Do you think that 2012 will be a better year than last year? I really don’t know so I am not making any predictions. But I am banking on that 2012 will be different than last year. Any change is better than no change right? So I am going for different. Speaking of different, I suggest that you start the New Year looking at your web site a little differently. By the way, do you even have a web site? If not then skip the rest of this article or maybe this could be your goal for the New Year. The American dream used to be a little house with a white picket fence. Today that dream has changed to owning a web site that produces a revenue stream. My New Year’s gift to you is this 9-Point Web Site Assessment for you to begin thinking about your site differently.
- Domain Name: Do you own a domain name? I suggest you login to your domain name account and review all of the contact information. You may find a surprise or two. You should be named as the Registrant. But also check the contact information for the Administrative Contact and the Technical Contact to make sure they are correct. Is it time to renew your domain name?
- Web Hosting Account: Review your web site hosting account. Who are you hosted with? Do you know how much you are paying each month? What do you get for that?
- Ongoing Web Maintenance: Do you have a web maintenance contract with a web company? How much are paying? Are you taking full advantage of their services?
- Site Updates: When was the last time you updated your web site? Can you update your content and photos with your own Content Management System, CMS? It may be time for some minor updates. Or possibly time for a complete web site redesign?
- Looks are Everything: How does your web site look? I suggest that you look at your web site differently. Does your site look current? How does it compare with your competitors? Does your site look outdated? Does the home page look interesting and draw visitors in? Or does it look cluttered? How does your site look on a big monitor? How does it look on an 11″ MacBook Air? How does it look on an iPad? On an iPhone?
- Copy/Text: How does your web site read? Content is still king on the web. How is your site’s content? When was your site’s text last updated? I suggest that you actually read through all of your web pages and find out.
- Social Media: Are you Social? Do you blog? Do you do Twitter? Do you Facebook? Vimeo? Flickr? LinkedIn? Social Media is possibly more important than the web site itself.
- Dated: Check out your web site copyright/footer date. What year is showing in your web page footer? If your web site footer doesn’t say 2012, it looks outdated.
- Pull Some Rank: How does your site rank? Is your web site in the search engines? Go to Google and punch in some key words related to your web site. Where does your web site show up on the Search Engine Results Page SERP?
First Crescent has been designing and developing web sites for 15 years. We are a web Communications Company based in Santa Barbara, California. In addition to elegant web site design, we can help you manage your own web content with a Content Management System-CMS, implement Search Engine Optimization-SEO, set up an online store, integrate Social Media, and assist you in achieving your marketing goals. We love working with clients who are ready to take their business to the next level. Begin your year with this 9-point web assessment and make 2012 a different year.
Tags: Santa Barbara, web design company, web site assessment
