S (Stagnant) - You haven’t updated your website. EVER. Ideally, you should be updating your website one or two times per month with new content. Some businesses probably need to be updating multiple times per day. Having fresh material on your site draws in more visitors and potentially new customers. Along with regular updates, your content needs to hold the interest of your audience. Have you heard the terms Clear, Concise, and Compelling? Your visitors need to be able to comprehend what you're selling or promoting. Content should be mean and lean. Cut out the useless flab. Make the content interesting and your audience will stay on your site. Find out what makes your site visitor tick. Hit on their emotional needs, and you’ll keep them on your site.
T (Typos) - Spell check and proofread your content over and over. Small typos add up to an unprofessional site and show your audience that you’re sloppy and careless. Have someone outside your business read through your content. It’s amazing what a fresh set of eyes will catch!
I (Illogical layout) - Site layout should make sense. Ever go to a site and have no idea what the business is selling or promoting? Your message should be clearly displayed on the homepage to tell your visitors what the site is about, give them some indication of what they are there to do or what they can expect to get from your site. Develop a plan and structure for your site before actually building it. Think through the design and layout of buttons, navigation, and content. How would you respond to the layout? Is it easy to find what you’re looking for? Is there too much clutter in the form of photos or text? Your site should have a similar feel throughout the entire website, and it should have a sense of order and thoughtfulness.
N (Navigation) - Navigation is one of the most important elements of your website. It directs your visitors to your content. If your navigation is too confusing, or changes from page to page, your audience will not find your products, services, and information. Navigation design should always be simple and direct with the overriding objective of helping the reader get to where they want to go.
K (Kooky) - Creativity is great and can go a long way in making a site interesting and fun. However, rainbow backgrounds and prancing unicorns across your screen may be a bit too much. Have fun with your site, but do so in a way that makes sense and complements your content or the message you’re trying to get across. Don’t assault your audience with a visual barrage of colors and animations just because you can. Think through your design and ask yourself if what you display on your site truly compels visitors to stay on your site and investigate your services.
If you think your website may fall into one of these categories and is a bit odoriferous, give us a shout and we’ll be happy to sit down with you and help clean up that stinky site! Whether you need a slight cleansing or a full bath, we have the resources to get your web presence sparkling again!
