Web help and advice - Comment archive

Return to comment archive index
 

October 2008

Five steps to improve your website

Step 5 - Writing a plan

Having reviewed the aims of your website, its search engine ranking, your competitors' websites and finally your own website, it is time to put a plan in place to start building some improvements. The first point is to take an objective view of the findings and determine whether the existing website can deliver your aims or whether you need to start from scratch. In many cases you can work with an existing website, but if it is badly structured or weakly implemented technically then you won't be able to realise the full benefit.

Look at the issues you want to address and sort them into 'on-page' and 'off-page' items. The former are things you want to change on your website, and the latter are issues you need to address outside the website.

'on-page' items include the structure, content, design, user experience, functionality etc..

'off-page' items include your exposure on the internet, directory listings, links from related websites, pay per click (PPC) advertising etc.

Prioritise these lists and, if you have skills in any of the relevant areas, get to work on building the improvements. Few people can make changes to their website structure, but if you have a Content Management System (CMS) then you will be able to update your content (use the keywords that people will be searching for you by through the search engines, sell the benefits of your business, include calls to action etc.) Working on 'off-page' areas is often an area the customer CAN get involved with, especially building links by contacting related companies and asking then to put a link to your website from their website.

Of course, a lot of these activities are best off undertaken by an experienced web professional, but - at the very least - if you've gone through the thinking process and been able to identify areas needing improvement then you will have taken a large step forward to improving what your website delivers for your business.

Five steps to improve your website

Step 4 - Review your own website

Having so far reviewed the aims of your website, where you appear in the search engine results and what your competitors are doing on the web, now is the time to bring that information together by reviewing your own website.

Have a fresh look at your own website, from a customer's viewpoint, noting down good points - and bad - at each stage noting how you compare against your competitors' sites. Focus on those areas of the website where you are under-performing in the search engine results and look carefully at the amount of content your site contains, how clear the navigation is etc.

Don't forget to look beyond pure website position, at factors that affect whether or not potential customers 'convert' into actual customers. This includes the clarity of the information you give, how well you sell the benefits of using your business and the ease of the conversion process (e.g. a checkout process).

Once more ask a website developer experienced in the field of Search Engine Optimisation to help out, by reviewing your own website for technical factors that might be holding it back in terms of its search engine ranking.