5 Goals for your Website in the New Year

Traditionally, folks like to start fresh in the new year and that includes their business websites. We have identified five elements for you to focus on in 2023. 

We posted a similar article a number of years ago, but websites have come a long way since then. The top goal for 2015 was to make your website mobile-friendly, which should be an automatic decision by now. (And if your website still isn’t, contact us, pronto!) So what are the five goals this time around?

1. Improve security
The internet can be a playground for bad operators and you need to be vigilant for your customers’ safety as well as your own safety. For your customers, having an SSL certificate on your site is a must. That’s the protocol that establishes a secure link to keep any customer data from being spied upon. Your website then says “https” in the URL and sports a little lock icon which is much more reassuring to customers than seeing “http” and “Not Secure.” 

Keeping your website platform updated to the latest version is for your own safety. The older your version is, the longer bad operators have had to find your platform’s weaknesses. And once they find your weaknesses, they will exploit them. You have heard the horror stories of deleted or leaked data and data held for ransom. Even the smallest of companies have been hacked and while little damage may have actually been done, it’s still a royal pain in the backside to fix. 

2. Become ADA compatible
First of all, it’s just the right thing to do, but making your website accessible to those with disabilities will also keep you from being fined or sued. Consider also that the term “disability” encompasses a wide range. The majority of your customers may not technically require an ADA-compliant website, but if their eyes are over forty-five years old, they sure will appreciate easier text reading. 

3. Bump up SEO
Guess what? Making your website ADA-compliant also improves your SEO! 
For the visually impaired, succinct labels explain to users what the graphics are about on each web page. Search engine robots use that information, too. Ride that wave by ticking off some of the other SEO must-haves such as finding and using the right terms and in the right places.

4. Add content
Also good for both robots and human users is consistently growing your content. Writing about what your business does gives you more of the right words to match what people are searching for. It also underscores that you are the expert on this topic. Consistently updating your site with new content gets the attention of search robots so that you are indexed more often for better search results. Content-building was one of the five goals for 2015 and it’s still very important.

5. Strategize the CTA
This was also one of 2015’s five goals, but many websites are still lacking in this area. What do you want your web visitor to do when they get to your site? If you don’t have an actual Call To Action and you don’t clearly give directions to the visitor, the results will disappoint. 

No doubt your business has big plans for 2023 and Sprocket Websites would love to be your partner in bringing those plans to fruition. With folks wanting to start fresh in the new year, December is always a busy month for us, but we’re available for a quick chat now to schedule your website work in January. Call us now!

Photo by king Siberia

This article is an update to “5 Web Goals for the Upcoming Year” dated 12/22/2014. 

Kate GingoldKate Gingold

I have been writing a blog with web marketing tips and techniques every other week since 2003. In addition to blogging and client content writing, I write books and a blog on local history.

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I have been writing a blog with web marketing tips and techniques every other week since 2003. In addition to blogging and client content writing, I write books and a blog on local history.

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