Here's Why You Probably Need a Website Audit
I’m a millennial which means I grew up with the internet. I remember when that bulbous Compaq made its way into our home, it was love at first “site”. Even before that, I was trekking to the library to wait my turn just so that I could look up all the websites I had collected from my latest edition of Teen People magazine. I don’t remember ever wanting to spend that much time at the library prior to the Internet.
More than a decade later, I found myself in Madrid interning for a popular Discoteca. I couldn’t understand the Marketing Director’s “Spain” Spanish and he didn’t speak any English, so I told him I would gladly create a MySpace page for his club. I literally spent like 6 grand on that internship credit. Can you tell I was a Comms major and not an Econ major? LOL.
Today, I have over a decade of building websites under my belt, more if you count my MySpace shenanigans (please count it, it took me a decade to pay it off.) Even if you don’t count it, I think it’s safe to say I know my way around the interwebs. I know what works on a website, and I know what doesn’t. And I especially know what looks good.
Here Are Some Things That Are No Bueno
When a link is broken
When a site looks hip or cool but doesn’t provide the basic info I need like a godd&#*& menu, opening hours, or prices
When the site looks like Fred Flinstone personally programmed it with a stone tablet and Pterodactyl quill AKA isn’t mobile-friendly
Don’t Worry, Help Is On the Way
If your website is chock full of annoying video ads, hasn’t been updated in over a decade, or isn’t mobile-friendly, I’m not going to judge you. But I will judge your site (if you pay me to do it.) I will also provide a list of ways to improve it. I call this service the “Website Audit”. To learn more about it, you can head here.
If you are bullheaded and prefer to DIY, on the other hand, I will first and foremost salute a fellow mule and then I will encourage you to check out this blog post where I outline all the essential pages your site needs. Hint, LESS IS MORE. Cut the fat and stick to the essentials.
Or in other words, when in doubt, throw it out (I am just getting over food poisoning in Mexico, can you tell?)
Need help designing a beautifully minimal yet functional website? Get in touch! I’d love to hear about your project.
Don't Stay Stuck....Here's a Website Roadmap for You to Follow
Getting started building your site is half the battle because let’s be real..you probably have a million and one other things to worry about. That’s why I wanted to create a quick blog post outlining the most important steps to take whether you are in the Preparing Stage, the Building Stage, or the Finalizing Stage. Let’s begin!
Preparing Stage- In this stage, you already have a solid business idea in place and are wondering how to attract your ideal clients or customers.
Stalk your competitors - don’t skip this step!!
Choose a template on Squarespace that you resonate with most.
Create a Site Plan which outlines all the text and content you’ll need for your website. You can also check out this blog post for inspiration on writing your content.
Collect images you’ll be using (I recommend Unsplash.com), design a logo for free on Canva, and then save them on your desktop in a designated folder.
Building Stage- In this stage, you will have already completed all of your tasks from the Planning Stage.
Get familiar with the backend of Squarespace. I recommend creating a trial website and just playing around with the different features before you begin building.
Take an online course that shows you the ins and outs of Squarespace.
Once you feel comfortable, you can start adding in the elements you’ve compiled from your site plan.
Don’t forget to update your site titles, headers, and URL’s and add a cute favicon.
Finalizing Stage- In this stage, you should have already completed all of your tasks from the Planning and Creating Stage.
Double-check that all of your backlinks, hyperlinks, and buttons link to the appropriate page.
Connect your domain.
Go through this SEO checklist and make sure you’ve addressed all of the points.
That’s it! That’s all you have to do (insert eye-roll). I know it’s a lot but I believe you can do it!