Does your website need an upgrade?

The Web is constantly growing and changing—which means it’s important to keep current. These tips will help you decide if you’re overdue for an upgrade.

1. Change your resolution
If your site was created for an 800 x 600 resolution or smaller, it‘s definitely time for a change. The most popular screen resolution on the web these days is 1366 × 768 and you’d be amazed at the difference it makes.

2. Make it mobile/responsive
The future is here and it’s mobile—but is your site compatible with these devices? The sooner you make your site mobile friendly, the faster your visitors will have your content at the tips of their fingers. If you have to choose one upgrade for your site—it’s this one. And, from 21 April 2015 Google will rank site searches on mobile devices acording to whether they are mobile friendly. Dont lose out. Click here for a free check so see if your site is mobile friendly as far as Google is concerned.

3. Promote your social media
What better Web real estate to promote your social media efforts than your own website? Incorporate your social marketing with buttons, feeds, badges—the possibilities are endless! From a business perspective, Facebook is your best bet.

4. Monitor your site traffic with Google Analytics
If Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) has been incorporated into your current site (which it most definitely should have been!), then you’re already paying attention to what’s important. The tricky part is that SEO best practices are constantly changing, making it essential to monitor your results and revise your strategy accordingly. Google Analytics allows you to keep an eye on a myriad of information about your website trafficSEO can often be a relatively quick fix to Web traffic slumps, so what are you waiting for?

5. Add striking visuals
Gone are the days of text graphics and flashing GIFs, so if you spot any of those elements in your site, it’s time to rethink your visual strategy. Good imagery is essential. Aside from being an eyesore, text graphics depress your SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and are likely to increase your bounce rate.

6. Update your site content
The goal of your site is to capture your audience and provide them with the information they need to close the deal. Outdated information is one of the biggest turn-offs to new prospective customers. Having a CMS (Content Management System) based website will allow you to make changes yourself simply and quickly. Update prices, add new product/service information quickly in-house so that your site is always reflecting the current products 7 services your business offers.

7. Keep it simple
Your website is one of the most important pieces of Web realty you have to market yourself, so it better look good. Steer clear of using too many fonts or picking distracting ones that are hard to read. Decide on an attractive color palette and stick to it—less is definitely more.