Taking stock of your current website will help plan for the new one, addressing any issues in usability and functionality.
A website audit will not only help improve user experience but will show you where you can increase SEO results.
Part of the audit experience is performing an SEO audit that will show if the website is optimised to meet your conversion goals.
You’ll also need to review your copy to ensure messaging is clear so that customers understand what you’re trying to say and to sell.
By assessing the content, SEO and usability of your current website you can improve website traffic and conversion on your new website.
Assess Your Content
For the first part of the website and SEO audit, you need to go through your copy with a fine-tooth comb.
Check every page on your website, including landing pages and blog posts, to ensure the message is clear and simple.
It’s a good idea to get feedback from a third party. You should interview your customers and start a focus group to get clear and constructive feedback.
Assess customer data from your inbound marketing platform and use tools like Behaviour Flow in Google Analytics.
This will show any areas where people drop off the map and help you understand how customers use your site – including any pain points.
Make sure your content is clear, simple and direct, and that it answers your customer’s questions about your product/service.
The content should take the customer on a journey from information to action. Ease of navigation on this journey is vital.
Assessing your content also means ensuring it follows SEO best practices and is optimised properly.
You can also use different online website grading tools to rate your website.
If you utilise an inbound marketing platform, a website grading tool will most likely be built into the software.
It’s a good idea to conduct keyword research on your industry and product/service, and perform an analysis of your best-performing keywords.
Make sure your content is targeted around these keywords to give you the biggest gains in traffic and leads.
Review all on-page elements such as page titles, URLs, copy and meta descriptions so that these are SEO optimised also.
Also ensure your unique selling propositions are easily accessible via the main menu bar and that the design is intuitive and responsive on mobile devices.
Your calls to action particularly need to be easily accessible, relevant and simple to boost traffic and conversion.
Fluid Design & Great Usability
Design and usability are part of the technical assessment of your website. You’ll need to enlist the help of a website designer and / or IT personnel to assist you.
The biggest key is to make sure your website is responsive across all devices, and that it is clear and simple to navigate.
Visual design also plays a major part in repeat business and visitors spending a longer amount of time on your website, so make sure it is visually pleasing.
Scrolling designs are very popular at the moment and really easy to use on mobile, but make sure the design you pick works well across all devices – including desktop. You can go too far the other way and negatively impact on your traffic.
Your website’s overall performance will also impact the time spent on your website so be sure to look at page sizes, load times, server response and site speed.
By assessing the performance of your current website, you’ll be able to plan for improvements to your new website.
Doing so will enhance the user experience and make you more visible in the marketplace, increasing traffic and lead conversion.