Moving Forward

1) Spread The Word

When your website goes live, the most important thing to do is drive traffic to it. This will help Google index it faster and start improving your SEO rankings immediately. Here are some ways to consider getting the word out: 

• Email Newsletter – If you have a newsletter or email list, be sure to let them know that the new site has launched.
• Social Media – Use your network of Facebook friends, family or coworkers to get the word out. Share your website link in the post. You’ll be surprised how far one post can go when it’s shared and liked. Also, if you’re active on Linkedin, Instagram or other socials, share away!!
• Word of Mouth – Word of mouth is still the most powerful referral. Get their opinion and see what they think about your new online presence. That’s valuable feedback that may come in handy when considering changes and additions to the site moving forward.

2) Ask for Reviews

Online reviews are more important than ever. For businesses being googled and found online, a user will look at reviews almost immediately. There are many different ways and platforms on ways to get reviews, but here are some I recommend:

• Google Review – This is highly recommended as Google reviews are generally what will pop up when somebody finds your site with an internet search. You can have your customers Google your business, then leave a review.
• Facebook Reviews –  Don’t be afraid to ask for your customers to leave a review on your Facebook page and have them share it. Or get their permission for you to share the review.
• Testimonials for Website – After your website is live, I recommend gathering as many testimonials as possible to post on the website. Users will often look for reviews ON the site as well as on other outlets before making a purchase, calling or emailing. I recommend putting the best one’s on the site 🙂

3) Keep Things Fresh & Updated

After your website has been live for awhile, you can do some things to keep it fresh, particularly if you have a site with repeat or recurring visitors. Here are some suggestions:

• Change Images – Add or update images 1-3 times a year. For the user, it looks like you’re taking the time to update your site and therefore making it more valuable for them.
• Keep Info Updated – If information, events or services change for your business, be sure to change the website, too! There’s nothing worse than having wrong information on a website. Keep your website updated and streamlined to your business.
• Refresh Layout – Every few years, it’s recommended to do an overall refresh of your site. Whether it’s making cosmetic changes to the action colors or menu bar, or even just adjusting or adding some new graphics/images. Keeping your site fresh is a GREAT way to keep people coming back.

4) Build Site Content

A website is viewed by Google as being “alive” or “dead.” An “alive” site is driving traffic, getting new and existing users, being updated, posting new blogs and content. If your site is “dead” – e.i. not being managed, updated or taken care of – it can impact your SEO ranking dramatically. Here’s some options on how to build your website content:

• Blog – Blogging sounds a bit overrated and useless to a lot of people but the facts are the facts – websites with blogs generally drive 30-40% more traffic to their sites than their competitors. Google will often pick up blog posts before picking up major website pages. If you can contribute good, lasting content that is well thought out and valuable to your customers, you will drive more traffic.
• New Pages – It’s generally good practice to not only update your images and graphics, but also your content! If you have more services to add to your site, do it! Google LOVES seeing that a site is being refreshed and updated. As you update, you can repeat the steps above by reposting your site to your social media outlets and letting people know that you have updated images, content, new blog post, etc.
• Updated Content – If things in your industry change or your services change, be sure to update your site accordingly. Even adjusting content by a few words can show Google that your site is being worked on and is again…”alive!”

5) Protect Your Website

Over 50% of all web traffic is currently spammers, bots, malware and hackers. The fact is, sites are getting hacked left and right these days and most of the time, for no reason more than a hacker thousands of miles away just happening to find a way in or a web spider that got through a hosting company’s firewall, etc. If your site isn’t protected and secured, it’s only a matter of time before there’s a breach. My security plan lets you (and me) sleep better at night knowing that your site is protected.