I was at my local car dealer yesterday with my truck getting the 23rd recall addressed and kept hearing about a mutli point inspection for my truck. While I’m sure it’s just another excuse for them to jack up my bill, I kept thinking about how important it is that we all take some and give our web site a quick multi point inspection: Here are some areas that you should be taking a look at on your web site at least once a month:

1.) Web Site Stats.  PLEASE spend some time and review your web site stats.  You can find all kinds of info in here especially any broken pages, hacking attempts, etc.

2.) Software Updates.  If you are running WordPress or any other type of blogging software, it’s critical to keep your software up to date as many updates include security patches, etc.

3.) Email.  If you tend to keep all of your messages on the server (not pulling them down into your Outlook or Mac Mail) go in and clean house once a month.  If your email accounts get full, you will no longer be able to send and receive email.

4.) Content. Time to take the Thanksgiving Pilgrim decorations off of your home page.  Keeping your web site relevant and up to date is critical for your clients and prospects.  Blow the cob webs off and keep it up to date.

5.) Copyright year.  One of my pet peeves, if you have a copyright message in the footer of your web site, please make sure it is displaying this year, not 1996.

6.) Site layout and Graphics.  Web design is constantly evolving, trends change, etc.  Be sure that your web site doesn’t have that 1990′s framed in look still.

7.) Domain name.  One of the biggest things I see clients forget about is their domain name and keeping it current.  Check in and see when your domain will expire, make sure you don’t miss that expiration date, it can cause all kinds of issues.

8.)  Backup. When was the last time that your web host backed up your web site? If you don’t know, you should make it your business to find out.  Things happen with servers, sometimes, terrible things.  Request a zipped backup from your web site once a month and you’ll sleep better at night.

9.) Bandwidth. The more traffic that a web site gets, the more bandwidth it consumes.  Some servers will automatically suspend an account if it exceeds it’s bandwidth limit, it’s a good idea to know how much bandwidth you are getting per month and how much you are using. Your host can provide you with this information.

10.) SEO Stuff. Are your keywords still relevant on your web site? Have you updated your XML Sitemap with the latest content you’ve created? What are your top ten keywords and how can you improve / maintain those top keywords in the search engines?

By taking time to address these key areas you ensure that your web site is running in tip top condition.

Need help? Give me a call: In Orlando: 407-830-4550 or Nationwide: 866-998-6886.

My wife and I went to a so called Hawaiian restaurant a while back.  It was supposed to be the latest and greatest in Hawaiian food and I was hungry.  As you wait in line to order, there are photos on the back of the wall. Photos of the food. Photos of food that should not be photographed by an amateur armed with a polaroid.  The photos made the food literally look disgusting. One I remember well was a hot dog smothered with chili.  It just did NOT look appetizing. This my friends was the last time we ever visited the restaurant, in fact, it’s long closed.

Good photography is essential to a good web site.  If you are featuring your artwork on your web site, or your products, you need a professional to take the photos.  We have gotten more than our share of terrible photographs taken by the same person who photographed that Hawaiian food and have been told, “Work Your Magic”.  Here is a news flash, Photoshop can only do so much.  Much like the restaurant example, bad photographs can leave bad impressions and turn people off to your products. If it’s within your budget, spend the extra money to get a pro.

When we meet with prospects about their web design, they are all drawn to the shiny flashy web sites because they saw that their competition is doing it. My question is: is it working out for the competition? Is that complex array of flash navigation that only works in one browser really going to help you get more sales? Maybe that catchy song playing in the background that you can’t find the pause button on is generating leads like wild fire. Or is it perhaps the twenty minute flash presentation that evolves into a 30 minute video highlighting the CEO telling you how honored he is that you are visiting his web site?

People don’t have a lot of time these days.  When they find your web site, they want to easily navigate it, NOT have to click the pause button on the Guns & Roses song you thought would be catchy, not have to click their heels three times to figure out how to get to the next page, and do NOT want to watch your CEO discuss his favorite episode of The Office.

Keep your web site simple, keep the design clean, build it for the busy people, the people who want to get business done NOW, NOT the marketing intern who thinks that pastel colors, flashy sparkles and jamming music are just the coolest darned things out there now.

Need a clean, relevant and productive web site to sell you, your products or your services? Call me: in Orlando: 407-830-4550 or nationwide: 866-998-6886.

Can your business live without your web site?

Now more than ever, marketing is mission critical.  Before you sign that big bad yellow pages contract, take a look at your web site. Is it selling? Is it providing leads? Is it educating your clients and prospects? If it’s not, you may be doing it wrong.  If it’s not, you should be dealing with another web design / marketing firm and NOT dealing with the yellow pages period.

Web sites are no longer a necessary evil, they are an intricate critical component of any business marketing plan. They should be alive and always growing. They should always be evolving to meet people and customers where they are at.

Need help growing your business? Call me today: In Orlando: 407-830-4550. Nationwide: 866-998-6886.