Hard to believe we are well into spring already – and as we know, spring season signals a time for cleaning and trying to get more organized! Thanks to Marie Kondo, we are now assessing our household items, knick knacks, and clothing with a simple question “Does it spark joy?” If not, it finds itself in the donation bin.
When it comes to our websites, they need to do a lot more than just spark joy. And spring is the perfect time to review them with clear eyes and a fresh mindset. In part 1 of our 3 part blog series dedicated to spring cleaning the most important parts of our business, we share easy tips for cleaning up that website!
Check out your page speed score
Website load time is one of the most important factors for your overall performance and ranking in search engine results. Running the Google PageSpeed Insights tool for your website is easy (just enter your URL) and fast (get your results almost instantly). However, some of the recommendations may take some time to tackle – so take one thing at a time. And for areas that are too technical or time consuming, consider hiring someone to take those off your plate. The investment is well worth it!
Request feedback
Soliciting practical feedback from colleagues and friends can be invaluable. Keep it simple. Ask 3-5 people you know and trust to visit your website, navigate pages, review copy and images, interact with buttons, submit a form, chat, etc. Ask them to provide honest insight about their experience. Was it easy to navigate? Did they clearly understand your business and the services you provide? Did they notice any areas for improvement? Was anything missing that they expected to see? While we are all proud of our websites and put a lot of time into them, we don’t necessarily know how messaging and elements resonate with others. And remember not to take criticism personally. It’s important to understand how other users see and experience our website – and adjust accordingly!
Do an audit
Don’t panic…but it may be time for a significant website update or overhaul. Keeping our websites up to date with the latest technology and UX trends ensures we are making the best possible first impression with prospects, and performing well from an SEO perspective. Head over to our recent blog, “When should I update my website” for 5 easy ways to determine whether now is the time to update your website.
Keep it fresh
With all of the channels we have to communicate with our prospects and clients (instagram, facebook, pinterest, twitter, email, phone/text…) it’s easy to overlook the messaging on our websites. Take the time to review all copy to ensure it’s current and inclusive (more on this topic in our next blog). And whether it’s a social feed, blog, images, or just your copy in general, make sure to update it regularly. This is a positive signal for users and search engines.
RPC Website updates!
We know website spring cleaning is easier said than done…so we are putting our tips to practice by making our own updates to the RPC website! We are still working away but here are a few things we’ve added and updated lately:
- A “Resources we love” page. We are so fortunate as a wedding community to have such wonderful resources for businesses of all types, sizes, budgets, and preferences. We have compiled a list (that we will continue adding to) of resources we truly love and recommend. Head over to check it out and be sure to grab the promo codes provided exclusively for RPC members!
- Streamlined our FAQ page. We’ve changed the layout to hopefully make it a little quicker and easier to find the items you’re looking for.
- Added a diversity pledge so it’s clear where we stand with our internal team members and hiring efforts — as well as our commitment to diversity and inclusion in our larger wedding community
- Added member testimonials because we are extremely proud of our talented and passionate members and we want to share their experience with RPC!
