In today’s new environment, now is the time to work on your website. You may have many projects on the back burner thinking, One day I will have time to focus on these. For many, their website is one of those projects, and this may be the case for you as well.
We will cover one fix across five categories, from easy updates to more advanced. There are additional aspects you can address for your website, but this list is a good place to get started.
The Compliant Website Fix – Easy
Make your website ADA compliant. You see the blue circle icon in the top right corner of our website? That is the accessibility icon. A person can click on it to make the font larger and adjust other features to make the site accessible based on a person’s needs. If you don’t have the accessibility icon on your site, it is a quick fix. Make sure you get that set up!
The Update Themes and Plugins Website Fix – Easy to Medium
If you have a low-cost hosting option in place, you may be responsible for updating your WordPress theme and plugins on your own. Many website owners feel very uncomfortable doing those updates. Another type of hosting called “managed hosting” takes care of those updates for you. You spend a bit more each month, but you have an expert implementing those updates. Without your theme and plugin updates, your site becomes more susceptible to vulnerabilities. Also, if too much time goes by, you may not be able to effectively update your plugins.
Juice uses Ataraxia Web for their managed hosting – a great resource if you need to make the switch. By the way, Ataraxia Web also installs a free SSL certificate for non-shopping sites if you host with them. So if your site is still showing the “not secure” message, you get to see that go away too. This is an easy fix if your plugins aren’t too outdated. The level of complexity increases based on the last time your plugins were updated and how many plugins you have.
The SEO Helper Website Fix – Medium
If you have a WordPress site, add the Yoast plugin. It identifies SEO improvements for your pages and posts. It also gives you tips on how to fix the issues. Yoast uses a red light, yellow light, and green light system. You want green lights as much as possible. There will be instances when a yellow light is going to happen, for example, if industry words are needed on the page.
The Speed Website Fix – Medium to Advanced
Test the load speed of your site. You can use this free tool from GTmetrix to test your site. It grades you, just like in school. You receive a grade of A through F for various elements on your site. This identifies where you need to focus. Some fixes may take a bit of time while other fixes may be more advanced.
The Ultimate Website Fix – Advanced
If you are experiencing quirky issues with your website, the flow of your website needs a major overhaul, or if your focus for your business has changed, it may be time to build a new website. Today’s new websites are more secure, load faster, and have cleaner code which helps SEO.
Websites are like cars: you can regularly change the oil, replace windshield wipers and tires, and keep up with all your regular maintenance, but eventually, you will need to get a new vehicle. That comparison has always been an easier way to wrap my head around the need for a rebuild. If it’s that time for you, Juice would be honored to build a new website for your business!
Here’s to bringing your website to the front burner and giving it some TLC. As always, Juice is here to help. Ask us any questions.