Don't Neglect these New Year's Resolutions for Every Website

The Sprocket Report

Launching a new website in the new year? Then these are the first basic steps to take. (And if you already have a site, check to see that you’ve done these. We all know New Year’s Resolutions sometimes can get broken!)

You may be making grand plans for your business in 2020, but don’t forget your website. As the 24/7, world-wide connection to your customers, it’s the foundation that supports all other marketing strategies. Before you get too busy, be sure you have completed these four simple – but often overlooked – steps that you can build on all year long.

Step 1: Measure Your Progress

An analytics report is a most important part of your website – the one that every other goal depends on. Google Analytics is free so use it. And then actually look at the reports on a regular basis to measure your visitor traffic so you know where you are now and can work to getting closer to where you want to be.

Check with your webmaster to see what you already have available to you. If Google Analytics is already installed, be sure you can get at the information. If Analytics isn’t already on your site, have your web tech install for you or install it yourself. It’s a good tool and costs you nothing.

Step 2: Choose a few search terms

Make a list of the words your visitors use to find someone like you. Peek at your competition’s source code to see what search terms they use and add them to the list. Use Google’s Keyword Planner to brainstorm some more.

Make a list of the best words. Include your location if it’s an important search term such as “Naperville Pizza.” Some terms will be specifically for your home page, but eventually, you’ll want to go back and do the same for every other page on your website.

Step 3: Use those search terms in your content

You or your webmaster can use those five to ten best words in your meta tag, but you should also be using them in your page content. Put them in the first paragraph if possible, but use them in a conversational way to appeal to your human visitors.

For example, if your best words are “Pizza, Naperville, Delivery, Deep Dish, Chicago Style,” it’s a simple matter to write in your content: “Nobody in Naperville does deep dish pizza like Angelo’s– bringing Chicago style yummy right to your door with our speedy delivery!”

Step 4 – Get listed

To improve your online visibility, you should take advantage of free links to your business by claiming your listing at places such as Google My Business, Bing Places for Business, and Yahool Local. (Hint: Yahoo partnered with Yext who will try to upsell you, but there IS a free Local Basic Listing if you look for it.)

The post-graduate step to getting listed includes social media platforms, Yelp, and so on, but if you are really overwhelmed, at least get started with Google My Business. Nearly everyone qualifies with some sort of physical address, although you can’t be an online-only business.

If all you can manage to do in January is measure your web traffic, that would be a huge step that can inspire you to all kinds of marketing efforts in the coming year! We wish you best and brightest of futures in 2020 and if we can help you in any way, just give us a call.

This is an update to "Baby Steps Website Resolutions” dated 12/26/2011.

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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