The long awaited 2017 is here with us! How are you doing so far? Many of us use the new year to make changes in areas of our lives where we may have slipped up or gotten off course. We may have added a few more pounds and are feeling sluggish, or our finances are not in order. Whatever it is you’re looking to improve, I wish you the best of luck. Being your web guy though, I have to remind you about another area that needs your attention this year: your website.

You may not think much of it but your website, just like your health or finances, may need improving. Since you’re in the mood to make improvements, why not do it now when your willpower is strong? And what’s in it for you? How about more sales? More customers and clients? More brand recognition? You get the point. That being said, here are 5 resolutions for your website you may want to set.

Simplify your website

You read that right. When it comes to presenting information on the website, less is more. This year, spend some time and think about how your website is laid out and make the necessary changes. It might be that you need to reduce the number of navigation tabs or that you need to show less items on the homepage. When you do this, your website will be much cleaner and users will be able to concentrate on the important stuff.

Update website copy

Have you visited a website that clearly has outdated information? What was your reaction after that? Well, in most cases you hit the back button and never visit it again. That’s what potential visitors are doing to your site. Make updating your website copy a resolution this year. A few things to ask yourself for when doing this task:

  • has our contact information changed? If so, you need to update it on the website,
  • has an employee/partner  left or joined your organization? Then update the About Us page,
  • have you added a new product/service? Then update the relevant pages
  • do you have new testimonials to showcase? Then add them as well

Add a blog

Maintaining blogs has been a pain for a lot of businesses but used correctly, blogs can bring tremendous benefits to a business. For one, it is a very effective way of getting high on search engine and increasing brand visibility. Add a blog to your business website or signup for one on WordPress.com and start sharing about your business. I won’t go into things you can do and ideas for a blog (which are many) but there’s a ton of inspiration online for you.

Get mobile friendly

It’s 2017 and some websites are still not mobile friendly. This is a big issue and is actually hurting your search rankings on Google. This is because Google now takes into consideration how mobile friendly your website is. If it isn’t then you get penalized and won’t appear as much on search results. You can solve this problem by contacting a web design company like Front2Back Studio to help you get your site mobile friendly. You’ll be glad you did!

Add new testimonials

Testimonials are powerful and convincing tools when used correctly. Unfortunately, many websites have 4 – 5 testimonies from 3 years ago that are just static on the website. This year, change that by adding new testimonies from recent clients. The contents of the testimonials will show that you’re consistently producing great products and services. Depending on the type of products or services you provide, try getting more detailed testimonials that clearly show the value acquired after a customer interacts with your company.

Which of these resolutions will you set? Just setting one and following through will make a huge difference in your website and the response you get from it. For each resolutions you make, write down 1 – 3 tasks that will get you there. The task may be as simple as contacting a web design firm to do something for you or contacting past clients and asking for testimonials. Whatever you have to do commit to it and make it happen.