Now that Memorial Day has passed, everyone is celebrating the unofficial start of summer. The days are longer, the heat is on and it’s time to check out a few hot summer updates for your website design. Usually businesses consider their online approach in January as they define new year’s goals. It is almost June, which means your website has looked the same for about six months. Check it out and implement at least a couple of these great ideas.
Get Rid of Fussy Fonts and Colors
The one with the most fussy fonts and colors is definitely not the winner. In fact, Entrepreneur encourages businesses to present a consistent and uniform look. Excessive use of fonts and wild colors gives your website an amateur feel. Keep it to just two or three hues and fonts per page for a simple, eye-catching look. Now that websites are accessed on a variety of mobile devices, make sure the colors and fonts you choose look great on anything from an iPhone to a desktop computer.
Fix Those Broken Links
Did you ever visit a website, find an interesting hyperlink then click on it just to get the dreaded “404” error page? If you felt frustrating, this is what could be happening to your website visitors. You should test your site every couple of weeks to make sure the links are not broken. It can also be helpful to have a way to contact the webmaster so visitors can let you know when they find broken links. The link is only valuable if people can actually get to the designated page.
Get Fresh
Sometimes your web content gets old and tired, especially if you’ve had the same basic website design for more than a couple of years. It could contain inaccurate dates, outdated information and even a couple of typos. Every month you should review your web content to make sure it is fresh and relevant. Updating your web content also helps to boost your search engine rankings over time. Verify all contact information, employee descriptions and product fats are correct.
Clarify Contact Information
When you visit a site with no visible contact information, do you feel comfortable to share personal details such as your name, email address or credit card number? Don’t make your website visitors feel insecure about the legitimacy of your business by providing sketchy contact info. Make sure your website includes an email contact form, phone number and physical address. This makes people feel your site is legitimate. As a result, they are more willing to share information about themselves.
Link to Social Media
If you haven’t created designated social media accounts for your business, you are missing out on invaluable promotional opportunities. Display links on your website to all your social media accounts. This makes it easier for visitors to follow you. Also include links to social media near all your content to encourage visitors to share it on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and more.
Retire SEO Copywriting
If your website still contained SEO copywriting, it’s time to update it. This type of keyword-focused content can cause your site to get penalized and slide down the ranks of major search engines. Perform updated keyword research to sprinkle essential terms into user-centric content. Your website content should be unique and provide actual value to your readers. These are your top two priorities with keywords coming in a distant third.
Integrate Text with Image and Video
If your website is mostly text, it’s time to add some imagery. Add relevant video and images to your web content. Choose your images carefully to ensure they accurately express the ideas and concepts in your content. Use videos that further explain what you want readers to understand. Don’t go overboard because excessive imagery can slow down the loading time of your website. If your website is slow, visitors tend to surf away to the competition. Much like SEO, there is a fine line between getting it right and going overboard.
[box type=”shadow”]Main Takeaway: Summer is here and the living can be even easier when you revamp your current website design. Check for broken links, add unique content and complement it with videos and images. Make sure to have a visible presence on major social media. Eliminate fussy fonts and a rainbow of colors for a more streamlined and professional look.[/box]
