Well, the year is drawing to a close and 2022 is just around the corner.
It's that time of year when you really should put your feet up, spend time with loved ones and reflect on the year that has been. And it's been quite some year.
In fact, if it's been anything like ours, you probably feel like this year started in March 2020 and right through from then until now has been a whirlwind and a half!
We don't yet know how 2022 will begin, nor how it will pan out, but one thing we are pretty sure of at Orca is that one of your best employees (your website) probably needs a little attention. After all, it works 24/7 for you. It will be working when you tuck into Christmas dinner and still working when you pop that Champagne cork on the 31st.
So over this break and early into the new year, why not consider whether it is time for a little investment into your site.
It is so often an element that doesn't quite get the attention it deserves or needs.
We get it, you've been busy doing what you do, so didn't get time to update the site, write blogs, create content, post those case studies you promised yourself, keep up to date with the latest Google updates, and more...
But it is important to keep your site up to date and regular maintenance is far more cost-effective and beneficial than simply waiting 5 years and doing yet another re-build.
But before we tell you to give us a call and chat to our team about Website Maintenance, Website Care and Website update packages ,below are 10 things we think it's worth you considering for your site in 2022 (side from keeping the content up to date of course):
The world has been banging this drum for some time now. It's not a new drum, but it is as important as ever! Your site must work well on a mobile and a tablet. If it doesn't, call us to discuss a rebuild as soon as possible.
These days it is super simple to make special pages for your website which you can direct specific visitors to through targeted advertising. These pages are not often shown in the sites menus, and in most cases they are also are hidden from Google. They are used to provide a specific message, target individual persona's or back up marketing campaigns. Well-curated and built landing pages really do drive enquiries - and can be great to push leads into your sales funnel.
Accessing the latest analytics helps you learn a lot about your website and what your users are doing online. Even if you are not quite ready to take action on what the data is telling you, you should still be gathering it.
The world is inclusive, and so it should be. Your site should provide a good experience to all and there are many tools to help you get this right. It's physically making the changes where you may need us or your web team.
Again, not new things but - believe us - the interactions now happening with bots are increasing (substantially). Many people are happier to text/chat rather than speak on the phone and those sites which allow the user to make contact in the way they feel more comfortable will benefit.
You might already use dark mode on your computer or Mobile device. Reducing eye strain and increasing battery life are just two benefits of dark mode, another is that it often looks super slick.
The world is busier- people are more desperate than ever to get to where they want to be on a website. Give them that chance. In fact, give them multiple opportunities to take action. They will!
As a follow-on from number 7, visitors have shortening attention spans. Reviewing your message and ensuring it's to the point is now critical. Tell them what they want to see in as few a words as possible and you'll see conversions rise. This is an art and a copywriter may well be needed.
We're still not seeing sites marked massively down for speed, but it may come. If your site is slow, your competition will rank ahead of you though and - more importantly - your users will switch off and head elsewhere before you get a chance to convince them you are the one for them. So you must optimise your site not just for Google but for the user - and speed is a key factor for both.
Where you can, you must tell your story, alert prospects to your values, remind people who you are, and provide positive reviews of your goods or service. There are many ways to add this social proof to your site and it sure is important in winning hearts, minds, and customers.
We've gone on enough here, and this list is by no means exhaustive.
There are plenty more things you could also consider, as well as content. We can provide superb website care, content and updates packages that will keep your site fresh
If you'd like a free audit of your site send us an email to hello@orcaonline.co.uk and we'll get straight to it.
