. This is important to Google because they want to provide users with the most relevant and trustworthy information. Plus, businesses with a complete and accurate profile may be seen as more reputable by Google, which can boost visibility. For anyone interested in maximizing this tool, I offer a short course on how to effectively set up and manage a Google My Business profile, aimed at helping you turn online visitors into real-world customers. Click here to get access to the course!

Are you dazed and confused after reading all of this? Don't worry Cinderella, your Fairy Godmother Of Tech™'s got you!

Let's jump on a quick connection call and see how I can help create the website of your dreams!

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